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Episode 17: History in the Making
On a recent Daily Action Call, the Chamber's Cecelia Thompson highlighted the Greensboro History Museum's History Happening Now project and the Westerwood Porch Portrait Project - two initiatives to preserve people’s stories, experiences and feelings about COVID-19. From the history museum, guests are Director Carol Ghiorsi Hart and Glenn Perkins, curator of community history. Also on the call were Betsy Blake and Anne Cassity, who are leading the Westerwood Porch Portrait Project along with Cecelia.
Thanks for joining us!
This episode is sponsored by Truliant Federal Credit Union
Visit Truliant here
---------------------
Today’s host is Cecelia Thompson, the Executive Director of Action Greensboro, a branch under the Chamber that works to strengthen collaboration in Greensboro and is a catalyst for public-private partnerships.
00:58 - Cecelia Thompson introduces the episode, which is a recording of a “Try This Tuesday” action call highlighting two projects that are documenting COVID-19 in Greensboro: The Greensboro History Museum’s History Happening Now Project and the Westerwood Porch Portraits project.
5:32 - Today’s theme is “History in the Making,” which covers how we are capturing what people are experiencing as we collectively go through the pandemic and quarantine. Today’s guests are Carol Ghiorsi Hart, Director of the Greensboro History Museum, and Glenn Perkins, Curator of Community History at the Museum. Additionally, Betsy Blake and Ann Cassidy join us, who are leading the Westerwood Porch Portraits project, which documents the family experiences of Westerwood neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
10:00 - Cecelia asks Carol and Glenn to share more about the Greensboro History Museum’s project, History Happening Now. Glenn explains how the Museum wanted to document this time in history from a community perspective, so they reached out to the Museum members to send in their experiences, insights, photos of what is happening in their houses and neighborhoods, in order to capture a snapshot of what the last few months have felt like in a very personal sense.
12:18 - Carol explains that the History Happening Now Project is inspired by communities across the country and by history captured by previous generations, where day-to-day experiences are recorded in letters, diary entries, photos, and recordings. This project is a way to record what is currently happening in Greensboro, how people are living through this pandemic, and how people have lived through and documented experiences like these in the past.
14:15 - Carol shares information about a video the Greensboro History Museum has created in connection to the project that highlights diary entries which documents one woman’s experience of living through historical moments.
15:03 - Cecelia shares a preview of the Greensboro History Museum’s video, which features passages from Mary Kelly Watson Smith’s diaries. Watson-Smith kept journals for her entire life, and her diary entries gives us a window into the experience of living in Greensboro during the 1918 Spanish Flu.
23:20 - Cecelia asks Glenn and Carol to share some interesting entries they’ve received from the current project about people’s COVID experiences. Glenn shares the range of letters and messages they’ve received, from how students and teachers are coping, to the creative neighborhood socially-distanced drinks in the evenings, to people pulling together to make masks for others, to hearing from the essential people who are working through the shutdown.
25:41 - Cecelia follows up with a question about the different media and formats that people can submit to the History in the Making project. Glenn explains that the Museum is working with UNCG to archive different types of media, including quarantine playlists to new running routes. Carol also speaks to how the Museum is partnering with schools to capture students’ experiences through lockdown.
32:20 - Cecelia switches to speak to Betsy and Ann about the Westerwood Porch Portraits. Betsy shares background about how the project was formed and the goals of the project. She aims to capture people’s experiences during the pandemic as naturally and comfortably as possible, considering this unnatural time we’re going through together.
36:00 - Betsy shares some sneak peeks of the photos she’s taken as part of the Porch Portraits series, explaining the context behind each scene.
39:30 - Ann adds captions to the images that Betsy photographs. Part of her work on the team means that Ann contacts the families to hear more about their stories and add another layer of intimacy to the photos. Ann shares some of the snippets that have been shared with her.
43:07 - Cecelia asks Betsy and Ann what their advice would be to other people who want to start a grassroots project like this in their own neighborhood. Betsy and Ann both say that this project is so worth it, that it’s been a fantastic way to connect to other human beings in quarantine, so find a team of reliable and enthusiastic volunteers and get out to do it.
45:20 - Another question is when will the Porch Portraits project be complete and released? Betsy explains it’ll be a few more weeks of work, then there will be a public release of the project for people to engage with online. Glenn and Carol add their positive reactions to this type of recording and archival of COVID-19 experiences.
---------------------
Find out more!
Greensboro History Museum
History Happening Now Project
Keep an eye on Betsy Blake’s social media for the release of
the Westerwood Porch Portraits!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betsyblakephotography/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BetsyBlakeSharingLife
Greensboro Chamber of Commerce
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gsochamber/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GSOChamber/
Check out the Greensboro Chamber’s archive of previous Daily Action Calls.
Action Greensboro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ActionGSO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actiongreensboro/
---------------------
Learn more about the History Happening Now project at https://greensborohistory.org/history-now.
Remember to subscribe for new episode notifications each week.
Make sure to follow impact. The Boro on social media!
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @gsochamber
Visit the Chamber website at greensboro.org.
View all episodes
By Greensboro Chamber of Commerce
5
88 ratings
On a recent Daily Action Call, the Chamber's Cecelia Thompson highlighted the Greensboro History Museum's History Happening Now project and the Westerwood Porch Portrait Project - two initiatives to preserve people’s stories, experiences and feelings about COVID-19. From the history museum, guests are Director Carol Ghiorsi Hart and Glenn Perkins, curator of community history. Also on the call were Betsy Blake and Anne Cassity, who are leading the Westerwood Porch Portrait Project along with Cecelia.
Thanks for joining us!
This episode is sponsored by Truliant Federal Credit Union
Visit Truliant here
---------------------
Today’s host is Cecelia Thompson, the Executive Director of Action Greensboro, a branch under the Chamber that works to strengthen collaboration in Greensboro and is a catalyst for public-private partnerships.
00:58 - Cecelia Thompson introduces the episode, which is a recording of a “Try This Tuesday” action call highlighting two projects that are documenting COVID-19 in Greensboro: The Greensboro History Museum’s History Happening Now Project and the Westerwood Porch Portraits project.
5:32 - Today’s theme is “History in the Making,” which covers how we are capturing what people are experiencing as we collectively go through the pandemic and quarantine. Today’s guests are Carol Ghiorsi Hart, Director of the Greensboro History Museum, and Glenn Perkins, Curator of Community History at the Museum. Additionally, Betsy Blake and Ann Cassidy join us, who are leading the Westerwood Porch Portraits project, which documents the family experiences of Westerwood neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
10:00 - Cecelia asks Carol and Glenn to share more about the Greensboro History Museum’s project, History Happening Now. Glenn explains how the Museum wanted to document this time in history from a community perspective, so they reached out to the Museum members to send in their experiences, insights, photos of what is happening in their houses and neighborhoods, in order to capture a snapshot of what the last few months have felt like in a very personal sense.
12:18 - Carol explains that the History Happening Now Project is inspired by communities across the country and by history captured by previous generations, where day-to-day experiences are recorded in letters, diary entries, photos, and recordings. This project is a way to record what is currently happening in Greensboro, how people are living through this pandemic, and how people have lived through and documented experiences like these in the past.
14:15 - Carol shares information about a video the Greensboro History Museum has created in connection to the project that highlights diary entries which documents one woman’s experience of living through historical moments.
15:03 - Cecelia shares a preview of the Greensboro History Museum’s video, which features passages from Mary Kelly Watson Smith’s diaries. Watson-Smith kept journals for her entire life, and her diary entries gives us a window into the experience of living in Greensboro during the 1918 Spanish Flu.
23:20 - Cecelia asks Glenn and Carol to share some interesting entries they’ve received from the current project about people’s COVID experiences. Glenn shares the range of letters and messages they’ve received, from how students and teachers are coping, to the creative neighborhood socially-distanced drinks in the evenings, to people pulling together to make masks for others, to hearing from the essential people who are working through the shutdown.
25:41 - Cecelia follows up with a question about the different media and formats that people can submit to the History in the Making project. Glenn explains that the Museum is working with UNCG to archive different types of media, including quarantine playlists to new running routes. Carol also speaks to how the Museum is partnering with schools to capture students’ experiences through lockdown.
32:20 - Cecelia switches to speak to Betsy and Ann about the Westerwood Porch Portraits. Betsy shares background about how the project was formed and the goals of the project. She aims to capture people’s experiences during the pandemic as naturally and comfortably as possible, considering this unnatural time we’re going through together.
36:00 - Betsy shares some sneak peeks of the photos she’s taken as part of the Porch Portraits series, explaining the context behind each scene.
39:30 - Ann adds captions to the images that Betsy photographs. Part of her work on the team means that Ann contacts the families to hear more about their stories and add another layer of intimacy to the photos. Ann shares some of the snippets that have been shared with her.
43:07 - Cecelia asks Betsy and Ann what their advice would be to other people who want to start a grassroots project like this in their own neighborhood. Betsy and Ann both say that this project is so worth it, that it’s been a fantastic way to connect to other human beings in quarantine, so find a team of reliable and enthusiastic volunteers and get out to do it.
45:20 - Another question is when will the Porch Portraits project be complete and released? Betsy explains it’ll be a few more weeks of work, then there will be a public release of the project for people to engage with online. Glenn and Carol add their positive reactions to this type of recording and archival of COVID-19 experiences.
---------------------
Find out more!
Greensboro History Museum
History Happening Now Project
Keep an eye on Betsy Blake’s social media for the release of
the Westerwood Porch Portraits!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betsyblakephotography/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BetsyBlakeSharingLife
Greensboro Chamber of Commerce
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gsochamber/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GSOChamber/
Check out the Greensboro Chamber’s archive of previous Daily Action Calls.
Action Greensboro
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ActionGSO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actiongreensboro/
---------------------
Learn more about the History Happening Now project at https://greensborohistory.org/history-now.
Remember to subscribe for new episode notifications each week.
Make sure to follow impact. The Boro on social media!
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @gsochamber
Visit the Chamber website at greensboro.org.