PreserveCast

Join us with guest Despina Stratigakos, who participated in a fascinating effort to get the Mattel Corporation to give Barbie a career in architecture. We like to keep things of topical interest here on PreserveCast and with the new Barbie movie out this week, it seemed fitting to revisit this conversation about representation and the future of the field. 

We all need role models – and we need to see ourselves represented – whether in film, print . . . or in Mattel’s iconic Barbie. Today’s guest, Despina Stratigakos, Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence at the University at Buffalo, is a writer, historian, and professor. She is the author of three books that explore the intersections of power and architecture. Her most recent book, Where Are the Women Architects? confronts the challenges women face in the architectural profession. 

Join us on this week’s PreserveCast as we talk with Dr. Jocelyn Imani, the National Director for the Black History and Culture program at Trust for Public Land. Dr. Imani will discuss the importance in creating shared spaces that are more relevant and accessible to all populations. All that and more!

Dr. Jocelyn Imani is a storyteller, educator, and community builder with over a decade of experience as a public historian; she joined us as national director of our Black History and Culture program in 2022. In her work, she is focused on reimagining how Black history and culture sites are activated and aims to make shared spaces more relevant and accessible to all populations. Prior to joining TPL, Dr. Imani spent time as an interpretive ranger with the National Park Service, served as historian at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, and worked in the Office of Curatorial Affairs at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

She has taught U.S. history at Fisk and Howard Universities, as well as Washington Adventist University, Coppin State University, and others. She is also particularly dedicated to the development of strong children, a passion reflected in her founding of the Big Brown Get Down, an annual community event that connects upwardly mobile professionals with middle and high school students from underserved communities.

Dr. Imani holds a PhD in African diaspora and public history from Howard University and a BA in history from Fisk University. She is a member of the Nashville Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc and the Junior League of Nashville. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Progress, Inc, an organization that promotes health, happiness, and safety for people with disabilities and senior adults needing care.

An avid fan of arts, music, and culture, Dr. Imani comes from a long line of musicians and sang before she spoke. A proud daughter of the South, she is a native of Nashville, Tennessee.

Learn more: https://www.tpl.org/black-history-and-culture

On this week’s PreserveCast, join us as we talk with Carole Boston Weatherford and her son, Jeffrey Boston Weatherford, about their book Kin: Rooted in Hope. Carole and Jeffrey will share their journey creating this book, set in Talbot County, Maryland, which reimagines Wye House plantation and the nearby all-Black, Reconstruction-era hamlets of Copperville and Unionville, and the research into their ancestors that shaped the narrative.

Carole Boston Weatherford has written many award-winning books for children, including You Can Fly illustrated by her son Jeffery; Box, which won a Newbery Honor; Unspeakable, which won the Coretta Scott King award, a Caldecott honor, and was a finalist for the National Book Award finalist; Respect: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; and Caldecott Honor winners Freedom in Congo Square; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Carole lives in North Carolina.

Jeffery Boston Weatherford is an award-winning children’s book illustrator and a performance poet. He has lectured, performed, and led art and writing workshops in the US, the Middle East, and West Africa. Jeffery was a Romare Bearden Scholar at Howard University, where he earned an MFA in painting and studied under members of the Black Arts Movement collective AfriCobra. A North Carolina native and resident, Jeffery has exhibited his art in North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.

Learn more: https://cbweatherford.com/

Join us on this week’s PreserveCast as we talk with Noami Doddington from Consigli Construction. Naomi takes us through her choice to change careers from a high school teacher to historic preservationist. We'll also discuss one of her projects, the Glass House at Menokin, where part of the structure will be preserved in glass.

BIO: Naomi Doddington is a Project Manager and Historic Preservationist with Consigli Construction. She holds an MSHP degree from Clemson University. In the years that she has been working for Consigli, Naomi has had the privilege to work on some of our Capital City’s most renowned buildings, including the US Capitol Building’s Olmsted Terrace, the Netherlands Carillon near Arlington National Cemetery, and Meridian Hill Park in the heart of the Columbia Heights/Shaw neighborhoods. She has been working on the Menokin Plantation project for several years and is excited to continue to work on “the most engaging preservation project in America.” Naomi lives in Alexandria with her partner, Jeff, and their dog, Lulu.

Learn More: https://www.consigli.com/

Join us on this week’s PreserveCast as we head back to frontier Indiana where we’ll talk with Michelle Evans, the Domestic Trades Manager at Conner Prairie, one of the largest open air history museums in the nation. Michelle will take us through the background of Conner Prairie and her experience over the past four decades on site as well as Conner’s Prairie’s use of heirloom plants within their 1000 acres and 14 areas of interaction.

*Emergency Episode* French Quarter with Danielle Del Sol

In this special edition of PreserveCast, we are sitting down with a friend of our organization, Danielle Del Sol, the Executive Director at Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. She talks with us about the proposed changes to the French Quarter governance and the impact it could have to one of the oldest historic districts in the United States.

Help save the enforcement that protects this historic landmark neighborhood by signing the petition here

Trades Takeover is back! In this episode, Director of Historic Trades Natalie Henshaw speaks with Melanie Weston, one of our panelists for the inaugural American Historic Trades Summit. Held from June 12 – 14, in Providence, Rhode Island, the Summit will develop a network for historic trades training programs, creating a central source of knowledge and resources on how to start, maintain, and propel a training program. As General Manager of Heritage Restoration Inc., Melanie is responsible for the oversight, development, and outreach of the business. Melanie will participate in Session 7: Employer Perspectives, alongside Julie Butler of Durable Restoration Company and Naomi Doddington of Consigli. These different employers will discuss how training programs can meet industry needs and ensure graduates get quality jobs. 

 Melanie is a graduate of Clemson University’s Master in Historic Preservation, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Mills College. She spent her early career restoring windows, although quickly rose to become responsible for overseeing preservation, maintenance, and capital improvements of structures and landscapes for Historic New England at the Eustis Estate in Milton, Massachusetts as well as nine other properties in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Concurrent with her role as General Manager, Melanie helps administer and teach for Providence Preservation Society’s Window & Workforce Training Program and is Chairperson for the Window Preservation Standards Collaborative. The WPSC’s Fifth Summit will be held at Pine Mountain Settlement School in Kentucky October 8 – 13, 2023.   

Join us on this week’s PreserveCast as we talk with Dr. Maureen Elgersman Lee about her work at the Bray School Lab at William & Mary. Dr. Lee shares some background on the Williamsburg Bray school that was hidden in plain sight for over 200 years on the William & Mary campus in Virginia, and some of its history as the oldest extant building dedicated to the education of Black children in the United States.

BIO: Dr. Maureen Elgersman Lee is the Mellon Engagement Coordinator for African American Heritage and Director of the Bray School Lab at William & Mary. A history professor for more than two decades, she has held academic and/or administrative positions at universities in Georgia, Maine, and Virginia—and spent five years as executive director of Richmond’s Black History Museum. An award-winning scholar and professor, Maureen has produced numerous books and articles on various aspects of Black history in the United States, Canada, and the British Caribbean.  Her current book project is a new collection on the Williamsburg Bray School (1760-1774) to be co-edited with Nicole Brown and published by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 2026.

Learn More: https://www.wm.edu/sites/brayschool/people/elgersman-lee-m.php

I have been a big fan of Peter Ginn ever since I watched the first episode of Victorian Farm, where he portrayed a Victorian-era farmer in England alongside Ruth Goodman and Alex Langlands. Peter has deftly combined his knowledge of the past with entertainment and is a proud ambassador for preserving historic trades and crafts. In short, he’s the ideal PreserveCast guest.