Welcome our new Executive Director, Monica O Montgomery
PGAAMCC Welcome's our new Executive Director, Monica O Montgomery
Photo credit: Dominique Sindayiganza
Monica O. Montgomery, is the new Executive Director of Prince Georges African American Museum and Cultural Center. She is an arts and culture innovator using creativity and narrative as a means of bridging the gap between people and movements. As an independent curator, museum consultant and keynote speaker, she uses her platforms to be in service to society. She is co-founder and strategic director of Museum Hue a multicultural platform advancing diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives for people of color, in arts, culture, museums and creative economy. She works internationally to facilitate diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives with clients throughout Europe, Africa and North America.
As a museum activist, Monica advocates globally for social justice and relevance embedded in museum practice. She is a dynamic force for change, recently delivering a TedX talk entitled ‘How To Be an Upstander’ challenging everyone to stand up, speak up and act up for social good.
She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Broadcast Communication from Temple University and a Masters of Arts in Corporate Communication from LaSalle University. She is an adjunct professor who’s taught in Museum Studies graduate programs at Harvard University, Pratt Institute, and NYU and guest lectured at Princeton University, Columbia University, American University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, CUNY, University of the Arts and dozens more. Monica holds leadership advisory positions in OfByFor All Change Network, NYC Arts in Education Roundtable, Leading Changemakers, Arts Marketing Association UK, Museums As Sites of Social Action and other groups.
Monica states” I am grateful and energized to be named Executive Director of Prince Georges African American Museum and Cultural Center, an institution that stands out among African American museums for presenting bold contemporary art exhibitions and preserving the black history contributions of residents in PG County. My commitment to Diversity + Inclusion, Black excellence, Social justice curation and community engagement has led to a natural progression of my work into this esteemed leadership position. I am honored to be taking the helm and excited by the possibilities PGAAMCC has to leave a lasting legacy for future generations throughout the region and the world.”
Continue to Share Our Stories: Support Us Today
We see you and want to thank you for your continued support and active participation this year. This year has been full of exciting programs and exhibitions that we hope you have enjoyed. As we prepare ourselves for the new year we want to make sure we can count on your participation and support for another year. We are asking our members to give a little more!
How can you participate?
We want to hear from you, let us know how we can better serve you and continue growing our strong community base.
How can you support?
We have 270 members to date. If each member gave a donation of $50 we would be able to reach our goal this year.
There are only 2 months left to reach our goal! I hope you will make a gift to PGAAMCC today to help us educate our community about the rich history and culture in Prince George’s County.
Your support will allow us to continue offering free education and outreach programs, including:
- Our Cultural Education Passport Program that helps provide a fuller, more complex narrative and images about the African American experience and community for children and youth.
- Art & History Exhibitions tell the stories of the diverse experiences of the County’s African American communities and aim to reflect the broad spectrum of social and cultural activities.
- Special Programs bring together diverse groups of people to create new approaches to cultural understanding.
- General Operations support our staff and administrative success.
You can make the difference for so many influential teachers, artists, and thousands of students. Please make your gift today!
Thank you,
-PGAAMCC Staff
For any questions about the Community Investment Tax Credit Program please reach out to
Zena Wubneh at zwubneh@pgaamcc.org
PGAAMCC on NBC4: The Importance of Black Art
NBC News4's Molette Green spoke with local artists from our current exhibition, Preston Sampson, Chanel Compton, PGAAMCC board member and Executive Director of the Banneker-Douglass Museum and Will Watson, an MFA candidate from the Maryland Institute College of Art to discuss the importance of black
Washington CityPaper: 'A Museum Goes Beyond Its Walls to Teach Prince George’s County’s Rich History'
PGAAMCC was featured in Washington CityPaper, article by Laura Irene.
Through its education efforts and programming, the Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center strives to be a pillar in its community.
From County to State: New Executive Leadership at Two Partnering African American Institutions
PHOTO RIGHT TO LEFT. Dr. Donald Wallace Jones, PGAAMCC Chair; Maleke Glee, Interim Director; Chanel Compton, MCAAHC/BDM Director; Lyndra Marshall (née Pratt), MCAAHC Chair
From County to State: New Executive Leadership at Two Partnering African American Institutions
Chanel Compton named Director of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture and the Banneker Douglass Museum and Maleke Glee named Interim Executive Director for the Prince George’s African American Museum & Cultural Center
The Prince George’s African American Museum & Cultural Center (PGAAMCC) and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) and the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM) are in the midst of bringing on new leadership to both organizations. PGAAMCC’s current Executive Director, Chanel Compton, was recruited by the MCAAHC to be the new Director of the MCAAHC and BDM in Annapolis. Ms. Compton will also transition to the PGAAMCC Board of Directors as the Vice Chair of Development. PGAAMCC has recruited Maleke Glee, previously a program/community partner, to be the Interim Executive Director. “My primary goal, as Board Chair, is to continue to elevate the excellent programs, practices, and procedures of PGAAMCC,” states Dr. Donald Wallace Jones, Chair of PGAAMCC’s Board of Directors “We are very pleased to have Ms. Compton transition from serving as our Executive Director to being an acting Board Member as the Vice Chair of Development. As such a strong ambassador for PGAAMCC, Ms. Compton will actively promote our mission and vision locally, nationally, and internationally.” Both organizations seeks to partner on Board Membership and program initiatives. Ms. Lyndra Marshall (née Pratt), MCAAHC Chair states, “Though both institutions are in transition, this has been a great opportunity to collaborate through staffing, volunteerism, board leadership, and program initiatives.”
About PGAAMCC and MCAAHC
PGAAMCC’s mission is to celebrate and inspire the community through the cultivation, preservation, and presentation of the cultural and artistic contributions of African Americans in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Since opening its doors in 2010, PGAAMCC has presented art and historical exhibitions, public programs, film screenings, festivals, and educational outreach programs, all of which continue to grow as the Museum’s audience and reach expand. In partnership with the Prince George’s County Public School (PGCPS) Office of Arts Integration, PGAAMCC’s education outreach programs, such as its early childhood programs and teen after school programs, serve approximately 65 PGPCS schools and 4,000 PGCPS students. Moving forward, PGAAMCC is actively expanding its education outreach programs throughout the region and is producing a Black Arts Festival, which will premiere on October 7, 2017.
PGAAMCC’s new Interim Executive Director, Maleke Glee, is no stranger to PGAAMCC and community arts programming. Glee’s scholarship is focused on dramaturgy and cultural ethnography, and he recently curated PGAAMCC’s most popular public programs series for the exhibition, Chocolate Cities. Maleke has also led PGAAMCC’s after school program, Culture Keepers, and is the founder and executive director for the DC based non-profit, Chocolate Redux, whose mission is to support and sustain the local culture of the Washington Metropolitan Area in the midst of gentrification. Maleke Glee states“ As a native and current resident of the County, I am honored to support our cultural eco-system. I enter this role ready to work alongside the Board, partners, and community, to fulfill the promise of PGAAMCC’s mission.”
The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) works to interpret, document, preserve, and promote Maryland's African American heritage; to provide technical assistance to institutions and groups with similar objectives; and to educate Maryland's citizens and visitors about the significance of the African American experience in Maryland and the nation. MCAAHC oversees the Banneker Douglass Museum, appoints the Walter Hill Fellowship in Archives, and jointly administers the States $1-million African American Heritage Preservation Grant Program with the Maryland Historical Trust. Chanel Compton states, “Serving African American causes on a County level has been a tremendous experience, and I am honored to serve on a State level to further promote the preservation and presentation of African American history, art, and culture.”
The Future
As two of Maryland State’s premiere African American institutions, alongside institutions such as the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, PGAAMCC and MCAAHC seek to be resources to each other and the greater community through cross-institutional board leadership and creative collaborations, such as traveling exhibitions and programs.
To learn more about MCAAHC, please visit www.africanamerican.maryland.gov or call 410-216-6180. To learn more about PGAAMCC, please visit www.pgaamcc.org or call 301-809-0440.
A Day Without a Woman
#ADayWithoutAWoman
PGAAMCC is closed today in recognition of the hard work, literal blood sweat and tears women have shed to push a new generation forward. We honor our ancestors and community leaders who have paved the way for us. #love #libation #womanhood #harriettubman #lillianbeverly #gwendolynbritt #eleanortraynham #portiapittman
Upcoming Exhibition: Chocolate Cities Exhibition Series
Chocolate Cities Exhibition Series:
The History, Legacy, and Sustainability of African American Urban Enclaves
An Artistic Exploration of History and Social Justice
The Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center (PGAAMCC) is proud to present Chocolate Cities: The History, Legacy, and Sustainability of African American Urban Enclaves. This year-long series of exhibitions and programming will examine African American self-sustained enclaves throughout the United States, focusing specifically on Washington, DC and Prince George’s County, MD.
The term Chocolate City has historical significance in Washington, DC. Coined in the 1970's by local radio personalities and made popular by the funk band Parliament, the term did not solely indicate the color of the population but also the vibrant communities and cultural pride among its residents. For Deejay Bobby “The Mighty Burner” Bennett, Chocolate City “was the expression of DC's classy funk and confident Blackness;" it was about being Black, proud, and in power. Not only were Black people the majority, but they also had strength within the city through politics, business ownership, music, and culture. Now, during a time of dramatic demographic and cultural shifts, PGAAMCC’s Chocolate Cities Exhibition Series will explore the legacy of and track the continual changes within the nation's capital and Prince George’s County.
Chocolate Cities will feature three exhibitions featuring Washington, DC and Prince George’s County based artists and youth: Chocolate Cities Group Show, Sacred Cows: Works by Imar Hutchins, and Culture Keepers Presents: Chocolate Cities Youth Exhibition. These exhibitions will run in conjunction with PGAAMCC’s two permanent exhibitions – Sharing Our Stories: Treasures from Our Collection, a display of objects from the Museum’s Collections and Footsteps from North Brentwood, a photographic exhibit celebrating the history of Prince George’s first African American Incorporated Township, North Brentwood. PGAAMCC Executive Director Chanel Compton states, “As Prince George’s County towns and municipalities evolve and diversify, it is ever more important to keep local history and culture preserved. Prince George’s County is a model for Black mobility, and our Museum is actively preserving that history of community leadership and ingenuity for new generations of innovators.” PGAAMCC will host a monthly series of Chocolate Cities public programs at the Museum for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. This exhibition program series is in partnership with Chocolate Redux, an arts and social justice non-profit located in Washington, DC.
Chocolate Cities Group Exhibition - February 8, 2017-September 26, 2017
Chocolate Cities Group Exhibition is a multidisciplinary art exhibition highlighting the changing cultural and economic landscape of Washington, DC and Prince George's County, MD through the eyes of local artists. In the past decade, Washington, DC has dramatically changed due to population growth, gentrification, and government policy. It is no longer the same Chocolate City that the funk band Parliament referred to in the 1970s, but it still remains distinctively DC. The work included in this exhibition seeks to open up a discourse on gentrification, cultural sustainability, and economic growth in a way that recognizes individual experiences as well as collective memory. Through an examination of the history of Chocolate Cities, and an interrogation of current challenges such as economic segregation and gentrification as a form of cultural castration, this exhibition will open up a discourse on historical legacy as well as methods of sustainability in the face of a rapidly changing cultural and economic landscape. Chocolate Cities Group Exhibition is curated by Martina Dodd and showcases original works by featured artists: Tim Davis, Lloyd Foster, Lionel Frazier, Sheila Crider, Michael Booker, and Larry Cook.
Sacred Cows - February 8, 2017-May 19, 2017
Imar Hutchins’ portraits are not only adorned in elaborate jewelry and colorful symbolism, but also cloaked in honor. Inspired by the reverence bestowed upon cows in India, Hutchins’ latest series of collage and mixed media work – Sacred Cows – offers unique commentary on the treatment of Black people in America. Through the blending of species, cultures, and belief systems, the artist calls attention to the parallels and paradoxes of sacred cattle and exploited chattel. Sacred Cows is curated by Martina Dodd.
Culture Keepers: Chocolate Cities Youth Exhibition - June 2, 2017-September 26, 2017
The Chocolate Cities theme takes lead in the Museum’s teen after-school program, Culture Keepers. Students in the program are currently researching historically African American counties, neighborhoods, and cities - locally and nationally. Under the guidance of PGAAMCC’s Scholar-in-Residence and Teaching Artists, Culture Keepers students will create artwork based on their findings, which will to be featured as an exhibition at the Museum in June. PGAAMCC Education Coordinator Dr. Synatra Smith states, “Our Students, who come from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds, are very excited about the Chocolate Cities theme this year; they get to learn about Black history and culture through a contemporary and creative lens. For example, we just led a presentation about the Netflix show Luke Cage and explored the significance of an African American bulletproof superhero charged to protect a historically African American community: Harlem. They loved the presentation and post-discussion because it incorporated their pop cultural interests into engaging scholarly discourse.” In partnership with Prince George’s County Public Schools, the Culture Keepers after-school program takes place weekly at three school sites: Suitland, Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr., and Northwestern high schools.
Chocolate Cities Exhibition Series Public Programs:
Opening Reception
Friday, February 10th, 2017
6:30-9pm
Well Rooted: Black Townships in Prince George’s County
Sunday, February 26, 2017
2-4pm
Black Wall Street: Pathways to Community Wealth
Saturday, March 11, 2017
2-4:30p
Chocolate Cities Artist Talk
Thursday, March 16, 2017
6-8pm
Designed for Decay: Unpacking Environmental Racism
Thursday, April 6, 2017
6-8pm
First Fridays with Chocolate Redux
Friday, May 5, 2017
7-9pm
Family Day: A Taste of Chocolate City
Saturday, July 1, 2017
2-6pm
Culture Keepers Opening Reception and Panel Discussion
Thursday, June 1, 2017
6pm-9pm
Artist Spotlight: A Legacy of Service Rush Baker Exemplifies a New Generation of Artists in Prince George’s County
North Brentwood, MD (December 27, 2016) – Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center’s most recent exhibition, Through Their Eyes – Art, Education, and Influence, features works by some of today’s most prominent visual artists, all of whom honed their skills in the Prince George’s County CVPA (Center for Visual and Performing Arts) Programs at Suitland and Northwestern High Schools. Rush Baker IV, one of the exhibition’s featured artists, is a testament to the impact of arts education in the County. As a native Prince Georgian and the son of the current County Executive, Baker is deeply connected to Prince George's past as well as its future. From his contributions as a renowned visual artist to his work as Assistant Director of the Brentwood Arts Exchange, Baker’s dedication is equal parts creativity and public service.
Baker credits his experiences as a student in Suitland High School’s CVPA Program as the catalyst for his later career. This year, Suitland CVPA marks its 30 year anniversary and has shaped careers of many of today’s known talent such as J. August Richards of ABC’s Notorious and Daniel Harder of Alvin Ailey Dance Company. Baker states “These programs – from dance and theater to TV production, graphic design, and the visual arts – attract young talent and cultivate a love and respect of our chosen professions from an early age,” Baker reflects. “I definitely came out of the program with a bit of a head start.”
Baker’s artistic reach has since expanded across the country. After earning a BFA from Cooper Union and an MFA in Painting/Printmaking from Yale, he has gone on to be featured in exhibitions from Los Angeles to New York City. But it was Baker’s experiences in the Suitland High School CVPA program that provided him with the foundation for his future achievements. “[The CVPA] experience made us all much better artists than we were coming in,” Baker says, “and I can’t ever thank them enough for that. I attribute [the CVPA] experience to helping to get me into Cooper Union’s BFA program and later going on to Yale… The rigorous formal training I received early on gave me the tools down the road to push the boundaries of my practice.”
Now, as an artist whose work is rooted in giving back to the community, Baker has truly come full circle. In hindsight, he realizes that his CVPA teachers exemplified what it means to be an artist that not only creates, but also gives back.
“It’s worth mentioning that all of my teachers [had] art practices of their own, and teaching us was truly a labor of love,” Baker says. “It was not something they had to do, and we can all agree that there are easier professions… Looking back, their commitment to us and to public service inspires me to this day.” Led by the example set by his CVPA teachers and his family’s legacy of service to the County, Rush Baker IV exemplifies a new generation of Prince George’s artists in service. To promote and connect Prince George’s artist community, particularly artist alumni from Prince George’s CVPA programs, PGAAMCC will host an artist and creative community networking event: New Year, First Friday – CVPA Edition; Friday January 6th, 2017, 6pm – 9pm.
Through Their Eyes – Art, Education, and Influence: Creative Expressions Inspired by Prince George’s County CVPA Alumni will be on display at PGAAMCC through January 21st, 2016. Join us for our final Through Their Eyes program: New Year, First Friday – CVPA Edition; Friday January 6th, 2017, 6pm – 9pm
The Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center is recognized nationally and internationally for its innovative approach to the documentation, interpretation, preservation, and presentation of local and regional African American history, art, and culture. PGAAMCC is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-5pm. Admission to the museum is free. For more information, call (301) 809-0440, email programs@pgaamcc.org, or visit the Museum’s website at www.pgaamcc.org.