<p>The painters in this collection have unique styles and methods, but they depict messages of agency, hope, and resilience during the time of Jim Crow. From Georgia, Nellie Mae Rowe (1900-1982) used playful colors, whimsical animals, and vibrant scenes of everyday worship. Jimmy Lee Sudduth (1910-2007) and Mose Ernest Tolliver (1925-2006) lived in Alabama. Sudduth approached his paintings with the spontaneity of jazz. Jazz musicians often improvise in their performances. Similarly, Sudduth (a musician himself) painted on found surfaces like discarded wood. Mose Ernest Tolliver frequently depicted himself with his crutches in 2-dimensional self-portraits. However, Tolliver's work is unique because Tolliver would often turn a painting upside down or on its side. Depending on how a viewer looks at one of Tolliver's paintings, they may perceive other emotions and facial or body expressions from the same portrait.</p>

<p><strong>Anna Mary Robertson Moses</strong> (September 7, 1860 – December 13, 1961) spent much of her life living and working on Virginia farms. But her prolific art career began in her elder years. When Moses (AKA "Grandma Moses") was in her seventies, she began painting: a hobby she enjoyed as a child. Grandma Moses struggled with arthritis. Holding a paintbrush helped her exercise her hands and preserve her fine motor skills. The self-taught artist continued painting until she passed away at 101 years old. </p> <p>Grandma Moses used a Naïve style to evoke a nostalgia for sustenance farming and simple living. Moses' quaint depictions of agrarian Americana circulated on greeting cards and postage stamps. Moses' legacy has inspired generations of folk artists to pursue their craft at any age. </p>

<p>Selfies have revolutionized portrait art. This collection celebrates digital self-portraiture as a tool for self-making. <br><br>Selfies are paradoxical. A photographer can use selfies to challenge or reinforce beauty norms. Selfies can capture candid moments, but that (seemingly) spontaneous moment might be heavily curated with intentional lighting and filters. Among these paradoxes, selfies allow us to 'make a portrait in our own image" and curate the face we want to show the world. As you observe the images in this exhibit, try to find these moments of curation. How and why might a photographer choose a certain outfit, facial expression, or camera angle? </p>

<p>Take a (virtual) stroll through the Haskell Gardens at the Preston Haskell estate in Jacksonville, Florida. On the three-acre property, there are fourteen large, abstract sculptures that seem to grow out of the ground alongside the oak and magnolia trees. This digital tour features Charles Perry's 'Ribbed Mace', Alexander Liberman's 'Trope III', George Sherwood's 'Tendrils', Kenneth Snelson's 'Florida E.C. Column', Beverly Pepper's 'Zag Four', Clement Meadmore's 'Fling', and Tony Smith's 'Tau'.</p>

<p>This collection includes artistic depictions of trick-or-treating, information about classic candies given out on Halloween, historic recipes and images of homemade Halloween sweets like candied apples, and videos of the Smithsonian Zoo's animals enjoying their own seasonal treats. </p>

<p>From the nicknamed "brick" to the thin touchscreen, cell phones have changed the way that countless people communicate and navigate. This collection demonstrates different types of phones to show how telephone technologies have changed, and this collection encourages viewers to imagine how mobile phones will work in the future. </p>

<p>"BLACK FOLK DON'T HAVE BIRTHDAYS / We have birthday weekends, / birthday weeks, / birthday months, / A milestone year like 30 or 50 / can result in a yearlong jubilee / of saying <em>yes </em>to all pleasures. / As the descendants of the once enslaved, / who had no record of when they were born / and no means by which to celebrate, / we are blessed with the inheritance of extra days. / They whisper, / <em>celebrate child. / Take all the time / you need." - "</em>Black Folk Don't Have Birthdays" by Steven Willis</p>

<p>This collection includes various devices, educational essays, and videos that can teach us more about the development of Deaf-friendly audio technologies like hearing aids. While Deaf individuals may or may not use hearing aids, these devices have served an important role in helping many people navigate the world and communicate with others. </p>

<p>This collection includes artifacts and art pieces that can teach us more about floral tattoo traditions in America and beyond. American tattooing was inspired by a variety of cross-cultural influences. However, the traditional American tattoo style does have some unique features: bright colors and bold black outlines. This style pays homage to sailing with nautical images like anchors, mermaids, and lighthouses. However, these sailor-friendly images featured laurels, roses, and trees as reminders of the land (and the loved ones) left behind on shore. These traditional tattoo images have influenced pop culture and artists such as Ed Hardy. Today, a floral tattoo may remind someone that their skin (like a plant) is ever-growing, ever-changing, and ever-decaying. </p>

<p>What is cornbread? Depending on who you ask, you'll probably get many different answers. Cornbread takes many forms: Johnny cakes fried up in a pan; a cake baked in a cast iron skillet; pupusas or tortillas; thin, cracker-like pieces of dried cornmeal; etc. </p> <p>For generations, communities around the globe have used corn or maize as a staple food. Cooks grind down the corn into cornmeal and then shape it into a variety of breads or cakes. While you can cook cornbread many different ways, you might like it best when you serve it hot, in the company of family or friends. </p> <p>Whatever your cornbread looks or tastes like, that cornbread recipe can nourish your body and your connection to community. <br></p>

<p>Many people have called the Appalachian region their home. Women, farmers, miners, civil rights activists, musicians, potters, sculptors, immigrants, indigenous people, and African American individuals (alongside many others community members) have woven the dynamic tapestry of Appalachian culture. <br><br>This collection highlights some of these images of Appalachian life. </p>

<p>Boots ... they're made for walking, made for stomping, and made for riding. Boots are one of the most versatile types of footwear. The shoes are a statement of aesthetics and identity, not just a fashion statement. From cowboy to combat to go-go boots, different communities of people have embraced boots as a form of self-expression. This collection begins with cowboy boots (an icon of Western and Southern Americana). Then, viewers can learn about shoes made for extreme conditions: astronaut gear and arctic boots. Next, there are costumes and boots worn by entertainers. Viewers can scroll down the page to find combat boots, followed by more general work boots. This exhibit ends with a variety of hand-crafted boots created by indigenous artisans across different tribal nations. </p>