Michael Atwood Mason

Last updated

Michael Atwood Mason (born 1966) is an American folklorist and museum professional. He was CEO and Executive Director of President Lincoln's Cottage. Up to February 2021 he was the Director of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

Contents

Early life and education

Mason is the youngest of three children born to John Skain Mason and Ardath Mason Cade. Born in McCook, Nebraska, he was raised in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. He is divorced and has two children, Nicolas Stauffer Mason and Rhys Wingreen.

After studying classics at St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe), New Mexico, for two years, Mason transferred to the University of Oregon, where he earned his BA in American studies and was elected the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society. He earned his MA and his PhD at the Folklore Institute at Indiana University Bloomington.

Smithsonian career

Mason began his career at the Anacostia Community Museum, where he worked as a researcher and exhibit developer for the Black Mosaic exhibition. [1] In 1994, he moved to the National Museum of Natural History to work as an exhibit developer and co-curator on the African Voices exhibit. [2] Since that time, he has developed or curated more than 60 exhibitions, including Ritmos de Identidad/Rhythms of Identity at the Arts and Industries Building with the Smithsonian Latino Center, [3] and Discovering Rastafari. [4] In 2009, he became the Director of Exhibitions, where he was instrumental in the development and opening of the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins in 2010. [5]

As one of the leaders of the Recovering Voices initiative at the Smithsonian, he has led the planning for the proposed Recovering Voices exhibition at NMNH, designed to put a human face on the global crisis of language and knowledge loss. [6] In 2012, he led a collaboration between the Smithsonian and the NGO Cultural Survival to host the international conference, "Our Voices on the Air: Reaching New Audiences through Indigenous Radio", convening 28 radio producers from eight countries to explore the nexus of community radio and language revitalization. [7]

As director of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Mason oversaw the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and other cultural educational programs. From his arrival in 2013, to his departure in 2021, he led the development of the Center's new Cultural Sustainability initiatives, which collaborate with communities to help them research, sustain, and present their most cherished cultural expressions. The Center's productions have won Grammy, Academy, Emmy and Webby awards.

President Lincoln's Cottage

In September 2021, Mason was appointed CEO & Executive Director of President Lincoln's Cottage, a National Monument and museum in Washington, DC dedicated to the brave ideas of Abraham Lincoln. [8] As of August 2023, he was no longer employed at the Cottage.]

Other activities

Mason was an exhibit developer for the inaugural exhibition at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture in Baltimore, Maryland. [9] He is a member of the founding faculty of the Cultural Sustainability Masters Program at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, where he teaches students to develop community-based exhibitions that serve local needs. [10]

Research

Since 1992, Mason has published many articles on the religion and culture of the African Diaspora. His research focuses on the processes through which people deploy elements of the cultural heritage to construct their personal histories and identities, and he has focused extensively on the social construction of human subjectivity and experience. His book, Living Santería: Rituals and Experiences in an Afro-Cuban Religion, was published by the Smithsonian Institution Press in 2002, and was nominated for the Award for Ethnographic Writing. [11] Mason is also the author of the cultural blog dedicated to Babalu Aye, Baba Who? Babalú!. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithsonian Institution</span> US group of museums and research centers

The Smithsonian Institution, or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Founded on August 10, 1846, it operates as a trust instrumentality and is not formally a part of any of the three branches of the federal government. The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist James Smithson. It was originally organized as the United States National Museum, but that name ceased to exist administratively in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anacostia Community Museum</span> Community museum in Washington, D.C.

The Anacostia Community Museum is a community museum in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is one of twenty museums under the umbrella of the Smithsonian Institution and was the first federally funded community museum in the United States. The museum, founded in 1967, was created with the intention to bring aspects of the Smithsonian museums, located on the National Mall, to the Anacostia neighborhood, with the hope that community members from the neighborhood would visit the main Smithsonian museums. It became federally funded in 1970 and focuses on the community in and around Anacostia in its exhibitions. This museum also houses a library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of Natural History</span> Natural history museum in Washington, D.C.

The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. With 4.4 million visitors in 2023, it was the most-visited museum in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute of Texan Cultures</span> Museum and library in Texas, United States

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) is a museum and library located in the Texas Pavilion at HemisFair Park in Downtown San Antonio, Texas. The building which houses the institute is a striking example of Brutalist architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babalú-Ayé</span> Spirit strongly associated with infectious disease and healing in the Yoruba religion

Babalú-Aye, Oluaye, Ṣọpọna, Ayé in Trinidad Orisha, or Obaluaiye, is one of the orishas or manifestations of the supreme creator god Olodumare in the Yoruba religion of West Africa. Babalú-Aye is the spirit of the Earth and strongly associated with infectious disease, and healing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georges Adéagbo</span> Beninese sculptor (born 1942)

Georges Adéagbo is a Beninese sculptor known for his work with found objects.

The Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage (CFCH) is one of three cultural centers within the Smithsonian Institution in the United States. Its motto is "culture of, by, and for the people", and it aims to encourage understanding and cultural sustainability through research, education, and community engagement. The CFCH contains (numerically) the largest collection in the Smithsonian, but is not fully open to the public. Its budget comes primarily from grants, trust monies, federal government appropriations, and gifts, with a small percentage coming from the main Smithsonian budget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Kurin</span> American cultural anthropologist, museum official and author

Richard Kurin, an American cultural anthropologist, museum official and author, is the Acting Provost and Under Secretary for Museums and Research at the Smithsonian Institution. He is a key member of the senior team managing the world's largest museum and research complex with 6,500 employees and a $1.4 billion annual budget, caring for more than 139 million specimens, artifacts and artworks, working in 145 countries around the globe, hosting some 30 million visitors a year, and reaching hundreds of millions online and through the Smithsonian's educational programs and media outreach. Kurin is particularly responsible for all of the national museums, scholarly and scientific research centers, and programs spanning science, history, art and culture.

Jason Baird Jackson is an American anthropologst who is Professor of Folklore and Anthropology at Indiana University Bloomington. He is "an advocate of open access issues and works for scholarly communications and scholarly publishing projects." At IUB, he has served as Chair of the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology and as Director of the Folklore Institute. According to the Journal of American Folklore, "Jason Baird Jackson establishes himself as one of the foremost scholars in American Indian studies today."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kinard</span>

John Robert Edward Kinard was an American social activist, pastor, and museum director. He is best known as the director of the Anacostia Museum, a small community museum founded by the Smithsonian Institution in 1967. Kinard was the museum's first director, and remained in the post until his death. The Washington Post said Kinard was "a passionate believer in the idea that the well-being of black people depends on having a record of their past". Noted British archeologist and museologist Sir Kenneth Hudson said Kinard "developed the Anacostia Museum into one of the small number of museums of influence in the world."

The Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce is a research center that specializes in Floridian marine ecosystems and lifeforms. The research is focused mostly on the Indian River Lagoon and also on the offshore waters of Florida's central and east coast. The first director of the station was Mary Rice, who was also instrumental in its founding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portia James</span> American curator and historian

Portia James was an American curator and historian. A specialist in African-American material culture, she worked as the cultural resources manager of the Anacostia Community Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Newsome</span>

Steven Newsome (1952-2012) was an American arts and museum administrator. Newsome grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. He attended Trinity College, Hartford and Emory University. He is the former Chief of the Office of Cultural and Educational Services in the Division of History and Cultural Program at the Department of Housing and Community Development, in Annapolis, Maryland. He was Executive Director of the Maryland Commission on Afro-American History and Culture and director of the Banneker-Douglass Museum. In 1990 he became the director of the Anacostia Museum, before retiring in 2004. Newsome was the founding director of the Prince George's African American Museum & Cultural Center.

Roland L. Freeman was an American photographer and documenter of Southern folk culture and African-American quilters. He was the president of The Group for Cultural Documentation, founded in 1991 and based in Washington, D.C.

Jonathan Calm is an American visual artist in the media of photography and video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JoAllyn Archambault</span> Cultural anthropologist

JoAllyn Archambault is a cultural anthropologist with an expertise in Native American people. She is the director of the Smithsonian Institution's American Indian Program. Born to a Sioux father and Creek mother, Archambault was raised in Sioux traditions and is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North and South Dakota. Archambault has made a great contribution to anthropology by providing an insider's perspective to her research on Native American people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Janis</span> American artist (born 1959)

Michael Janis is an American artist currently residing in Washington, DC where he is one of the directors of the Washington Glass School. He is known for his work on glass using the exceptionally difficult sgraffito technique on glass.

C. Kurt Dewhurst is an American curator and folklorist. Dewhurst is Director for Arts and Cultural Partnerships at Michigan State University (MSU) and also a Senior Fellow in University Outreach and Engagement. At MSU, he is also Director Emeritus of the Michigan State University Museum and a Professor of English and Museum Studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Jahan Bose</span> Bangladeshi artist and climate activist

Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi artist and climate activist. She is best known for her "Storytelling with Saris" project and has been granted numerous awards for her work.

References

  1. ↑ "Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, "Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity Among Black Immigrants in Washington, DC." Accessed April 22, 2013".
  2. ↑ "African Voices | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History". naturalhistory.si.edu.
  3. ↑ Archived 2015-03-27 at the Wayback Machine Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives, "Ritmos de Identidad: Fernando Ortiz's Legacy and the Howard Family Collection of PercussionInstruments." Accessed April 22, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Blumberg, Jess. "One Love: Discovering Rastafari!." Smithsonian.com, January 1, 2008. Accessed April 22, 2013".
  5. ↑ [Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, "David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins Exhibition Team Biographies." Accessed April 22, 2013. http://www.mnh.si.edu/press_office/releases/2010/HO_press_kit/Exhibition_Team_Bios_final.pdf]
  6. ↑ "Anthropology | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History". naturalhistory.si.edu.
  7. ↑ "Our Voices on the Air: Reaching New Audiences through Indigenous Radio | Cultural Survival". www.culturalsurvival.org. April 25, 2012.
  8. ↑ Kilborne, Rebecca (August 29, 2023). "Callie Hawkins Announced as CEO & Executive Director of President Lincoln's Cottage". President Lincoln's Cottage | A Home for Brave Ideas.
  9. ↑ "Home | Reginald F. Lewis Museum". Rflewismuseum.org. 2013-09-14. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  10. ↑ "Faculty : Goucher College". Goucher.edu. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  11. ↑ Mason, Michael Atwood (17 August 2002). Living Santería: Rituals and Experiences in an Afro-Cuban Religion: Michael Atwood Mason: 9781588340771: Amazon.com: Books. ISBN   1588340775.
  12. ↑ Michael Atwood Mason. "Baba Who? Babalú!". Baba-who-babalu-santeria.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.