Exhibit highlights the many renowned residents and visitors, their role in shaping city
CAPE MAY — In celebration of Black History Month, Cape May MAC (Museums + Arts + Culture) opened its winter exhibit Jan. 16, which focuses on the unexpected.
“Black Legacy of Historic Cape May: Unexpected History” allows visitors to dive deep into the many renowned Black residents and visitors to Cape May who helped shape the city’s identity.
Visitors to the Carroll Gallery at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., can enjoy free admission to the exhibit through April 12.
“We’re really excited for an incredible year of exhibits in Cape May,” MAC CEO Jody Alessandrine said. “The idea was hatched immediately after [our] last exhibit, so we’re excited to get things started.”
While detailed exhibits are nothing new to MAC, Cape May residents and visitors should not miss the opportunity to take in this unique, exceptionally well-done presentation of information.
Exhibit details
“Black Legacy of Historic Cape May” is a collaboration between MAC and the Center for Community Arts (CCA). It features notable individuals such as Harriet Tubman, Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the Rev. Stephen Smith and William J. Moore.
The exhibit includes a plethora of information, as well as physical artifacts from Moore, a souvenir program from Booker T. Washington’s tour of New Jersey and several pieces of China and marketing materials from the Hotel Dale.
Tying Black history in Cape May to the United States as a whole is a focal point of the exhibit.
There is a small portion of the Hotel Dale remaining on the corner of Jefferson and Lafayette streets; what was once an accommodation for distinguished visitors and national leaders.
Moore, of West Cape May, is considered a trailblazer in educating Black students through progressive teaching. He planned to spend only one year in West Cape but stayed longer, and his impact continues to linger.
An intrinsic part of exploring the rich history in the exhibit includes a new, original painting that MAC commissioned from local artist Chanelle René. Her piece “Beacons of Cape May” focuses on the powerful legacy of African Americans that has shaped the city’s cultural landscape.
The painting focuses on Tubman, Smith and Moore, the trio framed by stained-glass windows that echo the historic aspects of Black churches in Cape May. The heart of Tubman’s apron, the Cape May Lighthouse shines as a symbolic beacon of guidance, resilience and safe passage.
“I worked closely with Cape May MAC’s exhibition committee on identifying the key individuals we wanted to highlight for the painting,” René said. “[It’s] a mix of what early Black community was like in Cape May.”
René is a contemporary figurative painter and mural artist whose work blends abstract realism with vivid emotional compositions.
She used monoprint (a one-time printing created by applying paint to a smooth surface and transferring it to paper) to create “Beacons of Cape May.”
“From there, I also wanted to reflect the community, and I knew I wanted to do it in [Harriet Tubman’s] apron skirt,” she said. “I initially thought about painting different vignettes, but I had recycled material that I thought would be perfect for the skirt.”
René added that the Cape May Lighthouse at the center of the image symbolizes the freedom of people arriving from Delaware and Maryland. The fabric collage panels feature printed swatches of exhibit figures, including Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson and Jarena Lee.
Opening reception
After a year’s worth of planning for this exhibit, the doors finally opened over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. The opening reception was well-attended, with visitors enjoying a performance by the gospel choir of Cape May’s Macedonia Baptist Church.
“Thank you to Mr. Alessandrine, who has always been so gracious to Macedonia,” Deacon Lynda Anderson-Towns said. “This choir is only representative of what we do every Sunday, so I absolutely invite you to come to Macedonia to really get the true flavor of our choir.”
The choir sang several songs, including a hymn by the Rev. Charles Tindley, who was known as the “grandfather of Gospel music.” Tindley had close ties to Cape May, where he preached at Allen A.M.E. Church and Cape May Methodist Episcopal Church.
“What was really very special is that Cape May was his first itinerant position,” Anderson-Towns said. “First, he was a bishop, then an itinerant minister at the Methodist Church. He created over 100 hymns, including ‘We Shall Overcome.’”
Janet Coupland, president of the MAC Board of Trustees, thanked the audience for attending and for being part of the exhibit’s opening ceremony.
“As most of the winter exhibits we’ve had in the past, if you’ve been good enough to come and visit us in our winter exhibits, it not only features folks from Cape May but also our partners at the Center for Community Arts,” Coupland said.
Alessandrine thanked CCA for its continued partnerships with MAC. He also recognized exhibit designer Steven Olszewski, exhibit curator Ben Ridings and the entire exhibit planning team, museum education coordinator Elan Zingman-Leith, museum registrar and tour guide trainer Donna Szemcsak, chief outreach specialist Mary Stewart, chief outreach officer Eliza Lotozo, director of media relations Susan Krysiak, director of special events and visitor services Janice Corkery and Anna Leeper.
Local dignitaries in attendance included Assemblyman Erik Simonsen, who sang in the choir, and Cape May Councilman Steve Bodnar.
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
