Session One - Arts, History and Culture Day - September 10, 2024

Leadership class of 2025 had the wonderful opportunity to tour Wilmington and visit some of our incredible museums and theaters and learn about our rich and diverse history. From the original Natives that inhabited the land, different sites and battles of the Civil War, the 1898 Coup d’état, lively performances dating back to 1858 and the opening of Thalian Hall, to our more modern Wilson Center and the diverse shows and acts that come to our port city today.

               We began our day at the Cape Fear Museum located at 814 Market Street where the class was introduced to Jan Davidson, historian at the museum, who touched on the history of the Cape Fear region. We learned about the different iterations of Williston schools across the city, and how they provided educational resources for the black community until 1968 when the high school was abruptly closed. The memory and legacy of Williston still lives on to this day with a well-documented history in the Williston Auditorium located in the Cape Fear Museum. We next had the opportunity to hear from Rhonda Bellamy, Executive Director of the Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County. She discussed the impacts of art in our community and how the Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County have empowered local, regional and national artis to visit Wilmington and show their brilliant works of art. Rhonda covered all the amazing programs the Art Council runs or helps facilitate and the numerous amenities the community has to be apart of a great artistic community. The class was able to do a self-guided tour through museum and we then went to the archives to see the numerous artifacts that have been donated to the museum and have been cataloged. We saw everything, from TV and movie props, to civil war era munition, to first production of the Freaker bottle covers.

               The class next visited the Cameron Arts Museum, located at 3201 S 17th Street, where we met with Heather Wilson, Executive Director, and Daniel Jones, Cultural Curator. Heather discusses with the class the art exhibit by Thomas Sayre, a North Carolina artist based out of Raleigh, who uses unconventional materials to produce his stunning art pieces to invoke what is going on in the world through a different lens. The class had the opportunity to interpret a couple different installations by Thomas and have thoughtful discussions on what stuck out about each piece. Next, we were led by Daniel to the Boundless monument on the grounds of Cameron Art Museum, sculpted by North Carolina artis Stephen Hayes, of 11 United States Colored Troops who fought for the Union Army during the Civil War, and that were instrumental in the final months of fighting and capturing Wilmington and the surrounding region from the Confederate Army. Stephen Hayes created this monument to capture the historic site, that through many years of research was determined to be part of the path soldiers trekked from Fort Fisher to Wilmington during the Civil War, and where trenches and mounds were built. Through the years of research of military documents, Stephen was able to connect with descendants of USCT, the use their likeness on the bronze statue that commemorates the site. The backside of the sculpture has the names engraved of those who served in the USCT to commemorate their sacrifices and honor their memories.