Cape Fear Museum Honors Women’s History

WILMINGTON — In celebration of Women’s History Month, Cape Fear Museum of History and Science and Smithsonian Affiliations will present a monthlong Women’s History Virtual Scholar Talk Series.

Five talks are scheduled for each Wednesday evening during March. There is no cost to participate in the virtual scholar talks but attendees must register online.

“We are excited to partner with Smithsonian Affiliations on this important history series,” Museum Historian Jan Davidson said in a release. “In addition to these scholar talks, the Museum will also be featuring stories and artifacts from local women and their contributions to the Lower Cape Fear on our social media channels.”

The following are the topics for each week of the series:

• African American Activism in Historical Perspective — 7 p.m. Wednesday. This talk highlights objects related to African American women’s history in the Smithsonian collections as well as focuses on African American women’s activism and contributions from an historical perspective. Each speaker will explore an aspect of African American women’s activism through an extended discussion of one or two objects.
• Lena Richard and Julia Child – Two Women Who Changed Culinary History — 7 p.m. March 10. Through their cookbooks, teaching and television programs, these women inspired generations of people to take cooking seriously. They challenged perceptions and stereotypes of women in their respective eras and made lasting contributions to culinary history. Their stories, reflective of their very different backgrounds, reveal insights about women, race, food and culture in 20^th-century America.
• Women in Aerospace – Stories from the Smithsonian Collection — 5 p.m. March 17. Margaret Weitekamp has researched and written about the groundswell of support that helped create a Lego set representing women’s contributions to aerospace. Join the museum for a discussion of how women have worked from the very beginning of aviation to innovate, and how museums have documented their stories.
• Ancient Worlds Contemporary Selves – Smithsonian Scholars Explore Intersectionality — 7 p.m. March 24. Scholars from the National Museum of the American Indian, Asian Pacific American Center and Smithsonian American Art Museum will explore how artists integrate the ancient world within their contemporary artistic practice.
• Women Artists Respond to Place  — 5 p.m. March 31.  The significance of landscapes, places and narratives of all kinds will be examined through the works of contemporary women artists in Smithsonian collections.

All talks support the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, designed to create, disseminate, and amplify the historical record of the accomplishments of American women. Cape Fear Museum of History and Science is a proud Smithsonian Affiliate.