Save the Date: National First Ladies Library and Museum to Unveil New Exhibit
Save the Date: National First Ladies Library and Museum to Unveil New Exhibit
Exhibition to focus on first ladies as 'Leaders in Literacy.'
The National First Ladies Library & Museum on April 27 will celebrate National First Ladies Day by kicking off its 2024-25 featured exhibit Leaders in Literacy: First Ladies as Teachers, Educators, and Librarians, presented by Huntington Bank. The exhibit at the First Ladies National Historic Site in Canton, Ohio, will run through April of 2025 and will feature more than a dozen first ladies who have advanced the cause of literacy and education.
The right to an education is a foundational principle of America’s history, and many first ladies have taken up this cause throughout history. From one-room schoolhouse teachers such as Abigail Fillmore and Lucretia Garfield, to Eleanor Roosevelt’s Arthurdale experiment, to Barbara and Laura Bush’s literacy initiatives, to current First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s college teaching, these iconic women have provided opportunities for empowering young people to learn, grow, and thrive through education, according to a statement released by the National First Ladies Library & Museum.
The exhibit will open to the public during regular historic site hours on April 27, and that evening, a VIP “First Look” reception will be held at the museum, where attendees can participate in a private guided tour of the Leaders in Literacy exhibit.
At that time, the National First Ladies Library & Museum will also announce the winner of the Mary Regula Memorial Scholarship, which will be awarded to a deserving Stark County junior or senior in high school who has written a compelling essay telling the story of significant historical events in American history through the eyes of first ladies. Special guest Patricia Taft, the great-granddaughter of First Lady Helen “Nellie” Taft, will speak about her great grandmother’s time as a schoolteacher as a young lady.
“Our goal is to continue to elevate the stories of the incredible first ladies and to tell the story of American history through the eyes of the women who helped lead our country alongside their presidential husbands,” said National First Ladies Library & Museum President and CEO Patty Dowd Schmitz in a press release. “Education and literacy are at the heart of a prospering nation, and our first ladies have always known this fact.”
The Leaders in Literacy exhibit will showcase numerous personal artifacts from the National First Ladies Library & Museum collection that showcases the work of first ladies in the areas of education and literacy. The exhibit will also feature a loan from the Arthurdale Heritage Museum featuring First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s efforts to create a New Deal-era “homestead” that would provide a new chance at life and an education for impoverished residents in this West Virginia community. In addition, the exhibit will include artifacts from the George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush Presidential Museums related to First Ladies Barbara and Laura Bush.
To engage younger audiences, the Leaders in Literacy exhibit will also feature programs including “Reading Reimagined” — a replica one-room schoolhouse in the children’s interactive area, as well as the launch of “Little Leaders” reading and activity program for children ages Pre-K to 4th grade.
“Literacy was such an important cause to so many of our first ladies,” said Director of Collections and Research for the National First Ladies Library & Museum Michelle Gullion in a press release. “They were inspired to take on the mantle of education and literacy not only for children but for the betterment of all Americans.”
Leaders in Literacy: First Ladies as Teachers, Educators, and Librarians will open to the public on April 27, 2024, and run through April 19, 2025. Save the date for the exclusive “First Look” VIP Reception on the evening of April 27; tickets will be available soon.
For more information about the scholarship program, email sbohnak@firstladies.org. For general information, visit www.firstladies.org or email pdschmitz@firstladies.org.
Calendar
Feb. 15, 2024
Third Thursdays Night Out with the First Ladies – In-Person, Private Curator-Led Tour
Get to know the REAL Jackie O with apps and drink during this private, exclusive talk about our exhibition Beyond Camelot: The Life and Legacy of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, given by the National First Ladies Library & Museum staff at the First Ladies National Historic Site. Read more
Feb. 26, 2024
Virtual First Ladies on the Page Book Discussion: The First Ladies
The First Ladies National Library and Museum presents an online staff-led discussion of this historical fiction book The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (published June 2023). Read more
March 8, 2024
Virtual Legacy Lecture: A Remarkable Life: Lucretia Rudolph Garfield
The National First Ladies Library and Museum presents a virtual program about Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, who lived a remarkable life that took her from humble beginnings in northeast Ohio all the way to the White House as First Lady of the United States. This presentation will examine Mrs. Garfield’s life for its many joys as well as its many tragedies. Read more
March 12, 2024
Spring Garden Party Note Writing Day
Join Spring Garden Party co-chairs Mrs. Aimee Burck and Mrs. Zoe Persina for a Tudor Place tradition. Garden Party Committee members will have the opportunity to generate support and excitement for the event by writing personal notes to friends and family to go along with Garden Party invitations. Coffee and tea will be served. Read more
March 15, 2024
City Tavern Club Presents Author Night: Revolutionary First Ladies
Co-authors of the newly published Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women will speak about early first ladies as part of the City Tavern America 250 lecture series at 6:30 p.m. EST on Friday, March 15. Authors include Diana B. Carlin, Anita McBride, and Nancy Kegan Smith. Books will be available for onsite purchase with a book signing to follow. RSVP: bbello@citytavernclubdc.org.
March 15 and 16, 2024
First Ladies Trilogy
Three back-to-back first ladies (1945-63) appear in a two-night series of live performances at the Winona Arts Center, 228 East 5th Street Winona, Minnesota. Bess Truman, Friday, and Mamie Eisenhower and Jackie Kennedy, Saturday. Read more
March 18, 2024
A Conversation with White House Social Secretaries
The George W. Bush Presidential Center will present a panel of former White House Social Secretaries who will share insights and behind-the-scenes stories about entertaining at the White House. From State Dinners to picnics on the South Lawn, the experts will discuss the importance of the White House as a stage for hospitality and diplomacy.
Anita McBride, former Assistant to President Bush and Chief of Staff to Former First Lady Laura Bush, will moderate a conversation with Jeremy Bernard, former White House social secretary to President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama; Gahl Hodges Burt, former White House social secretary to President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan; and Amy Zantzinger, former White House social secretary to President Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush. Ticket information here
March 25, 2024
Virtual and in-person: The East Wing: Expanding First Ladies’ Impact from Jacqueline Kennedy to Jill Biden
Anita McBride, Director of the First Ladies Initiative at the American University School of Public Affairs and co-author of Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America's History-Making Women; Barbara Perry, professor and co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia's Miller Center and author of Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Frontier; and Elizabeth Rees, doctoral candidate at Oxford University, discuss the evolution of the role of the first lady from the Kennedy administration through the present day. Read more
April 3, 2024
FLARE will Present ‘First Ladies Then and Now: Communicating Their Stories’
Registration is underway for the pre-conference program “First Ladies Then and Now: Communicating Their Stories” hosted by the First Ladies Association for Research and Education in conjunction with the Central States Communication Association. The event will be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 3.
The theme of the half-day program will feature FLARE members and representatives of the Ford Library and Museum and Foundation. FLARE members will participate in three panels that look at the past 40 years of first lady scholarship, pedagogical practices, and outreach activities with a look forward by immediate past president of FLARE Myra Gutin.
Register here.
Registration is available for the Pre-Conference FLARE program only. The fee is $25 for in-person or $5 for live streaming. FLARE Lifetime Members will receive a complimentary registration.
The CSCA Convention will be held at the Grand Amway Plaza in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Please follow this link for hotel accommodations.
Through April 21, 2024
Ancestral Spaces: People of African Descent at Tudor Place
Tudor Place will offer “Ancestral Spaces: People of African Descent” at Tudor Place. Curated in collaboration with descendants, this special installation and guided tour presents the multi-faceted individuals and families of African descent who lived and worked at Tudor Place. Explore the historic house through their lives, learn how they impacted the world around them and discover their enduring legacy. Read more
Submit calendar items, announcements and press releases to East Wing Magazine at jtaylor@eastwingmagazine.com.