'SONGLINES' at the Historic Jarvisburg Colored School

May 18th - June 12th, 2019

The Historic Jarvisburg Colored School and Currituck Department of Travel and Tourism recently received funding from the *North Carolina Humanities Council and *Pratt Institute in New York to collaborate with Lisa Bateman, artist and NC native, to begin phase one of the art and community engagement project Songlines this summer 2019.

'Songlines' is an audio artwork using historic folksongs inspired by alumni of the School. Phase one of the project will record local songs 'sung' by alumni descendants and local Currituck children in May-June 2019. Phase two of Songlines 2020-21, will place the audio recordings in hidden locations surrounding the exterior of the School, as an outdoor audio 'soundscape' that will illuminate and enhance the interior exhibition displays. The project is Inspired by oral histories that Lisa Bateman collected from alumni in 2013-2019. During these years Bateman met with the community and the School's Board of Directors to discuss a potential art installation, and the community art project was born.

The Historic Jarvisburg Colored School completed their renovation, exhibition displays and guest reception house after many years of private fundraising and recent site-support from Currituck County. The restored schoolhouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places 2009 and officially opened to the public as a museum in 2016. In planning the project, Bateman observed that many alumni histories included play and work-songs that were sung during recess, while missing school to pick cotton, plant potatoes and on long walks to school in the mornings. The decision was made to utilize sound as the art component in the project. Bateman completed her BFA at East Carolina University and her MFA at VCU in Richmond, Va. She is currently a professor in Fine Arts at Pratt Institute in New York. Bateman specializes in site-specific art, public art and community engagement.

The Historic Jarvisburg Colored School c.1868, moved to its current site in 1911, is one of the oldest standing African American schoolhouses in North Carolina. The museum is open Wednesdays - Saturdays from 10am - 3pm.

All Invited

Hear more about the 'Songlines' project and help participate in its' evolution:
Monday, May 20th at 6:30pm, the Historic Jarvisburg Colored School
7300 Caratoke Hwy, Jarvisburg, NC 27947

252-491-2409 or 646-641-8511 email: [email protected]

*Founded in 1972, the North Carolina Humanities Council is a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the United States' National Endowment for the Humanities. Through its programs, partnerships and scholarships, the Council preserves and shares the stories that bring North Carolina's culture to life and enrich the lives of residents across the state.

*Founded in 1887, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, is an international university in higher education dedicated to preparing its students to become global leaders with successful careers in art, design, architecture, liberal arts and sciences.