Author Archives: museummark

This semester, my students at American University and I are developing a close looking guide to the exhibition, “Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art, ” currently on display in the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA). Here, to get us started, is my provisional guide to the complex multimedia work. “Untethered/Retethered” by South AfricanContinue reading “Close Looking Guide to Paul Emmanuel’s “Untethered/Retethered” multimedia video installation, 2025″

An intriguing figure in the history of the Mount Zion Union Band of Georgetown, is Mary Ann Marshall, c. 1827-1894. who never married and who resided in Georgetown throughout her life. She is listed in Freedman’s Bank records, under a Mount Zion Union Daughters’ Freedmen’s Bank Draft, dated July 3, 1867: ”Draft signed by theContinue reading “In Search of May Ann Marshall, of the Mt Zion Union Band (Georgetown). c. 1827-1894”

Gathering to Remember Alan Saks February 9, 2026 at 11:00 am Riverside Memorial Chapel, W 76th and Amsterdam, New York, NY. Eulogy for my Uncle Alan SaksMark AuslanderFebruary 9, 2026 Good morning. Welcome to our Remembrance of Alan Joseph Saks. Thank you for all for coming through the cold and ice this morning to honorContinue reading “Remembering Alan Joseph Saks, 1933-2026”

The 1749 will of Richard Bennett III (Bennett’s Point, Queen Anne’s County, Maryland) allocates at least 36 enslaved people to Bennett’s cousin John Rousby, who also inherits the land of Bennett’s Point and southern Morgan’s Neck where Bennett had resided since around 1700. As I have discussed elsewhere, the named enslaved individuals bequeathed to RousbyContinue reading “In Search of Jacob and Sarah Gardner, and Antigua George and Kate Webb, enslaved at Bennett’s Point, Queen Anne’s County”

As we continue to trace persons enslaved by Richard Bennett III of Bennett’s Point, Queen Anne’s County, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, I have been intrigued by the case of “Dick,” the only enslaved person whom Bennett manumitted in his September 1749 will. As I have previously noted, Bennett devotes a paragraph to thisContinue reading “In Search of Dick, a free man of color from Bennett’s Point, Queen Anne’s County, Maryland”

I have been trying to trace enslaved people held at Bennett’s Point on Morgan’s Neck in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland, referenced in the 1749 will of Richard Bennett III. (Our information on these enslaved people is limited because it appears that no probate inventory of Bennett’s estate was taken, perhaps because neither he nor hisContinue reading “In search of the enslaved man Jack Gooby, from Bennett’s Point, Queen Anne’s County, and his descendants”

Cindy Claure-Veizaga has created this guide to online resources about Barry Farm in Anacostia, Ward 8. Washington DC. This serves as a supplement to the student-authored website, Southeast Voices: History and Memory in Barry Farms, Ward 8 (Holding on to Home: The Untold Story of Barry Farm) See all student-authored online community research exhibits forContinue reading “Guide to online resources about Barry Farm”

My students Isabella (“Izzy”) Bradbury and Nadia Liban at American University have created two works of expressive art honoring“Atwai” (Deceased) Pochahsquinest Bassett, (1936-1968). Izzy created the multimedia collage piece “At Last!” and Nadia wrote a poem, “I can still see the stars.” We hope this page will serve as a resource for others learning aboutContinue reading “Artwork by Izzy Bradbury and a Poem by Nadia Liban, honoring Atwai Bassett”

During Fall 2025, students in Dr. Mark Auslander’s Race and Racism course (American University) undertook small group community research projects, exploring the dynamics of racism, anti-racism, resilience, and resistance in our immediate environs. Many students were deeply concerned by current efforts to reshape historical memory in museums, including the Smithsonian museums. Others partnered with friendsContinue reading “Community Research Projects (Race and Racism, ANTH 210), Fall 2025 American University”

Overview: During Fall 2025, students in Dr. Mark Auslander’s “Global Studies and Cross Cultural Analysis” course (ANTH205), at the University of Southern California’s Capital Campus (Washington DC) pursued research projects on objects of exchange (primarily international exchange) that have come to rest in the nation’s capital. As a class, we have been especially interested inContinue reading “Objects in Motion: Student Anthropology Projects (USC Capital Campus, Fall 2025)”