Cohen Announces Smithsonian's 'The Way We Worked' Exhibition Tour in Orange Mound

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) today released the following statement on the Smithsonian’s “The Way We Worked” Exhibition Tour:

The Smithsonian Institution has honored the city of Memphis by selecting the historic Orange Mound neighborhood as part of its Museum on Main Street traveling exhibition program. The Way We Worked is an interactive exhibit that tells the stories of working Americans and how their lives have changed over time from the early days of our agrarian roots to the modern technological age. This marks the first time an urban neighborhood has been showcased in the exhibit. The Orange Mound Civic Association applied for this opportunity, which was accepted on the basis of what was said to be “a very compelling RFP (request for proposal).”

“It is a tremendous honor for Orange Mound to have been selected by the Smithsonian Institution to participate in its Museum on Main Street traveling exhibition program,” said Congressman Cohen.  “This marks the first time an urban neighborhood has been showcased in the exhibit. The Orange Mound Civic Association applied for this opportunity, which was accepted on the basis of what was said to be ‘a very compelling request for proposal.’ It should come as no surprise to those who have lived in Memphis all their lives that Orange Mound would be nationally recognized as being exemplary of the spirit of hard-working Americans. The Smithsonian exhibit shines a national spotlight on a vital part of our local community that has gone unrecognized for far too long.”

The Orange Mound neighborhood was the first neighborhood in the U.S. built by and for African-Americans.  Originally part of the John Deaderick plantation, Orange Mound was developed in the late 19th Century by Elzey Eugene Meacham in order to provide affordable housing for former slaves and their families.  During segregation, the neighborhood was the destination of choice for African-Americans from rural communities seeking the opportunities that urban life afforded.  After a period of decline during the 1970s to 1990s, Orange Mound has overcome many of its problems and today stands as an example of a neighborhood that has revitalized itself through united community effort.

The exhibit will be shown from October 29th through December 3rd at the Melrose Center for Cultural Enrichment located at 2590 Park Avenue in Memphis.  It is run jointly by Humanities Tennessee and the Smithsonian Institute’s Traveling Museum – The Way We Worked exhibit.  Funding is provided by the U.S. Congress, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Smithsonian Institute, along with the support from private donors.

Congressman Cohen has long been an ardent supporter of the arts since he served in the Tennessee General Assembly.  His commitment to the arts has continued through his service in the U.S. House of Representatives and he has repeatedly supported legislation that protects funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Smithsonian Institute.

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