Join us on Monday, February 9, from 5 to 7 p.m for a reception to formally introduce the public to Colored Memories, the pictorial exhibit of colorized images of Boley, Oklahoma, circa 1905-40. The exhibit, a collaborative effort between the Coltrane Group/History in Progress and the Oklahoma History Center, is comprised of twenty-five digitally colorized photographs from Boley, the "crown jewel" of All-Black towns.

The reception will be held in the Chesapeake Event Center at the Oklahoma History Center, where the exhibit is on display. There will be light refreshments and entertainment. Speakers will include OHS Executive Director Dr. Bob Blackburn and exhibit curators André L. Head and Jessilyn Hall-Head. 

The Coltrane Group/History in Progress was founded by André L. Head, chief executive officer, and his wife, Jessilyn Hall-Head, chief operating officer, with the mission of preserving the heritage and rich legacy of Oklahoma's historic All-Black towns. Head also has produced and directed a series of documentaries on the All-Black towns of Oklahoma, another project about which he is extremely passionate.  

The reception is free and open to the public with no reservations required. For more information about the reception or the Colored Memories exhibit, contact the Coltrane Group at 405-568-7700 or andreh@thecoltranegroup.org.

The Oklahoma History Center will highlight the importance of artifact conservation by inviting the public to view the step by step process of conserving a painting Monday, February 2, through Friday, February 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. History Center Director Dan Provo said, "This form of exhibit will give us the opportunity to provide collections care to a valuable and beautiful piece of Oklahoma art and, at the same time, demonstrate a process that is seldom seen by the public."

The painting to be conserved is Elizabeth Jane's "Trail of Tears" that was completed in 1938 as part of the requirements for her Master of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma. It was donated to the Oklahoma Historical Society in 1940 and was displayed almost continuously in the Oklahoma Historical Society's previous home, the Wiley Post Building, for more than 60 years.

Art conservator Carmen Bria working on "Trail of Tears".

Carmen Bria, director and chief conservator of the Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts (WCCFA), a Denver based firm, will be in charge of the project. As he works, supported by museum staff, Bria will explain how his preventative conservation approach is applied, including techniques for proper care, handling and storage of the artwork. Conservation treatment will include cleaning the painted surface, repairing small punctures, and creating a new stretcher to support the painting for many years to come.

The Oklahoma History Center will host a screening of the documentary "Freedom Riders" on Saturday, February 7, from 1:30-3:30 p.m., in conjunction with an initiative from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History titled "Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle." "Freedom Riders" is the powerful harrowing and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever. From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives-and many endured beatings and imprisonment-for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws, the Freedom Riders met with racism and mob violence along the way, testing their belief in nonviolent activism. 

Following the screening, staff members will be available to answer questions about the film. The screening is free and open to the public. For more information contact the Oklahoma History Center Education Department at education@okhistory.org 

For more information about the film or to learn more about the "Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle" click here.