Amistad’s LGBTQ collections grew with the 2011 Larry Bagneris papers donation.
The Dashiki Project Theatre
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The Dashiki Project Theatre was founded in 1968 and was initially funded by a grant from the Office of Economic Opportunity. The primary goal of the theatre was to present “an accurate portrayal of the black experience for the black community.” The Artistic director for the company was Dr. Ted Gilliam, who is also the Director of the Drama department at Dillard University. The majority of the Actors and Actresses came from Dillard University’s Players’ Guild. The group’s First production was “Moon on a Rainbow Shawl” in 1968 and its debut was at St. Francis de Sales gymnasium. The group’s second production was “A hand on the Gate” and it was performed at the Young Adult Coffee House as part of their Black Heritage Festival. The Theatre’s third production was a controversial play titled “The Blacks” and it performed at the St. Francis de Sales auditorium in 1969. The opening weekend of the performance was well received, as the Louisiana Weekly noted “the theater found enthusiastic and generous response in attendance and donations from the community.”
In 1972 the Dashiki Project Theatre hit its stride with a production of Derek Walcott’s “Dream on Monkey Mountain.” The play tells the tale of a coal salesman named Makak and the dreams of grandeur he has while locked in jail for drunk and disorderly conduct. The Times Picayune said the theatre group had produced its “most complex, polished, and rewarding production to date.” A local reviewer raved “the combination of an interesting and important play, impressive performances from a large cast, and creative and exciting staging make Dream on Monkey Mountain a stunning event.”
That stride continued on into the 1980s with the group’s ambitious production of a Broadway play titled “Home.” Home follows the story of Cephus Miles and his journey from adolescence to adulthood. Along the way, Miles ends up in prison for draft evasion, and upon release he moves to a big city in the North before realizing he belongs at his home in the South. A Reviewer commented that “Home” was a “rarely acted play with superior direction by Gilliam and an impressive set by Warren Kenner. Do see it.”
The Dashiki Project Theatre also hosted an annual fashion show at Dillard University to help raise funds for their theatrical productions. The fashion shows were African inspired and the clothes were designed and sewn by members of the theatre.
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Kathe Hambrick is the Founder and former Executive Director of the River Road African American Museum (RRAAM), established in 1994 as Louisiana’s first African American Museum. She is a past President of the national Association of African American Museums (AAAM). She served as the Chief Curator and Director of Interpretation for the West Baton Rouge Museum for four years. Hambrick was born in New Orleans and spent half her life in California where she received an undergraduate degree in English and a minor in African American Studies from California State University Long Beach.
Hambrick is a Public Historian with a passion for collecting, preserving and interpreting history for diverse audiences. Her thirty-one-year career as a museum professional includes expertise in program development, interpretative planning, curation, grant writing, fundraising, and board governance. She led the effort to preserve three slave cemeteries and six historic buildings in Ascension Parish.
She is considered an expert on the history and culture of African Americans in communities along the Mississippi River. Kathe Hambrick’s interviews include local, national, and international media, the BBC Learning Channel, CBS Morning News, National Public Radio, and the New York Times. The consulting firm, 2PRESERVE was established by Hambrick in 2021 to provide cultural resources and guidance to corporations, museums, cultural centers, government agencies, and faith-based organizations.
Throughout her 31-year career, Kathe has curated over one hundred exhibits, including The Rural Roots of Jazz, African Influences on Louisiana Cuisine, Creole Du Monde, and The Square Collection which featured original art by Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Richmond Barthé, and Tina Allen. Her most recent exhibit is the GU272 of Ascension: The Jesuit and Episcopal Connection to Slavery.
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Kathe Hambrick is the Founder and former Executive Director of the River Road African American Museum (RRAAM), established in 1994 as Louisiana’s first African American Museum. She is a past President of the national Association of African American Museums (AAAM). She served as the Chief Curator and Director of Interpretation for the West Baton Rouge Museum for four years. Hambrick was born in New Orleans and spent half her life in California where she received an undergraduate degree in English and a minor in African American Studies from California State University Long Beach.
Hambrick is a Public Historian with a passion for collecting, preserving and interpreting history for diverse audiences. Her thirty-one-year career as a museum professional includes expertise in program development, interpretative planning, curation, grant writing, fundraising, and board governance. She led the effort to preserve three slave cemeteries and six historic buildings in Ascension Parish.
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