Thread by @TyreeBP

Happy Black History Month!

I’m Tyree. A public historian who specializes in curating Black History exhibitions in museums.

Seeing it’s February, I wanted to make a thread of the shows I’ve had the honor of curating for @CAAMinLA ✊🏾✨

“No Justice, No Peace: LA 1992.“ Opened In 2017.

(Photos: Brian Forrest)

This exhibit considered a century of complex socio-political history that contributed to underlying tensions among Los Angeles’s marginalized groups and communities that caused the LA Uprising of 1992.

For this exhibit, I worked beside Rodney King’s family as well as Latasha Harlin’s family to share the Black experience throughout that period of time. Surprisingly, they had never been able to share authentically beforehand.

In the exhibit, I displayed a 1990’s LAPD police cruiser, a Zoot Suit from the 1940’s, and personal journal entries from Latasha Harlins.

Center Stage: African American Women in Silent Race Films. Opened in 2017.

(Photos: Brian Forrest)

Inspired by @ava, Center Stage illuminated how African American women—inside an industry of their own, and despite Hollywood's subservient roles—delivered nuanced and exemplary portrayals of black femininity that resonated with audiences in the early 20th century.

This exhibition actually came about because of the phenomenal work of @miriamkp and her wonderful students at UCLA Digital Humanities department. They were co-curators on the show!

How Sweet The Sound: Gospel Music in Los Angeles.
Opened in 2018.

(Photos: Brian Forrest)

How Sweet the Sound was one of the few museum exhibitions to explore how Southern California’s rich religious history, African American migrations, and subsequent musical innovation inside local black churches made Los Angeles an epicenter of gospel music in the 20th century. 🎼

Inspired by Dr. Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje of @UCLA, and co-curated by Dr. Daniel E. Walker and assisted by Taylor Bythewood-Porter, we physically went church to church to bring this exhibit to life.

The @latimes saw fit to talk about the show too. (Thanks again, @LilEdit.)

latimes.com/entertainment/…

Los Angeles Freedom Rally, 1963. Opened in 2018.

(Photos: Brian Forrest)

Los Angeles Freedom Rally, 1963 offered a unique look into Dr. King’s visits to Los Angeles, how Hollywood celebrities leveraged their influence to support desegregation and the crucial role that the Los Angeles Freedom Rally played in the fight for equality and civil rights.✨

Co-curated alongside my assistant history curator, Taylor Bythewood-Porter, we brought Dr. King’s legacy to life for a whole new generation and audience.

California Bound: Slavery on the New Frontier, 1848 - 1868. Opened in 2018.

(Photos: Brian Forrest)

California Bound: Slavery on the New Frontier, 1848–1865 illuminates how America’s expansion westward precipitated contentious relationships with those who populated its new territories. Particularly, Black bodies brought to California during enslavement.

Co-curated by Taylor Bythewood-Porter and incorporating Dr. Stacey L. Smith important research, we brought seldom know Black History to new audiences. And the responses have been transformative. 😌

I have another exhibition. dropping next month, but for now, here’s more about my historical curatorial work here: tyreebp.com/curator

Also, if any of my followers are ever in the LA area, feel free to stop by the museum. I’d love to show you around. ✨

How This Millennial Curator is Using Social Media to Boost Museum Crowds and Build Community

eventbrite.com/rally/los-ange…

Special s/o to Nadia Chrisanto too! She was an amazing curatorial assistant on several of these too! ✨