Danyelle R. Carter.
Have you noticed the rise of girls changing the world? I have!
When I came across Girl Museum, I was in awe of their work–collecting and documenting the impact girls are making on the world–and wanted to contribute.
My name is Danyelle R. Carter and I am a senior at Spelman College, a historically black liberal arts college for women located in Atlanta, Georgia dedicated to intellectual, creative, ethical, and leadership development. At Spelman, I’m a comparative women’s studies major with a concentration in advocacy and activism communications.
On campus, I serve as the campus leader to the United Nations Foundation initiative, Girl Up, which supports UN programs promoting the health, safety, education, and leadership of girls in developing countries. In addition, I am the World & Local Editor to the College’s newspaper, The BluePrint: A Spelman Spotlight Publication.
In my leisure time, I serve as the Communicator-in-Chief of Her Communications Agency. Her Communications Agency is a purpose-driven communications agency that provides free services to women and girl centered organizations that cannot afford basic communications and public relations support.
At my school, one of my favorite things is Spelman’s Museum of Fine Art; it is the only museum in the nation that emphasizes art by and about women of the African Diaspora. Each semester, I have access to women artist of the African Diaspora presented in exhibitions, programs and permanent collection.
I first visited Spelman’s museum in March 2013, and the Spoken Softly with Mama II collection by Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons amazed me. The Cuban-based multimedia and performance artist set up photography, video, sound, fabric and sculpture that represent her family and the families of African slaves that worked on the plantation in Cuba. In addition to being able to explore the work of women, the museum often host campus community events such as panels, workshops, and yoga! Most recently, Arnika Dawkins, visited the campus to present her On Being Black, photographic exhibition, which was a visual dialogue about race in America.
Growing up, I was not exposed to the depth of museums, but coming to Spelman, it has inspired me to become more involved in archiving the work of girls and women. In the coming weeks, I hope to share my experiences with girlhood, womanhood, and museums.
-Danyelle R. Carter
Student and Activist
Spelman College
Stay tuned for more posts from Danyelle, which will feature interviews of the three amazing women who manage the museum, it’s collections, and it’s education programs.