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MONTICELLO: The Magazine | Winter 2018

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Look Closer

Highlights of an
Unforgettable Weekend

 

On June 15 and 16, Monticello hosted Look Closer, a landmark gathering on the mountaintop. The public opening of nearly 30 new and restored spaces and exhibits attracted thousands of guests. Exhibitions, music, reflections, and panel discussions explored Monticello’s decades-long journey to better understand the legacies of both freedom and slavery. The weekend also included celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Getting Word Oral History Project, the successful close of the We Hold These Truths campaign, and the completion of the Mountaintop Project.

Bending Towards Justice panel
BENDING TOWARD JUSTICE – David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-chairman of the Carlyle Group, moderates a discussion featuring Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family; Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation; and Monticello vice chair Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels.
Reunion
MOUNTAINTOP REUNION – Nearly 300 descendants of Monticello’s enslaved community gathered during the weekend.
Meacham
JON MEACHAM – Presidential historian and Monticello vice chair Jon Meacham takes a moment to pose with descendants.
Briggs
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE – Renowned violinist Karen Briggs performs during the June 16 reunion of descendants of Monticello’s enslaved families, the largest such gathering in recent history.
Barnes
MELODY BARNES – National policy analyst and Monticello vice chair Melody Barnes delivered the weekend’s closing remarks.
Sharing Stories
SHARING STORIES – J. Calvin Jefferson Sr. and Diana Redman— descendants of Monticello’s enslaved families — joined Beverly Gray, Lucia “Cinder” Stanton and Monticello vice chair Melody Barnes to discuss the significance of their personal stories.
Getting Word
GETTING WORD – Generations of family members gathered on the West Lawn for a family photo as part of a three-day celebration of the opening of the Getting Word Oral History Project exhibit in the South Wing. 1 of 2.
Getting Word 2
GETTING WORD – Generations of family members gathered on the West Lawn for a family photo as part of a three-day celebration of the opening of the Getting Word Oral History Project exhibit in the South Wing. 2 of 2.
Life of Sally Hemings
NEW EXHIBITS – Nearly 30 new exhibits and restored spaces, including the Life of Sally Hemings exhibit; the South Pavilion, where Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson first lived at Monticello after the Jeffersons’ marriage; and The Dairy were opened to the public for the first time on June 16, drawing thousands of visitors to Monticello. 1 of 4.
Life Sally Hemings Visitors
NEW EXHIBITS – Nearly 30 new exhibits and restored spaces, including the Life of Sally Hemings exhibit; the South Pavilion, where Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson first lived at Monticello after the Jeffersons’ marriage; and The Dairy were opened to the public for the first time on June 16, drawing thousands of visitors to Monticello. 2 of 4.
Martha Jefferson Dress
NEW EXHIBITS – Nearly 30 new exhibits and restored spaces, including the Life of Sally Hemings exhibit; the South Pavilion, where Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson first lived at Monticello after the Jeffersons’ marriage; and The Dairy were opened to the public for the first time on June 16, drawing thousands of visitors to Monticello. 3 of 4.
Dairy
NEW EXHIBITS – Nearly 30 new exhibits and restored spaces, including the Life of Sally Hemings exhibit; the South Pavilion, where Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson first lived at Monticello after the Jeffersons’ marriage; and The Dairy were opened to the public for the first time on June 16, drawing thousands of visitors to Monticello. 4 of 4.



STORYCORPS PRESERVES
ORAL HISTORIES

As activity swirled around Monticello on June 16, a quieter scene was transpiring just off the beaten path. A stone’s throw from the ardent crowds, a small team of StoryCorps producers conducted interviews, recording intensely personal and heartfelt conversations. Exceptional for their mission to “weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that everyone’s story matters,” StoryCorps, heard weekly on NPR stations, traveled to Monticello to record conversations between Monticello staff and descendants of the enslaved community.

 “Crazy in that American way”

Gayle Jessup White and her cousin Prinny Anderson describe what it is like for them to be descendants of Thomas Jefferson. They also discuss the different experiences they have had because of the color of their skin — Jessup White is black, and Anderson is white.

 “He's not going to be invisible”

Jacqueline Estes tells her second “daughter” and sorority sister, Niya Bates, about her ancestor Isaac Granger Jefferson, who was an enslaved person at Monticello, and about the emotional impact her family history has had on her.

 

Look Closer

A Historic Moment for Monticello

Watch the full June 16 LOOK CLOSER ceremony »