An exhibition spotlighting the legacy of the Lumbee people, a Native American tribe with connections to the land that is now called Maryland, opens Monday at Eastpoint Mall.
Titled “Beyond Baltimore Street: Living Lumbee Legacies,” the exhibition opens in the mall’s food court on Oct. 13, Indigenous Peoples Day, and will remain on view through Nov. 7. There will be a reception on Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m.
“The opening of this impressive and highly-inspirational exhibit is timed with a holiday that honors the history, culture, and resilience of Indigenous peoples in the United States, which is significant,” said John Hess, regional director of property management at Eastpoint Mall, in a statement.
Over the course of one year, Lumbee artist Ashley Minner Jones and photographer Jill Fannon Prevas interviewed and collaborated with 16 Baltimore Lumbee elders to create the exhibition as part of a Library of Congress American Folklife Center Community Collections project.
The show features 20 banner displays, with each including a portrait of Lumbee elders and a QR code that visitors can scan to access additional images, full interview recordings, transcripts and more information.
“Our mission is to provide a platform that educates members of the community about the important role Baltimore City played as the ancestral homeland of the Piscataway and the Susquehannock peoples and members of many other Indigenous nations as they passed through or lived in the area,” Hess said. “Eastpoint Mall is passionate about providing a forum to present important and, sometimes, overlooked parts of local history, and this is another example of our enduring community involvement.”
In their youth, elders featured in the show moved from the Lumbee tribal homeland in North Carolina and settled along and around East Baltimore Street. Although many have since moved beyond Baltimore Street — hence the name of the exhibition — they continue to frequent the area that they affectionately call “the reservation.”
Photographs highlight the elders doing activities they enjoy, such as walking the mall, playing bingo, buying lotto tickets, or singing in church.
“Many Baltimore Lumbee elders regularly gather at Eastpoint Mall to exercise and socialize daily, which makes the placement of this exhibition especially meaningful,” Hess added.
During the opening reception Monday, two participating elders and the artists will deliver remarks. There will be ASL interpretation, a listening station, free postcard prints, and light fare at the reception.
The project was supported partly by funding from the Library of Congress.
MCB Real Estate, which manages Eastpoint Mall, is sponsoring the exhibition.
The show is on view at 7838 Eastpoint Mall in eastern Baltimore County.
