The African American Cultural Society, Inc. is pleased to host Water/Ways, a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Museums on Main Street program. It will be on display in the Founders Gallery of our African American Museum and Cultural Center now through September 30th, 2022.
Exhibit Details
Water/Ways explores the ways in which water affects our daily lives. From its influence on civilization settlement patterns and religious practices, to our current day reliance on access to abundant, clean, inexpensive drinking water... water plays a hidden, yet vital, role in our society. This exciting exhibition, with its local component, and related activities and events, will ask us to make connections between ourselves, our local waters, and each other.
The theme of our local exhibit and keynote presentation on the exhibition opening day will be "River to River: From the Nile to the St. Johns". With the role of the St. Johns River and the Florida Aquifer vital to the lives of all Floridians, AACS will host a series of events and programs which take on the concept of Water/Ways, and invite you to explore them in a local context.
Where
4422 N. US Highway 1,
Palm Coast, FL 32164
Get Directions ->
When
July 2022 - September 2022
(click link below for times)
Reserve Tickets ->
Guided Tour of Water/Ways Exhibit
A museum docent will be on hand to give tours or answer questions about the Water/Ways exhibit. Admission is Free. Advance registration is requested. Onsite registration is acceptable.
- Wednesdays - 10 am to 2 pm
- Fridays - 10 am to 2 pm
- Weekends - by Appointment
- Saturdays/Sundays - by Appointment
Week One Theme: Our Relationship With Water
Tue. July 12th | 6PM to 8PM
A Family’s History Along the St. Johns River
Gayle Phillips, Executive Director of the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center will discuss her family’s relationship with the St. Johns River.
Sat. July 16 | 3PM to 5PM
The Intricate Relationship between Humans and Water in Florida
Steven Noll, PhD Master Lecturer, University of Florida. Lead Scholar, Smithsonian-Florida Humanities Water/Ways-- invites the audience to consider the ways in which we are changing the limited resource that sustains our lives. People have reshaped the land and the water of the Sunshine State to make it more inhabitable- in the process, they are destroying valuable ecosystems and endangering our water supply.
Interested in Volunteering?
If you are interested in learning about how YOU can volunteer to help with the Smithsonian Water/Ways exhibit, please let us know!
Week Two Theme: The Power of Water
Tue – July 19 | 6PM to 8PM
WaterWays through the Years
Ed Siarkowicz, Photo Artist and Flagler County Historical Society President, has been in love with water and waterways his entire life - Long Island's Great South Bay, Upstate New York's Finger Lakes, Florida's St. Johns River. Join this commercial fisherman turned Chiropractor turned storm chaser turned photographer as he shares images that he arrived for, as Ansel Adams once said, "Just as God was ready to have someone click the shutter."
Sat – July 23 | 3PM to 5PM
Beach Erosion
Mr. Carmello Morales, Stormwater Engineer, City of Palm Coast. As of 2021, more than 426.6 miles of this shoreline in Florida are critically eroded, or worn down or changed to “such a degree that upland development, recreational interests, wildlife habitat, or important cultural resources are threatened or lost. Morales will discuss this issue.
Week Three Theme: Water is the Source
Tue – July 26th | 6PM to 8PM
Aquatic Ecology
Lauren Albury, Ecologist Aquatic ecology is the study of the plants and animals that live in our rivers and streams and their interactions. These organisms are very sensitive to changes in water quality. In a balanced ecosystem, water cycles through the atmosphere, soil, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Register Now
Sat – July 30th | 3PM to 5PM
What is an Aquifer?
Laura La Beur, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Office of Communications, St. Johns River Water Management District will come out to do an interactive demo weekly on the watershed. Today she will speak about the Floridian Aquifer and demo the exhibit model. The Floridan aquifer averages 1,000 feet thick, and freshwater can extend to a depth of 2,000 feet below land surface. Learn about the importance of this source of freshwater to Floridians and surrounding neighbors and how we affect it.
Week Four Theme: Water Inspiration and Connection
Sat. August 6th | 3 PM to 5 PM
River to River: From the Nile to the St. Johns
Rob Whiting Education Chair will lead an enlightening discussion about the importance of riverways that have supported life along its fertile banks from the African and North American continents to the state of Florida.
Week Five: Take a Music Break
Sat. August 13th | 3PM to 6PM
Rob's Jazz Express
The North East Florida Jazz Association (NEFJA) presents Rob's Jazz Express in concert at the Daytona State College Amphitheater, 3000 Palm Coast Pkwy SE, Palm Coast FL Tickets $25 For additional information contact Chez Jacqueline 386-447-1650. Proceeds go toward college scholarships for youth.
Florida Humanities
Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the publications, programs, the exhibition or this website do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Week Six Theme: Water Quality and Availability
Tue. August 16th | 6PM to 8PM
Restoring our Oceans: Preserving our Heritage
Kramer Wimberley, Master scuba diver, Researcher and Scuba diving Instructor for Inner City Youth is a member of Diving With a Purpose, an organization with the purpose of restoring oceans for all of humanity and preserving the heritage of people of the African diaspora.
Week Seven Theme: Water and Human Rights
Sat. August 27th | 3PM to 5PM
Environmental Ambassador Program for Youth
A youth employment program, teaching youth about water conservation, food safety and environmental awareness. Nkwanda Jah will lead a discussion with the Environmental Ambassadors on the importance of awareness, and an action-oriented approach to environmental problems facing the world today, and how to effectively engage youth in becoming a part of the solution. Nkwanda Jah is an Environmental Advocate, Executive Director of the Cultural Arts Coalition, Chair of the local NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Committee, and founder of the Environmental Ambassador to youth employment program.
Sat. August 27th | 7PM - until
Don't Rock the Boat Rock the Mic: Comedy on the Coast
KT Entertainment, Darren Darby and Heart of Carrie Home Care present a Comedy show that will "float your boat"!!! Door Open at 7PM, showtime is 8PM. Featuring Will Speed, Antwan Murphy and Cortez Brooks. Food and Drink will be available. Tickets start at $25.
For more information go to Eventbrite.com and Search for "Comedy on the Coast" or pay at the door.
Week Eight Theme: What’s Your Water Story
Tue. August 30th | 6 PM to 8 PM
Coastal Ecology: Water is my Passion
Captain Adam Morley, Co-Owner Genung’s Fish Camp, Professional Boat Captain, environmentalist, former president of the Friends of A1A, and co-chair of their A1A Scenic Byway Litter Removal pilot program, discusses environmental causes across the region, and his life as a boast captain and co-owner of a fish camp.
Sustainable Farming with Small Farmers
Angela TenBroeck, mayor of Marineland, Agricultural Farmer, and 2021 Woman of the Year in Agriculture. In Duval County TenBroeck taught innovative curriculums focused on students interested in professionalizing in medicine or coastal sciences; her initiatives pair entrepreneurship with a social mission. One of those is to channel “reemerging citizens”– formerly incarcerated individuals, veterans, people in recovery, women starting over – into the farming enterprises.
Sat. September 3rd | 11 AM to 5 PM
Marineland Dolphin Adventure
Open to the Public. Lots of activities for children and families. Speaker presentations: Black Pirates and the Tale of Black Caesar. Come dressed as a pirate. Museum Tour Included, Ticket Required for Entry;
Recurring Activities
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$5.00 at the door A Certified Dance Instructor will lead a session in body movement. Advance registration is not required, however, first time attendees must sign a health waiver and register onsite. Line dance, belly dance, Jazzercise, etc.
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SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Free, donations accepted.
From screenings, trailers and “black film” series from our Resource Library we offer cinematic experiences that you can not find anywhere locally. Come out and enjoy such films as:
Their Eyes Were Watching God; Places in the Heart; Blue Lagoon; Dolphin Tale, and others Advance registration required.
Smithsonian Museum on Main Street Program
Water/Ways is part of the Smithsonian’s Think Water Initiative to raise awareness of water as a critical resource for life through exhibitions, educational resources and public programs. Inaugural funding for the New York State tour was provided by the Smithsonian, Hadley Exhibits, Inc., the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, and the New York State Canal Corporation.
Water/Ways was inspired by an exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org), and the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul (www.smm.org), in collaboration with Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland; The Field Museum, Chicago; Instituto Sangari, Sao Paulo, Brazil; National Museum of Australia, Canberra; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada; San Diego Natural History Museum; and Science Centre Singapore with PUB Singapore.
The exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils and museum associations across the nation, and local host institutions. To learn more about Water/Ways and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org. The public can participate in the conversation on social media at #thinkWater.
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