AAP students listening to a presentation by Hannah Grantham (UD alumna), Director of the Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage.
On May 1, 2025 Dr. Neri de Kramer (Assistant Professor, Anthropology) and her Introduction to Material Culture Studies class went on a field trip to the Delaware History Museum. In this class were students who are part of the Wilmington Associate in Arts Program (AAP). The Associate in Arts Program (AAP) is a two-year degree program that offers UD courses — taught exclusively by UD faculty — in small classes in Wilmington, Dover and Georgetown. AAP allows Delaware students to stay close to home while completing the core courses required of all UD undergrads. After earning their Associate in Arts degree, most students transition to UD’s Newark campus to pursue their four-year bachelor’s degree.
One goal of the course is to expose students to a variety of professions involving material culture, and this field trip illuminated the behind-the-scenes work of museum directors, curators, and educators. Of additional interest was the museum’s Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage. Exhibitions in this collection tell of the African American experience in Delaware, balancing the celebration of Black culture and achievement with the exposure of Delaware’s material histories of racism. As one student put it: “Overall, the visit helped me understand how important it is to display all sides of history, not just the good parts, but also the hard and painful ones.”
Sample of Brenda B. Mosely’s (1950-2012) African American doll collection. The entire collection consisted of over 3000 African American-themed dolls that were housed in the basement of her Newark home in a private doll museum.
Zyanya Tovar exploring the recently completed Collecting Wilmington exhibition with Chief Curator Leigh Rifenburg.