Performance Counts, September 2014
Baltimore Embraces its 19th Century Heritage
The good news is “we won.”
You probably noticed that there was some commotion this weekend about events that took place two centuries ago. Beyond the Blue Angels, the rockets red glare and the Spanish galleon, there was a genuine embrace of the relatively tiny group of defenders who made sure that the flag and the nation was still there.
We are intensely proud of having been a part of the Star Spangled Celebration week, a chance for us to remind the public of the long roots of the Jewish community in this city and this state. Of course, JMM’s focus was on one particular defender: the truly amazing Mendes Cohen.
Installation of the maze was completed on September 7th. We had a sneak preview for donors, members of the 1845 Society and the Lloyd Street League, and members of the board of our partners, the Maryland Historical Society on September 9th. Feedback was extremely positive as reflected in notes we received after the event:
We were totally impressed with the A-mazing Mendes exhibition and appreciated the amount of research, talent, and work that went into the project.
Your exhibit is absolutely wonderful and a great tribute to Mr. Cohen. Of course Mendes is good story material. What a fun concept and I am recommending you to my whole staff.
‘The A-Mazing Mendes Cohen’ exhibit turned out really great! Fantastic Preview last night! Can’t wait to return and stroll “The A-Mazing… ” more slowly and a chance to absorb much more of its rich history.
This past Sunday was a very busy day for our living history actor. Unlike the real Mendes Cohen who overslept on September 14 and had to run to his assignment at the fort, our “ghost” of Mendes started his day bright and early at Super Sunday. As Mendes was one of the early members of the Hebrew Benevolent Society (a precursor of The Associated), we thought it was important Mendes participate in this annual effort to raise funds to serve the Jewish community in Baltimore and around the globe.
The next stop was the Creative Alliance’s “Hampstead Hill Festival”, marking the land battle that helped save the city. Mendes not only gave a full performance (battling unexpectedly fierce winds) but also participated in an 1814 fashion show. After Hampstead Hill, we made a brief stop at the Inner Harbor greeting guests to the Greater Baltimore History Alliance booth.
Mendes returned to JMM for a wonderful members’ opening. The program included greetings from Debs Weinberg and Barbara Katz, Mendes’ short-version 1812 performance and a panel comprised of some of the creative and historical experts who made the exhibit and living history character a reality.
If you missed this great opening week, you can still be a full participant in the Mendes Cohen celebration. We are still busy recruiting volunteers for our stint as part of the Maryland Public Television fund drive on Sunday, September 28 from 5pm to 8pm. Your willingness to volunteer a few hours at MPT will guarantee us on air access to an important audience. For more details contact Rachel Kassman at rkassman@jewishmuseummd.org or call 410-732-6402 x225.