If These Walls Could Talk Exhibit (Press Release)
Neill-Cochran House Museum presents: If These Walls Could Talk
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: January 15-May 3, 2020
This spring the Neill-Cochran House Museum is proud to host the major history and artistic collaboration If These Walls Could Talk. The show will place ceramicist Ginger Geyer’s modern porcelain sculpture into the historic spaces of the museum. Geyer in collaboration with actor Jennifer Cumberbatch will use the artwork as a launch pad for a series of conversations between two adolescent girls, Chlora and Ruby Virginia. The two girls, one white and one black, will highlight similarities and dissonances between past and present, high art and material culture, and experiences and treatment one would have received in a home like the NCHM Greek Revival-style mansion depending on race, class, gender, and socio-economic status through time. Cumberbatch will perform a series of one-woman shows inspired by Geyer’s artwork during the run of the exhibition.
Performance Dates:
February 6: Rise & Shine
February 15: Bus Tour with Shoebox Picnic
February 27: “Black Builders of a White City: Erecting Race in Early Austin” (part of the NCHM Modern Times Lecture Series)
March 8: Oratory Sunday
March 26: Make America Sing Again
May 1: Ghost of Robert E. Lee Both guided and self-guided touring options of the art installation will be available, though we recommend a guided tour with a trained interpreter.
Guided tours will be offered at 12:00, 1:00, and 2:00 Wednesday-Sundays. For more information, or to schedule a tour, please click here.
The Neill-Cochran House was built in 1855 by Abner Cook, who also designed and built the Governor’s Mansion and many other historic Greek Revival structures in Austin. The Neill-Cochran House Museum has an important story that dovetails with the early history of Austin and the fall of the Confederacy.
Open to the public Wednesday–Sunday from 11:00PM to 4:00PM, the NCHM is Abner Cook’s least altered and most accessible building and is proud to offer visitors a glimpse of Texas history.
This exhibit is sponsored by The Still Water Foundation, Applied Materials, City of Austin Cultural Arts Division, and Women and Their Work.
For more information, or to cover If These Walls Could Talk, please contact Karen Kincaid Brady, NCHM Programming Director, at (512) 478-2335 or by e-mail at info@nchmuseum.org. Press Preview January 16, 2020 at 11AM, at the NCHM.