MIDDLEBURY — The Henry Sheldon Museum invites the general public and Sheldon Museum members to our virtual meeting featuring special guest speaker Dorothy Moss, curator of painting and sculpture at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and coordinating curator of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative. The event is on Wednesday, Nov. 18 via Zoom.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. and at 6:45 p.m., Dorothy Moss will present “Behind the Scenes of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative.” Registration is $25; register online at henrysheldonmuseum.org no later than Thursday, Nov. 12. Participants will receive an email with the Zoom invitation and login instructions on Friday, Nov. 13.
In her remarks, Moss will outline the creation of the Smithsonian’s most expansive pan-institutional (19 museums, 9 research centers) project to date: The American Women’s History Initiative. The stories of the historic women featured in the initiative have often been neglected. But they are pioneers and trailblazers who shaped American society and changed the course of American history. Moss will describe the planning of the initiative, the current associated exhibits, and highlight a few of the women and their histories, including Ida B. Wells, who was born into slavery in Mississippi, and became a prominent journalist and an early leader in the civil rights movement.
After graduating from Smith College, Moss earned a Masters degree in Art History from Williams College, and a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Delaware. Moss directed the 2013, 2016 and 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competitions, a triennial contest which encourages artists from across the United States to submit artworks that challenge the definition of portraiture. In 2015, Moss initiated the Portrait Gallery’s first performance art series “IDENTIFY,” an ongoing series which has featured 10 commissioned performances by internationally-recognized  artists. 
Make this event special by picking up take-out from a local restaurant before the Zoom presentation. Several area restaurants are offering a discounts for participants. Call 802-388-2117 or visit henrysheldonmuseum.org for more information.