Dime Stories

Today, we continue looking at the stories of individual enslaved women, this time with the more infamous of the two: Margaret “Peggy” Garner, who became infamous a s fugitive slave who killed her own daughter to keep her from returning to enslavement. Margaret’s story has been widely circulated, but her real truth is hidden behind sensationalized accounts and reveals a narrative that is highly relevant to our modern lives.

Earlier this season, we learned about the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, founded in part by Mary Catherine Spalding – and touched upon their dark history of slavery and the recent efforts to research and acknowledge that history. The Sisters’ actions are just one of many efforts to research, recognize, commemorate, and commit to reparative justice for Blacks in the United States – and Kentucky. Many of these efforts unfortunately focus on group stories – piecing together the narratives of individual enslaved persons is difficult for many reasons. Because enslaved persons were treated as property, many were illiterate – their stories hence being told only through oral traditions – while even those who were literate saw little opportunity to publish or preserve their writings. American history holds up the few published slave narratives, but what about stories from Kentucky’s history?

Two enslaved women’s stories are known to us: Matilda Lewis Threlkeld and Margaret “Peggy” Garner. Today, we’ll be looking at Matilda’s story, which reveals the daily lives of enslaved women in Kentucky.

Today, we continue looking at the spaces where women contributed to forming Kentucky’s well-known institutions. But unlike Mary Catherine Spalding, our subject today – and her institution – challenged the status quo. Her name was Julie Ann Tevis. The institution? Science Hill Academy, which pioneered the idea that girls had equal abilities - and thus deserved equal education to - boys.

As Kentucky became settled, women continued to contribute to forming the places that Kentucky is now known for. Two of these are the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and Science Hill Academy, both established in the early 1800s by women and which had a profound effect on female education in the Commonwealth. In this episode, we’ll explore the first of these – the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth – and one of their founders, Sister Mary Catherine Spalding.

In our last episode, we recounted the story of Jemima Boone, among the first young women to help settle Kentucky, which was then considered part of the frontier. But Jemima’s story is one of vulnerability, forming a romanticized notion of what life for Kentucky’s white women was like.

To get a more complex story, we must turn to another pioneer family: William and Esther Whitley. Esther is particularly intriguing for the scant references we have to her. Bearing twelve children, eleven of whom survived, Esther was known to be a true frontier spirit. She is cited as being “independent, spunky, resourceful, and tough” - providing an alternative view of Kentucky's frontier women that has only recently been recognized. This is her story.

In 1769, Daniel Boone was shown Kentucky’s flatlands by John Findley – and Boone found the area to be suitable for settlement. Six years later, he moved his family - including 13-year-old Jemima Boone - to the area. Jemima's story reveals the dangers girls and women faced in settling new territory - as well as the lies told to keep white settler culture intact. This is her story.

“Stand on the southern bank of the Ohio River at its confluence with the Scioto River in 1758 and watch the Shawnee women pulling weeds and tending crops for the last time. This is the northeastern most corner of Kentucky. Among the farmers strides a tall, powerful woman, giving instructions about the migration that will soon be undertaken. Across the river is a significant village: lower Shawnee Town, one of many multinational villages that arose in the 1730s and 1740s as the Shawnees returned to the Ohio River valley.”

Craig Thompson Friend’s text of a “tall, powerful woman” is a picture of a real Shawnee woman: Nonhelema Hokolesqua. This is her story.

Join us and Craig Browning as we discuss the history of the US Bank Celebration of the Arts show and the importance of celebrating and supporting the arts in our community.

Today, we welcome WKU Distinguished Professor of Art, Yvonne Petkus, to discuss her works, process, and participation in the US Bank Celebration of the Arts.

Today, we interview 2020 US Bank Purchase Award winner Leslie Nichols, a Bowling Green artist whose work uses images and texts to explore a variety of themes, notably women's lives and contributions to society. 

What impact do the arts have on our communities? Why is it so important to foster artistic creation, diversity, and recognition?

There are questions I’ll be diving into today as we prepare for the annual US Bank Celebration of the Arts. Held every year at the Kentucky Museum, this show brings together works from amateur and professional artists within 65 miles of Bowling Green in order to celebrate and recognize the diverse talent of our region. Each year, one work is selected for the Purchase Award, receiving a coveted place in our permanent collection. In the next few episodes, we’ll be talking with past purchase award winners Leslie Nichols and Yvonne Petkus to discuss their work and the impact of winning the Purchase Award.

But that award isn’t the only reason that the arts are important. Rather, the arts have immense social and economic impacts on our community. As President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, Robert L. Lynch, stated in 2019, “Whether it is health, education, economy, or faith, the arts improve our communities and our lives, and they lend themselves to practical, solution-oriented philosophies to bind us socially and improve the world in which we live.”

But in a world driven by data, such statements often get lost. So, where’s the data?

In our Decorative Arts Gallery sits a miniature portrait of a young woman. She reclines on a chair, dressed in a simple white cotton frock, with her dark hair held in place by a large pin. She smiles demurely, staring at you. Do you recognize the woman in the painting?

This is Jeanne Françoise Julie Adélaïde Récamier – more commonly called Juliette – at the age of 28. She was a European celebrity in the early 19th century, known across Paris for her salon where leading literary and political circles gathered. Her story was commemorated in the 1920/1928 films, Madame Récamier, but, as with many women, truth is stranger than fiction.

When we think of women in the eighteenth century, we don’t often think of professional success and freedom. Yet between 1780 and 1810, many French women defied the domestic stereotype, reaching artistic success despite being denied admittance to classes on life drawing or the artistic academies. Some of them achieved admittance to and exhibited their works at the prestigious Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, including Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun.

Today, two copies of Élisabeth’s works, in miniature, are held by the Kentucky Museum. The first is a copy of French actress Madam Molé-Reymond’s portrait from 1786. The second is a miniature copy of Marie-Antoinette à la Rose painted by Élisabeth in 1783.

In our Snell-Franklin Decorative Arts Gallery, a circa 1765 Chippendale tea table sits near the beginning of the exhibit. Made in the Philadelphia style, it features a scalloped (or “pie crust”) edge and a bird cage movement that allows the top to rotate and tilt. Key features of the table – which help us identify its style – include “a ring and fluted columnar-turned pedestal with foliate compressed ball above a foliate-carved collar over a tripartite base on cabriole legs, and acanthus leaf carvings on the knees of the legs which terminate in ball and claw feet.”

…Sounds a bit boring unless you’re a decorative arts scholar. So what’s the deal? Why is this Chippendale table so prized, and what is a Chippendale anyway?

This triptych is a curious piece. In an ivory-like frame, it features a center panel flanked by two fold-out panels. Together, these panels are one painting – the sides showcasing onlookers to the center, which features King Henry IV of France and his wife, Marie, as Henry designates his wife to be Regent of France during his absence.

Collected by WKU alum Commodere Perry Snell, the triptych sits in our Decorative Arts gallery. Behind the grand presentation, a figure of Prudence waits patiently by the queen’s side, and the king – Henry IV of France – gracefully grants his wife, Marie, the regency of France as their son (also pictured) was quite young. Yet this painting hides a tale of murder.

Walking through our Decorative Arts Gallery, you might just get blinded: by a giant orb of lightbulbs and metal. This is the Sputnik chandelier, made in the 1950s or 1960s as part of a huge interior design trend…inspired by space!

What makes a story good…or even great? Could that story be about an artifact in a museum?

This season, we’re exploring object stories. These are brief glimpses into how objects – or artifacts – can tell us about art, history, and culture, but more importantly, about people.

In this episode, Tiffany introduces the concept of object stories and how she came to learn about them.

Eleanor Davidson shares her story on becoming involved with the Kentucky Forge Council, gives insights into their meetings, and discusses the increasing diversity of the metalworking field.

Today, we are talking with Eleanor Davidson about her journey from student to artist in metalworking and sculpture. Eleanor shares her insights into being an arts student at WKU and studying sculpture.

We talk with Jack Hubbard, a member of the Kentucky Forge Council who has spent the last thirty years as a knifemaker and folk artist.

Today, we are talking with David Marquez about creating and teaching metalwork sculpture.

David is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture at WKU, and recipient of the 2014 Al Smith Fellowship Award from the Kentucky Arts Council. His teaching focuses on challenging students with techniques and materials that they may have little experience working with, in order to create a dialogue that allows students to question preconceived ideas and encourage flexibility, critical thinking, and unleashing the boundless creativity within. He is also a professional artist, working with metal, ceramics, and mixed media.

The blacksmith was a man-of-all work. His stock in trade was, of course, shoeing horses and welding iron; hence, his name. There was still, a generation ago, something of the medieval wonder at the blacksmith’s art; not everyone could weld iron or do the many skillful things that the blacksmith found a part of the day’s work.”

In season two, we'll celebrate blacksmithing with a virtual Hammer-In! Tune in to this episode learn the long history of blacksmithing and get a preview of things to come.

Today, we want to share an audio clip from “Put a Woman in Charge,” a panel discussion held at the Kentucky Museum on September 24, 2019. In this clip, State Representative Patti Minter discusses not only what it’s like to find balance as a woman in politics, but also why diversity in politics is important for Kentucky.

In our interview with Dr. Saundra Ardrey, we briefly talked about the importance of Constitutional Amendment ratification to the ongoing discussions surrounding women’s suffrage and Black Lives Matter. Today, we’ll expand on a leader integral to Kentucky’s ratification of the US Constitution’s 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments: Mae Jones Street Kidd. This powerhouse of a woman faced enormous obstacles to what became a prominent career fighting for and ensuring the rights of others. Let’s get started.

This episode explores the legacy of Georgia Davis Powers, a native of Springfield and Louisville, Kentucky, who in 1967 became the first woman and first African-American elected in a general election to the Kentucky Senate. She was known for introducing legislation that advocated for Blacks, women, children, the poor, and the handicapped. Despite her election, Powers also had to fight for her own rights; for example, even as a Senator, Powers was unable to find a hotel room in segregated Frankfort and faced racism on a daily basis.

Joining us to talk about Powers is Dr. Onyekwuluje, a Professor of Sociology at Western Kentucky University, where she balances teaching, research and service in the creation of a live conversation about equality. Her courses include topics such as race, class, and gender; race and ethnic relations; and stratification and mobility. She is the author of Historical Influence: Reading Georgia Powers as a Grassroots Civil Rights Leader in the Rough Business of Kentucky Politics, which examines the specific context of Powers’ life and its connections to the fight for equal justice and women’s rights around the world.

Today, we’re highlighting the life and work of “Pistol Packin’” Pearl Carter Pace. Born in 1896 in Thompkinsville, Kentucky, Pearl was the first Kentucky woman elected to a four-year term as sheriff, in Cumberland County, during which she gained the nickname “Pistol Packin’ Pearl.” When Pearl’s term as sheriff was over, she decided to continue a career in politics. In 1953, she became was appointed by President Eisenhower to the War Claims Commission (later called the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission), eventually becoming chairman of the committee, making Pearl the second-highest ranking woman in Eisenhower’s administration and the first Kentucky woman appointed by a president to a national post.

Today, we continue talking with Dr. Saundra Ardrey, a Professor of Political Science and Director of the African-American Studies Department at Western Kentucky University. Her teaching and research focus on voting and electoral behavior, specifically the political participation of women and minorities. She is also co-founder and co-director of the WKU Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility, and established The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars at WKU, through which she helps create study away and study abroad opportunities for students ranging from tracing the Underground Railroad to developing service-learning projects around the world. Dr. Ardrey is well known across campus for these and other activities, including receiving a Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant that led to co-creation of the first Women and Gender Studies program at the University of Limpopo. In 2019, she led the presentation “Suffrage for All,” which explored the history and legacy of the fight for universal suffrage in America.

This season explores a major celebration in 2020: the 100th anniversary of Suffrage for Women, through the passage of the 19th Amendment, as well as the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment, which granted voting rights to all Americans regardless of race or color. Yet beneath the surface of these celebrations are essential conversations about race, gender, and voting that linger today – despite 100 years of all Americans having a say in politics.

Joining us to explore these essential conversations is Dr. Saundra Ardrey, a Professor of Political Science and Director of the African-American Studies Department at Western Kentucky University. Her teaching and research focus on voting and electoral behavior, specifically the political participation of women and minorities. She is also co-founder and co-director of the WKU Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility, and established The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars at WKU, through which she helps create study away and study abroad opportunities for students ranging from tracing the Underground Railroad to developing service-learning projects around the world. Dr. Ardrey is well known across campus for these and other activities, including receiving a Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant that led to co-creation of the first Women and Gender Studies program at the University of Limpopo. In 2019, she led the presentation “Suffrage for All,” which explored the history and legacy of the fight for universal suffrage in America.

Dime Stories is a podcast dedicated to exploring the unique art, history, and culture of South Central Kentucky. Each season, we will present six episodes on a specific theme – from women in politics to blacksmithing traditions to in-depth looks at topics found in exhibitions at the Kentucky Museum. We’ll hear from experts in our community.

So why call it Dime Stories? First, each episode will be short – no more than five minutes, to enable you – our listeners – to get a quick dose of art, history, and culture. Second, and more importantly, our title is based on how our home, the Kentucky Building at Western Kentucky University, was founded. Here's the story behind our name.