THE MUSEUM WILL BE CLOSED THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH IN HONOR OF DR. ELVIN HOLT (READ MORE)
Upcoming Events
Eddie Durham Jazz Fest, Saturday, Oct 21 from 11am - 5pm at Eddie Durham Park
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The Calaboose African American History Museum is celebrating the musical contributions of San Marcos native, Eddie Durham, with a free concert
Saturday, October 21, 2023 from 11 am to 5 pm at the Eddie Durham Park (205 MLK Drive)
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Eddie Durham was a gifted jazz guitarist, trombonist, composer, and arranger in the swing era. His work contributed to the popularity of Glen Miller, Bennie Moten, Count Basie and Jimmie Lunceford. He is credited with being the first person to record an amplified guitar when he was featured on the 1935 Jimmie Lunceford recording of Durham's arrangement of "Hittin' the Bottle."
The 2023 Eddie Durham Jazz Fest will feature a concert from 11-5 with special guest and MC, Kory Cook, the managing director and disc jockey of jazz station KRTU 91.7 in San Antonio. The event will feature big band sounds from the Texas State Jazz Ensemble, the Central Texas Women of Jazz, blues tunes from Indigo Soul featuring Sonia Love, Morris Nelms and the Calaboose Players and the Joe Morales Quartet will bring jazzy sounds that make this event foot stomping entertainment for the entire family to enjoy! You will be entertained by five amazing and talented bands ready to give us a taste of Eddie Durham’s classic hits and more!
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MLK Drive will be closed between Fredericksburg Street and Comanche Street to create a pedestrian safe area to allow food trucks and vendors of fine arts, crafts, books, and unique specialty items.
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You are invited to participate in the fun – food trucks, arts and crafts booths and jazz all day promise to make this a wonderful way to spend an October Saturday. You do not want to miss it!
Celebratory Reception for the artist Morgan Grigsby, Saturday, May 6 from 10am - 12pm
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Comfort is the first solo exhibition of paintings by painter Morgan Grigsby. The three paintings on view— Bread of Heaven, A Place to Stand, and Sunday—are portraits created by the artist within the last year. One is a self-portrait, while the other two represent the artist’s father and mother respectively. Exhibited for the first time together as a group, the three large works draw attention to people and places that provide comfort in the artist’s life, inviting viewers to consider their own routines and surroundings in a similar way. According to Grigsby, “the paintings give the viewer an intimate perspective into my personal life, exploring ideas about social identity and alienation within contemporary Black and American culture.”
Comfort is on view at the Calaboose African American History Museum until July 2023. Please join us on Saturday, May 6 from 10 AM–12 PM for a celebratory reception, with artist talk at 11 AM.
IMAGE: Morgan Grigsby, Sunday, 2023, Oil on canvas, courtesy of the artist.
Black History Month First Saturday:
African American Read-In
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The African American Read-In is a national event started by the National Council of Teachers of English. People everywhere are encouraged to go to schools, community centers, homes, parks, other areas to read books by African American authors. This event,10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, also will served a the public opening of the Dr. Skyller Walkes Non-Lender Library located inside of the Cephas House, across from the Calaboose African American History Museum in San Marcos, Texas. This event is free and open to the public.
Black History Month Second Saturday:
African Safari Program (Storytelling)
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Elizabeth Kahura, a storyteller from Kenya, will bring her African storytelling talents to the Calaboose African American History Museum's Cephas House, beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023. Kahura, a teacher by profession, started the African Safari Program to try to teach others about the true meaning of Africa. She likes to present folktales from Africa, tell motivational poems in English and Swahili, share proverbs, riddles and jokes, and performs musical numbers and games. This event is free and open to the public.
Black History Month Third Saturday:
Screening of Mighty Times: The Children's March
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Learning for Justice, formerly called "Teaching for Tolerance," provides classroom resources and professional development for teachers. The CAAHM has obtained a Learning for Justice film and will be screening Mighty Times: The Children's March, which highlights activism and social change led by youth. This screening of this critically acclaimed film will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, at the CAAHM's Cephas House. The Children's March earned top honors from the International Documentary Association as the best short film of 2004. This event is free and open to the public.
Black History Month Fourth Saturday:
African American Studies Future at Texas State University
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Dr. Dwonna Goldstone, director of the African American Studies Program at Texas State University will host an event on the status of Black Studies at Texas State and in Texas more broadly. Join us at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at the Cephas House for this lively discussion. Dr. Goldstone earned her B.A. in American Studies and a minor in African American Studies from the University of Iowa. She holds an M.A.T. in Secondary English Education from Brown University and a Ph.D. in American Civilization from the University of Texas at Austin . Her book Integrating the Forty Acres: A Fifty-Year Struggle for Racial Equality at the University of Texas, won the Coral H. Tullis Memorial Prize for the best book on Texas history, and she is currently finishing an article titled “Teaching While Black: A Black Professor in Trump Land.” This event is free and open to the public.
