A.K. Smiley Public Library will honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month on Saturday, May 4 with “Art, War and Conversation from the Marshall Islands to Redlands” by Dr. Ann Cordy Deegan. Taking place at 11am in the Assembly Room and on Zoom, the program will highlight the library’s collection of World War II-era artwork, letters, and photographs from the Marshall Islands.
The peoples of the Marshall Islands have long been known for their fine artwork in materials taken from their natural surroundings. This is the story of the collision of World War II with their culture and the role of the U.S. Navy in this artwork. A.K. Smiley Public Library is fortunate in having a collection of over 800 letters, numerous photographs and nearly 100 pieces of Marshall Island artwork donated that chronicles this story. The letters represent an almost daily conversation between a man caught in the war and sent to the Marshall Islands and his wife back home in the Redlands area. It follows his collection of Marshall Island arts and observations of the culture and peoples who created them. Join us in a glimpse of beauty and war to help in understanding how the Redlands area connects to the Marshall Islands and its beautiful art.
This event is free and open to the public. To view from home, please click this link on the day of the program. If you have any questions, please contact the Heritage Room at (909)798-7632. Program subject to change.
About the Speaker
Ann Cordy Deegan received her Ph.D. in Textile History at the University of Maryland minoring in U.S. History. She has taught at numerous universities over the last forty years including the University of Maryland, Kansas State University, Utah State University, University of Redlands, Woodbury University and University of California at Riverside. Additionally, she has been a curator of history in private and public museums including the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands, California, as Head of the History Division. She does research, writing and publishing in areas of U.S. History and in worldwide ethnic textiles including research and writing on textiles of the Pacific area. Her numerous publications in professional and public journals include co-authoring the books Early Redlands and Redlands in World War One.