The Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens is one of the most treasured spots when it comes to jazz, culture, history and entertainment. The "Corona Collection" exhibit was simply spectacular and established the connection between the great jazz trumpeter and singer to his community and the kids in the neighborhood.
The latest compelling exhibition at the Louis Armstrong Center is "Armstrong in Ghana". The exhibition explores the American and global icon navigating cultural and political complexities as he toured his music throughout the world in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s a year-long, limited engagement, archival and contemporary art exhibition.
Regina Bain, Executive Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, also curated "Armstrong in Ghana".
Bain recently spoke with WBGO's Doug Doyle about her trip and the unique 60-thousand piece collection which includes an array of artifacts, recordings, pictures and documents pertaining to his tour through Africa, including the Gold Coast as it transitioned out of British colonial control to a newly independent Ghana.
Bain says she loves Louis Armstrong's story because it is so huge. She stresses it's about New Orleans, Chicago, Corona, Queens and the 65 countries that he traveled to as he brought his music and energy around the world.
"I was particularly interested in Ghana because as an African American woman I thinking about what it meant for a Black man to travel to an African country in the 1950s in the midst of our Civil Rights Movement and in the midst of their decolonization movement. That was a significant moment. I wanted to explore that more. I was so thankful to take the leap to get on a plane and see what I could explore and some archival sleuthing. I had never been to Ghana before. I had a great time and learned that this was a dynamic story to tell.
Ghana was a unique destination in Armstrong’s travels where he experienced a powerful feeling of belonging and is the only African country he returned to more than once.
Bain says she learned so much during her trip to Ghana.
"What surprised me was that there were so many places that Louis Armstrong went to that still exist. I went to the Old Polo Ground (in Accra) where he had a concert for 100-thousand people (May 23, 1956). That is now the memorial site for President Nkrumah. I also went to the Christiansborg Osu Castle, which is a slave castle on the coast of Accra that also served as a seat of government. We have picture of Louis and Lucille ascending the steps of that castle. I was so glad to be in the place where history happened."
This was the first time Regina Bain curated an exhibition at the Armstrong Center. What's her favorite part of "Armstrong in Ghana"?
"When I think about the collection as a whole, I have to think about the trumpets. We have seven trumpets. These are the instruments he used and cherished. I also really love the pictures of Louis Armstrong with students and writing he did. We have so many letters in our archive that people wrote to him and that he kept."
The new exhibition will utilize archival items, alongside established works by artists such as Kaloki Nyamai, Aaron Douglas and John Biggers. New commissioned work by artists such as Stephen Towns and Rita Mawuena Benissan will also debut throughout the year. The commissions will explore the reciprocal impact of Armstrong’s travels to the newly independent nation.
