Elaine Nichols is the Supervisory Curator of Culture at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, D.C. A native of Charlotte, North Carlina, Nichols developed her love for African American history at a young age by listening to the stories about her heritage, culture, and resilience from the elders in her family. Her love of history would later guide her academic pursuits, leading her to complete a Masters of Art in Public Service Archaeology from the University of South Carolina and a Masters of Art in Social Administration and Planning from Case Western Reserve University.

Nichols made her curatorial debut at the South Carolina State Museum, where she curated the exhibition, The Last Miles of the Way: African American Funeral and Mourning Customs in South Carolina, 1890-Present. The collection garnered worldwide attention, propelling Elaine up the ranks to become the museum’s curator of history. In 2009, after completing work on the “Save Our National Treasures” project, Nichols was recruited into her current role at the NMAAHC, where she curates a variety of costumes, textiles, and decorative arts to tell the stories that reflect significant moments in African American culture. Host Kirsten Holtz Naim sits down with Elaine to discuss her longstanding career as a curator, what it was like to meet Rosa Parks, black fashion history, why she loves the flapper dress, and more.

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Show Notes:

Learn more about the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC): https://nmaahc.si.edu/

Learn more about Elaine Nichols: https://nmaahc.si.edu/

Check out the upcoming events at NMAAHC: https://nmaahc.si.edu/events

(WATCH) All of the Videos from the Fashion, Culture Futures: African American Ingenuity, Activism, And Storytelling Symposium: https://nmaahc.si.edu/events/fashion-culture-futures-african-american-ingenuity-activism-and-storytelling-symposium?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D155809946

Learn more about Dr. Bertha Maxwell-Roddey: https://www.ninertimes.com/news/unc-charlotte-s-second-full-time-black-professor-dr-bertha-maxwell-roddey/article_96a626d4-80e6-11eb-97ca-efc343687404.html

L.A. Times Article “The Sweet Chariot Swings Low–A Study of Black Burial Rites”: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-07-05-vw-3215-story.html

Learn more about Shannon Faulkner: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/when-the-first-woman-entered-the-citadel/2018/08/06/0906e622-7bb4-11e8-aeee-4d04c8ac6158_story.html

Learn more about Kitty Black-Perkins: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2019/02/28/meet-south-carolina-woman-who-designed-mattels-first-black-barbie/2702687002/

NPR Article on the NMAAHC “Save Our National Treasures” program: https://www.npr.org/2014/09/10/347378402/to-preserve-black-history-people-keep-national-treasures-at-home

Learn more about Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie Bunch III: https://www.si.edu/about/secretary-lonnie-bunch

Rosa Parks’ dress from 1955 on display at the NMAAHC: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/snapshot/rosa-parks-dress

Learn more about the work of fashion designer and entrepreneur Ann Lowe: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/pretty-pink

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