Descriptive Entry

This accession consists of the records of Dwight Blocker Bowers, Curator, which document his activities in producing public programs for the National Museum of American History (NMAH). Earlier records date from when Bowers was public programs specialist, 1995-1997, and historian of theater and film, 1997-2012, in the Division of Cultural History; director of the Division of Museum Program, 1989-1995; research specialist in the Department of Public Programs, 1984-1989; and research assistant in the Division of Performing Arts, 1982-1983. A majority of the records pertain to the "Palm Court Cameos" series that initially presented informal concerts of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century salon and parlor music to correspond with the era of the furnishings and artifacts in the Palm Court at NMAH. The program, which eventually was renamed "American Song" and moved to the Museum's Carmichael Auditorium, expanded to include the works of major American musicians of twentieth-century popular song, full-scale concert reconstructions of musicals, and onstage conversations with noted songwriters. Also documented are the "Jazz in the Palm Court" series that featured regionally based jazz artists performing classic jazz repertoire; the "America on Film" series, in which motion pictures reflecting cultural and musical diversity in American society were shown; and various other programs. Bowers inherited some of the records in this accession, which he used in his research, from Sharyn Huriaux Reitz, a research contractor in the Division of Performing Arts. Materials include correspondence, brochures, scripts, press releases, clippings, drawings, and supporting documentation.