Community Project interns at Lincoln’s Cottage

By Michael Atwood Mason
CEO & Executive Director, Lincoln’s Cottage

During his time at the Cottage, Abraham Lincoln commuted to and from the White House each day. He was famous for stopping on his route and talking to people. We know he visited local hospitals to speak to injured soldiers, and he stopped at a refugee camp located where U Street and Florida Avenue meet today. There Lincoln spoke to self-emancipated people who traveled to the District after slavery was abolished here in DC. At least once, he shared a meal with these men and women before singing spirituals with them. Lincoln was famous for asking everyone he met for their thoughts and perspectives on the issues of the day.

In that spirit, President Lincoln’s Cottage has launched its new Cottage for Community Project. The project aims to generate a new understanding of the cultural landscape of the Petworth neighborhood:

Deepen community engagement
Better understand community needs and aspirations, and
Co-curate programming with local residents at the Cottage

The project began in April when we convened a Community Advisory Team of residents to help open doors and provide input on our plans. We then recruited and trained local university students to interview people about the artists, community traditions, and key places in the community as part of a summer internship. They have now begun to reach out to people across Petworth with the goal of conducting 200 interviews with residents over the summer. I have been so impressed and inspired by the excitement and intellect of these young people, and we are delighted to host them at the Cottage for a few weeks.

After reflecting on what residents have told us, Cottage staff will join the students to share what we have learned in several public meetings later this fall.

The resulting understanding of the needs and aspirations of local community members will become the basis for the co-curation of future programming at the Cottage—an initiative that has been written into our new strategic plan.

From Black-owned businesses and Latinx leaders to local artists of color, this project will spotlight the most creative individuals and organizations in Petworth, thus identifying ideal partners with whom to co-curate future programs and exhibits. We are particularly excited by the fact that this project should result in an ever more inclusive Cottage.

Similarly, we are excited to expand the pipeline of people working in cultural heritage. We have attracted a diverse pool of interns for one-of-a-kind paid work experience in a vibrant local museum.

Join Us: Volunteer to be Interviewed

We invite you to join the Cottage for Community Project and share your observations, insights, and aspirations with us. We are particularly interested in your sense of what the key issues facing the Petworth community are and with whom in the neighborhood we should speak.

An interview can be as short as thirty minutes, and everyone we interview will receive a free ticket for a tour of President Lincoln’s Cottage.

Please email me at mmason@lincolncottage.org if you would like to be interviewed—or if you would just like to share your thoughts.

Please welcome our Cottage for Community interns when you see them around the neighborhood and thank you!