PUBLICK OCCURRENCES — May 25, 2021
Darius C. Coombs, 2021 Bay State Legacy Award recipient
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) Pao Arts Center,
2021 Mass History Commendation recipient
The Massachusetts History Alliance is proud to announce that the 2021 Bay State Legacy Award, presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the interpretation and presentation of Massachusetts history, is awarded to Darius C. Coombs. Darius has long been a leading force in the interpretation of Native American history in Massachusetts. In 2021 Coombs joined the Mashpee Wampanoag Museum as their new Cultural & Outreach Coordinator for Education. Formerly, he was Director of Wampanoag and Algonquian Interpretation at Plimoth Patuxet (formerly Plimoth Plantation). He worked at Plimoth for over 30 years, starting as an Interpreter on the Wampanoag Homesite, and subsequently becoming the Program Manager. He organized and conducted interpretative training for all staff; constructed and maintained traditional Wampanoag homes, or wetuash, for a number of exhibit sites at the museum; and presented Wampanoag history and culture programs to groups, conferences, and schools. Coombs has served as an exhibits consultant for the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian as well as an historical adviser and on-camera expert for PBS, History Channel, and Smithsonian Channel productions. He is a sought-after guest speaker for audiences of all ages, from elementary schools to higher education.
Learn more about the Bay State Legacy Award here.
Mass Humanities is honored to award the 2021 Mass History Commendation to the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center’s Pao Arts Center. The award recognizes excellence by a Mass Humanities grantee. Pao Arts Center was established in 2017 as a visionary program collaboration between Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) and Bunker Hill Community College. It is Chinatown’s first arts and cultural center. BCNC Pao Arts Center has been the recipient of many Mass Humanities grants, including two Project Grants, a Digital Capacity Grant, and CARES Act COVID response funding. Recently, their Mass Humanities-funded “Homeward Bound” exhibit explored narratives of home, community, and intergenerational resilience, drawing upon four years of ethnographic research and interviews with the Chinese diaspora in nine countries and 13 cities. The project included online community conversations on LGBTQ+ historical figures, housing, and healing. In response to anti-Asian violence arising during the COVID-19 outbreak, Pao Arts Center created “Love Letters to Chinatown,” which will soon be available via a digital StoryMap. Their work exemplifies the idea that history is a community activity.
Plan to join us on Monday, June 7, 2021 to celebrate Darius Coombs and the BCNC Pao Arts Center, and their dedication to preserving and interpreting Massachusetts history.