Abigail Cottingham: 2023 Junior Fellows Program Display Day

Abigail Cottingham, a 2023 Junior Fellow in the Music Division, organized the papers of choreographer Helen McGehee and artist Umaa, her spouse. The couple contributed appreciably to the artistic legacy of modern dance icon Martha Graham and her company during some of her most innovative and creative years. From amongst the performance programs, sheet music, choreographic notes and costume designs, and photographs in the Helen McGehee and Umaa Papers, Abigail chose a self-published cookbook created by Umaa, through which the intersections of their personal and professional lives emerged. What did food and dance have in common? The stories and recipes inside the cookbook seemed simple, but the people and places described were found throughout the collection's correspondence, postcards, photographs, and brochures. An old friend's favorite Spanish paellla dish, a birthday feast that also celebrated a dance performance, and a traditional dinner full of Southern charm were just a few of the connections that could be made through the cookbook. Helen and Umaa were not only represented by the performances and art they created, but by the people they were outside of their professional lives. By uniting conventional materials with their artistic legacy, Abigail shared a way to enrich our understanding of the humanity of the people whose legacies the Music Division collects.

For transcript and more information, visit https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-11164

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