RI Historical Society Welcomes Smithsonian’s Eric Jentsch for Goff Lecture
National Museum of American History Curator to Present ‘National Sports Collection’
ERIC JENTSCH
PROVIDENCE, R.I.– On Saturday, September 21, 2019, the Rhode Island Historical Society is offering a double-header of compelling programming.
On that day, the organization’s two museums — the John Brown House (52 Power Street, Providence) and the Museum of Work and Culture (42 South Main Street, Woonsocket) — will participate in Smithsonian Museum Day by offering free admission and special programming to all guests from 10 am to 4 pm at each site.
That same afternoon, RIHS will hold its annual Newell D. Goff Lecture, an annual keynote talk delivered this year by Smithsonian Curator Eric Jentsch.
The Goff Lecture will be presented by Eric Jentsch, Lead Curator for Sports and Entertainment in the Division of Culture and Community Life at the National Museum of American History. Jentsch’s talk is titled “The National Sports Collection,” and it will expand upon the Smithsonian’s collection of sports-related objects. These pieces not only document the achievements of some of the nation’s greatest athletes, but also represent sport’s vital role in our shared culture. Jentsch will share stories around particular objects, revealing how these artifacts can provide dynamic explorations into our nation’s past.
“Every year, thanks to our affiliation with the Smithsonian Institute, we are able to invite an excellent national speaker to visit Rhode Island and share their work in the field of history and museums as our Newell D. Goff lecturer. And every year, we open the doors of our museums for free for the Smithsonian Museum Day. This year, we are pleased to be able to merge these two events,” said Geralyn Ducady, Director of the RIHS’s Goff Center for Education and Public Programs.
The Newell D. Goff Lecture and reception is free and open to the public, with advance registration at
https://forms.gle/vDuDuyPZ6Q5AikBg6
or by calling (401) 331-8575 x 360.
Jentsch serves as Lead Curator for Sports and Entertainment in the Division of Culture and Community Life at the National Museum of American History. He attended St. Louis University, where he studied American History and English Literature, and received his Master’s in Museum Studies at George Washington University. Jentsch has worked on a number of projects connecting American History to its popular culture, most recently curating the “Superheroes” exhibition opened last November. He is currently working as one of the curators for the upcoming Entertaining America exhibition. Jentsch is responsible for popular culture collections including sports, television, and comic books. Recent acquisitions include historic baseball materials related to Willie Mays, Ted Williams and Hank Aaron, props and costumes from the television show “The Walking Dead,” and materials related to artist Bob Ross and his program “The Joy of Painting.”
Last year’s Goff Lecture featured Cindy Brown, Smithsonian Gardens’ Manager of Horticulture Collections and Education, who highlighted the archives of American gardens. In 2017, Susan Evans McClure, former Director of Food History Programs at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, gave a presentation. In 2016, Jeffrey E. Post, Curator-in-Charge of the Mineral Collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, discussed the Hope Diamond.
About the Rhode Island Historical Society
Founded in 1822, the RIHS, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the fourth-oldest historical society in the United States and is Rhode Island’s largest and oldest historical organization.
In Providence, the RIHS owns and operates the John Brown House Museum, a designated National Historic Landmark, built in 1788; the Aldrich House, built in 1822 and used for administration and public programs; and the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center, where archival, book and image collections are housed.
In Woonsocket, the RIHS manages the Museum of Work and Culture, a community museum examining the industrial history of northern Rhode Island and of the workers and settlers, especially French-Canadians, who made it one of the state’s most distinctive areas.