The Pearl Bailey Showcase

On View: December 24, 2024

Pearl Bailey is an award-winning actress, singer, songwriter, and author. Her many achievements include winning a Daytime Emmy Award, and a Toni Award for her role in the all-Black production of Hello Dolly. Whether it was acting on Broadway, singing the national anthem for two the World Series, opening for Duke Ellington, taking the stage at Philadelphia night clubs, or staring in her own daytime television show, Pearl’s passion for performance and talent to captivate the stage won hearts around the world. So much so that Pearl was appointed The Ambassador of Love to the United Nations. Her entire life was a true showcase.

Pearl chronicled many of these experiences and achievements in over 100 hand-crafted scrapbook collages with photographs, postcards, and newspaper articles. For the first time, AAMP will make these scrapbooks available for digital interactive public viewing. This exhibition will “showcase” memorable moments Pearl Bailey documented throughout her career. The scrapbooks and archival documents selected will highlight Pearl’s dynamic life, from childhood to adulthood, spanning her many roles, from entertainment to international politics.