Selected Projects
Content Development
I Love The (19)20s: A Historical Look at Life in the 1920s
Historic Preservation
Troutman Sound Labs
Ohio Historical Marker
Dayton, OH
October 2018 — August 2020
Marker dedication October 16, 2020
Started as a school assignment, I worked in tandem with a colleague in a Museology class during the fall 2018 semester at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH. We had to find a story in the state of Ohio that we thought should be included in the historical marker program. We both knew that we wanted to honor a Black American story because we noticed that there were not many that were part of the program.
My colleague mentioned the Troutman Sounds Labs because she was from the Dayton area and she knew that I loved music. So, we chose the recording studio as the subject for our assignment which we only had to fill out the two most important sections of the application: the statement of significance and the marker text. After the assignment was over, we decided to go forward with the application. The Ohio Historical Marker program also thought the story need to be memorialize because we were one of the 27 (out of 80 applicants in 2019) whose application was approved for a historical marker.
In our exploration to complete the application, we found out through researching materials from Wright State University and the Dayton City Library Local History department that the studio was built not just to create and produce music (for artists like Zapp, and Ohio Players’ lead singer Leroy “Sugafoot” Bonner), but it was a symbol for independent Black business owners who used the recording studio as a catalyst for job opportunities right in the heart of the community they loved while the community loved them back. The studio was also the space where one of the pioneers of funk, Roger and Zapp and the famous talk box, created the “Dayton Sound” that contributed to a sub-genre of rhythm & blues and influenced the unique sound of West Coast hip-hop. We had the honor to work with national recording R&B artist, Shirley Murdock, who recorded music at the studio under the direction of the late producer Roger Troutman. Ms. Murdock provided stories about her personal experience working musically with the Troutman brothers at the studio. We also had the privilege of speaking with two of the Troutman brothers who graciously came to the dedication ceremony in 2020. They also provided great stories about their own experiences at the studio and were grateful to be honored while they were alive. This journey that we took was a great example of finding untold and personal stories in an innovative way.
Press
Sarah Franks, “Troutman Sound Labs gets Ohio Historical Marker,” Journal-News, Oct. 16, 2020
Don Trasher, “What the Troutman Sound Labs Mean to Dayton and Funk Music History,” Dayton Daily News, October 16, 2020
Andrew Addessi, “Beyond a Grade: BGSU Class Project Leaves Lasting Impact,” BGSU News, September 2020
Positively Pop Culture, Podcast, Episode 53: Jackie Hudson: Funk, Roger Troutman, and Troutman Sound Labs, October 28, 2020
“I met Ms. Hudson in 2017 in a graduate level public history class at Bowling Green State University, where I spoke about the Ohio History Connection’s Ohio Historical Markers program. She had great questions and had an idea for an historical marker. My enthusiasm grew as she described it. We were very happy to receive her and colleague Kari Boroff’s application and simultaneous request for a grant to pay part of the marker’s cost during our 2019 application cycle. Applications and grants for markers are very competitive. In 2019, the markers program received approximately 70 applications and 30 requests for grants. Ms. Hudson and Mr. Boroff’s application competed very strongly. Theirs was one of 25 to be approved for a marker and one of only ten to receive a grant from the program. Not many graduate students can say they led efforts to erect an Ohio Historical Marker, but Ms. Hudson can. That speaks to her ability, certainly, but it also says a lot about her commitment to share stories that can speak to all of us.
Throughout the marker text finalization process, Ms. Hudson was my primary contact and it was wonderful to work with her. From that event and based on my extensive 25 years of experience in our field, Ms. Hudson has vision and practical skills to succeed. She has expert communication and interpersonal skills, and fosters and maintains strong working relationships, which is paramount in our field. She is also thoughtful, proactive, follow-ups promptly, and is very resourceful – other essential traits.
As you might have already guessed, I think Ms. Hudson has a bright future and has the drive to make meaningful and lasting contributions to our field.”
— Andy Verhoff, Ohio History Fund and Outreach Manager, State Historic Preservation Office, Ohio History Connection
Digital Media
Digital Media for “Rivers of Rhythm”
National Museum of African American Music
Nashville, TN
June 2020 — December 2020
My role in this exhibition project was to develop content for the “Rivers of Rhythm” interactive timeline by reaching out to individuals at repositories across the country (and the world) and relatives of musicians and songwriters to find images that embodied the Black experience.
“I have worked directly with Jackie on the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) for the past six months, since July of 2020. At G&A, we are producing a series of interactives and films for NMAAM, which is slated to open at the end of this month, January 2021. Jackie has been of tremendous assistance in helping us research, identify, and acquire images and visual assets for our media pieces. She has diligently reached out to various license holders, archival libraries, and artist estates over these months, ensuring that we clear permission to use the 500+ images needed to tell the stories of African American music history and culture. These include an interactive timeline that contextualizes African American musicians in historical events, as well as films that introduce visitors to the music of gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and hip hop. It has been a pleasure working with Jackie on these interactives and films. She has been precise, efficient, and persistent in her work. It’s clear that she takes great pride in the museum and in her contributions. Jackie has demonstrated an exceptional level of dedication and academic acumen.”
— Staci Hou, digital producer at the museum design firm Gallagher & Associates (G&A)
Exhibition
Negotiating Black Identity Through Music Artists on Vibe Magazine Covers
William T. Jerome Library, Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH
April 2021 — June 2021
Inspired by a previous exhibit by the music library of Right On! magazines, I worked with reference librarians in both the music and popular culture libraries in putting together this exhibit. In addition to written text, magazine covers could be a new way to create different frameworks of Black identity through Black popular culture. This project looks at different facets of Black identity through six specific Vibe magazine covers which include issues: Fall 1992 with Treach from Naughty by Nature (the test issue) on black popular culture, February 1995 with Mary J. Blige on black femininity, February 1996 with Death Row Records on black masculinity, May 1998 with Master P and No Limit Records artists on Black entrepreneurship, November 2001 with Aaliyah on the Black martyr and October 1997 with Kirk Franklin on Black spirituality.
The staff at the Music Library and Bill Schurk Sound Archives created a display of materials to accompany my pictorial exhibit that are available in the collection at the library available for research.
Labels
“Jacqueline Hudson’s exhibit on how the VIBE magazine covers depicted aspects of Black culture, such as Black masculinity, Black martyrdom, and Black spirituality, drew attention to how popular culture is porous and impregnated with meaning. Her detailed analysis gave great cultural and historical context to the cover images, which would provide exhibit viewers with a new understanding and possibly some research ideas. As an academic library, we value exhibits that increase pathways of learning and cultural competency.”
— Trinidad Linares, Library Associate, Music Library and Bill Schurk Sound Archives, Jerome Library, Bowling Green State University
Conference Presentation
Negotiating Black Identity Through Music Artists on Vibe Magazine Covers
Ray Browne Conference for Popular Culture Studies
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH
March 6, 2020
During the Ray Browne conference in March 2020, I made a presentation about how I discovered that Black popular culture, Black femininity, Black masculinity, Black entrepreneurship, and Black iconography are important in telling stories about the black experience through music artists on Vibe magazine covers.
Exhibition
Black History Month Exhibition
Browne Popular Culture Library, Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH
February 2021
I took a different approach to highlighting the contributions of African Americans made to American culture. While they have been honored through a historical lens many times before, the display featured facets of Black culture that are not well-known, but have been impactful to mainstream culture. It featured the subjects of AfroFuturism, Black nerd culture, Black fiction (with two subgenres of the Black romance novel and contemporary Black fiction), Black cult films, and Black television shows that shed a different light of Black culture.
"Jackie is a delight to work with. She installed an engaging exhibit in the Browne Popular Culture Library for Black History Month. I learned about AfroFuturism from the display and ended up giving a lecture to my Introduction to Popular Culture students on the topic! Her social media posts for the month were well researched. I looked forward to reading them each day.” -Dana Nemeth, Reference Archivist, Browne Popular Culture Library, BGSU
Exhibition
June Exhibition: Black Music Month, Juneteenth, and LGBTQ Pride Month
Browne Popular Culture Library, Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH
June 2021
June is Black Music Month. June is LGBTQ Pride Month. June 19 is Juneteenth. What a way to celebrate in June to highlight what black music, the LGBTQ community and Juneteenth has contributed to popular culture!
This exhibit focuses on black music-related films, different materials that were created by and were about members of the LGBTQ community, and Juneteenth-inspired stories. There is also a section in the exhibit that features black women's perspectives on these three topics.
Social Media Campaign
Black History Month Social Media Campaign
Wood County Museum
Bowling Green, OH
February 2021
Another component of my volunteer experience at the Wood County museum, I asked the Marketing and Events Coordinator if I could continue to provide text and images for the museum's Facebook page for Black History Month. I chose individuals who had ties to Bowling Green and the Northwest Ohio area.
Read my social media posts on James Baldwin and Ella P. Stewart.
Social Media Campaign
Women’s History Month Social Media Campaign
Wood County Museum
Bowling Green, OH
March 2021
Another component of my volunteer experience at the Wood County museum, I asked the Marketing and Events Coordinator if I could continue to provide text and images for the museum's Facebook page for Women's History Month like I did for Black History Month. I chose women of color who had ties to Bowling Green and the Northwest Ohio area.
Read my social media posts on Gloria Steinem, “The girls. Some gang.”, Angharad Valdivia, Akiko Kawano Jones, and Janet "Jenny" Quinn
Research & Script Writing
The Message
National Museum of African American Music
Nashville, TN
June 2019 - July 2019
One of the many projects that I completed for "The Message" hip-hop gallery during my internship at the National Museum of African American Music was to create labels for the various artifacts that are currently on public display at the museum. Under the direction of the scriptwriter, I composed text for nearly 75% of the artifacts ranging from Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock album to Kanye West's Yeezy Boost sneakers in the permanent hip-hop gallery.
Article
Discovering Activism and Advocacy in Historic Preservation Through my Grandparents’ Furniture
National Council on Public History
Published March 25, 2021
This article looked at advocacy and activism through historic preservation and what I learned from my personal experiences with preserving my grandparents' furniture. The ways that public historians have collected, preserved, and interpreted material culture have definitely changed over time. This article also reflected how I related my personal experiences with the ways public historians now collected, preserved and interpreted material culture.
Article
My Reflection as a 2021 New Professional Award Winner
National Council on Public History Newsletter
Published June 2, 2021
This short article detailed my experiences during the month-long National Council on Public History’s virtual conference in March 2021. I explained what new concepts I learned and what I took from this experience.
Presentation
Poster Session at the American Association of State and Local History
National Council on Public History
September 24, 2021
I was among a few selected to present their research in the form of a poster sponsored by the National Council on Public History during the 2021 AASLH conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. Based on a previous exhibit that debuted at the Jerome Library on BGSU’s campus, I created a poster that featured the 6 aspects of African American life through archived Vibe magazine covers. You can read my reflection on my conference visit at AASLH here.
Presentation
Let’s Talk: Human Trafficking Awareness 2022
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
January 11, 2022
I moderated a meaningful discussion with expert panelists who explored the current state of human trafficking with the impact of the pandemic and continuous systemic racial inequities. You can watch the discussion here.
Publication
Black History and Cultures Hub - National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Google Arts and Culture
February 1 - 28, 2022
I collaborated with Google Arts and Culture to create a digital story on behalf of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to reflect Google Arts and Culture’s 2022 Black History Month theme of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, colonialism, and independence where the platform focuses on important historical figures and moments through artifacts and archives. You will find the Freedom Center’s page here. The page is part of Google Arts and Culture’s digital hub.
Presentation
Ask the Curator: Gallery Talk with Designing Justice Artist and Curator Luba Lukova
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
March 1, 2022
I moderated this discussion where virtual visitors had the opportunity to engage with the Artist & Curator and ask questions about Designing Justice and Lukova’s work. You can view the video here.
Exhibit
Macon Bolling Allen: The First African American Lawyer in the United States
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
January 17, 2022 - March 31, 2022
The exhibit tells the story of a man who spent a lifetime fighting against social injustice in the legal field. Panels contain Early Life, Becoming a Lawyer, Practicing Law, A New Chapter, Legacy, and Challenges Today.
“I had the privilege of working with Jackie at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH. Jackie is a dedicated, creative and passionate professional who was an asset to the exhibits department and museum as a whole. During her tenure, Jackie project managed many initiatives such as temporary exhibits and programs while constantly advocating for inclusive stories.”
— Katie Bramell, Director of Museum Experiences, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Presentation
Gallery Talk on Macon Bolling Allen: The First African American Lawyer in the United States
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
March 16, 2022
I moderated a virtual program that was an extension of an exhibit on Macon Bolling Allen, the first African American lawyer in the United States at the museum. I asked questions and was in conversation with three experts in the legal field, with one of them who conducted extensive research on Macon Bolling Allen. You can watch the webinar here.
Presentation
Gallery Talk on Textures: The Art and History of Black Hair
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
May 12, 2022
I moderated a virtual program that focused on Black hair that is based on an exhibit called "Textures: The History and Art of Black Hair” at Kent State University. The program featured the exhibit's co-curators and a live hair demonstration from a local hair stylist. You can watch the webinar here.
Presentation
Gallery Talk on Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration with artist Jared Owens
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
May 15, 2022
I moderated a talk with one of the artists who is part of the exhibit called “Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration.” It focused on the work of artists within US prisons and the centrality of incarceration to contemporary art and culture.
Exhibit
Cincinnati Music Festival: July 21-July 23
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Exhibit
End Slavery Now Panels at National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Google Arts and Culture partnership on International Underground Railroad Month - September 1 - 30, 2022
Exhibit
Henrietta Wood - An Enslaved Woman Who Sued For (And Won) Reparations
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center - Freedom Center Voices
Blog
Historic Preservation
James W. Rankin
Ohio Historical Marker
Cincinnati, OH
January 2021 — June 2021
Marker dedication September 2, 2022
I assisted the family of the James W. Rankin in successfully applying for an Ohio Historical marker to honor, Rankin, an Ohio House Representative who was instrumental in establishing the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in Ohio.
Community outreach and archival research - West End neighborhood in Cincinnati, OH
Created content for Community Building Institute at Xavier University for historical markers and bus shelters for the revitalization project in the West End community of Cincinnati, OH
Content Development
Northwest African American Museum - Seattle, WA
Created content for three exhibitions for the museum’s reopening in the form of text for the introduction and artifact labels.
Content Development
Content and Programming Development
National Blues Museum - St. Louis, MO
Program Development
Presentations
TEDxTalk @ BGSU
March 21. 2024
My Country ‘Tis of Thee: Black History (and Culture) is American History (and Culture)
My TEDxTalk on the campus of Bowling Green State University was about Black history and culture's rightful place in the story of the United States through my personal and professional journey.
