New Exhibit Sheds Light on Unknown People

The word “gypsy” often conjures stereotypes of people begging in European plazas, musicians and thieves moving with their caravans from town to town.

But the Romani people, as they prefer to be called, have made vital contributions to music, art and movies, counting stars such as Elvis Presley, Django Reinhardt and Charlie Chaplin as their own.

The Roma also left their footprint on Sonoma County, where they worked as apple pickers in the late 19^th century and are today remembered by a festival held at Sebastopol’s Ives Park each spring.

Now the stories of the Roma people, who originated in India and today live all over the world, will be told at a new exhibit that opens Friday at the .

The show is free, thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and features art, historical and cultural displays. There are also weekly speakers, concerts and a chance to sample Romani food.

“It’s an extremely diverse culture that’s very much misrepresented,” says Mark Tomlinson, a museum board member who spearheaded the exhibit and himself is of Romani heritage. “This is one of the first regional museums to put on an exhibit like this.”

Today the Romani ethnic group numbers as many as 12 million people, with the biggest communities found in Brazil, Spain, Romania and Turkey. But despite their contributions to societies where they’ve made their home, the Roma continue to be discriminated, including in education, jobs and housing.

“If you’re not allowed to settle somewhere, you’re not going to participate in that society and you may be driven to break the law just to survive,” Tomlinson said.

Roma: Crossing the Borders opens Friday, March 16 to the general public. On Saturday, March 17 there will be a presentation on the influence of Romani music on other musical genres by Carol Silverman, a professor at the University of Oregon at 3pm. That will be followed by a Romani singing workshop at 5pm.

On Saturday, March 31, Ian Hancock, a professor from the University of Texas will give a lecture on the “gypsy” image and Romani reality. Starts at 3pm.

For other lectures, concerts and special events connected to the show, visit the library’s site. And remember, the exhibit is absolutely free, although donations are always appreciated.