THE BLACK WORLD HISTORY MUSEUM:
OPENING EXHIBITS TO THE COMMUNITY

Since training interns and creating community awareness are two essential pieces of its mission, the Black World History Museum decided to rethink its initial conception of public programming. As late as the end of March, the museum thought it would produce a "mock auction where the public [would be] invited to bring items that would be 'auctioned' off by a professional auctioneer" in order to emphasize the monetary value of family or historic treasures. This mock auction would be put in place in conjunction with the intern's active collection of artifacts and histories within the community. However, as time passed, the museum realized that the auction did not fit with what it wanted to accomplish in the grant period. After all, one of the institution's main goals was, as Ms. Conley stated, to "get people to understand the importance of saving" artifacts and bits of family history. An auction, the museum felt, "might run counter" to the message it was trying to send to its community. Since the museum staff wanted to encourage people in the community to see the museum as a repository for their artifacts, they were afraid that attaching a monetary value to artifacts might actually discourage people from donating their items to the museum. Therefore, the museum decided the public programming would have two parts: 1) a fashion show and unveiling of the Reverend Earl Nance wax figure; and 2) the opening of the student exhibit of family history. An essential component to both of these programs would be the participation of the interns and their sustained contact with the community at large.

     SUBSECTIONS:
          Unveiling/Fashion Show
          Student Exhibit
          Publicity
          Success