The most notable exhibits at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture are on the history of slavery and the civil rights movement located on the ground floor below the museum’s main floor. Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876 to 1968 is the focus of this article as the exhibit’s use of interactive and engaging objects provides young visitors with the ability to get up close and personal with the objects in a way that is not generally allowed in a museum.
Objects in a museum are old and fragile. When displayed in an exhibit they need to be in a glass casing in a temperature-controlled environment. Professional collection staff members are the only ones allowed to handle the objects as they understand how to handle them correctly. Sometimes, museums will provide replicas of the objects for visitors to get to touch and engage with through the act of play. Replicas are becoming more common in recent years. However, it is challenging and expensive to purchase a replica of an object as it then has to be exchanged with a newer one if it gets damaged. NMAAHC has figured out a solution for when it comes to exploring activism that occurred throughout the civil rights movement to end segregation.
At the end of the Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: the Era of Segregation 1876 to 1968 exhibit, an interactive replica of the lunch counter from Greensboro, North Carolina, sit-ins. The chairs are behind a glass casing with a label next to it right near the massive counter and chairs that allow visitors to sit at and follow the directions set forth on the tablets located on the counter. On the tablet, is a digital menu titled the Menu of Movements and asks visitors to select a movement to explore. When doing the interactive, I decided to click on marches, which then brought up a screen that explained the history of marches. The next screen then brought up questions for visitors to answer with regard to how they would feel about children engaging in marches. I found these questions interesting as they provide a space for parental visitors to think about the young students who participated in the Greensboro, North Carolina sit-ins. The interactive does not ask for a particular gender. Still, the exhibit does pay attention to showcasing powerful male and female individuals of all ages who were part of the movement to end segregation. Sitting in the chairs also allows young children, especially young girls, to understand the power that activism has in making a difference in the world against an important issue.
The best part about this interactive from the standpoint of a Museum studies MA student who is seeking to work in a museum someday, with the exception of the screens either breaking or the WiFi making the technology not work correctly, the chairs and counter feel sturdy enough not to have to be replaced as often as other replicas of objects. The tablets allow young visitors to learn more about their choices regarding the future and engage adults in a replica of a space where young students once fought against racial segregation. The focus of the series is to explore exhibits that are for young girls; I feel that when it comes to activism, many older adults forget how important the young voices of the next generation are when it comes to societal issues. This interactive is a great reminder for them.
-Lindsay Guarnieri
Junior Girl, Curatorial
Girl Museum