A Place for All People
A Virtual Poster Exhibition
Welcome to “A Place for All People” Poster Exhibition
The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage Celebrates the National Museum of African American History and Culture With “A Place for All People” Poster Exhibition
The Smithsonian Institution opened its newest museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture Sept. 24, 2016. The celebration continues and reaches beyond Washington, D.C., as the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage presents a virtual commemorative poster exhibition of “A Place for All People: Introducing the National Museum of African American History and Culture.”
Organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture, “A Place for All People” highlights key artifacts that tell the rich and diverse story of the African American experience. From the child-size shackles of a slave and the clothing worn by Carlotta Walls on her first day at Little Rock Central High School to Chuck Berry’s Gibson guitar, “Maybellene,” and the track shoes worn by Olympian Carl Lewis, the exhibition presents a living history that reflects challenge, triumph, faith and hope.
After taking the tour of “A Place for All People” please review the supporting educational materials (see below) to help you to engage in investigation, reflection, and creativity. Please know that it is our honor to share in your quest to enhance your learning about the African American experience. As you incorporate these materials into your learning environments, we would love to hear from you so that we can share your creativity with others. Please let us know what you think of the tour and how the experience can be improved. Send your feedback to us.
Virtual Poster Exhibit
Suggested Learning Activities
Using the Smithsonian’s Oral History Interview Guide, record interviews with people in your community who were witness to or involved in the Civil Rights Movement.
Based on Collection Stories, have your staff share their interpretation of the objects in your collection that they find most powerful.
Share conservation guidelines for personal objects as outlined in the African American Treasures initiative.
Provide online access to The Civil Rights History Project’s videotaped oral history interviews with participants in the Civil Rights Movement.
Host group viewing of the videos on the History, Rebellion, and Reconciliation website followed by discussion of the issues addressed.
Create an on-line or on-site memory book to capture your visitors’ histories and memories
(see the Memory Book initiative).
Illuminate NMAAHC video
On the evenings of November 16-18, to kick off the countdown to its grand opening next fall, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) came alive for three nights as the façade of the building was illuminated with moving images in a spectacular display. The event commemorated three important milestones in African American history:
- 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 13th Amendment
- 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War
- 50th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
This video is the full version of the projection mapping used on the NMAAHC building.
Educational Resources
A Place for All People can inspire visitors to explore a wide variety of subjects, including history, geography, social connections, the cultural arts, and world culture. Here are some suggested online resources to get you started.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
African American Legacy Recording Series
Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access (SCLDA)
Learning Lab Learners of all ages can make discoveries across disciplines, create personalized collections, and share their ideas with others around the world.
SCLDA has compiled a set of educational resources, lesson plans and reading lists related to African American history and culture.
Smithsonian Magazine
Smithsonian has written a number of articles about the specific objects highlighted in A Place for All People. You may also search for additional articles.
- Slave Cabin Set to Become Centerpiece of New Smithsonian Museum May 13, 2013, By Paul Bisceglio
August 5, 2011, By Megan Gambino
- Q&A: Architect David Adjaye On His Vision for the New Museum February 1, 2012, By Joseph Stromberg
for Freedom—Just Not His Own June 22, 2016, By Alex Palmer
Crowd, and Her Gold-Trimmed Jacket Dazzled April 8, 2014, By Jess Righthand
- The Tuskegee Airmen Plane’s Last Flight November 1, 2011, By Owen Edwards
- This Segregated Railway Car Offers a Visceral Reminder of the Jim Crow Era June 13, 2016, By Alex Palmer
Founded in 1991 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance is an organization dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations and supporting equitable school experiences for the nation’s children. Teaching Tolerance provides free educational materials to teachers and other school practitioners in the U.S. and Canada.
The National Archives lists Black history resources from national, state, regional, and local sites and those focused on military, photography, and culture. It also lists resources organized chronologically from slavery through the civil rights era.
The Library of Congress provides access to their extensive digital collections related to African American history.
National Endowment for the Humanities
This public history project brings to life the stories of Brooklyn’s abolitionist and anti-slavery community through walking tours, interactive games and online lesson plans.
Freedmen and Southern Society Project
The history of Emancipation, from the letters and records of those that lived it.
Against all odds, African-American chemist Percy Julian became one of the great scientists of the 20th century. Learn how his work with steroids and alkaloids led to treatments for glaucoma and rheumatoid arthritis, see the chemical structure of steroids, and listen to interviews from those who worked with him.
The National Park Service – African American Heritage
The National Park Service celebrates African American Heritage throughout the year. Visit a multitude of park sites dedicated to African American history and culture. View Museum exhibits, go on a travel itinerary, or read in depth histories and interviews of famous African Americans and how they shaped the United States.
