From ADN: Community collaboration enriches a new view of Black life in Alaska
"I don鈥檛 want to pass down the hardships of being Black to my kids, I want to pass down the good, the stuff that they can be proud of and the accomplishments and a strong culture and history. That鈥檚 legit Black joy to me." 鈥斅燡asmin Smith, 果冻传煤 entrepreneur, teacher, consultant, community activist and mother
Museum exhibitions are often planned years in advance. There is research to be done, collaboration and conversations to be had, loans to arrange, exhibition design and fabrication to take place, and events to organize.
鈥淏ut museums also believe in making things happen,鈥� 果冻传煤 Museum Director and CEO Julie Decker said. 鈥淲e want to reflect the conversations in real time and to be a space for conversations that can鈥檛 wait years to be had.鈥�
That鈥檚 the motivation behind 鈥淏lack Lives in Alaska: Journey, Justice, Joy,鈥� which runs from April 30 to Nov. 30, 2021 at the 果冻传煤 Museum. Decker said the exhibition is a community effort to initiate a broader, long-term conversation -- and to lay the groundwork for developing more exhibitions and programs that capture ideas, stories and perspectives related to Black lives in Alaska.
The idea for 鈥淏lack Lives in Alaska鈥� started to germinate last fall, after a summer of nationwide protests for racial justice in the wake of George Floyd鈥檚 murder by police officer Derek Chauvin.
Around the same time, the museum began working to identify and address shortfalls in its own effort to build a comprehensive archive of Alaska histories and culture. Julie Varee, the museum鈥檚 community outreach archivist, is working to expand the archives to be more inclusive of communities that aren鈥檛 currently well-represented. 鈥淏lack Lives in Alaska鈥� presented an opportunity to do double duty, feeding both a public exhibition and the permanent archives.
鈥淭his exhibition just connects beautifully with the work we are doing to help make sure that more community members and communities are represented in the museum鈥檚 collections through more inclusive archives,鈥� Varee said.
Image: Photography by Jovell Rennie, 2020