Black American Inc

THE BLACK AMERICAN WEST MUSEUM & HERITAGE CENTER WILL IMPROVE THE MANAGEMENT OF ITS COLLECTIONS BY CONDUCTING AN INVENTORY OF OVER 5,000 ITEMS AND APPLY FOR ACCREDITATION. THE MUSEUM WILL ENGAGE A PART-TIME COLLECTIONS MANAGER TO UPLOAD INFORMATION ABOUT EACH ITEM AND GENERATE A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE OBJECT FOR THE COLLECTION DATABASE. THE RESULTS OF THE PROJECT WILL BE A COMPLETE INVENTORY OF THE MUSEUM’S ARTIFACTS, COLLECTIONS, AND EXHIBITS. ALL ITEMS WILL HAVE A NUMBER, A DESCRIPTION, COST ASSESSMENT, DIMENSIONS, MEASUREMENTS, AND A PHOTOGRAPH. THE INVENTORY WILL SUPPORT COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT AND HELP THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING FUTURE EXHIBITS AND PROGRAMS.

THE BLACK AMERICAN WEST MUSEUM AND HERITAGE CENTER WILL IMPROVE THE MANAGEMENT OF ITS COLLECTIONS BY CONDUCTING AN INVENTORY OF MORE THAN 2,000 OBJECTS. ITEMS IN THE COLLECTION RANGE FROM SADDLES TO MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND SERVE AS PRIMARY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE MATERIAL FOR INTERPRETING THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF AFRICAN AMERICANS WHO HELPED DEVELOP THE AMERICAN WEST. A PART-TIME COLLECTIONS MANAGER HIRED TO COMPLETE THE WORK WILL UPLOAD INFORMATION ABOUT EACH ITEM AND A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE OBJECT TO THE COLLECTION DATABASE. THE INVENTORY WILL SUPPORT COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT AND HELP THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING FUTURE EXHIBITS AND PROGRAMS.

THE BLACK AMERICAN WEST MUSEUM AND HERITAGE CENTER IN DENVER WILL PARTNER WITH THE ALL-VOLUNTEER JANE TAYLOR REENACTOR GUILD TO CREATE VIDEO SHORTS FOR DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES HIGHLIGHTING THE STORIES OF BLACK HISTORICAL FIGURES. THE MUSEUM, WHICH HAS NO PAID STAFF, AIMS TO PROMOTE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE THAT AFRICAN AMERICANS PLAYED IN THE SETTLEMENT OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES THROUGH ITS COLLECTIONS, PROGRAMS, AND EXHIBITS. THE PEOPLE AND PLACES THE MUSEUM FEATURES HAVE IMPORTANT NARRATIVES THAT HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED FROM HISTORY BOOKS. THE MAIN GOAL OF THE DIGITAL PROJECT IS TO USE THESE VIDEOS TO OPEN THE DOOR TO ADDITIONAL OUTREACH, PRESENTATIONS, AND A MINI DOCUSERIES THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO REGIONAL AND NATIONAL AUDIENCES ONLINE. THIS PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS AFRICAN AMERICAN STORIES, A NEED FOR WHICH AROSE AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND RESULTING INCREASED AWARENESS OF RACIAL INEQUALITY AND INJUSTICES.