Interesting thread!
Our Project Democracy 20/20 initiative at the Greensboro History Museum has been going on since late 2019. We launched the effort with the Smithsonian traveling exhibition American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith that December. Alongside that effort we worked with CrossComm, a Durham NC tech company, to develop the Gerrymander Madness VR game, letting players pack and crack the state map on their way to electoral dominance. A series of online Democracy Tables brought people from across the city together to talk about issues important to them, such as Voting or Police, Community & Justice. And we have developed different kinds of public programs (mostly online) to explore the past, present and future of democracy, especially in our city and state.
An unexpected component to the initiative was our rapid-response exhibition, Pieces of Now, which grew out the summer 2020 racial justice protests and the musical, artistic and other expressions that supported them (among other upheavals of 2020).
We're hard at work on the culminating exhibition, a history of North Carolina democracy through eleven elections, opening this spring. We're also planning more public programming and outreach, such as working with our City of Greensboro colleagues on a cycle of Participatory Budgeting, where residents can develop and advocate for projects across the city.
There's info about the initiative with links to learn more about Gerrymander Madness and Democracy Tables at https://greensborohistory.org/democracy. Happy to share specifics about any components of Project Democracy. It's been an interesting time to focus on this history and these issues, needless to say!
Glenn
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Glenn Perkins
Curator of Community History
Greensboro History Museum
Greensboro NC
glenn.perkins@greensboro-nc.gov(336) 373-2610
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-30-2021 01:39 PM
From: Peter Arnold
Subject: Democracy as Institutional Initiative
Michael, My museum - Yakima Valley Museum - is considering such an exhibit for several reasons a) democracy is under threat b) precious few people seem to understand how our governmental systems work or have faith in our institutions c) our museum specifically is a major repository of the personal papers and memorabilia of William O. Douglas who was a native son of Yakima and came back to this region throughout his life. His cabin, which we hope to acquire, is in the Cascades about an hour's drive from here. We have an exhibit dedicated to him, but we want to expand it to discuss the important principles that he believed in and generally talk about Civics and how systems work.
As yet we have not gotten very far in planning what this make look like but we have recruited some real heavyweights to help with this and an award banquet named for Douglas, the first recipient being Sally Jewel, former Secretary of the Interior. The folks involved with the Award project include Cathy Douglas Stone (William O. Douglas's widow), Justice Debra L. Stephens (Washington's Chief Justice ), Justice Douglas' granddaughter, Karen Wells, Attorney and Adjunct Professor, Thomas Klitgaard who together with Federal District Judge, William Alsup and Professor Scott Powe, comprise three of Justice Douglas' many clerks at the Supreme Court and last but not least Justice Margaret McKeown of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
I have one idea for major funding that I intend to explore, however it might be that the funder would be more inclined to support the project if it was a joint effort by multiple museums to develop a core exhibit that could then be made available to any museum who could then tweak it to fit any circumstance peculiar to them. In that way, perhaps, we could address the critical issues with a single voice multiplied many times over. Otherwise, each of us will have to keep reinventing the wheel. I'd be happy to explore the concept further with anyone who is interested.
"As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air – however slight – lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness."
- William O. Douglas, 10 September 1976
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Peter Arnold
Executive Director
Yakima Valley Museum
Yakima WA
(509) 248-0747
Original Message:
Sent: 12-29-2021 10:05 AM
From: Michael Rose
Subject: Democracy as Institutional Initiative
Many of our institutions are looking to the idea of democracy and the rights and duties of citizenship as a mission-based call-to-action.
I'm wondering about specific initiatives that have been launched as a result – or are in planning stages – such as National Archives' civic education initiative: We Rule: Civics for All of US, or other programs, exhibitions, and other means.
Thanks -
Michael Rose
He/Him/His
Chief Mission Officer /
Executive Vice President for Collections and Exhibitions
130 West Paces Ferry Road NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
P 404.814.4043
F 404.814.4175
atlantahistorycenter.com