Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/5950
Black Meetings & Tourism December 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 21 LONNIE G. BUNCH FOUNdING dIrECtOr OF tHE SmItHSONIaN'S NatIONaL mUSEUm OF aFrICaN-amErICaN HIStOry aNd CULtUrE By VICtOrIa HEad H istorian, author, curator and educator, Lonnie G. Bunch is the founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington D.C. The museum is set to open its doors in 2015 and will be the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African- American life, art, history and culture. Under legislative mandate, its exhibitions and programs are being designed to cover a wide arc of history including slavery, reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the great migrations to the North and West, segregation, the Civil Rights movement and beyond, as well as issues of the 21st century. As the founding director for the museum, Bunch is working to set the museum's mission, coordinate its fundraising and membership campaigns, develop its collections and establish cultural partnerships. As he is rooted in the belief that the museum exists now although the building is not yet in place, he is designing a high-profile program of traveling exhibitions and public events ranging from panel discussions and seminars to oral history and collecting workshops. One successful program taking place in various locations across the country is "Save Our African-American Treasures." In this series of daylong workshops, participants work with con- servation specialists and historians to learn to identify and pre- serve items of historical value. Items brought in for review range from photographs, documents and jewelry to military uni- forms, farm tools and quilts. Instruction is offered through hands-on activities, audio-visual presentations and a 30-page guidebook developed by the museum. "We must encourage private citizens to become aware of what they have, to protect it and to preserve it so the story of African-Americans can be told," said Bunch. "Private citizens knowingly or unknowingly hold 19th- and 20th century objects in their basements and attics that can help tell this story for future generations." Upcoming workshops are being planned for Atlanta, New Orleans, and New York. Dates for these upcoming events can be obtained by visiting the museum on the web at www.nmaahc.si.edu. As a public historian, who brings history to the people, Bunch, 56, has spent nearly 30 years in the museum field where he is regarded as one of the nation's leading figures in the cultural-historical community. Bunch is also an accom- plished writer and has written on topics ranging from the Black military experience, the American presidency, all Black towns in the American west, diversity in museum manage- ment and the impact of funding and politics on American museums. Lectures and presentations to museum profes- sionals and scholars have taken Bunch to major cities in the United States and many nations abroad including Australia, China, England, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, and Ghana. For as long as Bunch can remember, he has had a fascination for America's and Black America's history. He always knew that somehow his passion for history would shape his life. "It's important to realize that museums are the places that help peo- ple remember, therefore, I believe strongly that they should be diverse and that their staff and programs reflect the diversity in America. Without a staff that cares about the truth of their past, certain elements are bound to get left out of history and there's nothing more painful than a country that forgets," says Bunch. "It's important that communities hold their museums account- able, making sure that through their staffs and programs they explore the subjects that are important to their communities." The museum, the 19th to open as part of the Smithsonian Institution, will be built on the National Mall and will stand on a five-acre site adjacent to the Washington Monument. It will be the first green building on the National Mall. Designed with a beautiful bronze corona that projects, spirituality, resiliency and optimism, the museum's design embodies the African- American spirit. Majestic yet exuberant, dignified yet tri- umphant, it is said that the building will be worthy of the muse- um's vision, and its prominent place on the National Mall. For more information regarding the NMAAHC, please view their website – www.nmaahc.si.edu.