SEMC Virtual Program: Under the Influence: An Exploration of Community Exhibition Development

Title: 

Under the Influence: An Exploration of Community Exhibition Development 

Presenters:

Tony Schnadelbach, Program Manager, Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Barbara McClendon, Exhibits Curator, Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Program synopsis: 

Community involvement is essential to producing a relevant, engaging, and accurate exhibition. Reaching the public, however, presents its own set of challenges and questions that need answering: Where and when to begin? How to reach out? Who to speak to? The list goes on.

Join McClendon and Schnadelbach as they discuss the award-winning exhibition, Mississippi Distilled: Prohibition, Piety, and Politics, which was thoughtfully and purposefully designed using a blend of curatorial expertise, community involvement, research, and public outreach and input. The speakers will describe why and how the MDAH included the MIssissippi community in the exhibition process, the positive benefits of doing so, the project’s development, and what did and didn’t work as planned.