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Strengthening the Mississippi Museum of Art Through Community Input Monique Davis
STRENGTHENING THE MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM OF ART THROUGH COMMUNITY INPUT
Monique Davis, Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, Managing Director of the Center for Art & Public Exchange, Mississippi Museum of Art
The Mississippi Museum of Art’s (MMA) most recent exhibition, (on display from April 9 through September 11, 2022) A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration, asks 12 artists to examine the impact of the Great Migration on the social and cultural life of the United States. The historic phenomenon known as the Great Migration saw more than six million African Americans leave the South for cities across the United States at the start of the 20th century and it continued well into the 1970s. The participating exhibition artists explore their families’ connections to the
Mississippi Museum of Art’s Chief Curator & Artistic Director of the Center for Art & Public Exchange Ryan N. Dennis leads a Front Porch conversation with community members to create a meaningful exhibition experience for visitors.
South and reflect on their personal histories and migration stories. It is the MMA’s hope that visitors will experience a similar journey and reflection. Conversations between the artists and MMA’s curatorial and interpretation teams made it increasingly evident that MMA needed to reach out to local African American community members to help us think through how to create a meaningful exhibition experience for visitors. Because many of the artworks are abstract, it was important to create access points for our visitors so that they could more readily engage with the artworks.
MMA held three community conversations prior to the exhibition’s opening to connect with our African American community. We asked members of our Community Advisory Council to serve as hosts and invite their friends and family members to participate. These meetings were known as “Front Porch” conversations. The “Front Porch” symbolizes comfort and truthtelling, and we imbued the gatherings with that spirit. These conversations were instrumental in helping MMA staff determine what visitors might need to engage with the works in the exhibition. From these groups, MMA staff was better able to explore ways to connect the exhibition’s themes of resilience, movement, and self-determination to the visitor experience through interpretation plans, labeling, and more. Below are highlights from these conversations.
Humanize the artist. Share the artists’ connections to Mississippi—where did they receive their education, who are “their people.” A work’s inspiration and the artist’s process were frequently noted to help the viewer understand abstract work. Provide spaces for rest and reflection. In many African American families, the Great Migration stories are shared on a spectrum. Many families are steeped in the history of their movement from the South, while other families have not shared the stories due to pain and trauma. Spaces to process emotions and honor memories are needed to support visitors as they engage with the artworks.
Provide tools to continue the conversation and
possibly start a new one. The participants had a deep desire to continue the conversations sparked in the galleries and asked for tools to support that dialogue. MMA’s curatorial and interpretation teams incorporated feedback into their processes in real time. Some of those elements are:
• Digital and analog (a Visitor Guide) content that provides in-depth information about the artists. • A storytelling portal where memories and histories are shared with a companion. • A conversation guide that includes prompts to jump-start an intergenerational conversation.
Engaging community members in conversations that directly impact the interpretation of the exhibition is a practice that MMA is committed to continuing. The contributions of the Front Porch participants have added depth and authenticity to the exhibition, and we are forever grateful.
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