“At the Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs weaves together stories of ingenuity, artistry, persistence, and resistance through the transformative world of HBCUs. Featuring over 100 objects from the collections of five universities, the exhibition explores their diverse practices in the arts, dynamic academic programs and innovations, and groundbreaking activities on and around their campuses.
HBCUs have always been sites of cultural vibrancy and educational enrichment for students, faculty, staff, and surrounding communities. These historic institutions have grown exponentially from their beginnings at the end of the Civil War. Today, the contents of HBCU campus museums and archives are the vanguard of collecting institutions in the making and saving of African American history.” (Source: The Smithsonian Institution)
The exhibit is a partnership between the National Museum of African American History & Culture and the HBCU History and Culture Access Consortium Initiative.
“The HBCU History and Culture Access Consortium (HCAC) comes at a time of global transformation, re-imagining and re-building. The Consortium represents a commitment to sustainable HBCU cultural institutions, and we are proud to stand with them in our collective efforts to preserve and interpret African American art, history, culture and memory.
Launched in March 2021, the HCAC is a 5-year pilot initiative that is working with a select group of HBCU partners to engage in a series of activities that strengthens HBCU museums and archives to fortify their distinct roles in American history. This carefully crafted pilot stresses authentic partnership, building a community of practice and mentoring the next generation of professionals in the cultural sector.”
Main Program Elements:
- Training — Opportunities for internships and fellowships with professional development and skill-building experiences, serving traditionally underrepresented groups.
- Collections Inventory and Digitization — Creating an open-source archive, composed of HBCU digitized collections for use by academic scholars and the general public.
- Executive Leadership Training and Development — Strengthens internal communications and more robustly centers Museums and archives within the Universities’ broader mission.
- Traveling Exhibition and Publication — Exhibition features vast collections of HBCU collections, along with the creation of a catalogue designed for international distribution.
- Project Evaluation and Expansion — Assesses the development of a community of practice and the potential for expansion.
The consortium’s HBCU partners include:
