Memory Workin': HBCU Alumni in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums

Join us for a conversation between HBCU alumni who have made careers working in Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM).
About this Event

Memory Workin': HBCU Alumni in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) is a panel discussion exploring the careers of HBCU alumni working in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, or Museums (GLAM) related fields.

In conjunction with the exhibition, At The Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs, this engaging conversation brings together HBCU alumni working across history and cultural institutions to highlight the transformative impact of Black memory workers. In conversation with Dr. La'Niece Littleton (Senior Historian & Director of Community Collaborations, Atlanta History Center), Kimberley Bugg (CEO & Library Director, AUC Woodruff Library), Dr. Clint Flucker (Senior Director of Culture, Community and Partner Engagement, Emory University Woodruff Library), Dr. Meredith Evans (Director, Carter Library and Museum), and LaStarsha McGarity (Conservator and Co-Director, Legacy Museum, Tuskegee University) reflect on how their curatorial, archival, and educational practices preserve objects and archival materials for future generations.

As the first partner institution presenting this traveling exhibition, Clark Atlanta University Art Museum celebrates a living legacy that draws from the collections of all five institutions, including Florida A&M University, Jackson State University, Texas Southern University, and Tuskegee University. Each organization is a member of the HBCU History and Culture Access Consortium, and the exhibition highlights their institutions' ongoing roles in cultivating future artists, museum professionals, and scholars.

Together, these leaders will explore the intersections of institutional stewardship and leadership, reflecting on how collecting, preserving, and sharing Black cultural heritage across generations is vital to safeguarding our stories.

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 130 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 humble beginnings. Today, the contents of HBCU campus museums and archives are the vanguard of collecting institutions in the making and saving of African American history.

This is the inaugural exhibition of the HBCU History and Culture Access Consortium, an effort established by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture to enhance awareness of and access to collections and archives held by HBCUs. At the Vanguard features collections from the initiative’s initial cohort: Clark Atlanta University, Florida A&M University, Jackson State University, Texas Southern University, and Tuskegee University.

At the Vanguard is a collaboration between the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. It is part of the HBCU History and Culture Access Consortium Initiative made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and a bequest from Dr. Beryl Carter Rice.

The exhibition is supported by CBRE, Google Arts & Culture, Johnson & Johnson, the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Corporate Leadership Council, the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Members, Southern Company Foundation, The TJX Companies, Inc., and TOYOTA.