Project expands story of local African American history
By STU CLAMPITT
Conner Prairie is one of only nine organizations selected as part of a cohort to participate in the Fostering Critical Conversations with Our Communities program, a year-long, Smithsonian Institution community engagement initiative in collaboration with the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.
Conner Prairie Curatorial Director Dr. Charlene J. Fletcher, Ph.D told The Reporter there will be a new exhibit in 2023 called Promised Land as Proving Ground (PLPG).
Fletcher
According to Fletcher, “PLPG focusses on African American history through the lens of African American spirituality. It is a completely different shift from what Conner Prairie is known for with regards to 1836 Prairie Town and 1863 Civil War Journey and it gives us an opportunity to tell the ones that weren’t inclusive stories but to also cover a larger swath of history and a more complex history. That exhibit is what we presented to the Smithsonian to apply for this particular cohort.”
Fletcher, who was hired in February 2021, explained that PLPG started as a Lilly Endowment planning grant with conversations beginning in 2018.
“I really expanded the original narrative to move beyond the AME Church [African Methodist Episcopal Church] and Quaker interactions with African Americans,” Fletcher told The Reporter. “The exhibit still covers that, but it is important to know why the AME Church was founded. It’s important to know the history of these organizations – these institutions – and to understand the African retention that is present in their history and their development.”
Currently, Conner Prairie is in the fabrication stage for PLPG, building portions of the exhibit and working with community partners.
“Encouraging and supporting these kinds of essential conversations that bridge and connect communities and strengthen connections between people is key to our strategic goals,” Director of SITES and Smithsonian Affiliations Myriam Springuel said in a press release about PLPG. “We are grateful for the collaboration with the Coalition which allows us to provide one-on-one coaching and cohort meetups with their guidance for our Affiliate participants over the next six months of training sessions.”
Visitors can expect what Fletcher calls an immersive experience when PLPG comes online next year. She says it will help visitors deepen their understanding of African American history and African cultural retention in food, music and activism.
“I think of the key differences and one of the things that folks can understand and expect to experience is actually seeing themselves in the story,” Fletcher said. “That’s Conner Prairie’s tagline: Step into the story. But we make history every day. We live history. The fact that we are living through a pandemic – that’s history, right? Visitors will be able to see themselves in this historic trajectory and where we will take our city, our county, our state, our nation as a world going forward.”
About Smithsonian Affiliations
Smithsonian Affiliations is a national outreach program that develops long-term, collaborative partnerships with museums, educational, and cultural organizations to share Smithsonian collections, build collaborative networks and engage learners of all ages with Smithsonian resources. More information is available at affiliations.si.edu.
About Conner Prairie
Spanning more than 1,000 wooded acres in central Indiana, Conner Prairie welcomes more than 400,000 visitors of all ages annually. As Indiana’s first Smithsonian Institute affiliate, Conner Prairie offers various outdoor, historically themed encounters and indoor experiential learning spaces that combine history and art with science, technology, engineering and math to offer an authentic look into history that shapes society today. Conner Prairie is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization – accredited by the American Alliance of Museums – that relies on grants and philanthropic donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations for sustainability and growth. For more information visit ConnerPrairie.org.