{"id":284634,"date":"2026-05-08T16:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/284634\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T16:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:56:10","slug":"dallas-african-american-museum-bolsters-conservation-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/284634\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas African American Museum Bolsters Conservation Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The African American Museum of Dallas <\/a>has been collecting and showcasing cultural artifacts to further the study of Black history for more than 50 years<\/a>. Now, the museum is embarking on a three-year project to upgrade facilities, services and improve conservation efforts for the next five decades and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The project will conclude with the establishment of a conservation center at the museum to elevate preservation and conservation efforts and inform new exhibitions. But it all starts with Phase I: examining the bones of the museum\u2019s building and strategy, upgrading security and technology, reviewing items in storage and implementing new preservation and conservation strategies.<\/p>\n

Phase I, supported by a $250,000 grant from the Communities Foundation of Texas, concluded May 1 with the unveiling of the Harry Robinson Jr. <\/a>Research and Conservation Lab. The new facility, named for the museum\u2019s founder, will be outfitted with preservation and conservation tools, such as scanners, UV lighting and work tables.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis support from Communities Foundation of Texas allows us to move forward with safeguarding our archival documents and related art objects,\u201d Lisa Brown-Ross, president and CEO of the African American Museum, said in a press release. \u201cIt\u2019s a powerful reflection of our commitment to protect and celebrate African American heritage through education, research and preservation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The lab\u2019s new digitization equipment will allow the museum to establish an online archive \u2014 a years-long process key to making the museum\u2019s cultural artifacts and primary source materials more accessible.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you research something from a university in the United Kingdom if you\u2019re wanting to learn about the African American culture<\/a> experience in Dallas, Texas?\u201d says Margie Reese, the museum\u2019s chief programs director. \u00a0\u201cThis gives us a stronger pace for what I call self-authorship. How do we tell our own story and not have it interpreted by people who have not had the lived experience?\u201d<\/p>\n

Organizing the Archives <\/p>\n

The new Harry Robinson Jr. Research and Conservation lab will replace the existing storage room on the museum\u2019s second floor, which was \u201calready overflowing\u201d and in need of organization, according to Faith Golden, director of archives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to secure everything. We did lose some stuff that we could not save from the mold, and some of it could be saved [by] just securing it and getting it in the archival boxes,\u201d says Golden, who\u2019d been a volunteer archivist at the museum for eight years before joining full-time in 2025.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cPeople Who Make the World Go \u2018Round: The Legacy of Sepia Magazine\u201d is a new exhibition now on view at the museum.<\/p>\n

The new lab will feature an observation window so visitors can witness the archivists\u2019 conversation work in real time, an effort to increase transparency and interaction.<\/p>\n

In late April, Golden gave us a peek at the museum\u2019s ongoing organizational efforts. The archives have been temporarily relocated from the storage room to a space in the neighboring Dallas Museum of Natural History. That\u2019s where Golden and other archivists are organizing and assessing the materials. Golden says the work, which includes moving items to boxes and folders designed to preserve delicate items, began in the summer of 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to the organization and making sure this delicate stuff is housed in the proper boxes,\u201d Golden says. \u201cI\u2019m excited to bring it back home and say, \u2018You guys have a safe home. We rebuilt your home, and you\u2019re safe, and you\u2019re secure now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The collection features contributions from Dallas civic icons, educators and trailblazers, colorful creations by Black quilters \u2014 an African American tradition that traces back to enslaved ancestors \u2014 and dozens of boxes filled with vinyl records by game-changing musicians such as Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the museum\u2019s archive of Fort Worth-founded Sepia magazine issues and materials, there are more than 40,000 photos documenting Black culture and icons, including Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X,<\/a> Aretha Franklin and Cicely Tyson. Golden wore gloves to protect the integrity of the materials as she gently flipped through the collection. Each magazine delivered pop culture gems, including a cover story on Muhammad Ali and a feature piece about Nichelle Nichols, one of the first Black women in a major TV series, with her role on the original\u00a0\u201cStar Trek.\u201d<\/p>\n

The museum, which closed in March for facility upgrades, reopened May 1 with the debut of \u201cPeople Who Make the World Go \u2018Round: The Legacy of Sepia Magazine,\u201d an exhibit drawing from the Sepia collection. The display highlighting Black icons will be available through Aug. 11.<\/p>\n

Golden, who\u2019s also tasked with bringing in staff and volunteers to organize materials, embraced a surge of optimism and appreciation after attending a recent conference for museum curators, archivists and librarians. It was an opportunity to learn from other professionals and to help put plans for the Dallas museum in perspective.<\/p>\n

\"\"We got an early look behind the curtain of the conservation team\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody had a struggle story. We don\u2019t have a struggle story. \u2029We have had one, but we are in such a good position right now,\u201d Golden says. \u201cWe have a space story. We have this great preservation story. But I realized how blessed we are that we\u2019re not struggling for resources. We\u2019re spoiled for choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, Phase I introduced new security and telecommunications systems and a revamped auditorium to the museum, Reese says. The stage was rebuilt, and new curtains and seats were installed, increasing wheelchair-accessible space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe future of the museum is to showcase the collections that are here and to think about how [we] bring fresh touring exhibitions to the building,\u201d Reese says. \u201cIn order to host those touring exhibitions, we need to be able to say our security system, our lighting system, our humidification system, our storage areas \u2014 so all of the guts of the museum up to the highest quality museum standard for showcasing work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reese, whose arts management career spans over 40 years and includes stints at several local organizations, including the Dallas Black Dance Theatre and the Dallas Museum of Natural History, oversees public-facing exhibitions and community initiatives. But that starts with ensuring there is adequate infrastructure and caretaking systems at the museum.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the sexiest side of museum work,\u201d Reese says. \u201cBut without it, you can\u2019t mount good research programs or offer good, strong exhibitions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Next Phase<\/p>\n

Reese referred to Phase I as the \u201cget ready to be ready\u201d foundation of the three-year conservation plan, which is bolstered by a $3 million grant from Texas Historical Commission and ongoing support from the city.<\/p>\n

Phase II will see the museum unveiling reimagined exhibitions. This includes improving accessibility and the visitor experience by implementing hearing-assist devices, exhibition pedestals designed for wheelchair access and visibility and bilingual text panels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job now is to crystallize the visitor experience and to think about diversity in our audience,\u201d Reese says. \u201c[Diversity] may be different than just racial or cultural, right? It\u2019s the diversity of abilities, the way people take in information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Part of the upgrades includes a completely renovated stage in the museum\u2019s auditorium.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of the African American Museum of Dallas<\/p>\n

Phase II of enhancing the museum experience kicks off with a Nelson Mandela exhibition that\u2019ll span four galleries from June 13 to Nov. 1. The exhibition, which will mark its Texas debut at the African American Museum, includes a multimedia experience room tracing Mandela\u2019s activism.<\/p>\n

The museum will also begin redesigning \u201cFacing The Rising Sun: Freedman\u2019s Cemetery,\u201d an exhibition that presents the remnants of a North Dallas Community. Although it\u2019s one of the most-requested tours, Reese says the upgrades will provide a more interactive, modern experience. The complete redesign is estimated to run through 2028 and will include the addition of two rooms near the galleries for post-tour discussion.<\/p>\n

Phase III, the final phase of the museum\u2019s revamp project, is set to establish the on-site Conservation Center. Once complete, the facility is intended to serve as the central space for the museum\u2019s conservation efforts and will include climate-controlled areas for storing archival materials and art collections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re building a system for caretaking, and that is a step-by-step process,\u201d Reese says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The African American Museum of Dallas has been collecting and showcasing cultural artifacts to further the study of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":284635,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,103,64,8386,1915,7963],"class_list":["post-284634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-events","tag-history-nostalgia","tag-museums","tag-social-justice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/284635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}