Title: A Fool's Errand Pdf Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, Obama, and Trump
Author: Lonnie G. Bunch, III
Published Date: 2019
Page: 288
“Seamlessly weaves the personal and political work that went into envisioning, planning, funding, building, and opening the museum.” —Library Journal, starred review "Like the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History itself, its inaugural director’s memoir tells a challenging and ultimately inspiring story of struggle, perseverence, and uplift." --Booklist “One reads here a great historian reaching for the nitty gritty and the mountain tops of American history in ways that end much better than Albion Tourgée’s ‘fool’s errand.’” —David W. Blight “This fascinating memoir provides the crucial institutional history that NMAAHC so richly deserves.” —Henry Louis Gates Jr. “America owes Bunch a debt for creating the museum, now we are in his debt, again, for this elegant story of triumph.” —Scott Pelley “A fascinating depiction of a dreamer and his destiny as he works faithfully to bring to fruition a home not just for artifacts, but finally a resting place of memory and spirit.” —Angela Bassett “In this engaging and candid book, Lonnie Bunch enables us to understand how he and a community of coworkers and supporters created a twenty-first century museum of which all Americans can be proud.” —Eric Foner “This stirring tale of a labor of love should be read by anyone and everyone who wants to understand how to fight for representation of that which matters most.” —Darren Walker “In A Fool’s Errand Lonnie Bunch memorializes the fulfillment of a long overdue undertaking.” —Congressman James E. Clyburn “[Bunch] has brought to life a magnificent museum.” —William S. Cohen “This book begins like a mystery, unfolds like a thriller, and ends like a romance novel of love for a people whose heritage has been hostage to hostility and ignorance. Lonnie Bunch led in creating a monumental institution that will stand the test of time.” —Michael Eric Dyson LONNIE G. BUNCH III is Founding Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and now Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Prior to becoming the director, he served as the president of the Chicago Historical Society and as the associate director for curatorial affairs at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Bunch is also co-author of The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden (Smithsonian Books, 2000) and From No Return: The 221-Year Journey of the Slave Ship São José (Smithsonian Books, 2017)
In its first four months of operation, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture surpassed one million visits and quickly became a cherished, vital monument to the African American experience. And yet this accomplishment was never assured. In A Fool's Errand, founding director Lonnie Bunch tells his story of bringing his clear vision and leadership to bear to realize this shared dream of many generations of Americans.
Outlining the challenges of site choice, architect selection, building design, and the compilation of an unparalleled collection of African American artifacts, Bunch also delves into his personal struggles--especially the stress of a high-profile undertaking--and the triumph of establishing such an institution without mentors or guidebooks to light the way. His memoir underscores his determination to create a museum that treats the black experience as an essential component of every American's identity.
This inside account of how Bunch planned, managed, and executed the museum's mission informs and inspires not only readers working in museums, cultural institutions, and activist groups, but also those in the nonprofit and business worlds who wish to understand how to succeed--and do it spectacularly--in the face of major political, structural, and financial challenges.
Wonderful memoir from the Head of the Smithsonian as to how the newest museum came to be. I grew up visiting the Smithsonian Museums on the Mall, and I'm afraid I still refer to the National Museum of American History as the Museum of History and Technology. Perhaps dating myself further, each time I'd visit that museum, I'd have a picture taken next to the Foucault Pendulum, but in 1998 the pendulum was removed, destroying my apparent plan to have a lifetime of photos of me & the pendulum. Later, the longtime Post Office was removed, and there I lost my other favorite exhibit. In the meantime, the Arts & Industry building, which had housed the Air & Space Museum prior to 1976, held a beautiful 1876 Centennial Exhibition to commemorate the Bicentennial. Naturally, that was not a permanent display. I could go on, but safe to say that Change is a constant even in the apparently consistent world of the Smithsonian Institution. Some of these changes have been for the good, most notably with the rather extensive number of new museums that have come to life over the past several decades.It's been a privilege to watch the birth of several of these wonderful museums over my lifetime, and the newest, in a space that I never had realized was even an option, is truly brought to life through Bunch's detailed and at times dramatic telling of the story. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is DC's newest must-see destination; if you haven't been, a reading of this text beforehand will be good preparation. What makes the text even more remarkable is what comes after the end of the last chapter: Bunch has become the Secretary of the entire Smithsonian, the very first Historian to hold that role, and part of what makes this book so enjoyable is getting to know the man who is now responsible for so many of my favorite museums, who clearly cares about the history and the educational techniques that can be used to bring the history alive. Though not meant as a memoir about the author, and rather intended as a story of the NMAAHC's birth, the book very much begs for a second volume that I hope will follow, sharing how the author brings his skills and capabilities to the entire Institution, which he will no doubt do in the coming years. In the meantime, perhaps he'll bring the Foucault Pendulum out of storage so that I can get a few more photos!Makes Me Want to Visit This well-written and inspiring book makes me want to visit the NMAAHC in Washington DC. I have visited several Civil Rights sites (Atlanta, Birmingham, Selma, and, Montgomery) when I helped organize a church Pilgrimage last year. In addition, I participate in a joint Racial Reconciliation book group between our local Episcopal Church and the neighboring AME Church. This museum is on my "bucket list". Bunch describes how his vision moved into reality...and those obstacles he had to overcome. " If you are a historian, help people remember not just what they want to remember, but what they need to remember." Growing up in Belleville, NJ (next town to where I retired from), the author "wanted a museum that could replicate the excitement, ownership, and shared learning....as comfortable as the backyard barbeques of my childhood.". Bunch encountered many obstacles since his appointment in 2006: from Congress, from the Smithsonian, from his own stakeholders. However, his fortitude, vision, and intelligence helped him create the current museum just 800 ft. northeast from the Washington Monument. As my own city of Charleston moves its vision of a Museum of African-American History and Culture from the planning to the completion stage, it would be wise to follow Bunch's journey and advice.
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