New African American Museum To Feature 37,000 Objects
The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will be having its highly anticipated opening next week.
The museum, which took over 100 years to make, will feature 37,000 artifacts that include: a tambourine used throughout Prince's Nude Tour; a silk lace and linen shawl given to Harriet Tubman by Queen Victoria; an inkwell that once belonged to James Baldwin; and James Brown's infamous "Sex" jumpsuit.
Although there won't be any major Martin Luther King Jr. objects, as you can see the museum will still have plenty offer its visitors.
"It's amazing that we've gotten here, it's a miracle that we've gotten here. It is and I don't think that that's overstating it,"Judge Robert Wilkins, an integral part of the creation of the museum, told CBS in a news report. "It is a miracle."
The NMAAHC will also have its own 3D interactive exhibit, made in collaboration with Google. According to a statement from Google the interactive exhibit will have "3D scanning, 360 video, multiple screens and other technologies," so "visitors can see artifacts like a powder horn or handmade dish from all angles by rotating them with a mobile device."
"Day to day, I work on Google Maps, where we help people around the world find and discover new places," Google Maps Software Engineer Travis McPhail said. "Working on this exhibit has given me a chance to help people discover something else— the ways African American history is vitally intertwined with our history as a nation. I'm proud of the role Google has played a role in taking people on that journey." The interactive exhibit will open in spring of next year. Google also donated a $1 million grant to the NMAAHC.
September 24 marks the grand opening of the NMAAHC, where over 20,000 people are expected to attend, including President Obama, who will be cutting the ribbon during the ceremony.
