How to Build a Museum: Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture by Tonya Bolden
James Baldwin, "The White Man's Guilt" 1965
The book's organization focuses on the museum's over-arching vision, the collecting and curation of artifacts, as well as the building's architecture and construction. Concluding sections highlight aspects of the eleven permanent exhibitions. The trim size is well suited to the subject matter and is best experienced with pages spread out on a flat viewing surface. Excellent page layout with a unifying graphic design element echoes the museum's intricate bronze-colored panels.
History comes to life with inclusion of details such as the design of the museum's distinctive corona. The effort required to include in the exhibit a 155,000 pound Southern Railway car is fascinating. The passanger coach retains the original segregated sections which were in keeping with the prevailing Jim Crow laws.
Excellent photographs from the collection's treasure trove of historical artifacts are liberally and thoughtfully placed throughout the entire book.
More extensive back matter including a timeline, short biographies of key players involved in the creation of the museum, and a bibliography highlighting related reference materials would have been helpful additions.
An outstanding addition to library collections for young people.