The idea of a Georgia History Museum has existed since the mid-1990s. It is in the news again.
Why history? Cicero said it best 2,000 years ago: “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child.”
Why a state museum? It symbolizes place, tells our stories, and ties the “threads” of a jumbled past into something that “speaks” to us — that enlightens. We all need to know about the significance of the “Albany Movement” in civil rights history, and the discoverer of anesthesia, Dr. Crawford Long. Did you know that the 1864 Atlanta Campaign probably changed the Civil War’s outcome? And do we appreciate that our own Thomas A. Dorsey of Villa Rica was one of the inventors of modern gospel music? Museums are an inspiration for the present. They are also a bridge between the past and the future.
Why now? About 44 percent of all Georgians were born elsewhere, according to the 2010 Census. Where can a tourist or someone new to the state glimpse an accurate picture of Georgia, other than on the web? While the economy remains challenging, most Americans like their museums, with 2011 showing an uptick in attendance over the previous year, the American Association of Museums reports. The challenge in Georgia is how to develop something new without adding to the already intense competition for scarce resources.
Part of the new is digital technology. Properly defined and developed, a “connected” state history museum can reach into our schools and around the world and effectively reach all citizens of Georgia. It can serve as an interactive hub for the institutions that safeguard our civic values and promote dialogue among citizens of all ages.
When organizations and educators are invited to work together in imagining a statewide museum, interesting things could happen. I will use my own organization as one example. The Georgia Humanities Council and its partners have just launched a redesigned online encyclopedia of the state, www.georgiaencyclopedia.org. One of our partners is the Digital Library of Georgia. By working “connectively,” there is an opportunity for a state museum to integrate already existing digital resources into its programming and also to have a digital presence in the schools.
A proper planning process is essential for a top-flight 21st century product. And to ensure that it remains always available to visitors and up to date, it will need a sustainability plan before it opens to the public. Let’s start with the old World of Coca-Cola building, in the shadow of the state Capitol where throngs of schoolchildren visit every year. A celebration of a Georgia product gone global, the Coke building could transform into a place where Georgia’s newest citizens and future leaders learn the full extent of why Georgia matters — perhaps ensuring that our state matters even more in the decades ahead.
Jamil Zainaldin is president of the Georgia Humanities Council.
