Roanoke, Va.—
There has been a void in the Roanoke community since the Harrison Museum closed to the public in 2009. By this summer, the place known for chronicling the African American experience, will get new life."The desire is to create curiosity (so people will) want to come to do things and will say I want to go see what they're doing now opposed to saying we went there last month," says Charles Price, president of the Board of Directors for the Harrison Museum.
When it opens in May, the museum will occupy 11,000 square feet on the second floor of Center in the Square. The Board of Directors says expect surprises, along with traveling exhibits, audio displays and artifacts.
"We want the atmosphere to be one that'll engage the young, teenagers, middle-age and the elderly. We want everyone to come," says Vereni Shears, a Board of Directors member.
More hands-on, more educational, more expansive and more inclusive. The Harrison Museum has a reborn purpose of teaching the African American culture to the masses, not the few.
"The limitation is what we put on it," says Price.
