The Black in Natural History Museums Exhibit
Our traveling exhibit shares 17 profiles of Black researchers, artists, and curators whose work spans eight natural history disciplines. Currently on display on the third floor of the American Museum of Natural History and organized as a timeline from the 1600s to today highlighting the continuous contributions of Black people throughout history. Inspired by the historical profiles developed by our VP of Communications, JC Buckner, the exhibit was created to center and celebrate Black figures whose impact on natural history has long been overlooked.
This video offers behind the scenes into BlackInNHMs’ journey to becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and our mission to build community, highlight hidden figures in natural history, and reimagine our relationship with the biodiversity of our planet.
Creators and collaborators
Adania Flemming
Concept planning & video creation
Establishing the concept of the exhibit with Alnyce Blackwell and Nicole Fuller per invitation to collaborate on having the first exhibit at the Florida Museum. Creating the narrative and providing editorial feedback to Aditi Jayarajan who produced the video to accompany the exhibit.
Alnycea Blackwell
Designer & content creator
It was important to Alnycea, that each scientist’s profile had its own unique design. This was to show how each person had their own story with different experiences, and this also served to highlight how vast natural sciences is as a field.
Leanne Melbourne
Content creator
The choice of 17 profiles from all walks of life ranging from naturalists to artists to taxidermists was to show how broad natural history can be and how many ways there are to get involved. We also wanted to show a range of historical and contemporary profiles to show that Black People have always contributed to the study of natural history and have been really key to some amazing discoveries.
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Jessica Ware
Content creator
Along with Alnycea and Leanne, I helped to turn the biographies created by JC into the exhibit panels. We discussed whom to profile, how to layout the panels, and what contextual materials to add in the written material. It was a wonderful opportunity to look both into the past and toward the future!
We would like to thank the exhibits team at the Florida Museum who collaborated with us to produce our first BlackInNHMs exhibit. Special thanks to Jonnie Dietz for initiating the collaboration and Andreina Hornez for her work in ensuring our designs met all compliance to be put on exhibit. Lastly, we extend our appreciation to our board for their support throughout the process.
We would like to thank the exhibits team at the Florida Museum who collaborated with us to produce our first BlackInNHMs exhibit. Special thanks to Jonnie Dietz for initiating the collaboration and Andreina Hornez for her work in ensuring our designs met all compliance to be put on exhibit. Lastly, we extend our appreciation to our board for their support throughout the process.
Across Institutions, Across Communities
Here’s a look at the exhibit’s journey so far. Click the logos to explore our work at each institution. If your institution would like to feature this exhibit, please email us at blackinnhm@gmail.com
