National Public Housing Museum receives grant, executive director
Whitney Paige Green
Issue date: 3/30/09 Section: Features
Media Credit: Igor StudenkovThe National Public Museum, scheduled to open in 2012, will be located at 1322 W. Taylor, in the only remaining building of the Jane Addams Homes.
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has just awarded a $40,000 grant to the National Public Housing Museum, slated to open in 2012 at 1322 W. Taylor St. The money has been provided in order to support the process of planning and staffing that will be necessary for the collection of oral histories (which will be integral elements of both the museum's exhibitions and its archives). The name of the enterprise is "Our Stories: Resident Voices of Public Housing."
"This national oral history-based initiative will enrich the humanities by reflecting on the misunderstood history of public housing residents and communities across America," states Dr. Keith Magee, the founding executive director of the museum.
Magee has recently come aboard as executive director, which is an important milestone in itself: he is the first executive director the museum has had since its genesis in 2007. Until Magee joined the project, the institution had been managed collectively by the board, with the occasional assistance of several outside consultants.
The executive director has an illustrious background: he came to Chicago to serve as a senior advisor for Obama's campaign; before that, Magee had been the senior director for institutional advancement for the Museum of African American History in Boston.
Magee says that the NEH grant is "really the most remarkable milestone thus far in the life of the museum. For the NEH to say 'we believe in what you're doing and we're going to fund it' is very important."
Jennifer Mau, Administration and Operations Consultant for the museum, stresses the significance of the fact that the NEH is, essentially, government funding. The process by which the museum applied for the grant was very rigorous: they had to register through three different government sources, then the museum's application was reviewed by another three different groups (a blind panel composed of several 20th-century historians and museum practitioners; another Congressionally-appointed committee of museum practitioners; and Carole Watson, chairman of the NEH).
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"This national oral history-based initiative will enrich the humanities by reflecting on the misunderstood history of public housing residents and communities across America," states Dr. Keith Magee, the founding executive director of the museum.
Magee has recently come aboard as executive director, which is an important milestone in itself: he is the first executive director the museum has had since its genesis in 2007. Until Magee joined the project, the institution had been managed collectively by the board, with the occasional assistance of several outside consultants.
The executive director has an illustrious background: he came to Chicago to serve as a senior advisor for Obama's campaign; before that, Magee had been the senior director for institutional advancement for the Museum of African American History in Boston.
Magee says that the NEH grant is "really the most remarkable milestone thus far in the life of the museum. For the NEH to say 'we believe in what you're doing and we're going to fund it' is very important."
Jennifer Mau, Administration and Operations Consultant for the museum, stresses the significance of the fact that the NEH is, essentially, government funding. The process by which the museum applied for the grant was very rigorous: they had to register through three different government sources, then the museum's application was reviewed by another three different groups (a blind panel composed of several 20th-century historians and museum practitioners; another Congressionally-appointed committee of museum practitioners; and Carole Watson, chairman of the NEH).
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
cathy walters
posted 3/30/09 @ 8:06 AM CST
This is great that this is done,many immagrents come,rich and vital fabric of America's past that make what America stands for-please remember also that many also have moved on to other states,many left no info behind to tell this story and for them -the only way they have this past is if you make it public and on-line,many never became famous but were the back bone of every city/town,county&states as they tried have a peice of their own dream in America. (Continued…)
Edie Pierce-Thomas
posted 3/30/09 @ 10:03 AM CST
I too think this is a great project. I hope that it will stay true to its title and become a 'national' museum and not only a CHicago museum. One way to assure this is to be sure to get oral histories from people from other housing authorities. (Continued…)
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