Museum to honor black experience

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Circle City is set for another museum in what is already known as "museum row." Three acres of land on Indianapolis' downtown western edge have been reserved for the Indiana Museum of African-American History, fulfilling a long-time dream for many members of the African-American community. \nThe museum will reflect African-American history from all corners of the state and will highlight the lives of accomplished former and current Hoosiers. It will include galleries and both stationary and traveling exhibits, said Colleen Heeter, director of fund development for the Indiana Black Expo and a liaison to the museum's board. Genealogical research and study will be a main emphasis for the museum, which Heeter said is expected to be complete in five to seven years. \n"The museum will fill a certain void of information with regards to the African-American culture and its history in this area," said Alpha Blackburn, chairperson of the museum board and president and chief executive officer of Blackburn Architects, who will design the museum. "We want to capture and share the culture of our people by way of artifacts and information and leave a legacy for future generations."\nOyiba Afoaku, director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, said the museum will be a great learning experience for students.\n"I think that will be wonderful, because I don't think there is enough information out there about the black experience in this country," she said. "We can all learn something from it."\nHeeter said the museum is being built at the right moment.\n"Clearly the time has come for there to be a central repository to preserve African-American culture and heritage in Indiana," Heeter said. "It will fill a huge gap ... it will be a much-needed and much-overlooked service for all people in the state." \nAnd they stress all people.\n"The museum is about African Americans, but it's not just for African Americans," said Joyce Q. Rogers, IBE's attorney and chief operating officer and a liaison to the museum.\nUnder its feasibility study, the museum will span 65,000 square feet. A 25,000-square-foot section for the Indiana Black Expo, the largest and oldest African-American event in North America that's held every summer in Indianapolis, also will be a part of the museum, expanding it to 90,000 total square feet, Heeter said. \nIBE's current offices, at 3145 N. Meridian St., are crowded and old. The organization needs a new, more spacious home, Rogers said.\nIndiana Representative William Crawford, a founder and former chairperson of IBE, and Reverend Charles Williams spearheaded the idea for the museum over two years ago for IBE, Rogers said.\n"Indiana Black Expo worked hard to get the idea going and will continue to work hard to see this idea through to fruition," she said.\nPart of their toil includes working with the limited land available. The museum will sit in the White River State Park, a sprawling 250-acre area home to the Indiana State Museum, IMAX Theater, Indianapolis Zoo, Eiteljorg Museum and the NCAA Hall of Champions. \n"Basically, the area is considered the cultural corridor and museum row in the city," Heeter said. "Since all the other major museums are in that area, we thought we should also be there."\nBut the popular, packed park brings a difficulty -- finding enough space. The museum board's highest hurdle was presenting the idea to the community. Its biggest challenge now is deciding where to construct parking, Rogers says. IU owns the land north of the White River State Park, where the IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis campus is located. But Rogers assures that the Museum of African-American History won't allow restricted space to deter beauty or quality. \n"We're working with all the entities involved to ensure that the museum is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and will further enhance the area," she said.\nThe museum board must show progress within the next 18 months to White River State Park commissioners for building to begin, said Peggy Boehm, executive director of the White River State Park. \nIUPUI's vice-chancellor Robert Martin is one member of the White River State Park commission board. The IU president can sit on all White River State Park boards but often delegates someone in his place. \nMartin said the museum and IUPUI's Afro-American Studies department could work together.\n"There's been no discussion about us relocating our program at the new museum," he said. "But there would certainly be an opportunity for collaboration."\nIUPUI academics would not be the only beneficiary from the new museum; Indianapolis' economy could also profit.\n"We hope it will be a tourist attraction to state, regional and national people," Blackburn said.\n"You have big cities like New York, Washington D.C. and Chicago ... those places where people choose to live because of their quality of life -- their diversity," Rogers said. "Our plans are not just to attract people who are already here and to attract tourists, but to encourage people to choose Indianapolis as a place where they want to live. \n"Our biggest challenge was to introduce this idea to the community ... but we've gotten so much positive feedback," she said. "I think that the community is saying that Indianapolis is well on its way to doing great things in art, culture and attractions"