Poindexter Village Interpretive Plan

Cover: Detail from Sidewalks of Poindexter Village: Market Street by Aminah Brenda L. Robinson. In the collection of the Columbus Museum of Art

Report

Photo Sources:

Table of Contents, 3, 4, 33 top, : Poindexter Village Construction Journal, Ohio History Connection

10: Columbus Monthly, “Poindexter’s Last Stand,” May 2016. From Aminah Robinson’s family.

13, 25-28, 32, 33, 36 bottom: Ohio History Connection

37 top, bottom: Columbus Museum of Art

39 left and center, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

42 top: https://italianamericanpodcast.com/the-tenement-museum-new-york-city/

42 middle: Minnesota Historical Society

44 top: https://www.michiganradio.org/post/motown-mic-amplifies-past-and-present-detroits-poetry

44 middle: https://millcityfarmersmarket.org/support/market-friends/

44 bottom: https://www.nps.gov/articles/a-walk-to-remember-seattle-japantown-s-new-urban-trail.htm

46: https://www.loc.gov

47 left: http://www.civic-projects.com/nphm

47 top: https://mynorthnews.org/new-blog/2019/8/27/da-hive

47 bottom: Seitu Jones

48: https://storycorps.org/participate/what-to-expect/

Any photos not listed, by 106 Group team

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

While this Interpretive Plan is an early stage of formal planning for Poindexter Village, it also demonstrates the significant success of a decade of dreaming, planning, creating, and relationship-building. We are here because of the love and attention of a group of determined visionaries—with Reita Smith at its heart— and the ever-growing community of support they have built. And Reita would be the first to say that their work is only an extension of the values and vision of the person for whom this site is named: the Reverend James Preston Poindexter.

For this planning process, the James Preston Poindexter Foundation, the Ohio History Connection, and the planning team specifically express our admiration and gratitude to all who participated directly:

Bertile Adams

Deacon Adams

Elizabeth Adebayo

Erin Bartlett

Hillary Bates

Connie Boykin

Lela Boykin

Willis Brown

Bertil Clark

Kenney Clark

Stan Culbreath

Sarni Dickerson

Tom Dillard

Liz Evans

Carole Genshaft

Anthony Gibbs

Deidre Hamlar

Sandra Jamison

Fevean Keflom

Makeba Kristos

Bill Mahon

Maggie Marconi

Debra Moorehead

Azuka MuMin

Cathy Nelson

Baba Shongo Obadina

Angela Pace

Raleigh Randolph

William Richardson

Mike Roberts

Karen Robertson

Yolanda Robinson

Fred Smith

Reita Smith

Toni Smith

Bettye Stull

Patsy Ulmer

David Vottero

Dr. Charles Wash

Charlene Watkins

Annie Ross Womack

Megan Wood

The team also gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Columbus, the State of Ohio, The East Side Commission, elected officials, and the many others in the community who have offered support and encouragement.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The story of Poindexter Village is a story of success against the odds. It invokes the spirit of James Preston Poindexter—barber, minister, politician, educator, abolitionist, and activist—whose values infuse this place. It calls upon the generations who built Columbus, starting before this place even had that name, to the multitudes that moved their lives during the Great Migration during Jim Crow. It builds upon the opportunities found by families in the once-segregated 1940s public housing development of Poindexter Village, its surrounding vibrant Bronzeville neighborhood, and the other African American neighborhoods in Columbus. And that success against the odds continues into the 21st century, with the fight to keep these places and these stories from being erased from the landscape and from memory. Poindexter Village matters, past, present, and future.

Interpretive Planning begins with a deep exploration of the existential question: Why? What is the Purpose of the Poindexter Village Museum and Cultural Learning Center? Together, we arrived at a clear answer:

Poindexter Village nurtures understanding, inspires success, informs action, and empowers future generations to build the strong, vibrant, and just communities they want to live in.

From that, everything else sprouts.

The Plan addresses audience, the richness of the resources available, and challenges. And based on oral histories, informal audience interviews, and historical research, the Plan addresses what it’s about: the story. Themes of Success, Village, Discrimination, and Activism and Values inspired by Rev. Poindexter run through Topics that emphasize Poindexter Village as a bright star in a long history of African American vibrancy and excellence throughout Columbus. All of this orbits a central Big Idea:

We Were. We Are. We Will.

The Spirit of a Place Known as Poindexter

This statement reflects people—past, present and future. The spirit refers to the point that similar values and experiences happened in other areas of Ohio and the nation. The word “known” reflects character and reputation.

Form follows function and everything described above is that function. Based on those Foundations, the Plan recommends a suite of uniquely-tailored exhibits and programs that are the Form of Poindexter Village’s back-and-forth with its community. Exhibits convey the story and Programs build on it to more deeply engage the site’s Purpose.

The approach to exhibits here is unique, emphasizing African American voices telling their own stories. It is artist-based and tales-based, inspired by the life and work of Poindexter resident Aminah Robinson, expanding throughout approximately eight of the apartments across the first floor of Building 1.

Two apartments are held aside for recreations. One will be fully finished and accessible through guided tours. The other is a self-guided hands-on experience.

The majority of building 2 will be turned into a flexible, open space that can host everything from after-school programs to performances to classes. The site’s outdoor spaces can extend these functions and may also host weekly markets, movies, and annual festivals. Both inside and out serve as amenities to the community to just hang out or to co-create their own inspirations.

Building 2 also includes an oral history studio and a digital collections lab, providing visitors direct opportunities to research geneaology and Poindexter Village and to preserve their own stories and material culture.

The Scope of Poindexter Village’s purpose and story cannot be bound by its lot. Poindexter Village will also reach into the community, creating an exhibit and programs that may travel to area schools and public libraries. Because the historic Poindexter Village was part of a vibrant African American neighborhood, the site also plans to provide tours and physical interpretation throughout the former Bronzeville.

All of this will be supported by relationships with existing organizations. The Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) might host programs at Poindexter Village and Poindexter Village might refer visitors to CMA’s nearby Aminah Robinson house. Spoken Word poetry might be taught and performed in the flexible space by CAPA. The neighboring Intergenerational Center might use the flexible space during the day for programs. College public history classes might engage in research in support of Poindexter Village.

On top of all of these activities, the Poindexter Village buildings might have some second-floor space left over. Some will be the organization’s administrative offices. But how might other rooms serve the community? Might it be a coworking space? Or a business incubator? This will deserve further consideration once more is known through the architectural design process. But even the question points to the expansiveness of Poindexter Village’s purpose.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Ohio History Connection (OHC) and James Preston Poindexter Foundation (JPPF) have partnered to save two buildings from the 1940 Poindexter Village public housing development in Columbus, Ohio. The partnership now seeks to turn these two buildings into a museum and cultural learning center. The next step in this process is an Interpretive Plan, for which the partnership selected 106 Group.

According to the original RFP, the Interpretive Plan will help Ohio History Connection and JPPF “consider ideas, make choices and set priorities about interpretation and education programming. It will provide guidance to staff by clarifying objectives, identifying audiences and historic site/museum themes. The planning document will define the overall vision and long-term (3-5 years) interpretive goals of the site. The document is to express significance, themes and target audiences and includes a brief review of existing conditions and opportunities and challenges.”

Development of this Interpretive Plan has followed a thorough, in-depth process. It began in earnest with three days of community workshops, during which we explored the most important questions on which all future visitor/ audience-related planning will be based: Why Are We Doing This? Who Is It For? What Resources Do We Have? and What Is It About? Those discussions then led into interviews with people connected to Poindexter Village, a set of youth interviews aimed at learning from future audiences, and historical research. All came together in draft and then final Foundations documents. This Interpretive Plan builds on those Foundations to conceive a balance of exhibits and programs for Poindexter Village Museum and Cultural Learning Center. It provides a springboard for next steps in planning by looking holistically at the options. It outlines opportunities that we see at the moment, but as conditions change so will the opportunities. The Foundations, however, should stay consistent for many years to come.

A POINDEXTER LOVE LETTER

from Ashlyn Crawford

The Poindexter Village story. One that reaches back beyond the Blackberry Patch.

A story where black people, and black voice made a community thrive. The story about people that created a forever legacy, one of hope and determination. The story of a Reverend who encouraged an entire city to be resilient, to heal, and to overcome. The story of identity, inspiration and passion.

A village. The place where connections are made, and hope is grown. A village that goes beyond its physical barriers and is carried by the spirit and essence of the people. A village where people endured together, and connected over music, art, and success.

The black experience has often been undermined and erased from history. African Americans have been part of the history before Columbus and have thrived despite the challenges of segregation and racism. The story of Poindexter Village reclaims the African American narrative and proudly tells the unique story of a black community on the East Side of Columbus, that broke historical barriers and built an unbreakable community in the process. Poindexter Village uncovers the powerful and motivating stories of black leaders, businesses, educators, and success. Poindexter Village exemplifies that spirit of success.

The Poindexter Village Interpretive Plan uncovers how to tell these stories in a way that is authentic to the community they come from. The plan will help JPPF and Ohio History Connection combat erasure with the empowerment of the black experience in Poindexter Village and beyond. It is not the destination but the journey that is important in carrying out the legacy of Poindexter Village. This Interpretive Plan helps Ohio History Connection and JPPF “consider ideas, make choices and set priorities about interpretation and education programming for both the Museum and the Cultural Learning Center.”

What is this story? The spirit of a place known as Poindexter.

FOUNDATIONS

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

A key question behind any interpretation is “why?” Why is the Museum and Cultural Learning Center opening its doors to visitors? Economic development? Strengthened communities? To cause change? To rectify? To memorialize? This question is a subset of the missions of the two parent organizations:

James Preston Poindexter Foundation

Mission

To create an appreciation for the lifestyle and material culture of the African American community in historic Poindexter Village in Central Ohio in the 20th century.

Vision

To be the unique showcase for the preservation of African American documents, culture and tradition in historic Poindexter Village in Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio History Connection

Mission

Spark discovery of Ohio’s stories. Embrace the present, share the past and transform the future.

To define the Why specific to the site’s public face, we look at the question from two directions: that of the organization and that of the visitors it wishes to attract and serve. (Note that until the site’s name is more clear, we are using Poindexter Village throught this document as shorthand. This encompasses both the Museum and Cultural Learning Center, which are inseparable.)

Poindexter Village

Operational Goal

Poindexter Village builds on the rich, untold story of an African American experience in its neighborhood and beyond in order to nurture understanding, inspire success, inform action, and empower future generations to build the strong, vibrant, and just communities they want to live in.

Visitor Experience Goal

The first time visitors come to Poindexter Village, they are attracted by either a program that speaks to them or by the promise of an inspiring story delivered in creative and engaging ways. They leave invested in the spirit of the site.

Repeat visitors will engage deeply with Poindexter Village’s programs—learning, experiencing, practicing, growing, and carrying outwards the legacy of place, community, values, and relationships.

These Goals simplify to a single, clear statement of Purpose for Poindexter Village. This statement lines up with the audiences and the Big Idea, all of which were crafted together as a set. Together, these are the Foundations of all future planning. The yardstick for decisions, the heart of the site’s authentic self.

Interpretive Purpose

Poindexter Village nurtures understanding, inspires success, informs action, and empowers future generations to build the strong, vibrant, and just communities they want to live in.

SIDEBAR: POINDEXTER VILLAGE AS EDUCATION

The word “education” doesn’t appear in Missions, Vision, Goals, or Purpose. Yet education is a key motivator of everything that we do. It is a core value of Reverend Poindexter and of everyone involved in this project. The word is not stated because it’s so deeply understood. It comes out instead in the words “nurture,” “inform,” “spark,” and “inspire.” These words clarify what we mean by education at Poindexter Village. It’s not about memorization and tests, the stereotypes of formalized education in this era. Instead, it’s about motivating and empowering. It’s about exposing life-long learners—all of us—to real people, true stories, and authentic experiences that stir our hearts and minds. It’s about providing opportunities to deepen and expand through exhibits, programs, classes, and activities here and elsewhere. In the terminology of the museum world, it’s about informal education.

Exhibits educate all visitors in the core story of the site by connecting visitors to the place, the people, and their experiences in ways that are meaningful and relatable. They are not a textbook, but they expand beyond any textbook. They are not a classroom, though they support classroom learning. Exhibits are a learning experience that goes deeper, connecting to hearts as well as minds. They are social experiences, adding the dimension of conversation and connection. They are experiential, multi-sensory, and engaging to many different learning styles. And they are self-directed. They promote the 21stcentury skills of critical thinking, synthesis of information, innovation, creativity, teamwork, and collaboration.

And that’s just the baseline. The Museum and Cultural Learning Center together build on the exhibits and offer opportunities for all ages to engage in research, tours, classes, mentoring, gathering, expressing, and taking action, all of which deepen learning and put it into practice. And like any museum, Poindexter Village promotes values through the way it carries itself, indeed by its very existence.

Museums also often support teachers with trainings (CEUs) based on the story of the place and with specialized curriculum they may take back to the traditional classroom.

All of that is built into this plan for Poindexter Village, from its very roots.

Additional Reading:

Center for the Future of Museums: Building the Future of Education: Museums and the Learning Ecosystem. American Alliance of Museums, 2014: https://www.aam-us.org/wp-content/ uploads/2017/12/Building-the-Future-of-Education.pdf

Falk, John H. and Dierking, Lynn D: “The 95 percent solution: School is not where most Americans learn most of their science.” American Scientist (vol 98 pp 486-493), 2010: https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/299233891_The_95_percent_solution_School_is_not_where_ most_Americans_learn_most_of_their_science

Faleti, Yemi: “Why Museums are Still Relevant to Education.” Stevenson University Online, 2017: https://www.stevenson.edu/online/about-us/news/museums-education

Usable Knowledge: “Learning in Museums.” Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2005: https:// www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/05/09/learning-museums-0

Üztemur, Servet & Dinç, Erkan & Acun, İsmail. “Teaching Social Studies in Historic Places and Museums: An Activity Based Action Research.” International Journal of Research in Education and Science (vol 5 pp 252-271), 2019: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329280393_Teaching_ Social_Studies_in_Historic_Places_and_Museums_An_Activity_Based_Action_Research

Children from Poindexter, including Aminah Robinson (third from right)

SIDEBAR: THE VALUE OF HISTORY

Central to the discussion of Why? was an implicit belief that history has value. The History Relevance Project (historyrelevance.com) has defined seven ways in which history provides value. These three reinforce the focus that Poindexter Village has chosen:

IDENTITY

History nurtures personal and collective identity in a diverse world. People discover their place in time through stories of their families, communities, and nation. These stories of freedom and equality, injustice and struggle, loss and achievement, and courage and triumph shape people’s personal values that guide them through life.

VIBRANT COMMUNITIES

History is the foundation for strong, vibrant communities. A place becomes a community when wrapped in human memory as told through family stories, tribal traditions, and civic commemorations as well as discussions about our roles and responsibilities to each other and the places we call home.

LEGACY

History, saved and preserved, is the foundation for future generations. Historical knowledge is crucial to protecting democracy. By preserving authentic and meaningful documents, artifacts, images, stories, and places, future generations have a foundation on which to build and know what it means to be a member of the civic community.

Separately, the book The Art of Relevance, by Nina Simon, is recommended as a useful reference for Poindexter Village.

“The great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it ... history is literally present in all that we do.”

- James Baldwin

WHO IS IT FOR?

Another foundational question for interpretive planning is about audience: Who is it for?

We know these bounds:

• As an Ohio History Connection historic site, Poindexter Village must express statewide significance and must serve the diverse audiences of Ohio. These broader audiences are most likely to be one-time or infrequent visitors.

• Current best practices in the museum field make clear that a site must seek active engagement and relevance with neighbors.

• Cultural exchange was discussed, as was meaningfulness of the story to all audiences. African American History is American History, after all. Nevertheless, there is a clear undercurrent that this site intends to be of particular service to African Americans. It is a beacon that, combined with neighboring partners, calls the community home.

• Younger and future generations. This is a story of the past and present, but the purpose is future-focused. It must therefore seek relevance—as young audiences define relevance for themselves—through the story, the delivery, and the programs.

• Poindexter Village must not just be in the community, it must be of the community.

This interpretive plan focuses its recommendations on several segments:

• School groups/teachers1

• Inter-generational family groups

• Teens

• Young adults2

We seek relevance and are welcoming to people regardless of ethnic heritage, gender, age, religious identification, class, or any other societally-created division. We also consciously seek to bring in African Americans in each of these four segments—who have too often been excluded from museums, sites, and traditional historical narratives— as audience and as co-creators.

1  Ohio Social Studies Curriculum key points of connection:

Grade 1: Families

Grade 3: Local/Communities

Grade 4: Ohio

High School: American History and American Government

2  Further research with younger and future generations will be beneficial to planning and design beyond this current process. We recommend also bringing multiple young people, including teens, into the planning and leadership of the site at this early stage.

Society atLarge Neighbors

Families

Schools

African Americans

Young Adults

Teens

This is meant to be read as a series of concentric circles with African Americans at the center, expanding out to include the neighborhood and the larger Society. Overlaid on that are focus segments that cross over the baseline circles.

WHAT RESOURCES DO WE HAVE?

A quick survey of people, organizations, and sources demonstrates that there are plenty of places for support, partnership, and historical objects and information that will support Poindexter Village’s exhibits and programs. This list is not complete, but it does tell us that there are a wide range of resources available to future programming and development.

People

• JPPF Database

• Raleigh Randolph (Art)

• KoJo Kamau estate (Robert Jones) (photographer)

• Gary Giles (books, oral history)

• Kenney Clark

• Cathy Nelson & Leslie Blankenship (women’s movement)

• William Richardson

• George Miller

• Marshall Shorts

• Kresge

• Buster Douglas

• Scott Woods (artist)

• Earl Littlefield

• Tom Dillard

• Chad Brown

• Robert Moss

• Granville Waiters (1960s +)

Artifact Sources

• Bettye Stull (art, pictures)

• Otto Beatty (pictures)

• The Ohio State University

• Ohio History Connection

• John Waddy (newspaper)

• Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA)

• Thursday Club

• Tommy Campbell (obituaries)

• Les Brown & Eddie Sanders (Radio, images, audio recording)

• Marian Williams (TV show at OSU)

• Kwodwo (OSU tapes & owner, New Harvest Café)

• Merry Makers, Knights

• Model Cities Camaco Core

• East High

Organizations / Groups / Places

• Male Music Group – Patsey Ulmer

• Wilberforce University

• Columbus Museum of Art (Aminah Robinson collection)

• Shiloh Baptist Church

• Union Grove Church

• Mt. Vernon AME

• Second Baptist Church

• St. Paul AME

• Columbus Landmarks Foundation

• Columbus Metropolitan Library (pictures, articles, black newspapers such as the Ohio State News, Columbus Sentinel, and the Call and Post)

• King Arts Complex

• White Funeral Home (obituaries)

• Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC)

• Merry Makers & Cardinals Club

• Masonic Movement

• The Elks

• East High School graduates

• City of Columbus

CHALLENGES

The other side of the coin of available resources is an honest assessment of the challenges. What larger challenges must we plan around for long-term success? We acknowledge the following:

• Parking/Access: The site has a parking lot as well as on-street parking, enough to support an average day. The complication may be busy days, such as during festivals or other large-scale events when the parking lot may be transformed into event space. On the other hand, neighboring organizations may be engaged to provide overflow parking. Several bus lines serve the neighborhood. Bike racks will be a needed amenity.

• Physical accessibility: As with many historic building renovations, there is a tension between the very inaccessible physical structures and the current desire to be maximally accessible in all ways. This plan acknowledges this tension and suggests opening up the building as much as possible, with an elevator at one end of each building to provide access across the whatever reamins of the second floor. A possible two-story link between the buildings has also been raised as a possibility, allowing a single elevator to serve both buildings. Regardless, additional architectural study and consultation with the Ohio Historic Preservation Office will be needed to address this issue.

• Capacity, during planning and long-term: Ohio History Connection and JPPF have their hands full. JPPF in particular has been working on this project for a decade and has stretched its capacity with everything from building coalitions to marketing to collecting to planning. As Poindexter Village moves into active programming, the organization will continue all of these while also adding more public-facing activities. Once that begins, it must not let up or any audience loyalty and momentum may be lost.

• Columbus, as a city, tends to devalue and even erase its past. How do we engage this culture in the past’s importance to the present and future?

• In the short-term, showing promise and energy at the site; creating excitement to generate support.

• Long-term sustainability: This is a common concern for all museums, especially on the local level. The literature defines one key indicator of success: relevance. JPPF and Ohio History Connection have emphasized relevance

since before this planning process started. It’s in the site’s DNA. But achieving and maintaining that takes effort, resources, and long-term commitment.

• Funding: start-up and ongoing. Poindexter Village has strong supporters. But when is the right time to reach out? What is the pitch?

• Overcoming the myths of public housing: This is an undercurrent of the entire story defined here.

• Gentrification: This neighborhood is changing. What will it become?

• A dispersed African American community. The core audience is spread out. How do we draw them here?

• Passing of generations: Poindexter Village opened 80 years ago. We count among our constituents people who lived here in the heyday. But each year fewer remain available to provide their memories, their knowledge, and their leadership.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

The last foundational question—what it’s about—is answered through a central Big Idea, Themes, and Topics.

In our workshops and then through the research phase, we heard key words repeated over and over and stories that were entirely individual but also broadly shared. So much richness. But what is it about? What is the focus? In order to plan for the Museum and the Cultural Learning Center, we need to be clear on our core message. And eventually, in order for visitors to make sense of their experience here, they will need for us to have had a focus. That’s what this foundational element represents.

About Big Ideas, Themes, and Topics:

Every story needs a focus. It helps keep planners on track and eventually helps visitors navigate—physically, emotionally, and intellectually—the experience. In her seminal book about exhibit development, Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach, Beverly Serrell writes:

A big idea is a sentence—a statement—of what the exhibition is about.... It also implies what the exhibit is not about. A big idea is big because it has fundamental meaningfulness that is important to human nature. It is not trivial. It is the first thing the team, together, should write for an exhibition.

Some exhibit development processes speak of a Theme or a Main Message rather than Big Idea. The difference is largely semantics, as all of these are intended to create focus. We like the term Big Idea, though, because it seems less technical, leaving room for emotion and senses to fill in the intentional spaces between the words.

We will also use Themes (plural). We think of these as threads that weave through the story that grows out of the Big Idea.

The story is made up of topics: a list of subject matter that should be addressed to populate the story.

WE WERE. WE ARE. WE WILL.

THE SPIRIT OF A PLACE KNOWN AS POINDEXTER

This statement reflects people—past, present and future. The spirit refers to the point that similar values and experiences happened in other areas of Ohio and the nation. The word “known” reflects character and reputation.

VALUES

Inspired by Reverend Poindexter, the Poindexter Village Museum and Cultural Learning Center lives by and promotes these values:

• Integrity/Honesty/Character

• Respect

• Education

• Hard work

• Resilience

• Activism

• Love

THEMES/OVERLAYS

Themes thread through the story. They pop forward from time to time and recede back. Future teams will use these as touchstones, connecting to them during the development of exhibits and programs to keep planning balanced and on track.

• Success: Thriving, despite struggles. Self-determination. Pride. Resilience. Strength. Fight, Climb, Achieve.

• Village: The Power of Place. The interrelationships of landscape, homes, businesses, schools, roads, and churches that make a place. The sense of shared community, of togetherness, that is made up of individual people. Connections and relationships; sense of belonging

• Discrimination: The background of structures, systems, and policies over which the successes of Poindexter Village and other African American communities prevail. (See Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law)

• Activism: Keep on pushing. From Reverend Poindexter to the JPPF; being active, speaking up, and engaging with the past, present, and future.

TOPIC SKELETON

This page begins to outline and structure topics that the exhibits and programs will address. This is not meant to be a complete list but to sketch out the main structure (the green titles) and offer samples of stories that fit within each topic. Additional research and definition will be required as planning continues beyond this Interpretive Plan.

Preface:

Columbus’s Long History

• First African American settlers and settlements (downtown)

• Pre-Emancipation:

Underground Railroad

• Featured Figure:

Rev. James Preston Poindexter

• Post-Emancipation: Continued growth and new neighborhoods

• The creation of Bronzeville

Sidebar: Against a Background

• Slavery

• Creation of Ohio as a Free State

• Civil War

• Social Justice

• Reconstruction

• Jim Crow and Segregation

• WWI

• Redlining

• The Great Depression and the New Deal

• WWII, including Tuskegee Airmen

• Civil Rights Era

• Heritage

• Values

The Great Migration, Bronzeville Boom

• New people join an existing community

• Southern influences

• Limited housing, limited opportunities

Poindexter Village: A community of love, respect, and success

• A model for public housing

• Design

• Construction

• Moving Day

• Families

• A home of one’s own

• Front porches and back stoops

• Community spaces

The Thriving East Side

• An example among many. In Columbus alone: Sellesville, Hilltop, Burnside, Franklinton, Flytown, Milo Grogan, Southside, Lucy Deff, Africa Rd. (Worthington area), Hilliard, American Addition, Litchford, Big Walnut Country Club

• Financials: Banks

• Food: Groceries and Restaurants

• Entertainment (incl. music) and Art

• Schools

• Churches

• A complex web of interdependence

Stories of Success (examples)

• Aminah Robinson (artist)

• Ed Ratleff (baseball player)

• Nancy Wilson (musician/singer)

• Catherine Willis (teacher)

• Dr. Earl S. Sherard (Tuskegee Airman, pediatric medicine)

• Mamie Moore (NAACP)

• Amos Lynch (newspaper)

• Dr. N. L. Scarborough (Bronzeville mayor)

• Lewis Smoot, Sr. (business)

• Queen Brooks (artist)

• Others TBD

Postscript

• Changing Policies and Disinvestment

• Interstate Highways, Urban Renewal

• Great Society, War on Poverty, Model Cities, and Public Housing

• War on Crime, War on Drugs, Mass Incarceration Changing demographics and New Americans

• A contested plan for redevelopment; closing and demolition of Poindexter Village

• The struggle and success to save a place and history that was about to be erased

Themes thread through all of the interpretation. They may or may not ever be stated directly, but they are hooks into the story that make it relevant and relatable.

Topics: A topic is a single subject that supports the Big Idea. No one topic fully addresses the Big Idea, but every topic must be developed in a way to build the Big Idea.

Preface: Columbus’s Long History

Great Migration, Bronzeville Boom

Poindexter Village: A community of love, respect, and success

Thriving East Side

Stories of Success

Sidebar: Against a Background

Postscript

Success Village

Racism * * * *

* * * * * * * *

* * * * *

Principles for Interpretation and Poindexter Village

African American History is American History.

African American History is Ohio History.

African American History is Columbus History.

Whenever possible/fitting, use African American vernacular in the interpretation, including voice, style, and narrative structure.

Always seek to use the voices of people who were there over the thirdperson curator voice.

The site is for people. It speaks to broad audiences (rather than specialized audiences/experts).

A clear sign that a visit has been meaningful is that it generates an emotional response. With that in mind, we seek to engage our visitors’ emotions.

Visitors approach exhibits in a non-linear fashion. Even if they follow a specific path, they will skip certain elements and dig deeply into others. For that reason: everything must support a single big idea, some repetition is good, and each element must be able to stand on its own within the context.

Be concise. Too many printed words turn visitors away. Visitors are seeking a compelling experience; they are not interested in becoming experts. Interpretation can expect, at best, to make visitors excited enough about the subject to seek out more information. Therefore: layer information, provide a clear hierarchy of information, replace words with visuals whenever possible.

Engage the senses to evoke memory, nostalgia, emotions, and the truths they hold.

We bring people together. Most forms of interpretation gain strength because they are social experiences. We encourage our guests to interact with each other and with us.

Comfort—including a sense of being welcome, clear expectations, wayfinding, seating, accessibility, restrooms, and food—affects visitors’ abilities to engage with the interpretation. These operational aspects of the site must therefore be considered in the planning of interpretation. Caveat: Discomfort can also be an effective tool, but only when planned within the overall scope of a welcoming atmosphere.

Flexibility is key. We are open to the opportunities of the future. It is not the destination but the journey that is important in carrying out the legacy of Poindexter Village.

We believe that our partnerships make us stronger and that we should encourage our guests to explore further.

We seek to be accessible to the greatest extent feasible (i.e. we consider the principles of Universal Design).

Art can reveal truths that facts alone cannot. Use it in all its mediums.

PHYSICAL AND HISTORIC CONTEXT

DOWNTOWN

COLUMBUS

HISTORIC BRONZEVILLE (AKA EAST SIDE)

TODAY: NEAR EAST SIDE

Mt. Vernon Ave Long St.

Poindexter Village Museum & Cultural Learning Center

HISTORIC

POINDEXTER VILLAGE

State Capitol

HISTORIC POINDEXTER VILLAGE

Poindexter Village Museum & Cultural Learning Center

BUILDING 1 HISTORICAL

BUILDING 2 HISTORICAL

3D (Sketchup) Model of buildings to historical dimensions created for project.

Confirm accuracy of all measurements.

FROM FOUNDATIONS TO INTERPRETATION

Interpretation is a mission-driven activity, based on the Why, Who, and What. Having established those Foundations, we now look towards the How: what media, tools, and activities best serve the audiences to meet Poindexter Village’s purpose?

Poindexter Village’s chief assets for this purpose are its two historic buildings forming a campus, enlivened by the stories that have been collected, and supported by partners. The two buildings have been roughly conceived as a Museum and a Cultural Learning Center. Because collecting and preservation functions of the Museum will be handled through Ohio History Connection, the Museum is primarily public space for welcoming and long-term/permanent exhibits that express the story in order to inspire, inform, and empower. The Cultural Learning Center builds on those stories to directly support future generations and create the strong, vibrant, and just communities they want to live in.

Those intentions of Poindexter Village have to meet up against the realities of what visitors want. Potential visitors are making choices of what to do with limited time. For the identified audiences to come through the door, we have to overcome their inertia and anxiety over and above other possible uses of their unstructured time such as TV, music, sports, or other cultural experiences. Common approaches to this conundrum are providing unique, special experiences—especially ones that are social-media friendly (e.g., look great in selfies)—and creating targeted programs. But never forget the value of being a good, stable, welcoming neighborhood amenity.

This plan lays out a series of recommendations to bring together audience considerations and Poindexter Village (PV) intentions.

THE BIG PICTURE: VISITOR EXPERIENCE PROGRESSION

The visitor’s experience begins long before they arrive at the site, in the Attract phase. It begins with word-of-mouth or advertising. It almost certainly involves PV’s website. The attract must be strong enough to overcome visitor inertia (e.g., the choice to just stay home or do things that are familiar). Being clear about the site’s story and its purpose (defined in the Foundations) helps establish the value proposition. Great photos and reviews help a lot, too.

We must acknowledge that Transit—the process of getting to the site—is part of the experience. Fear of getting lost, fear of going someplace unfamiliar— these are parts of visitor anxiety that must be overcome. Look at access routes and try to find ways to make them positive parts of the experience. Wayfinding helps, but also consider neighborhood placemaking opportunities.

Welcome takes hold most strongly when visitors are within range of the site. It includes creating a sense of comfort through clear naming and wayfinding, well-maintained grounds and exteriors, easy parking, and an obvious front door. Some interpretation, whether through words or through large-scale art, can also begin in this stage, setting the scene and raising expectations.

Welcome continues inside, with a friendly greeter, easy admission, and basic facilities: seating, restrooms, water, and thematically appropriate food. Food is always a complex issue. For Poindexter Village, unless a food incubator becomes part of the program, it probably makes most sense to offer small snacks and drinks (including tea and coffee). Otherwise, some visitors may leave prematurely and once they’re gone it’s hard to get them back. For fullscale meals, this is an opportunity to partner with a neighborhood business to send people nearby. Food is part of Poindexter Village’s story, so ideally the organization could refer visitors to a place that offers dishes that express the experience of Poindexter Village.

Welcome transitions visitors into the mission-driven activities of exhibits and programs. Exhibits occur primarily throughout the Museum. They tell the story that sets the context for the programs and activities of the Cultural Learning Center. The exhibits are also part of PV’s attraction. They bring new people into the fold and from there connect them to PV’s additional offerings. The exhibits should be engaging visually and experientially. Recommendations on following pages focus on this by bringing artists’ voices into the storytelling.

In Poindexter Village’s case, the stories told in the exhibits and programs are also upending the standard narrative: an exciting feeling for many visitors but one that also may open miscommunications between newcomers, staff, and more established participants. The sense of welcome must be maintained through these interactions with grace and understanding.

Programs are the most effective tool to take audiences deeper into goals of the site. On-site programs are centered in PV’s Cultural Learning Center. Programs are best able to respond to events, to address specific audiences, and to bring people back again and again. Poindexter Village’s programs may also exist in digital formats (regular blog posts or podcasts) or at other sites, such as traveling to schools or at partner sites. Likewise, the Cultural Learning Center may host programs by partners.

As humans, we make sense of the world through stories and we communicate with each other by sharing stories. A genealogy program that builds on exhibits valuing heritage and family, or an organizing workshop that grows from stories demonstrating the value of activism, is rooted and meaningful.

Conceptual Visitor Experience Progression

Stages of the visitor experience, independent of the physical space.

Within PV campus

Attract Transit Partners

Programs

Events, Classes, Outreach

Mission-Driven Activities

EXHIBITS

THE MUSEUM

Exhibits at Poindexter Village’s Museum have a story to tell. The outlines of that story are defined in the Foundations as a series of Topics with recurring Themes threading through them, all pointing towards the Big Idea. That is consistent with decades of practice and research in visitor engagement and learning. We hold that as a given.

The typical recommendation for a site this size is to create a program of exhibits that tell a single larger story in which there are options to dig deeper based on a visitor’s own interests. The focus on that single story is emphasized in most cases by a single entry and exit, a primary path from here to there, and a single visual style that unifies the elements. That is the model of most history exhibits in the U.S. and has been for decades, up to and including the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s History Galleries. The model tends to be linear and chronological but within a framework of “Free Choice Learning.” This is what most visitors expect and are conditioned to.

For Poindexter Village, there has been a call for a less Euro-centric, linear approach. The suggestion was to look at a more African approach to storytelling. Upon reflection, such an approach would seem to have two major features that tie very well into the spirit of Poindexter Village and the site’s building infrastructure: the use of tales and the use of the arts.

Aminah Robinson collected tales told by her uncle Alvin and gathered them into a series of books. Such collections of stand-alone stories often have themes that thread through and hold them together. Indeed, short story collections often have an overarching big idea, represented in the book’s title.

What if exhibits at the Poindexter Village Museum are represented like Aminah Robinson’s books? What if the doors to each of perhaps six apartments are like the cover of a book, and opening each takes the visitor into its own story? And what if each of those stories is told by artists rather than historians?

In this model of tales, then, one door might have a bold statement about the Thriving East Side. Inside, an artist might have created a model of the East Side based on historical documents. If that artist was Aminah Robinson, the model would have character, color, and abstraction but also roots in realness. If it is artist Baba Shongo Obadina, it would cry out to be touched. But the expression in this case is entirely up to the artist selected to do the work. And that artist might also choose to collaborate with a musician to create a jazz soundtrack. The walls might have historical photographs of the neighborhood

Visitors might enter into another apartment and see a spotlit microphone with rows of chairs in front. Their entry might trigger the playing of a commissioned spoken word piece.

Another might be settings in the life and work of James Preston Poindexter: a barber’s chair, a pulpit, and a blackboard. Another might be wall-covering video projections.

This direction is the recommendation of this Interpretive Plan. We’ll call it Telling Tales.

“Poindexter Village: A Portrait in Stories” exhibit at the Ohio History Center, 2018.

Top to Bottom:

Aminah Robinson’s Sidewalks of Poindexter Village: Market Street. (Collection of the Columbus Museum of Art) Baba Shongo Obadina’s painted wood carving of Poindexter Village.

Aminah Robinson’s Doll House Story Vol. 2, based on her Uncle Alvin tales. (Collection of the Columbus Museum of Art)

Non-Linear History Exhibits

Structurally, the recommendation to take a broken-up, non-linear approach to history exhibits is unusual but not untried. Various state history museums have done A to Z exhibits, for instance. More to the point is The Power of Place exhibit at the third floor of NMAAHC (shown here), which establishes a central theme and then expresses many different stories in a series of pods, each with its own style.

History Exhibits Based on Art Installation

Examples of the use of art installations as the primary means of interpretation are hard to come by in American history museums. But its power is easy to see where art has been integrated into the whole. The Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC, for instance, is a fairly dry, didactic exhibit experience until one encounters the art interludes that take the breath away. The room of shoes. The tower of photos from a single village. These are the moments that visitors remember and talk about.

Inspirations, clockwise from top left: Tower of Faces at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM); Wonder Room at CMA; Sculptures at Whitney Plantation; We Are The Shoes at USHMM.

Some Implications of Telling Tales

Keeping the Big Idea Center

The biggest challenge with the approach of multiple interrelated tales vs. a single narrative is maintaining focus on the overarching story. We’ve used the analogy of a collection of short stories, gathered together into a single book. When such a book is published, the cover establishes the unifying thread in its art and title. The public name of the Poindexter Village Museum and Cultural Learning Center should do the same. Consider something like “The Spirit of Poindexter: Museum and Cultural Learning Center.” We will leave it to the marketing team to determine the best fit.

Once visitors are on site, they also need something to frame the experience. Like an introduction to the short story collection, but shorter and more pointed. Following the example of EJI’s Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, the Introductory Statement should be a direct, memorable assertion of the case that the exhibits will make. Something more poetic than this:

African Americans have been part of the history of Columbus since before Columbus existed. Together, we thrive.

Poindexter Village exemplifies that spirit of success.

Such a statement might happen in the Welcome zone, for instance alongside the ticket desk. It might even be printed on the tickets. Or it might be integrated into an outdoor art piece in the courtyard between the two buildings.

Lifetime

Long-term (“permanent”) exhibits are usually defined as lasting 10-15 years, though they more often stay up for 20-30 years. The recommended artistdriven approach may want to assume a lifetime closer to 5 years. At which point, a different artist collaborative might have a chance to reinterpret the same tale: an opportunity to share voices, attract visitors to return, and get free press. This does, however, have implications for annual budgets.

Call for Artists

A central feature of the recommended approach to the exhibit program is engagement with artists, letting their individual voices and visions shine within a solid but spacious structure. This requires a level of hands-off trust that is not typical for history museums who more often control all aspects of development, design, and fabrication.

The development of the exhibits, therefore, needs a single clear leader who, much like a curator in an art museum, can hold the big vision and also encourage the individual visions of the artists. The title—whether project manager, curator, developer—doesn’t matter as much as the personality and skill at bringing out the best in people.

This person and the committee they lead would probably publish a call for artists, starting with an RFQ and whittling down to a fee-based proposal. The process would support separate proposals for each tale, encouraging collaborations. It would also express a preference for local artists of color.

Infrastructure

The first floor walls between each apartment, some of which may be structural, may not need to be removed in this scheme. Walls within each apartment may be removed to create open spaces. Development of the exhibits for some tales may want to explore opening views through the floor or removing the second floor in order to create a tall space.

The second floor cannot be assumed to be accessible and therefore cannot be assumed to be publicly available (i.e. exhibit) space. Therefore, you might open the second floor through most of the building to be open office space to which a single elevator can provide access. What mission-driven role could such space provide? Might the second floor be an incubator or co-office space to support the development of black or neighborhood entrepreneurs?

All exhibit apartments will certainly need heat, air conditioning, sprinklers, plenty of power, flexible lighting, security cameras, and high-speed networking.

Exhibit Topic Relationships

This diagram begins to suggest stories that might be expressed in the different apartments of the Museum in the Telling Tales approach.

Welcome Ticketing

Restrooms

Spatial Orientation

Gift Shop

Food

THE APARTMENTS

Appendix A includes a discussion about three directions that the recreated apartments can go. This deserves further exploration in the architectural and exhibit design phases, considering what’s possible with the building, physical accessibility, and availability of artifacts. Based on what we know at this time, we propose to recreate two apartments, each in a different way.

The first recreated apartment hints at the one Aminah Robinson grew up in. This follows the model of Immersive Experience, with touchable objects, projections, etc. It can be accessed as any of the topical apartments in the Telling Tales mode: independently, whenever the Museum is open. This would presumably be first floor only, though visitors would be able to look up the stairs for additional experience.

Although this first apartment has the energy of a young Aminah Robinson, it would include reminiscences in its storytelling from the growing collection of oral histories commissioned by Poindexter Village. Touch the radio and it might trigger the voice of someone remembering the music their family listened to. Touch a plate on the table and hear various people talking about the foods they ate, as the smell of dinner wafts in from the kitchen. Stand on a footprint printed on the floor and the wall comes alive with a projection from a home movie.

The second recreated apartment would be accessible only by guided tour. It would be fully restored in the model of the Tenement Museum. Multiple tours could be developed for this one space, coming at the interpretation from different angles.

This apartment tour would need to include the second floor, which would not be physically accessible to all visitors. An alternate experience will therefore be needed for those who do not climb the stairs. Technology can help out here. Tours can be videorecorded with a high quality production and those recordings can be made available upon request at the Welcome desk, played in a room set aside to watch videos, or else on a handheld such as an iPad. Another option is to record the tours in 3D surround so that they are available to watch, and look around as the visitor wishes, using a Virtual Reality headset.

From top: Fully restored apartment at the Tenement Museum; Immersive apartment: Open House at Minnesota History Center and Minnesota Historical Society’s Fort Snelling.

WELCOME

Before visitors reach the exhibits, they begin with Welcome. In the physical world, this space may also be a touchstone, returned to again and again between visiting different apartments. Welcome is a visitor services function, but it also has interpretive value. We know, for instance, that visitors have a hard time taking in the meaning of an experience if they need to use the restroom (or if they’re anxious they might need it later but don’t know where it is). So visitor comfort and awareness of their physical environment—spatial orientation—are critical to interpretive success.

The gift shop should also be thought of as an interpretive element. The purpose of an exhibit is not to explain everything but to inspire questions and a desire to learn more. A gift shop is an opportunity to provide access to learning more. That can be books related to the history. In Poindexter Village’s case, it might also include selling items created by small businesses supported by an in-house incubator; art created by artists in the community; or packaged foods created by partners, reminding visitors of the foods eaten here in the 1940s and 1950s.

BEYOND THE MUSEUM

If we define exhibits as interpretation that takes physical form, Poindexter Village should also reach outside the Museum with its exhibits.

• Consider the exterior of the buildings as interpretive areas. Interpretive panels may be appropriate, perhaps with tactile maps. But perhaps be more expressive. Large-scale public art?

• Make the campus come alive at night. Use exterior lighting not only as security lighting but to create a sense of beauty and drama. Colored lights. Dramatic angles. And be conscious of the views from outside through the windows.

• Also, consider reaching into the neighborhood. As the voice of African American history and culture in the Near East Side and beyond, add interpretation throughout historic Bronzeville. And further: work in other historically African American neighborhoods to mark them and tell their stories.

PROGRAMS

Poindexter Village’s full expression relies heavily on programs. This certainly includes the well-tested museum-style themed presentations and tours. It can also follow more recent models and serve as an incubator, a community gathering space, a library, or a training center. The options are endless, but program development should always reference back to the Foundations established previously, noting the desire to not just be in the community, but of the community.

Gatherings

A central desire identified in development of the Foundations is for Poindexter Village to be a gathering space: we seek active engagement and relevance with neighbors and we are a beacon that calls the community home. These intentions suggest an active program of events to attract people. And for the times when the space is not actively programmed, it may serve as a place for community members to gather informally. A living room for the neighborhood.

Regarding events, the options range from music to dance to theater to spoken word, possibly organized with a partner (who might also rent office space in the building). Further conversations with potential partners will reveal which organizations might need a home or a satellite.

(Models: Motown Museum, Wing Luke Museum)

Events in the Cultural Learning Center might also include workshops and classes related to the mission of Poindexter Village: Scrapbooking? Cooking? Music lessons? SAT test prep? Activism and organizing? (Models: National Public Housing Museum, Wing Luke Museum)

Also remember your outdoor spaces. Consider the creation of an annual festival (“sop fest”?), a weekly farmer’s and/or art market (model: Mill City Museum), family movies on the green space between the two buildings, and food trucks.

Tours

Poindexter Village should develop regular guided tours of the apartments, as well as school tours of the exhibits and, someday, historical tours of the neighborhood.

(Models: Tenement Museum, Wing Luke Museum)

Spoken Word at the Motown Museum Farmer’s Market at the Mill City Museum Neighborhood tours at Wing Luke Museum

Genealogy

JPPF has long talked about hosting genealogy research. The value of this is proved by NMAAHC’s own in-gallery genealogy lab. This would be a combination of digital access to common genealogy sites that typically charge a subscription, plus physical and digital access to Columbus and Poindexter Village-specific materials. In addition to the hardware, this calls for knowledgeable staff or volunteers to provide training and support. (Model: NMAAHC)

Collections

The responsibilities of collections cataloguing, preservation, and storage will reside with Ohio History Connection. Poindexter Village has a role, though, both in making those collections available and in growing the collections.

Consistent with its purpose, Poindexter Village should host community collection opportunities, inviting people to come in with photos, scrapbooks, and objects, and capture them digitally. Poindexter Village should also facilitate transferring items to OHC if the owner chooses to do so, or returning them to the owner after gathering all known information about the contents: names, dates, and locations, but also any stories the objects spark. To that end, PV should have the ability (physical infrastructure and training) to record people as they tell their stories.

We have also seen success in gatherings of elders who look through old photos, including ones already collected, and recall the people and activities they show. When recorded, this can be useful collections information. Even more, it is marvelous community-building.

Because materials are and will continue to be housed in many locations, from Ohio History Connection to the Columbus Metropolitan Library to photos on the walls of churches and businesses, PV can serve its audiences as a centralized access point. Visitors should be able to view materials digitally on-site. This will require partnerships and agreements, without necessarily changing ownership. It will also take training and sustained attention.

Finally, Poindexter Village should host programs with collections staff from OHC on the care and preservation of archival materials. The purpose would be to give visitors the tools to properly preserve the items they own.

(Models: NMAAHC Robert Frederick Smith Explore Your Family History Center, National Public Housing Museum, National Afro-American Museum)

Public-facing collections and genealogy initiatives at NMAAHC

Long-Term Research

Poindexter Village should be an instigator and sponsor of historical research on African Americans in Columbus. Some initial research is necessary to the development of the exhibits and should start right away. In particular, we suggest the following needs:

• Collect and organize the names of everyone who lived at Poindexter Village, correlated with addresses and years. If that is impossible for all years, then focus on the first families who lived in each apartment. Gradually track down those individuals and their descendents, and seek additional stories and photos.

• Find and document every bit of footage and every photo possible about Poindexter Village. PV doesn’t need to own it, just know where to access it when the time comes. Doing so requires forethought about the cataloging process, hardware, and software. It needs to be mobile, to visit a variety of existing collections as well as partner sites for community collection days and the homes of select elders. Although this will eventually move into the Cultural Learning Center’s Digital Collectios Lab, this cannot wait until the site is fully operational.

• Create a 3D model of Bronzeville based on historical sources. Start with Sanborn maps and pick a year when Poindexter Village was active. (Over time you may add more years, but that will be easier once an initial year is laid down.) Seek photos and stories of buildings and associate them digitally with each location.

Longer-term, PV, its partners, or its visitors may come up with suggestions for other research. We are inspired by the project Mapping Prejudice (https://www. mappingprejudice.org), which might be expanded to include Columbus or may just serve as a model for what’s possible.

In all of these cases, PV would likely partner with granting agencies and technical leads from OSU, CMA, and/or area schools for the legwork.

1891 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company.

Incubation

A previous page mentions the possibilities of a co-working/incubator space on the second floor of the Museum. The general idea seems to fit with the mission of Poindexter Village. Which building it’s in and the infrastructure would be part of the development of the architectural program for the site. The primary question right now is if there is a need in the community, followed closely by whether or not creating such a space would be a good use of limited space and PV’s focus. (Model: National Public Housing Museum Entrepreneurship Hub)

Related to any sort of business incubator is the recurring idea of an artist space, whether a studio residency or gallery (model: Rowhouse Project). This deserves further discussion with the Columbus Museum of Art, which is developing its own program nearby at the Aminah Robinson house.

Top: Da Hive, business incubator for black women, Minneapolis;

Bottom: Rowhouse Project

Public space design for Entrepreneur Hub at National Public Housing Museum

THE CULTURAL LEARNING CENTER

Many of the programs above occur in the building identified as the Cultural Learning Center, so the CLC must be designed with those in mind. Based on the above ideas for programs, the following needs should be discussed when working with architects on Building 2:

Open Space: To maintain flexibility, the majority of the building should be wide open and two stories tall, with a removable stage, comfortable stacking chairs, and a selection of tables. It should also include speakers, amps, a sound board, microphones, a screen and projector, and a fixed stage lighting system to support a variety of performance types. In other times this can serve as a music/ arts laboratory and home to other types of programming.

Research Area: Quiet room to access reference collections, geneaology tools, and digital collections. Leave space for a digital collections lab with fast, high quality scanners; small-object photography setup; and good control of lighting in the space. Continue also to gather stories of the neighborhood in a small recording studio with good sound control, comfortable seating, and integrated high quality video production (built-in cameras to capture from a variety of angles).

Basics: Restrooms and water fountains. Storage for tables, chairs, and equipment. Powerful network technologies. Ideally also a catering kitchen, though this may be preempted by other functions in limited space.

OUTREACH

In addition to hosting programs by other organizations, Poindexter Village might also create programs for partners and community members. These would be developed through relationships and community engagement. A few specific ideas for outreach:

• Consider a touring exhibit about African American neighborhoods in Columbus. This might tour to public libraries and neighborhood schools. It might even be created through partnerships.

• Partner with the CMA and its Aminah Robinson house, which is intended to provide artist residencies. Those residents or CMA might offer programs in the relative spaciousness of the Cultural Learning Center. And Poindexter Village might provide interpretation and programs for visitors to the Aminah Robinson house.

• Is there a gap in after-school options in the neighborhood? In summer day camps? If so, consider hosting such activities or augmenting existing programs at the Intergenerational Center or Beatty Community Center.

• Develop tools and trainings for teachers in Columbus, supporting their desire to engage their students in history that is personal and meaningful.

StoryCorps oral history booth

NEXT STEPS

Poindexter Village is well along its path to meeting its Purpose. Years of planning and action have preceded this interpretive effort and made it possible. And even as this has moved deliberately forward, other activities have continued. Indeed, one of the fortunate challenges that Ohio History Connection and JPPF have to wrangle is the number of ideas and amount of energy that seem to bubble up continually. It is the expectation that this interpretive plan provides a focus to those efforts that will propel them forward holistically, towards a common goal.

This document’s recommendations are meant to point in a direction but they are not rigid. As elements are implemented, opportunities and needs will change and the recommendations should adapt. The Foundations, however, should stay the same. The Foundations serve as the solid base on which all else is built.

... a planning project ... to help management staff consider ideas, make choices and set priorities about interpretation and education programming. It will provide guidance to staff by clarifying objectives, identifying audiences and historic site/museum themes.

-Scope of Work for Poindexter Village Interpretive Plan

The next step is architectural and exhibit planning (in parallel through Schematic Design) that will lead to building renovation. But that both requires fundraising and supports fundraising. And fundraising success is also strengthened by demonstrations of professionalism, commitment, and successes. For those purposes, we suggest emphasizing and potentially wrapping up existing efforts in four areas:

Branding: Poindexter Village needs to settle on a name and develop its visual branding package: logo, colors, fonts. JPPF, if it is going to continue to maintain an identity separate from Poindexter Village, needs the same. These will help potential funders, partners, and neighbors perceive the commitment and professionalism of this endeavor. And the Foundations should provide useful material for making these choices.

With the site’s visual brand in place, Poindexter Village should establish the baseline for its own website. Establishing this presence, telling its story, providing a link for donations, and offering a calendar of events will demonstrate energy and activity.

Activating: In the years between now and the opening of a public space, get ahead of neighbors’ impatience by cleaning up the building exteriors (the upcoming window project will help) and by activating the site with outdoor programs. The latter would also provide good opportunities for community engagement.

Hiring: Bring aboard a leader with museum, cultural heritage, and organizing skills to conduct the day-to-day work necessary to bring this project to life: being present with the community, activating the site, and maintaining and building partnerships, developing programs, and carrying the Foundations forward.

Training: As Poindexter Village brings more people on board as partners, staff, and volunteers, it needs to both take advantage of their different skills and perspectives and to bring everyone together around the shared Purpose and story. Get ahead of this by developing a handbook and training programs with the history, segments from the oral histories, and the Foundations defined in this document. Appendices C and E can support this development.

Capacity-Building: JPPF is working with Ohio History Connection’s Local Services Department on Board governance and the American Association for State and Local History’s (AASLH) Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations (StEPs) program. These will build capacity by raising awareness of common/best practices. Likewise, the team should seek opportunities to visit model sites listed in this document and speak with the people running them. The highest priorities on the list are likely:

• Wilberforce: National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center

• Evansville, IN: Evansville African American Museum

• DC: National Museum of African American History and Culture

• Seattle: Wing Luke Museum

• Chicago: National Public Housing Museum and the Theaster Gates’ Rebuild Foundation

• NYC: Tenement Museum

• Houston: Rowhouse Project

Attending conferences is also an important means of getting to know the field and meeting individual partners. For Poindexter Village, the conferences of AASLH and the Association of African American Museums (AAAM) conferences are probably the most useful. For the upcoming AAAM conference, the following tracks would be particularly valuable:

• Track 2: Collections Stewardship (Curating, Archiving and Conserving)

• Track 3: Financial Stewardship (Resource Management and Institutional Advancement)

• Track 5: Organizational Development (Mission, Governance and Operations Planning)

• Track 6: Visitor Experience (Education, Interpretation, Public Programs, and Exhibits)

A FINAL WORD

The root of the word “Museum” is “Muse.” Museums exist to educate in the particularly powerful form of inspiration. Inspiration that comes from real stories, real things, and real places. Inspiration that comes from moments of truth, moments of beauty, and deep relevance to the visitor’s life. Inspiration that comes from serving the community that hosts it. All of this characterizes the Poindexter Village Museum and Cultural Learning Center, a preservation triumph, an educational resource, and a community amenity of boundless value. Poindexter Village matters. Past, present, and future.

APPENDIX A:

EXHIBIT APPROACH REVIEW

EXHIBITS EXPLORATION

The first building houses the permanent exhibits. In development of the recommendations, the group considered and discussed a sampling of other exhibits. In the end, the recommendation leans away from any of these models, seeking an Afro-centric approach over the more structured, Euro-centric archetype.

As an interpretive plan, this document doesn’t create a concept for the exhibits, much less design them, but it does try to establish some parameters that may be helpful to future designers and to Poindexter Village in preparation of budgets and development of an RFP to hire such designers. We begin, therefore, with a discussion of style and approach and then move into a discussion of some key exhibit moments that may be helpful.

APPROACH/STYLE

In our recent experiences with place-based African American interpretation, we have observed some trends that point towards next steps in exhibits. And Poindexter Village should plan for next steps.

Seitu and Steve are currently working with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Their extensive set of permanent exhibits are about 25 years old, with some updates about 10 years ago. They use full-scale people and settings as well as objects in context. They also rely heavily on well-written and relatively brief bursts of text on panels, with the voice of a neutral expert in the third person. It seems to focus on transferring information.

Atlanta has a more recent museum that covers much of the same content. The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is now five years old. It features creative use of media, physical space, and engagement with the senses in settings that are more abstracted and artistically conceived to evoke feelings above and beyond presenting information.

The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration in Montgomery, Alabama, is associated with the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. It opened only a little over a year ago. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice reinforces the power of art to convey things that words cannot. The Legacy Museum’s exhibit is notable for the directness of its message, which structures the rest of the experience. It relies heavily on first-person narratives, giving voice to the people who are at the center of the experience. It punches visitors in the gut again and again, and despite this—more likely because of this—it draws a huge audience.

Finally, the Safe House Black History Museum in Greensboro, Alabama. It is smaller than any of these others, created with a much smaller budget, and in a much smaller space. Like Poindexter Village, the building itself is the site of the story. And it is marvelously effective. The main exhibit is direct in its few words, which are also largely the words of people who were there for the central event. And these words are strengthened by select use of objects. The structure and materials of the shotgun house heighten the effect.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

National Center for Civil and Human Rights

Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice

Safe House Black History Museum

DISCUSSION: RESTORED APARTMENT

There is an expectation that at least one apartment is restored for visitors to experience. Such a restoration can go several different directions depending on the goals of the restoration. Here are some approaches we discussed.

View into fully restored

Imagine most historic house museums that use plush red rope barriers. A room is recreated in great detail, perhaps representing a moment in time, and the visitor can stand outside and look in.

Tour through fully restored

Rooms are fully recreated in great detail. Items are protected by the presence of tour guides who, in the best case, not only tell visitors facts but engage them in conversation. The model for this experience is the Tenement Museum in Manhattan.

Immersive experience

Visitors can walk through rooms on their own. As a result, there are fewer objects in each room than would be in a lived-in house.

In a further expression of this approach, each room can represent an aspect of story, perhaps through a combination of objects and media. Objects are mostly treated as props rather than artifacts and are secured to avoid mischief. This creates the opportunity for a more hands-on approach and the integration of media.

EXHIBIT EXPERIENCES

Exhibit Topic Relationships

This diagram outlines likely relationships between the topics in a more typical free-choice exhibit approach. It would require removing walls and ceilings in much of the exhibit building.

Appendix A Photo Sources:

55: https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/museum

56 top right: http://ruralstudio.org/project/safe-house-black-history-museum/

57 left: https://www.hamilton.ca/attractions/hamilton-civic-museums/whitehern-historic-house-garden-national-historic-site

57 right: https://italianamericanpodcast.com/the-tenement-museum-new-york-city/

58 top right: Minnesota Historical Society

Any photos not listed, by 106 Group team

APPENDIX B: CULTURAL LEARNING

CENTER & PROGRAMS COMPARABLES

CULTURAL LEARNING CENTER & PROGRAMS

In order to explore the range of possibilities for the Cultural Learning Center, we considered several other sites, both museums and other community-based programs. We discussed these options to develop recommendations, but it’s worth continuing to consider these places as programs develop.

PROJECT ROW HOUSES Houston,

TX

https://projectrowhouses.org/

Project Row Houses is a community platform that enriches lives through art with an emphasis on cultural identity and its impact on the urban landscape. We engage neighbors, artists, and enterprises in collective creative action to help materialize sustainable opportunities in marginalized communities.

Mission: We empower people and enrich communities through engagement, art, & direct action.

History: Started with artists, but quickly evolved into a vehicle for transforming the community.

Populations:

• African American

• Under resourced

• Young single mothers with ambition for a better life

• Small enterprises with drive to go to next level

• Artists

Programs:

• Artist studios

• Community markets

• Business incubation program

• Weekly tutoring

• Young Mothers Residential Program (housing and counseling)

Partnerships:

• Affordable housing

• Community development partnership

• Economic development council

• Preservation of existing houses

Wing Luke Museum Seattle, WA

https://www.wingluke.org/

“... the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience offers an authentic and unique perspective on the American story. Nationally recognized for our work in creating dynamic, community-driven exhibitions and programs, we put our community at the heart of each exhibition we create. The stories you see and hear within our walls are their authentic experiences and perspectives. From the struggles of early Asian pioneers to accomplished works by national Asian Pacific American artists, their contributions give us a look at what it means to be uniquely American. Our 60,000 square foot facilities offers three floors to tell our communities’ stories, with contemporary galleries showcasing both temporary and permanent exhibitions as well as preserved historic spaces accessible only through our daily guided tours. Beyond our walls, we like to tell the story of our neighborhood, Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. While economically challenged, it is a historically and culturally vibrant area, and we see ourselves as a neighborhood concierge and an economic anchor for the nearby small businesses. From restaurants to statues that you might not otherwise notice, there are layers of history and significance that are waiting to be uncovered. The Wing offers guided neighborhood tours and events that will encourage you to discover stories and tastes both on- and off-the-beaten path.”

Through our exhibits, public events and youth programs, The Wing:

• Empowers Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) to tell their stories and histories in our own voices

• Fosters the work of contemporary APA artists

• Supports and revitalizes Seattle’s Chinatown-International District through our events and tours

• Strengthens the APA community through leadership development and opportunities

• Serves as a primary Smithsonian affiliate in the Pacific Northwest, a National Park Service Affiliated Area, and as the nation’s only museum dedicated to the pan-APA community

Values

People give us meaning and purpose. Relationships are our foundation. We desire community empowerment and ownership. To do this, we have found the following: The work is labor intensive. The work requires flexibility. We willingly relinquish control.

Top 10 Principles for Community-based Work

1. Community-based work must be rooted in relationships of trust and respect.

2. Community-based work requires a safe, comfortable environment to express ideas and share experiences.

3. Community-based work requires listening, flexibility, agility and patience.

4. It is democratic in nature – not top-down, and not a funnel for input.

5. Community ownership of their stories enables communities to hold and use them towards their own self-determined purposes.

6. Opportunities to learn abound in community-based work.

7. Community empowerment results from bringing together diverse people within communities who might not otherwise connect and collaborate together, increased community pride through increased visibility, development of professional skills and resources within the community from grant writing to educating to publishing and more.

8. Community-based work draws together communities and creates deep engagement and connections within as well as to the broader public.

9. Community-based work creates a safe place to speak your story and your truth.

10. People get involved in heart-felt work, doing something that they believe in. Programs

• Youth and teen year-round and summer camps and art programs

• Neighborhood tours

• Digital collections, research, and oral history lab

• Educator training and workshops, resources, and school tours

Evansville African American Museum Evansville, IN https://evvafricanamericanmuseum.org/

Tagline: Faith, Love, Community, Perseverance

Our Mission

The mission of the Evansville African American Museum is to continually develop a resource and cultural center to collect, preserve, and educate the public on the history and traditions of African American families, organizations, and communities.

Our Vision

Located in Evansville, Indiana as the last remaining building of Lincoln Gardens, the second Federal Housing Project created under the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in 1938, our building serves as a permanent artifact in itself.

Our Museum

One section showcases life in the 1938 era. The remaining sections of the building have been renovated as a modern museum serving to promote arts and education programs, cultural events and festivals.

• The museum showcases local artists, traveling and permanent exhibits, and contributing citizens past and present.

• The gallery serves as a “celebration center” for special events and meetings.

• The museum serves as a tourist destination for organizations and groups visiting the city.

• Revenue sources include membership contributions, grants, charitable gift legacies, admissions, facility rental, events, and a gift shop.

• We collaborate with other organizations to share the contributions of African Americans in the city of Evansville, in Indiana, the United States, and the world as we celebrate the contributions of African Americans.

The Evansville African American Museum is a place for meeting, learning, and discovery.

Wing Luke Museum: Recreated living space, exhibit hall

Evansville African American Museum

NATIONAL PUBLIC HOUSING MUSEUM Chicago,

https://www.nphm.org/entrepreneurship-hub

IL

The Entrepreneurship Hub addresses the systemic and structural barriers to entrepreneurship and aims to a create a robust infrastructure to support a new generation of small businesses and cooperatives by public housing residents.

History: emerged from informal economic activities and cooperative businesses that already existed in public housing communities.

Populations:

• African American/communities of color

• Under resourced/low-income

• Public housing residents

Programs:

• Open Hours (pro bono consulting initiative) – business support from attorneys, accountants, etc.

• Social Justice Business School

• Cooperative shop at the Museum when it opens

• Permanent oral history archive

BLACK DOT Seattle, WA

http://www.blackdotseattle.com/

Black Dot is a culturally responsive community focused on connecting entrepreneurs, creatives, and technologists of African descent.

We provide space, knowledge, and support to help launch and grow dreams into sustainable ventures.

History: evolved from Africatown and Hack the CD (hackathon conference)

– both support entrepreneurs and African American-owned business and artists

Populations:

• African/African Americans

Programs:

• Coworking space (shared and private) – requires membership

• Workshops

• Events (panels, speakers, networking)

• Support and mentorship (training, professional development, launch curriculum for start-ups)

Related organization:

• Africatown Community Land Trust – acquires, stewards, and develops land assets necessary for the Black/African diaspora community in the Central District to grow and thrive (http://www.africatownlandtrust.org/)

INCLUSIVE INNOVATION INCUBATOR Washington, DC

https://www.in3dc.com/

Summary/tagline: DC’s first space dedicated to inclusion, innovation & incubation.

Populations:

• African American or underrepresented

Programs:

• Bootcamps (i.e. immersive coding classes)

• Workshops (soft skill training, networking tips, mock interviews, rotating classes) – some for members only

• Mentorship (office hours with industry professionals)

• Office and desk space (private & shared) – membership required (daily, monthly)

• Glow and Grow (integrated programming for women entrepreneurs)

• Inclusive Innovation Lab – for underrepresented entrepreneurs to develop ideas and have their startup idea incubated at In3, participate in workshops, receive tech support to build a tech-enabled business, winner will get $15K

BLACKSPACE New York, NY

https://www.blackspace.org/

Vision: BlackSpace demands a present and future where Black people, Black spaces, and Black culture matter and thrive.

Mission: BlackSpace works to nurture and support Black people in fields of influence that shape our social and spatial environments. We promote and protect Black communities through collaborations that strengthen Black assets. We bridge gaps between policy, people, and place to realize equity and justice. We are moving away from perfunctory forms of engagement and instead towards planning that recognizes, affirms, and amplifies Black agency.

Populations:

• African Americans / targeting historically Black neighborhoods

Programs:

• Conferences/talks (1-2/year)

• Spaces & Places Conference/gathering (held in 2017 and 2019)

• BlackSpaces:Brownsville – heritage conservation effort in Brownsville

• BedStuy Places Project – youth mentoring through neighborhood history scavenger hunt

Partners:

• Affiliate in Chicago

• Affiliate in Oklahoma

REBUILD FOUNDATION

Chicago, IL

https://www.theastergates.com/project-items/rebuild-foundation

Rebuild Foundation is a platform for art, cultural development, and neighborhood transformation. Our projects support artists and strengthen communities by providing free arts programming, creating new cultural amenities, and developing affordable housing, studio, and live-work space.

Our mission is to demonstrate the impact of innovative, ambitious and entrepreneurial arts and cultural initiatives. Our work is informed by three core values: black people matter, black spaces matter, and black objects matter.

We leverage the power and potential of communities, buildings, and objects that others have written off.

Founded and led by artist Theaster Gates, Rebuild is part of a network of sister organizations that collaborate to extend the social engagement of Gates’ studio practice to the South Side of Chicago and beyond.

SEVENTY FIVE NORTH Omaha, NE

http://www.seventyfivenorth.org/

Seventy Five North works to convene community members, educational partners, and the philanthropic community to lead the transformation of the Highlander neighborhood.

Mission: To facilitate the revitalization of a healthy, sustainable, mixedincome community in the Highlander neighborhood. We work to break the cycle of poverty and community deterioration by partnering to create highquality housing, thriving schools, recreational facilities and other neighborhood enrichment amenities.

History: built on model by Purpose Built Communities, this neighborhood was chosen due to the 2009 demolition of public housing project

Populations:

• African Americans

• Low-income

Programs (selected):

• Cradle-to-College Educational Pipeline – transformed the neighborhood school’s curriculum and staffing

• Community Health and Wellness – partnerships with area institutions to bring programming to the neighborhood – hub is the Highlander Accelerator (65,000 sq ft building)

• Educational and wellness programs

• Fellowship/networking/shared experiences – food hall, wedding venue

• Community lawn used for events, greenhouse for sustainable food, etc.

• Annual Community Day

• Children’s music/theater/dance classes

• Code Camp

• ACT Test Prep

• Weekly market for local entrepreneurs in June only

WHAT DOES COLUMBUS NEED?

COLUMBUS HAS:

BUSINESS – African American-related

Entrepreneurship resources: https://columbusregion.com/doing-business/ entrepreneur-resources/

Central Ohio African-American Chamber of Commerce – Destiny Center incubator in NE Columbus: https://www.coaacc.org/index.html

Ascend: Black Professional Association of Columbus (MeetUp group): https:// www.meetup.com/columbus-black-professionals/

Columbus Urban League Young Professionals: https://www.culyp.org/

BLK hack – events based media platform to support entrepreneurs (*Columbus chapter may be new? Not very active): http://blkhack.com/

Zora’s Daughters – support women POC business owners (MeetUp group): https://www.meetup.com/Zoras-Daughters/

COMMUNITY/ARTS ORGANIZATIONS – African American TRANSIT

ARTS – youth arts development program: http://www.transitarts. com/bio.html

Central Community House – comprehensive community center serving near east and near south, catalytic agent for neighborhood improvement: http:// cchouse.org/

Maroon Arts Group – “collective of creatives” with “platform for conscious art centered around preservation and promotion of cultures of African descent” (some performances, open mics, community gatherings, etc.): http:// maroonartsgroup.com/

Columbus African American Cultural Festival: https://www.columbus.gov/aacf/

Columbus Black International Film Festival: https://www.columbusbiff.com/about

People’s Justice Project – grass roots social justice group supporting POC: https://actionnetwork.org/groups/peoples-justice-project

COMMUNITY/ARTS

ORGANIZATIONS – not necessarily African American focused Idea Foundry – makerspace: https://ideafoundry.com/

William H. Thomas “Art Gallery in the Hood” – think tanks, gallery space, workshops, events: http://www.galleryinthehood.com/

King Arts Complex in Near Eastside, “cultural oasis for arts, entertainment, educational activities and community events” www.kingsartscomplex.com or on facebook

Open Door Art Studio and Gallery: https://cchsohio.org/ opendoorartstudio/#1565109397076-6ac4b1c6-650d

Community Spoken Word Project – events put on by CAPA: https://www.capa. com/home/hamilton-spoken-word/

Wild Goose Creative – “incubator for creative projects” in Franklinton neighborhood: https://www.wildgoosecreative.com/

BUSINESS INCUBATORS

Rev1 Ventures – supports inclusive entrepreneurship: https://www. rev1ventures.com/entrepreneurs/

LAND TRUST

Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation: https://cocic.org/

Appendix B

Photo Sources:

62-63: https://projectrowhouses.org

65 bottom: https://44news.wevv.com/dedication-ceremony-set-african-american-heritage-trail/ 68: https://www.theastergates.com/project-items/rebuild-foundation

Any photos not listed, from 106 Group team

Poindexter Village Interpretive Plan

APPENDIX C:

POINDEXTER VILLAGE

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (BOUND SEPARATELY)

APPENDIX F:

LIVED EXPERIENCE INTERVIEWS