Bringing the visions of a major new museum to life in South Carolina has moved forward thanks to generous funding.
The International African American Museum (IAAM) has announced they have received a single $1.7 million donation from Sony Corporation of America (CSA), as part of Sony’s Global Justice Fund.
The significant grant will help developers and curators fit out the museum’s centrepiece and largest attraction, the Atlantic Worlds Gallery. The Gallery will not only house a captivating Slavery collection, but will also look out onto the original path where thousands of new slaves arrived by boat to Gadsden’s Wharf.
Entrance to the new museum
Charleston’s Gadsden’s Wharf is a sobering location for the new visitor experience, with historians estimating nearly half of all African slaves who were brought to America arrived at the Wharf.
Costing $100 million to design, develop and fit out, IAAM is set to be a deeply thought-provoking visitor experience – and sets to empower and provoke empathy amongst guests by acknowledging the untold stories of African America’s past.
Officials at the Museum are keen to combine the historical narrative while harnessing the latest technologies to cater for the ‘new normal’ and next generation of attractions. Through their partnership with Sony, the new Museum will feature a range of ground-breaking Sony products – including next generation Crystal LED display series and 4K HDR BRAVIA technologies.
Sony’s Crystal LED Display shown in a museum setting
Commenting on the generous funding from Sony, Dr. Elijah Heyward III, CEO of the IAAM said: “One silver lining of the pandemic is that museums have been challenged to re-imagine the visitor experience.
“Not only will we create more virtual options to learn and inspire, but we will also make use of the extraordinary new technology so generously contributed by Sony inside the Museum. When our doors open in 2022, visitors will experience the journey of African Americans in a way that has never been seen or felt before.
“Thanks to Sony, the International African American Museum will be a showcase for a new generation of visitor experiences.”
Video uses artistic impressions to showcase what IAAM will look like on Charleston’s waterfront
In other museum news, Experience UK spoke to The Moule Partnership’s Jeff Davis to indulge in the secrets of delivering world-class visitor destinations.
