Earlier today I shared this note with National Archives employees, and I want to share it with you:
Given the recent attention around the development of the new signature galleries for the National Archives Building, I want to make sure all NARA employees have had the opportunity to see the online walkthrough of the current plans for the exhibit. They have been posted online as part of the National Archives Foundation (NAF) capital campaign. You can find them on the NAF website here.
I am proud of what is being developed, and I think you will be too. Our curatorial team, with the support of NARA staff across the agency and our Foundation partners, is working very hard to develop a space that invites all Americans to learn more about our history, and how their stories intersect at the National Archives. The space is intended to complement the Charters of Freedom display, which is being expanded to include the Emancipation Proclamation and the 19th Amendment, and the excellent Records of Rights exhibit—which documents some of the hardest moments in our collective growth toward a more perfect Union—to help provide every Archives visitor in Washington, DC, with a more complete understanding of our history.
This new gallery will enhance opportunities to attract new audiences and incorporate state-of-the-art interactive learning and engaging experiences. I am confident that we are planning the space in a way that is meaningful for all visitors, and in a way that makes all of us proud. This includes components of the exhibit describing difficult episodes in our nation’s history.
Our top goal is to feature diverse narratives that are representative of all Americans and the history of our country, with a particular focus on how federal government records have been used by Americans to claim rights, strengthen democracy, and tell important stories about our past. Please review the draft exhibit plans. I will host a conversation about the exhibit space and our Declaration250 plans for employees in December, and I look forward to your feedback.
DR. COLLEEN J. SHOGAN
Archivist of the United States
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