Symposium Set To Discuss Fate Of Woodson African-American Museum

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Unlike many museums that are brainstorming ways to entice visitors, the Woodson African-American Museum in St. Petersburg has no problem attracting crowds.

In fact, visitors often have to be turned away. In the 13 years since the museum was founded, it's outgrown its current facility and its ability to provide the programming needed to continue its mission of celebrating and strengthening the black community.

Faced with this dilemma, the City of St. Petersburg is hosting a one-day symposium and community conversation to discuss the future of the museum. The event will take place Saturday, June 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Historic Manhattan Casino, 642 22nd St. S., St. Petersburg.

Located inside a renovated bungalow at 2240 9th Ave. S., St. Petersburg, the Woodson now attracts visitors from throughout the Southeast United States. Since its founding in 2006, the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African-American Museum (the Woodson) has become noted for its programs that celebrate the untold stories of African-Americans and promote constructive discussions about culture, race and equity.

In 2017, the Woodson was named by Blavity.com as one of 19 "must see" museums in the nation.

The symposium, "Making History / Building Visions," will bring together national scholars and designers to discuss how the Woodson can expand and can continue to serve the community.

Speakers will include:

• Dr. Mabel O. Wilson, professor and author of Negro Building: African Americans in the World of Fairs and Museums (2012) and the forthcoming Building Race and Nation: How Slavery and Dispossession Shaped America's Civic Architecture
• Walter Hood, landscape architect and director of Hood Design Studio, Oakland, California
• Dr. Michelle Joan Wilkinson, curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture, Washington, D.C.
• Gwendolyn Reese, local historian, prominent speaker and president of St. Petersburg's African-American Heritage Trail
• Mario Gooden, principal of Huff + Gooden Architects, New York and author of Dark Space: Architecture, Representation, Black Identity (2016).

Registration must be made in advance to attend the free symposium. Click here for reservations.