
How does history inspire a global dialogue on freedom and resilience? As featured in the New York Times, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is addressing this profound question with its newest traveling exhibition, In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World.
This international collaboration brings together NMAAHC, Brown University, and eight museums spanning four continents to explore the enduring impact of slavery, colonialism, and the global fight for freedom. Featuring 100 objects, 250 images, and 10 multi-media interactives and films, this multi-lingual exhibition highlights stories of survival, resistance, and humanity. After its debut in Washington DC, it will travel over the next five years, inspiring audiences across South America, Africa, and Europe.
Meyvaert is honoured to have contributed to this unique project with the production and installation of all 34 custom-designed showcases. Tailored to present, preserve, and protect these powerful narratives with the utmost care and precision, they play a vital role in emphasizing the exhibition's core themes, blending aesthetic elegance with conservation-grade protection for irreplaceable items. Moreover, the showcases allow for a variety of configurations and easy graphic changes to best fit the different requirements of the future international venues in terms of shapes, dimensions and languages. We also developed custom traveling crates for easy storage and secure transportation. These crates accommodate both fully assembled cases and separate components that need to be disassembled for travel.
The exhibition not only invites us to reflect on the past but challenges us to engage with the present and envision a future shaped by freedom and justice. Meyvaert is proud to support this journey of discovery and dialogue.
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