Growing Griot (2019)

What is the role of the black history museum in the midst of a rapidly changing city? How might existing spaces be better utilized to collect, celebrate, and exhibit Black art, culture, and history in ways that are relevant to Black St. Louis today? What resources, partners, strategy, and changes are needed in order to anchor black spaces to achieve this? 

These are some of the questions that ground Growing Griot, a collaborative initiative and series of engagements helping The Griot Museum of Black History develop vision and strategy towards its future. 

In the face of heightened disinvestment and a new private development that has displaced much of its surrounding neighborhood, The Griot Museum of Black History aspires to reaffirm and expand its role as a cultural anchor of the St. Louis community.

To do this, it is building Growing Griot, a community-centered engagement framework that will work with local arts & culture leaders, students, and residents to develop vision and strategies that investigate the feasibility of redeveloping The Griot’s building and grounds, reimagining its purpose, and deepening its social power in contemporary St. Louis.

Growing Griot entails three scopes of community engagement effort that will help catalyze a capital improvement campaign for the museum. These include a series of public engagement programming that ushers the insights, vision, and expertise of community residents; a Learning Lab series of educational endeavors with students of the Washington University School of Arts & Sciences, Sam Fox School of Design & Art, and School of Architecture; and Team Griot, a group of local arts leaders who have joined with The Griot Board and staff to steer the development of a formal strategic plan.