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On Sunday, March 3rd, from noon to 5 p.m., the Pink Palace Museum hosts its community opening day, where you can explore the Making Memphis: 200 Years of Community bicentennial exhibit for free.
The exhibit is all about connecting Memphis communities and exploring events from the past 200 years that have shaped our city’s past. Discover the mission, service, and activities of 15 local organizations by visiting their tables. Enjoy performances throughout the day by a Mexican dance group, Opera Memphis, and more.
Nur Abdalla, coordinating curator at the museum, says the event is “perfect for families and children" and will feature interactive components and “family-friendly performances and organization tables.”
One interactive component is the "threads of history." These threads include Heritage and Identity, Commerce and Entrepreneurialism, Migration and Settlement, Art and Entertainment, and Geography and the Environment. Visitors can view these threads, which are color-coded, running across the ceiling to form a web. The threads can be physically followed to show where they intersect and how they’ve influenced each other.
A true community event, the exhibit will showcase community-curated items chosen by visitors. These items can be voted on by the public by clicking this link.
Items with the most votes will be put on display in the next month. One of the things Abdalla is most excited for, she says, is to have “all the great community organizations and artists be a part of the celebration.” She adds that many of these people were part of the planning for the community engagement phase of the exhibit.
This free community day opening offers more than a look into Memphis' past — feel free to visit the rest of the museum, says Abdalla, “especially the newly renovated Mansion." Abdalla also notes that the Lichterman Nature Center and Mallory-Neely will also have special exhibits and programming for the Bicentennial.
Come out and enjoy an afternoon learning about the community you love, free of all cost! If you find yourself wanting more, there are other programs in conjunction with Making Memphis.
For more information visit memphismuseums.org.