The Griot Museum of Black History is a

wax museum A wax museum or waxworks usually consists of a collection of wax sculptures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses, wearing real clothes. Some wax museums have a special section dubb ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, founded in 1997. Originally named The Black World History Wax Museum, the organization changed its name to The Griot Museum of Black History (“The Griot”) in 2009. In some west African countries, the

griot A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. The griot is a repos ...

, is a historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet and/or musician. The griot is a repository of

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985) ...

and is often seen as a societal leader who preserves and shares cultural traditions of a community. Likewise, the museum collects, preserves, and shares the stories, culture, and history of Black people with a focus on those with a regional connection to St. Louis.

History

The Griot is the second African American wax museum in the country, the first being

National Great Blacks In Wax Museum The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum is a wax museum in Baltimore, Maryland featuring prominent African-American and other black historical figures. It was established in 1983, in a downtown storefront on Saratoga Street. The museum is currentl ...

in Baltimore. Founder Lois Conley was born in St. Louis and attended Saint Louis University for both her B.A. in Communications and M.A. in Education. She also completed a graduate certificate in

Museum Studies Museology or museum studies is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and education. Terminology The w ...

University of Missouri–St. Louis The University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) is a public research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Established in 1963, it is one of four universities in the University of Missouri System and its newest. Located on the former grounds of Bel ...

. In 2009, the Missouri Humanities Council formed the Urban Museum Collaborative with the Griot and two other St. Louis museums, Eugene Field House Museum and

Campbell House Museum The Campbell House Museum opened on February 6, 1943, and is in the Greater St. Louis area, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The museum was documented as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey between 1936 and 1941, designated a City o ...

, to share resources and collaborate on educational programs following a "museum without walls" model to connect museum exhibits with their surrounding urban environments.

Exhibits and Programs

Permanent exhibits

The Griot has numerous displays of

wax sculpture A wax sculpture is a depiction made using a waxy substance. Often these are effigies, usually of a notable individual, but there are also death masks and scenes with many figures, mostly in relief. The properties of beeswax make it an excel ...

s, art, and memorabilia. Featured historical figures include

Carter G. Woodson Carter Godwin Woodson (December 19, 1875April 3, 1950) was an American historian, author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He was one of the first scholars to study the h ...

Josephine Baker Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...

, Dred and Harriet Scott,

Elizabeth Keckley Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (February 1818 – May 1907) was an American seamstress, activist, and writer who lived in Washington, D.C. She was best known as the personal dressmaker and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln. Born into slavery, she was ow ...

, William Wells Brown, James Milton Turner, Clark Terry, Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Miles Davis, Madam C. J. Walker, Madame C.J. Walker, York (explorer), York, Percy Green, among others. Museum founder Lois Conley made many of the wax sculptures herself. The museum features a slave cabin built on the Wright–Smith Plantation in Jonesburg, Missouri. A scale model section of a slave ship used to transport Africans to America during the Atlantic slave trade, Atlantic Slave Trade is accompanied by a documentary film on the Middle Passage. A portrayal of auctions at the Old Courthouse (St. Louis), Old Courthouse includes artifacts from the people who were enslaved at that time. Other exhibits feature famous people and important figures of St. Louis black history through music, agriculture, civic service and advocacy. The museum hosts arts and humanities exhibits and sponsors education projects, gallery talks, and cultural celebrations.

Seasonal exhibits and programs

40 Acres and a Mule- An annual art show fundraiser is named after an unfilled promise to grant forty acres and a mule to formerly enslaved black farmers. Eminent Domain/Displaced- The ''Eminent Domain/Displaced'' exhibit featured stories of the historic Mill Creek Valley and nearby sections of St. Louis Place demolished for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency site. Black HIV/AIDS Awareness 2019- The Griot marked the 50th anniversary of the death of Robert Rayford, the first known victim of HIV/AIDS in the United States. The museum hosted events around National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, February 7, encouraging community members to contribute memorabilia and providing health screenings. Black HerStory Initiative- In 2021, the Griot received a Monument Lab grant to honor Black women who have contributed to St. Louis cultural, social, and political history. Monuments will be constructed in honor of St. Louis natives Pearlie Evans and Mary Meachum.

References

External links