First Amendment Museum receives a $249,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services – Bangor Daily News

Award will fund exhibition design that will inspire people to exercise their First Amendment freedoms

AUGUSTA The First Amendment Museum was awarded a highly competitive Museums for America grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the amount of $249,000 to Complete the Permanent Exhibition Design for the First Amendment Museum. The FAM is a new nonpartisan museum focused on educating and inspiring individuals to exercise their First Amendment rights: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.

The FAM is thrilled to receive this federal grant which will move our project forward in important ways, said Christian Cotz, CEO. The museums exhibitions will demonstrate how Americans have utilized their First Amendment rights as a tool to advance our society and to create that more perfect union that is our civic charge. But perhaps more importantly, these dynamic, thought-provoking, and interactive exhibitions will inspire people to live their freedoms and exercise their rights in more intentional and effective ways.

The First Amendment Museum has embarked on a sitewide restoration project to transform the historic Guy P. Gannett house, located next to the Maine State Capitol and Governors Mansion, into a 21st-century museum. The exhibition will be created by celebrated designer Helen Reigle of HER Design in Boston, whose portfolio includes the Boston Public Librarys Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial, the National Baseball Hall of Fames A Whole New Game and America on The Move at the Smithsonians National Museum of American History.

This major grant will help us create a visitor experience that is unique, interactive, and relevant, said Genie Gannett, co-founder and president of the Board of Directors. Were tremendously grateful to the IMLS for their generous support of this effort.

The state-of-the-art exhibition will allow visitors to encounter, interact with, and reflect upon their rights by reinforcing the notion that we utilize and engage with our First Amendment freedoms daily, often inside our own homes. Incorporating best practices for exhibition design, each room of the museum will interpret a particular aspect of the First Amendment. For example, a dystopian kitchen will show what life would be like in a society without the First Amendment; the Library of Censorship will highlight books, movies, and music that have been banned throughout the years; a teen bedroom will explore youth speech and social media; and the exercise room will engage kinesthetic learners.

The completion of this exhibition will contribute to visitors understanding of their First Amendment rights and inspire them to practice and preserve the five freedoms of the First Amendment. We are in the beginning stages of this campaign to build an inspiring new museum here in Maine, said Jamie OBrien, chief development officer. The IMLS Grant is an important step, and we hope others will join us in this project to inspire and educate on the importance of utilizing our First Amendment rights for the betterment of our society and our country.

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First Amendment Museum receives a $249,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services - Bangor Daily News