International African American Museum in Charleston, SC to host world premier of first-of-its-kind exhibit made possible by a $1M gift

The International African American Museum will host the world premier of a special exhibition highlighting the African-American search for freedom and self-determination.

Entitled Follow the North Star: Freedom in the Age of Mobility, it is the first to be curated and crafted by IAAM that is designed to travel to other museums around the country, introducing them to historical events leading to African American liberation, according to a news release.

The exhibition will be on display from May 23 through Nov. 3, 2024.

nspired by the call to “follow the North Star” to freedom and self-determination, Follow the North Star: Freedom in the Age of Mobility tells the stories of those who forged new paths, paving the way for others, the release stated. This multi-media exploration follows the multifaceted journey of African American liberation through movement.

The exhibition was made possible through a $1 million gift from Michelin North America Inc., according to the release. In addition, the Michelin Corporate Foundation was one of the museum’s founding donors, with a philanthropic investment to launch and support the International African American Museum. While Michelin serves as presenting sponsor of Follow the North Star, IAAM’s first traveling exhibition, additional funding was provided by the Mellon Foundation.

“Michelin is proud to partner with the International African American Museum in Charleston, which opened last June. Our partnership reflects one of our core values — Respect for People — and supports our desire to educate, inform and inspire about the history and heritage of the African American communities,” said Alexis Garcin, president and CEO of Michelin North America Inc., in the release. “More specifically, it celebrates the theme of being free to move. Our sponsorship of this new exhibit illuminates that goal.”

Through the lens of historical events related to the African-American search for freedom and lesser-known forms of escape, including folklore, storytelling, and metaphysical travel, visitors will explore this exhibition from three perspectives: Transportation, The Great Migration, and Spirituality/Imagination, the release stated. Whether relocating out West to be a cowboy, creating art in the Harlem Renaissance, or leaving the United States entirely, African Americans have historically transformed their daily lived realities in different ways. This journey toward freedom, a highly pursued and often elusive destination, has taken many forms, from recurring Back-to-Africa Movements to the famed Montgomery Bus Boycotts to Afrofuturist visions of other worlds. All in, the African American journey is complex and full of possibility and agency no matter where it leads.

An opening reception will be held on Wednesday, May 22, celebrating the world premiere of this traveling exhibition. Register for the opening reception by clicking here. There will also be a Curator Talk on Thursday, August 8. A link to registration will be forthcoming.

“It’s a remarkable feat to plan and produce a traveling exhibition within our first year of opening, but that’s exactly what we’ve done with Follow the North Star, which will offer a microcosm of the IAAM experience everywhere this very special exhibition travels,” said Malika Pryor, chief learning and engagement officer at IAAM. “It’s the marriage of lesser told stories paired with immersive art, powerful artifacts, and technology that humanizes and elevates the narrative guiding you through a moving journey much like our forefathers may have witnessed,”

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