The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will open during President Barack Obama’s second term, and one section will feature a large display about the first black president. Curators have been working since 2008 to gather objects, documents and images that capture his place in history.
Curator William Pretzer ventured into the crowd Monday, mostly looking for memorabilia that had a personal touch – beyond the T-shirts and buttons hawked by vendors. Pretzer was most interested in handmade items, but he didn’t find much.
“There’s so much commercially produced stuff that people don’t go to the trouble anymore,” he said. “It’s the personal expression, as opposed to the commercial” that the museum most wants to display.
Watch President Obama speak at the groundbreaking for the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History And Culture:
