Pressroom Story

Community Partners Bring Major Race Exhibit to Roc

In Brief:

Title: Rochester Museum & Science Center Joins Forces with Community Partners to Bring a Major Race Exhibition Here

Location: 657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607

Dates: January 26—April 28, 2013

Detailed Information: www.rmsc.org; Facebook; Twitter (@rocRMSC)

Partners Promote Awareness, Understanding, Change

ROCHESTER, NY—The Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) and the Rochester Initiative for Structural Equality (RISE) Coalition will bring an exhibition experience called RACE: Are We So Different? to the community for three months in early 2013.

The RMSC and RISE Coalition are collaborating on plans for this exhibition with several other community partners to create programs and events designed to promote awareness about racial issues and foster meaningful conversations about how we can substantially improve our understanding of each other. In addition, RMSC will provide curriculum support on the topic to area teachers and assistance to school groups for travel and admission.

This traveling exhibition, which tells the stories of race from the biological, cultural, and historical points of view, will be at RMSC from January 26 through April 28, 2013. The exhibition is made possible by a $200,000 grant awarded to RMSC by Rochester Area Community Foundation.

"After learning about RACE: Are We So Different?, we knew we wanted to make it possible for the Rochester Museum & Science Center to offer this exhibition on a subject that touches us all—regardless of our background," said Jennifer Leonard, the Community Foundation's President and Executive Director. "The RMSC has a history of educating and entertaining our community, and we're excited to help this coalition of partners inspire and enrich the lives of community members."

"We are grateful beyond expression to the leaders of the Rochester Area Community Foundation for their farsighted generosity," said Kate Bennett, President, RMSC. "We know that conversations about race and racism are important steps in changing ideas we have when it comes to our differences. With this exhibit, a goal is to open our visitors' minds to the science and their hearts to new ways of looking at, thinking about and acting on diversity. We are excited to be a part of this change, and to work with our community partners."

The RISE Coalition is an organized group of community leaders that seeks to promote concepts of structural equality throughout the Greater Rochester community. With RACE: Are We So Different? as the cornerstone, related programs and activities will be held before, during and after the exhibition run. There is a growing list of partners and from the beginning both Action for a Better Community (ABC) and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) played leadership roles. All organizations will plan to place an emphasis on programs and activities to provide a deep experience with the exhibition. Developing an environment for better discussion and communication within the community about race is key. The collaborative efforts will implement activities including talking circles, guest speakers, artistic events, professional development opportunities and facilitated age-appropriate classroom discussions. Some will take place at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, and others will be held at partner locations and beyond.

The RMSC has a school scholarship fund, which will be used to provide reduced admission fees, as well as busing for schools that lack travel and field study funding—particularly urban and rural school districts. Funding will support more than 2,500 school students. Community partners will fundraise to help make it possible for additional students to experience the exhibition.

The RMSC also plans to provide materials for school curricula. The New York State curriculum mandates students to consider the issues of ethnicity and culture as part of the NYS learning standards across multiple levels in the K-12 curriculum.

"This exhibit will provide the platform for a broad-based community educational experience regarding the myths and realities of race," said James Norman, President and CEO, ABC, and Chair of the RISE Coalition. "Over the next three decades, our region and the U.S. as a whole will transition to a majority minority demographic profile. If we are to transition successfully and strengthen our economic competitiveness, we need to increase our understanding of structural inequalities and our commitment to principles of 'equity.'"

Throughout history, people's differences have been a source of strength, community and personal identity. They have also been the basis for discrimination and oppression. The exhibit explores the everyday experience of race, the contemporary science that is challenging common ideas about race, and the history of this idea in the United States. While differences are socially and culturally real, contemporary scientific understanding of race and human variation is complex and may challenge how visitors think about it. In other words, we are not all that different. RACE: Are We So Different? helps visitors understand what race is and what it is not.

Exhibition highlights include displays and activities for all ages. A dynamic 3d animation takes visitors "inside" for a close up look at their molecular selves. Participants can also scan their skin and see their photo appear alongside the scans of other visitors' skin, creating a colorful mosaic of skin tones. Another interactive station invites visitors to match voices they hear with photos of people of different races to see if they can identify a person's race by their speech.

Developed by the American Anthropological Association in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota, RACE: Are We So Different? is the first nationally traveling exhibition to tell the stories of race from the biological, cultural, and historical points of view. Combining these perspectives offers an unprecedented look at race and racism in the United States. RACE: Are We So Different? was a winner of the Excellence in Exhibition Competition at the 2008 meeting of the American Association of Museums.

Anyone interested in becoming involved in this community project should contact:

Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) receives major funding from Monroe County. RMSC includes a planetarium, nature center and science/regional history museum. The mission of the RMSC is to stimulate broad community interest and understanding of science and technology, and their impact—past, present, future—on our lives. For more information about RMSC, visit www.rmsc.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@rocRMSC).

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