NLM Announces Fall Exhibition, Project Liberty: A Design Challenge
Through a series of hands-on interactives and a dedicated studio space, Project Liberty employs design thinking – a creative and collaborative approach to problem-solving – as a framework for solving challenges and real world-problems. Shifting perspectives between “me” and “we”, visitors will work with others to find solutions at both the personal and community levels, and tackle the question, “How do we create liberty for all?”
The finale of the Museum’s three-year exploration of the concept and practice of liberty today, NLM engaged with local designers, community leaders, and specialists in History and Civics to develop this exhibition. Project Liberty aims to demonstrate that liberty is a practice that requires the active participation of all, and acknowledges that at the heart of liberty is a critical design challenge: how to balance the rights of individuals with the collective good of society.
“Project Liberty is more than an exhibition; it’s an experience aimed at fostering a solution-oriented mindset. The National Liberty Museum invites visitors to immerse themselves in the world of problem-solving and explore how we, as individuals and communities, can work together to create liberty for all,” said Chief Program Officer Dr. Elizabeth Grant.
As part of the exhibition, the museum’s Liberty Learning Lab is transformed into a collaborative studio space, where visitors are invited to put their best creative thinking to task in tackling some of today’s most divisive and challenging issues. Visitors will dive deep into topics ranging from gun violence to environmental sustainability in case studies informed by the museum’s long-standing flagship school initiative, the Young Heroes Outreach Program, a year-long civic engagement program for elementary and middle school students.
“We wanted to ensure that the topics explored in this exhibition were ones our stakeholders shared their direct concerns for, but we recognize that there are no easy solutions,” said Grant. “In Project Liberty we provide the tools and create a space for visitors to open their minds to new ideas and perspectives and work together to consider new ways of approaching familiar, seemingly insurmountable problems.”
Accompanying the exhibition is a rich line-up of seasonal programming, with additional opportunities for educational field trips and onsite pop-up tours hosted by the Museum to give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the development of the exhibition.
