Presidential Precinct Welcomes Belarusian Museum Curators and Historians

Visit to Charlottesville Explores Nexus of U.S. History, Archeology, and Public Memory

On a breezy day in January, a small group of Belarusian historians, educators, and museum curators arrived in Charlottesville, just beginning their trip across the United States as International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participants. Our time together at the Presidential Precinct focused on historical memory and cultural heritage through case studies with community partners.

This program provided many opportunities to compare how museums, learning institutions, and community-based organizations seek out and incorporate different viewpoints in their storytelling.

At Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, our visitors learned about the Mountaintop Project and how oral histories of the descendants of the enslaved make stories more holistic, supported by archeological research. Associate Curator Emilie Johnson and Stephen Light, Interim Vice President of Guest Experiences, discussed recent exhibitions in Monticello’s wings and along Mulberry Row, including the space inhabited by Sally Hemings and her children.

From the grounds of Monticello, the group followed Jefferson’s westward gaze to the University of Virginia. Later in their program, they delved into Jefferson’s idea of the university and his support for public education in a roundtable discussion led by Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Professor of History at the University of Virginia.

Our visitors engaged in an extensive discussion about memorials and public history with Dr. Andrea Douglas, Executive Director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. Dr. Douglas tackled questions about the statue of Robert E. Lee that formerly stood in one of Charlottesville’s parks, what it symbolizes to whom, the history and events that led Charlotteville to this point, and the legal and civic processes now underway to rematerialize it.

Everyone emerged from this conversation with a deeper appreciation for stewardship of a civic space, learning about the Jefferson School’s history and the importance of a community’s perspectives on its own urban landscape. In addition to shared approaches and techniques, visitors took away new ideas to generate public interest in the museums, exhibits, and historic sites that they themselves curate.

At James Monroe’s Highland and James Madison’s Montpelier, our conversations focused on information technology and crowdsourcing as means to elevate the voices of local and descendant communities to preserve a more complete history. Visitors were especially impressed with architectural technician Tessa Honeycutt’s demonstration of 3D modeling of Montpelier and the “Arc of Enslaved Communities,” the 850-square mile near Virginia’s Southwest Mountains that encompassed one of the highest concentrations of enslaved Americans during the formative years of the United States. 

Mutual exchange of ideas was a consistent theme across all sites and case studies brought to the discussion table.

“With the cultural heritage professionals from Belarus, I was grateful for the chance to think more about audio-visual interpretation,” said Mariaelena DiBenigno, Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellow at James Monroe’s Highland.

DiBenigno is working on how to use sound in one of the estate’s forthcoming exhibits.

“From sounds that evoke Monacan Indian presence to enslaved work songs to present-day public archaeology, this future exhibit will immerse visitors in a different type of historical imagining about our site,” DiBeigno said.

“[With this group] I learned about similar exhibits at museums I may never have the opportunity to visit. My Belarusian colleagues shared how soundscapes worked effectively within different cultural and historical contexts and inspired visitors to consider how the past is a fluid multi-sensory space. From this cultural exchange, I now have new sites to examine and new angles to pursue as we think more expansively about the telling of history.”

The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Learn more about the Presidential Precinct’s role in IVLP here: https://presidentialprecinct.org/ivlp