Growing Griot

Adrienne Davis, Lois Conley, De Nichols, Rochelle Caruthers, Geoff Ward

In the face of heightened disinvestment and a new private development that has displaced much of its surrounding neighborhood, The Griot Museum of Black History aspires to reaffirm and expand its role as a cultural anchor of the St. Louis community. To do this, it is building Growing Griot, a community-centered engagement framework that will work with local arts & culture leaders, students, and residents to develop vision and strategies that investigate the feasibility of redeveloping The Griot’s building and grounds, reimagining its purpose, and deepening its social power in contemporary St. Louis. Growing Griot entails three scopes of community engagement effort that will help catalyze a capital improvement campaign for the museum. These include a series of public engagement programming that ushers the insights, vision, and expertise of community residents; a Learning Lab series of educational endeavors with students of the Washington University School of Arts & Sciences, Sam Fox School of Design & Art, and School of Architecture; and Team Griot, a group of local arts leaders who have joined with The Griot Board and staff to steer the development of a formal strategic plan.