La. Civil Rights Museum installation to open in Morial Convention Center.

The Louisiana Weekly Staff Reports — A new installation showcasing Louisiana’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement will open to the public on Oct. 8 in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

“The Inaugural Experience,” a 5,000-square-foot installation located at the North Entrance near the Riverwalk at Julia St., will feature audio files, photography and other digital assets recounting and showcasing notable moments from Louisiana’s Civil Rights history.

Curated by local Glenda McKinley and her creative firm, GMc & Co., “the dream cube,” the installation’s culminating exhibit designed by New York-based Local Projects in cooperation with the Solomon Group of New Orleans offers visitors an interactive video experience where they will be able to engage in a Q&A with various figures from the movement – and will even allow them to seemingly step into photographs of famous moments, such as Ruby Bridges’ first day at William Frantz Elementary School.

The $2-million installation is the latest addition to the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail, a 3,000-mile trek across the state featuring permanent markers at specific locations signifying key events in the local civil rights struggle, from the Crescent City to Bogalusa to Baton Rouge to Monroe. The long term goal, according to the Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, whose office is responsible for organizing the trail and the installation, is to generate enough interest and funding to open a full-scale Louisiana Civil Rights Museum in New Orleans permanently.

A grand opening event for the installation is planned for October 8-15 in the Convention Center’s Hall A. The event is free and open to the public. Hours for the opening are 2-5 p.m. on October 8, and from 9-4:30 p.m. Oct. 9-15. Ticketed entry into the museum begins on October 16.

More information about the exhibit and the museum is available online at www.louisianacivilrightsmuseum.org

This article originally published in the October 2, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.