Kalamazoo Valley Muesum Scores Historic Acquistion

I can remember being in elementary school and going to the Kalamazoo Valley Muesum every year, although it was a "basic" field trip it was always fun and intriguing. One of my favorite exhibits of all time is the mummy exhibit even though it used to give me the creeps and goosebumps when I was younger. It was always fascinating to think about the preservation of the body during mummification.

Anyway, there were always old exhibits running their course and being pushed out for new exhibits as the museum wanted to stay up with the trends of the history, art, and science worlds while also being appealing to their visitors. Every once in a while, the Kalamazoo Valley Muesum comes across something that draws eyes from all over and their most recent acquisition should surely turn some heads.

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For years the Kalamazoo Valley Museum has expressed interest in housing African American and other black artifacts in an exhibit to spread knowledge on the culture and significant events. Now, they are able to say they are making strides towards that with their newest acquisition from the collection on Murphy Darden Sr. Mr. Darden is a Kalamazoo native that became a well-known and renowned historian

The museum acquired just over 200 items from the private African American history and art collections of Mr. Darden and is the most significant obtainment since the 1930's. The museum is marking the momentous occasion by opening a free new mini exhibit, "Collecting Black History: Murphy Darden's Legacy," and hosting a number of celebratory events during Labor Day week.

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The mini exhibits will be on display from September 5th, 2024, until March 2, 2025, and will feature 24 carefully chosen items. By the way, this the fourth time that the museum has shown Darden's findings, as some of them have never seen the public eye. There are 4 events that accompany the mini exhibits, and they are as follows:

• Thursday, Sept. 5 | 2 p.m. | Panel discussion with community leaders and friends of Murphy Darden, including playwright Buddy Hannah; Wendy Fields, president of the Metropolitan Kalamazoo Branch of the NAACP; and the Rev. Kevin Lavender Sr., pastor of Bible Baptist Church, facilitated by Earlene McMichael, a journalist who is the museum's marketing project manager.
• Thursday, Sept. 5 | 4:30 - 6 p.m. | Reception to celebrate the life and collection of Murphy Darden, featuring Darden's son, Rickie, and Kalamazoo Valley Community College President L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D. Program starts at 5 p.m.
• Friday, Sept. 6 | 7 p.m. | Murphy Darden documentary film screening, produced by Public Media Network.
• Friday, Sept. 6 | 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. | "Fill the Gaps: The Art of Murphy Darden" exhibit at the Center for New Media.