Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Ambrose.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Andy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am the Executive Director of the Tubman African American Museum in Macon, Georgia – the largest museum in the Southeast (and one of the largest in the nation) devoted to African American art, history, and culture.
This was not the position or the career path I had in mind when I first came to Atlanta in 1980 to pursue a doctoral degree at Emory University in the Institute of the Liberal Arts. My background to that point was in southern history – and in particular, in southern women’s history – and my plans were to teach this subject in college. But in my second year of graduate study, I was offered an opportunity by the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site to work with them as a research historian, focusing on the history of the Auburn Avenue neighborhood where Dr. King grew up. In the process, I became fascinated with the history and patterns of black housing in Atlanta and the ways in which racial residential segregation and the “color line” were maintained, drawn, and redrawn as the city grew – and this subject became the focus on my dissertation.
Taking that job changed my career, my life, and my future and unexpectedly led to my current position at the Tubman Museum.
The Atlanta History Center exposed me to new ways of presenting and exploring the history and the challenges and rewards of interacting with a broad public audience. The AHC also allowed me to range widely in my pursuits over the next 14 years – curating exhibits (including an exhibit on the American South for the 1996 Olympics and an exhibit on the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot on the hundredth anniversary of that event), developing programs, working closely with the Kenan Research Center, the historic houses and gardens, and the exhibitions and collections departments, editing the AHC’s historical journal, and serving as Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer.
In 2006, my career path took another unexpected turn when I received a call from a search firm inquiring if I would be interested in the Director’s position at the Tubman Museum in Macon. I thought at first that they had made a mistake. I hadn’t worked before at an African American museum, I wasn’t looking for a new position. And, as I sheepishly told them, I’m not African American. But after learning more about the history of the Tubman Museum, the vision of its founder, Richard Keil, the richness of the museum’s growing art and history collections, and the unique way that this museum blends African American art and history in its exhibits, programs, events and educational outreach to area schools and communities, my family and I decided to make the move.
And the result has been a rich reward of new experiences, new partnerships, new approaches to education and outreach, and the completion and opening of a beautiful new 49,000 square-foot Museum in downtown Macon that operates not only as a traditional museum but also as a cultural and performing arts center.
Has it been a smooth road?
The effort to construct and open the new Tubman Museum faced several unforeseen challenges both before and after my arrival. Initial construction on the building in 2001 was interrupted by 9-11 and building and material costs escalated shortly afterwards due to increased demand for steel in Asia and the economic impact of a series of devastating hurricanes that hit the Southeast.
Fortunately, the Director of the Tubman Museum at that time and the Tubman Board were able to complete the exterior of the building before having to halt construction. And they were supported in these efforts by a wide array of local and state funders – including the Peyton Anderson Foundation, the John and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Central Georgia – local and Atlanta businesses, bi-partisan Congressional funding, and widespread grassroots support.
When we relaunched the capital campaign to complete the new museum in November of 2008, we again hit an unexpected obstacle and a bit of bad timing. On this occasion, it was the Great Recession (which was later determined to have begun that very same month). But once again, community supporters, state partners, and our Congressional and Senate representatives reinvested in the project and the approval of $2.5 million in SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) funding for the project by Macon-Bibb County voters enabled us to complete construction and to open the new Museum to the public in May 2015.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The Tubman Museum is one of the largest museums in the nation devoted to African American art, history and culture. And we explore those subjects and their impact through a wide spectrum of presentations and experiences – including onsite and traveling exhibits, programs and classes, immersive guided tours, performances (including dance presentations, concerts, and West African drumming) and special events.
These special events also take place both inside and outside the walls of the museum and include the All That Jazz Concert and Ball at the Macon City Auditorium on January 27, 2018 (featuring Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle), the Pan African Festival of Georgia on April 28-29 (a free public festival that explores the international impact of the African Diaspora as expressed in dance, music, art, food, and film), free drive-in movies for families (using the back lot of the Museum), West African drum circles (utilizing master drummers and West African drums) that take place both outside and inside the Museum, Second Saturdays (with programming for families and children), Third Thursdays (with evening dance classes and other activities for adults), and the International Taste of Soul
In addition to these offerings, the Tubman Museum has developed an expanding educational outreach program for area schools and communities. These outreach offerings include traveling exhibits, after-school instruction in the visual and performing arts at selected Title One elementary school, African American heritage camps, and free student workshops for under-performing third and fifth-grade students (in partnership with the School of Education at Middle Georgia State University). The focus and mission of the Tubman is centered on education and much of our outreach is directed towards expanding the educational resources and experiences for the students and teachers of the Bibb County School District.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Based on the 26 years I lived and worked in Atlanta, I think the Atlanta metro area could benefit from and even emulate some of the educational programs and outreach initiatives we have pioneered at the Tubman Museum and the educational and program partnerships and collaborations we have developed with area colleges (including Mercer University, Wesleyan College, Middle Georgia State University, Fort Valley State University, and Georgia College and State University).
The Tubman Museum and our African American art and history exhibits, our guided tours, and specialized workshops, and our signature events and programs are also a wonderful resource for Atlanta metro schools and school systems, visitors and residents. And as we continue to grow and expand in our offerings, we want to align with our sister museums, universities and colleges, arts and culture organizations, communities, and businesses in Atlanta to impact the whole state in better understanding and recognizing the many ways in which all of us are connected to and impacted by African American art, history, and culture.
Pricing:
- Tubman Members – free
- Adults – $10.000
- Adult Group Rate (15+ people) – $8.00
- Children/Teens (ages 3-17) – $6.00
- AAA members – $8.00
- AARP members – $8.00
- Seniors (55+) and College Students – $8.00
- Educators – $8.00
- Military – $8.00
Contact Info:
- Address: 310 Cherry Street
Macon, Georgia 31201 - Website: www.tubmanmuseum.com
- Phone:(478) 743-8544
- Email:aambrose@tubmanmuseum.com
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