The stax museum of american soul music will implement a curator-in-residence program designed to strengthen the museum's interpretive capacity, expand access to its collections, and deepen scholarship…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded Soulsville Foundation Inc. $100,000 on September 1, 2026, under the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture program (CFDA 45.309) to implement a Curator-in-Residence Program at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tennessee.

Resident curators will conduct research in the museum's archives and artifact collections; collaborate with staff to develop interpretive materials, exhibitions, and digital storytelling content; and lead public programs including lectures, listening sessions, and youth workshops. The program is designed to strengthen the museum's interpretive capacity, expand access to its collections, and deepen scholarship related to African American music history and the global legacy of Stax Records. Project deliverables include new interpretive resources, updated gallery content, educational materials for teachers and students, and public presentations that expand access to African American music history and increase the museum's national visibility as a center for research on soul music and African American cultural heritage.

The award period runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2028. Work is performed in Memphis, Tennessee. Soulsville Foundation Inc. is a minority-owned nonprofit organization based in Memphis.

The stax museum of american soul music will implement a curator-in-residence program designed to strengthen the museum's interpretive capacity, expand access to its collections, and deepen scholarship related to african american music history and the global legacy of stax records. Each resident curator will conduct research using the museum's archives and artifact collections; collaborate with staff to develop interpretive materials, exhibitions, and digital storytelling content; and lead public programs such as lectures, listening sessions, and youth workshops. The project will produce new interpretive resources, updated gallery content, educational materials for teachers and students, and public presentations designed to expand access to african american music history. Project results include new scholarship, strengthened collections interpretation, expanded educational resources, and increased national visibility for the stax museum as a center for research on soul music and african american cultural heritage.