Fatal passage: the transatlantic trade in human lives [the maritime slave trade in north america begins and ends in florida

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a $200,000 Project Grant to the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society, Inc. under the Promotion of the Humanities Public Programs (CFDA 45.164) to create a permanent exhibition titled "Fatal Passage: The Transatlantic Trade in Human Lives" and related public online resources. The grant will support expanding an existing 800 sq. ft. slave trade exhibit into a new 4,000 sq. ft. permanent installation, featuring the majority of the museum's collections related to the maritime slave trade in North America within the context of Florida. Funds will also be used to update exhibit cases and audiovisual materials, expand an existing online exhibition, and produce supplemental virtual content including videos, 3D artifacts, timelines and maps. The online resources are intended to enhance the in-person visitor experience through QR codes linking to digital content. The award period is from October 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.

Activities

  a new permanent exhibition will feature majority of the museum?S transatlantic slave trade collections. The museum will utilize its newly expanded galleries to enlarge the slave trade exhibit from 800 to 4,000 square feet. A walk-through environment depicting a slave ship?S captives? Deck will be built. Twenty-three custom-made, self-LIT cases will be updated with new lighting. Matching audio and video material will be updated with new hardware. The virtual exhibition of slave trade holdings launched in 2018 will be expanded with elements modified from the onsite exhibition. The exhibition will include video interviews with scholars, underwater footage of wreck sites, 3D image of selected artifacts, timelines, and illustrative maps. The new physical exhibition will be supplied with object labels bearing QR codes to encourage visitors to access the online modules using their smart phones, thereby enhancing their museum experience. Existing program staff, including the chief curator, curatorial assistant and marketing manager and three consulting scholars will be RE-hired.&nbsp

Expected outcomes

  expected outcomes of the project is a larger and better exhibition space, a more fully staffed museum on a full time basis, an enhanced audience experience, and a better understanding of the US maritime history of slavery.&nbsp

Intended beneficiaries

  intended beneficiaries of the grant are the general public, humanities scholars and public humanities experts in general, and the MEL fisher maritime heritage society staff in particular.&nbsp

Subrecipient activities

  the recipient does not intend to subaward funds. ]