In response to the desire of many museums to unite with their communities in remembrance of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the American Association of Museums and the Institute of Museums and Library Services developed “Museums Celebrate America’s Freedom: Joining Communities in a Day of Remembrance.”

The initiative underscored museums' roles as stewards of the nation's stories and special places where communities can reaffirm and examine our: freedom to assemble, freedom to create, freedom to worship, freedom to inquire, freedom to express ideas, and freedom from fear.   It also highlighted museums’ true value as community organizations—inviting people to gather, share information, express despair, and find solace.

The project consisted of a website that provided information about special museum programs held on or near September 11, 2002, the first anniversary of the tragedy.   The site also contained a downloadable toolkit offering suggestions for enhancing the museum-community relationship, and a mechanism for museums to register their special programs.  Viewers could then access the information to see which museums were holding special programs or exhibits in their area.

Resources

The Museums Celebrate America’s Freedoms Web page is available in archived form. (external page)