 | WHISPERS OF CHANGE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
The LSU Rural Life Museum …. Louisiana History Preserved
Often referred to as “Louisiana’s best kept secret”, the LSU Rural Life Museum’s mission is “to increase the appreciation of our heritage and the way of life of our ancestors, their hardships, toils, vision, inspiration, and determination by preserving something of the architecture and artifacts from our rural past.” Because of the generosity and far sightedness of the Burden family, visitors are able to see how the settlers of Louisiana established an admirable society in spite of great odds. Students of all ages gain insight into the difficulties faced by their ancestors and learn why Louisianans are a unique and special people with roots from many parts of the world.
The museum faces special challenges in fulfilling its goal to preserve, commemorate and educate. The Whispers of Change Campaign initiative began to fund five components necessary to ensure the Rural Life Museum’s continued growth and success.
- Objective 1 - Alleviate the threat to museum collection by:
Protecting valuable artifacts and paintings with systems for fire suppression, security, and air conditioning.
- Objective 2 - Bring existing facilities into code compliance by:
Updating wiring, lighting and accessibility features … none of which had been undertaken since the museum’s creation.
- Objective 3 - Enhance the visitor experience by:
Expanding parking and visitor restroom facilities. Creating new gallery space to properly showcase existing and new artifacts, paintings, jewelry, and other collections. Accommodating students and visitors with mobility, sight, and hearing impairments so they can “experience” the features through improved signage, audio tours, and access routes.
- Objective 4 - Expand educational program by:
Developing new programs and instructional exhibits for school children, college students. Expanding learning opportunities for those interested in historical preservation, gardening, and architecture.
- Objective 5 - Increase revenue for operation by:
Building a new gift shop with expanded retail options. Creating new multi-purpose space available to rent for symposiums, special events, lecture series, traveling exhibits, art shows, etc.
The Whispers of Change Campaign goal of $4.7 million was reached in an amazing twelve month period. A very dedicated group of volunteers and donors worked diligently on this fundraising campaign to bring the expansion project to fruition. As a result, construction will soon begin on the new Visitors Center.
Click for list of of donors | |
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