The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Museum Awarded Nearly $250,000 Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Museum of Us is honored to have been awarded a $249,668 Museums for America, Community Anchors and Catalysts, grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This grant will fund a project that is an extension of our work and commitment to redress cultural colonialism practices in our institution.
Building on previously funded IMLS work, this Community Anchors project will enable the Museum to carry out its commitment to decolonization by honoring Kumeyaay peoples’ priorities through the concept-development and schematic design of a new, community-driven and community-led exhibit and educational programming. More specifically, we will develop plans for an exhibit and educational programming that tell a contemporary Kumeyaay story from the community’s own perspective, addressing legacies of colonialism.
The mission of the Museum of Us is to inspire human connections by exploring the human experience. It does so by holding a place for many voices, especially those that have long been silenced or overlooked; and, its goal is for guests to leave with new perspectives on the world, so they can become agents for positive change. The Museum of Us has embarked on the essential path towards decolonizing the Museum, which places community at the center of its work.
The Museum of Us is incredibly grateful for the contributions of the following individuals who supported the acquisition of this grant:
Kumeyaay Community Members
Thank you to the Kumeyaay citizens who shared their wants, needs, and requests during meetings and interviews, at focus group community conversations, and through surveys.
Michael Connolly Miskwish
Kumeyaay Historian and Member, Former Councilman of the Campo Band of the Kumeyaay Nation
Brandon Linton
Former Chairman of Kumeyaay Heritage Preservation Committee
Wayne Yang
Provost, John Muir College, Prof. of Ethnic Studies, UCSD
Laura Lott
President and CEO of American Alliance of Museums
To learn more:
- Institute of Museum and Library Services – Museum of Us – Community Anchors and Catalysts Grant (2020)
- American Alliance of Museums – Ceding Authority and Seeding Trust (2019)
- Decolonizing Initiatives – Museum of Us
For more information on previous grants awarded to the Museum of Us by IMLS:
The Museum of Us recognizes that it sits on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Kumeyaay Nation. The Museum extends its respect and gratitude to the Kumeyaay peoples who have lived here for millennia.
The Museum is open daily, Monday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1350 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101
