Welcome to Many Lenses! This site is a project that allows you to experience museum exhibits through the eyes of the museum staff who collect, interpret, and then arrange exhibits for the public to see.
The site looks at five objects and you can explore their stories. The objects come from three museums – the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the National Museum of American History – and then curators from each museum were invited to give their interpretation of the objects.
When you arrive at the site, you’ll find that navigation is easy. You just scroll down the page, read the information, and then select an object from the Explore the Stories section. Your options are Lowriders, Buffalo Soldiers, Grounds for Solidarity, Mirroring History, and An Evolution of Expression.
Each section offers you text, images, video, and discussion questions, so you can really explore the stories of these objects and then reflect on what you’ve learned.
This is a really cool way to look at how historical objects are interpreted by the museums that hold them and what how that folds into our experience as viewers of the objects.
Go check it out for yourself today!
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/manylenses
~Amanda