South Carolina State Museum

Purpose: Supporting Lifelong Learning In the most recent update to its strategic plan, the South Carolina State Museum identified the need to develop a new Civil War exhibit as its top priority. The museum will plan a complete revision and expansion of its exhibit on the Civil War and Reconstruction periods. Using an in-house planning team supplemented by an outside advisory group, the museum will conduct a thorough research and planning process that will result in an exhibition plan and budget that can be used as a fundraising tool and, ultimately, as the blueprint for the exhibition's construction. The plan will focus on interpreting the Civil War and its aftermath as they affected the population of South Carolina. This interpretive approach will go beyond the current exhibIt's emphasis on the military aspects to encompass the political, social, and economic dimensions of the conflict as well. In adopting this approach, the museum will counter common misconceptions and illuminate aspects of the history of the era that are not well known. The exhibit that results from this plan will be an educational resource for schools and an instrument for lifelong learning.