On January 10^th Melissa had the great privilege of being invited to participate in the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC)‘s monthly object clinics. The events are advertised to the public as an opportunity to attend a one-on-one session with preservation specialists and receive a professional review of one’s family treasures and heirlooms. The preservation specialists were spread around to different tables based on their material knowledge.

Once the public arrived, the preservation specialists offered basic care and storage advice to visitors who shared their family photo albums and mementos, and packed up everything they could into museum quality storage containers. Two of the visitors that day ended up having their objects collected by the museum, which was quite an emotional experience to witness.