Cone Mills: The Fabric of Memory

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

“The Fabric of Memory: The Cone Mill Villages” is approached through the lens of someone who worked in the mills, lived in the mill villages, and/or was a part of the village community. We blended oral histories, videos, artifacts, and images to tell their stories. ​

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Utilizing the high ceilings and glass walls, our bold imagery and larger-than-life graphics wrap the exhibit space including a map of the mill in the context of greater Greensboro. While weaving through the narrative, visitors are asked to participate—casting votes, sharing memories while sitting at the “kitchen table,” and listening to sounds of the busy factory floor.

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The Design Dimension, Inc. team worked alongside a group of UNC Greensboro students in the Masters of Museum Studies program. Previous classes had collected images, artifacts, and oral histories, while the Fall 2015 class was given the task of putting it all together. Throughout the process, the class kept a blog of their experiences wrangling content and collaborating with us on the design.

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​This exhibit won a Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). The award, which recognizes achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history was given to only 48 people, projects, exhibits or publications throughout the United States.