Sloan Museum

The Sloan Museum is a public museum located within the Flint Cultural Center in Flint, Michigan. The museum specializes in the local history of Genesee County and the Flint area, particularly in connection with the rise and decline of the local auto industry. The museum, named in honor of longtime General Motors chief executive officer Alfred P. Sloan, operates a cycle of special exhibitions and celebrations.[1]

Exterior of the Sloan Museum
Collecting Flint from A to Z exhibit

Organization

As part of the Flint Cultural Center, the Sloan Museum is closely affiliated with two neighboring facilities, the Longway Planetarium and the Buick Gallery. The three facilities share a common webpage.[1]

The Museum contains galleries dedicated to permanent and rotating exhibits. Permanent exhibits include a gallery dedicated to the Flint sit-down strike, the labor action in December 1936—February 1937 that helped spur the labor organization of U.S. automotive manufacturing and recognition by major car manufacturers of the United Auto Workers as a bargaining partner.[2] Family-oriented galleries include Wisner's Whizbang Emporium, a heritage-oriented play place.[3]

Other galleries display segments of the Sloan/Longway automotive collection, including horse-drawn wagons, carriages, horseless carriages, cars, engines, and car parts manufactured in and around Flint by General Motors and local competitors, such as Billy Durant's Durant Motors. The role of the Flint auto industry on the World War II home front is extensively featured, with visual reminders of the U.S. car culture that followed the war.[4] Other exhibits feature memorabilia, including car-oriented neon signs, from local meeting places and businesses such as grocery stores operated by the Hamady Brothers.

Admission to the Sloan Museum also includes admission to the affiliated Buick Automotive Gallery. An admission fee is charged.

The original Sloan Museum building closed in 2018 for a major overhaul and expansion.[5] Construction began in June 2019, and the expanded museum is set to open in 2021.[6] Due to the construction, the Sloan Museum's public gallery is temporarily located in the Courtland Center shopping mall, in nearby Burton.

References
  1. "Sloan Museum". Flint Cultural Center. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  2. "Flint Sit-down Strike Exhibit". Flint Cultural Center. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  3. "Wisner's Whizbang Emporium". Flint Cultural Center. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  4. "Automotive Collection". Flint Cultural Center. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  5. "Flint's automotive history on display — in Sloan shopping mall showcase". ClassicCars.com Journal. 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  6. "Flint's new Sloan Museum of Discovery to open in 2021". mlive. 2019-06-12. Retrieved 2021-01-18.

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