GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Grand Rapids Public Museum exhibit demonstrating how our community was shaped by diverse groups is open all year, though some parts may draw your attention particularly during Black History Month.

Newcomers: The People of this Place, which opened in 2008, features hundreds of artifacts showing how the Grand Rapids we know today is the product of various ethnic and minority groups. Some look at Black history.

One of the pieces included is the only known photo of James C. Craig. Craig saw the possibility of liberation from the south in Michigan and moved to Grand Rapids in 1871. Once here, he opened the city’s first Black-owned barbershop.

Public museum curator Alex Forist said an exhibit like Newcomers is only possible with the support of the community.

“There always needs to be a really active part of community collecting and reaching out to people in the community to make sure we’re telling the stories that they want to hear about their communities…” Forist said. “So an exhibit like Newcomers is partly pulling things out of the vault that maybe have been there for a long time and it’s partly that outreach to community to collect new things for the museum that could be included to make sure that those stories are diverse and accessible.”

==Watch News 8 Digital Anchor Luke Laster’s full conversation with Forist above.==

You can start planning your trip to the Grand Rapids Public Museum with a visit to its website.