AU Guardhouse Museum director responds to Smithsonian review

By Khalia Crawford | Staff writer

On Aug. 12, 2025, the Trump administration, ordered a review of the Smithsonian Institution Museums to replace exhibits that include “divisive or ideologically driven” material with “unifying, historically accurate” content.

On social media platforms, the president has stated that the Smithsonian is not reflective of American values and too focused on topics like slavery. In response, the Smithsonian Institute has said its work is “grounded in a deep commitment to scholarly excellence, rigorous research, and the accurate, factual presentation of history.”

To understand this review by the president and the purpose of museums, I interviewed lecturer Stacey Thompson, who teaches museum studies and serves as the director of the Guardhouse Museum on the Summerville Campus of Augusta University.

Thompson has nearly two decades of experience in the field of museum studies. She began her journey during her undergraduate studies where she discovered her passion for museum studies that focused on public education, public engagement, and preservation. She completed graduate school at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., with a close connection with the Smithsonian Institution.

In all of her years of work in the museum field, Thompson finds the most rewarding of all is how the public engages with the programs or exhibitions her and her team put together.

In my interview with Professor Thompson, I learned that it is not new for the content of a museum to be questioned by museum stakeholders, but it is unprecedented for a governmental entity to order a review. When Professor Thompson first learned of the president’s review of the Smithsonian, she was shocked.

“The Smithsonian is a good representation of museums in the United States along with the American Museum of Natural History, the Getty Museum and the Museum of Modern Art,” she said. “The Smithsonian invests a lot of resources in research to ensure that the Institution’s curators are not telling just one side of the story but multiple sides of a story.”

The president has used language that the Smithsonian is presenting a “one-sided story of American history” and that the Smithsonian is not reflective of “American Exceptionalism.” This statement by the president contradicts the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Code of Ethics to present content that does not reflect only one voice. In my interview, I was introduced to the AAM and that it is not easy to become an accredited museum. There are only approximately 1,000 museums are accredited out of more than 30,000 museums in the United States.

“We focus on reflecting the voices of many and engaging our entire community that we serve,” Thompson said. “We like to create dialogue. How can you create a dialogue if you’re censoring the content?”

Upcoming events at the Guardhouse Museum

Fall Opening Exhibit & Reception: Homefront Heroes: Augusta's Women During World War II on Oct. 16 from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. There will be a guest speaker, Ruth McClelland-Nugent, chair of the Department of History, Anthropology and Philosophy. The topic of her speech will be “Rationing & Recipes: Augusta’s Kitchen Front”. There will be themed catering, victory garden tips and recipes!

Every first Friday, the Guard Museum hosts Cupcakes & Conversations, typically featuring a special guest.

Note: At the top of the page, AU lecturer of museum studies Stacey Thompson gives a tour of the Summerville Campus. (Bell Ringer file photo)

Contact Khalia Crawford at khcrawford@augusta.edu.