From Tea Cakes to Technology
A Comprehensive Strategy for Revenue Growth, Enhanced Engagement, and Digital Transformation in African American Museums
African American Museums are sacred spaces—keepers of our legacy, protectors of our stories, and hubs of community pride. For generations, these institutions have thrived through grassroots fundraising, dedicated volunteers, and the unbreakable bond between elders, educators, and the community. Many of us remember the warmth of a church fundraiser or Juneteenth celebration, where tea cakes and storytelling were just as valuable as ticket sales. But in today’s digital-first world, museums face growing challenges: shrinking grant funding, evolving visitor expectations, and an urgent need to preserve fragile collections in the face of time and climate. This is where the journey “From Tea Cakes to Technology” begins—a bold, culturally grounded strategy that empowers African American Museums to grow revenue, boost engagement, and embrace digital transformation without losing their soul.
DIPS Technology is proud to introduce a suite of museum-ready digital tools designed specifically with Black cultural institutions in mind. Our integrated solutions—including Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), NFC Tags, Classroom Engagement Tools, and the Omeka Digital Collection Management Platform—offer a modern roadmap for museums seeking resilience and relevance. This strategy doesn’t ask museums to abandon tradition; instead, it equips them to amplify it, ensuring our histories are not only preserved but powerfully presented for generations to come. The Omeka platform enables museums to digitize and publish their collections online, transforming photos, oral histories, and artifacts into searchable, accessible archives. Community members can even contribute to digital exhibitions, creating a living, evolving record of African American life, history, and resistance. This democratizes storytelling and honors the voices too often left out of history books.
In the galleries, DIPS helps museums level up the visitor experience through interactive PWAs and NFC technology. Visitors can use their own smartphones to explore self-guided audio tours, 3D models, video interviews, and even augmented reality scenes triggered by tapping discreet NFC tags. Imagine tapping your phone next to Harriet Tubman’s image and launching a narrated timeline of the Combahee River Raid—or exploring a VR re-creation of an HBCU radio station from the Civil Rights era. These are not gimmicks; they are extensions of our oral tradition—interactive tools that meet new generations where they are. For educators, our Classroom Engagement Tools provide pre- and post-visit learning modules, virtual field trips, and historical simulations that empower students to explore African American history through critical thinking and storytelling. And for fundraisers and gift shop teams, DIPS helps museums unlock new revenue through premium digital memberships, virtual event ticketing, NFC-enabled merchandise, and even licensing of digital assets like photos, video, and archival documents.
"From Tea Cakes to Technology" is more than a tagline—it’s a call to action for African American Museums to honor the past while building the future. Technology isn’t a replacement for community—it’s a bridge. With the right tools, Black museums can thrive as global cultural powerhouses, accessible to students in rural schools and researchers across the world. The stories we tell are too important to fade. DIPS Technology is here to ensure they never do.
