Leadership at Gainesville’s A. Quinn Jones Museum hopes to inspire

The A. Quinn Jones Museum and Cultural Center in Gainesville.

It’s as if legendary Florida educator and civics leader A. Quinn Jones is looking over the shoulder of museum coordinator Carol Richardson.

For more than eight months, Richardson has been carrying out the mission of the A. Quinn Jones Museum & Cultural Center which operates in partnership with Gainesville’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network.

As museum coordinator, Richardson has stayed busy trying to bring the rich history of the center to life by not only reminding visitors of the contributions Jones made as an educator, but by scheduling events focusing on culture in the form of readings, music, and performances that “reflect the needs and desires of the community.”

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“It’s about understanding what the community looks like, what the community wants and choosing productions and programs that reflect that,” she said, adding that she is also working at building relationships with neighbors and other institutions that support the center such as the University of Florida.

Allen Quinn Jones, born on March 3, 1893, became known as “Professor” Jones in 1921 when he accepted a position as principal of Union Academy in Gainesville. Shortly after, he led the opening of Lincoln High School. In 1926, under his leadership, the school became fully accredited, just the second African-American high school in the state of Florida to qualify for the distinction.

The home he grew up in, at 1013 NW 7th Ave., in Gainesville’s Pleasant Street neighborhood sits directly across the street of a school named in Quinn’s honor. The home received a historic site marker in 2009 from the State of Florida and is listed by the US Secretary of the Interior on the National Register of Historic Places.

In January 2021, the city finished improvements to the facility funded by the Wild Spaces Public Spaces sales tax. The $310,000 in upgrades included a brick courtyard with seating, sidewalks, shed, landscaping, lighting and a stormwater management system under the newly paved parking lot .

Beyond that, the newly renovated facility pays tribute to local accomplishments in education, in addition to featuring events and rotating exhibits about civil rights, churches and culture.

Museum coordinator Carol Richardson is a local, growing up in Pleasant Street

Richardson is homegrown, having lived in the Pleasant Street neighborhood for several years after graduating from Eastside High School. She went to Santa Fe College and the University of Florida before raising her family in Gainesville.

She stays busy at the center throughout the week booking events for the community, center visitors and coordinating field trips, adding that her favorite part of the center is the classroom.

Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Assistant Director Leslie Ladendorf said the coordinator position at the center remained vacant for about 8 months during the pandemic and that Richardson started as a temporary staff person to get the museum activated “post-mid-COVID.”

“We brought her on for her extensive knowledge of arts and culture in Alachua County and the city,” Ladendorf said.

“She also has ties to the neighborhood and with some of our most treasured stakeholders in the neighborhood and surrounding community,” she added. “She’s produced three new series for the Museum: 7th Ave Book Talks, Lectures, and Music on the Patio.

Ladendorf said the addition of each series has been well received by the community, even opening the door for some area locals who didn’t know the museum existed.

Richardson said she enjoys each day she spends at the museum surrounded by photographs and memorabilia that pays tribute to Jones and his accomplishments.

“I appreciate the commitment made to renovations and honoring Dr. Jones and his legacy,” she said about the recent upgrades to the center.

The post Leadership at Gainesville’s A. Quinn Jones Museum hopes to inspire first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

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