Cairo African American Heritage Trail

Welcome Center Kiosk and Trail Signage

2026 — Built

Exhibition Design

The Cairo African American Heritage Trail Welcome Center serves as the gateway to a citywide experience that connects visitors to the people, places, and stories that have shaped Cairo’s vibrant African American community. Located in the main entry foyer of the Cairo Public Library and designed to be wheeled outdoors for special events, the panel introduces visitors to the trail through an overview map, oral history listening station, interpretive graphics, and introductory text that invites them to discover the history that defines Cairo’s vibrant African American community in the very places where it happened.

At the heart of the installation is an interactive, physical image carousel that allows visitors to rotate through archival photographs of landmarks featured on the trail, revealing connections between past and present. An integrated tablet provides access to oral histories, interviews, and archival materials from the Cairo African American Heritage Trail website, allowing visitors to hear firsthand accounts of the community’s history and resilience. Serving as both an orientation device and a welcoming beacon, the panel prominently features the trail’s logo, colors, and visual identity. Its bold form uses durable materials and sculptural profiles that complement the library’s richly ornamented interior while signaling the beginning of a journey through Cairo’s important heritage.

Exhibition Design: Could Be Design
Community Partners: The Cairo Historical Preservation Project; Cairo Public Library
Oral History Project team: Don Patton, Tara Kieschnick, Toya Wilson, Magdalena Novoa, Julia Rendelman, Jasmine Chameis, Dajonea Robinson, Lloyd Williams, Fabian Araneda, Camila Madariaga, Daniela Morales, and Joseph Altshuler
Fabrication: Brose Partington Studio
Photography: Brian Griffin
Funding: Illinois Innovation Network; University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Campus Research Board