FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OPELOUSAS MUSEUM
RECEIVES FIELDWORK FELLOWSHIP
Opelousas, LA June 9, 2026– We’re excited to announce that the Opelousas Museum is part of the new Fieldwork Fellowship! Fieldwork is a new national program for rural and Tribal communities that provides customized design, planning, and project development support. For the museum, this is an opportunity to broaden the scope of the Civil War room to include more narratives and reveal a culturally diverse and complex history. Project team members include Patrice Melnick, Samantha Schexnayder, Jennifer Thomas and Jerome Ford.
“The Fieldwork Fellowship’s inaugural cohort come from rural and Tribal communities across the country, working on some of the most inspiring and challenging arts, cultural, and humanities issues today,” said Maria Sykes, Fieldwork’s co-director and Executive Director of Epicenter in Green River, Utah. “We are thrilled to be working alongside To Be Done Studio in the coming year to help rural communities throughout the states shape their futures.”
Upcoming, we will provide a schedule community conversations about the project; we will also invite area residents to participate in the Community Advisory Committee. Look for more information at opelousasmuseum.org. Community engagement is crucial to illuminate formerly untold stories, and to invite a range of perspectives.
