ART | library deco

The Kindred Blackness Museum was created by Dr. Kymberly Keeton during her doctoral studies as a LEAD Fellow, in collaboration with Drexel University Libraries and Temple University Library. Dr. Keeton is the founder and Chief Library Curator of ART | library deco, a digital library dedicated to African American art and culture. Her curatorial expertise and commitment to accessible, culturally rich resources are central to this project’s development, offering a valuable tool for students, researchers, and art enthusiasts.

Visit the Kindred Blackness Museum Project:

Stories carry our emotions, our memories, and our culture. As technology grows, we now create stories with AI—machines trained to write, draw, and imagine. But here's the big question:

This activity explores whether a machine can understand humanness—or if that’s something only you can bring to a story.

Think about a personal memory, emotion, or experience. Write a short paragraph or poem that captures how it felt. Use powerful words, colors, or metaphors to bring it to life.

Use an AI writing tool or image generator to recreate your story in a different way. You can:

Generate an image that matches your scene or emotion

Can a Machine Feel Your Story?

Think about a time when your emotions shaped the way you told a story—maybe a time you were proud, angry, or excited. How did that feeling change the way you described it or created art around it?

Now think about AI—technology that can help us write stories, generate pictures, and even make music. But here’s the big question:

Can a computer truly understand feelings like you do?

 Can it capture the emotion behind your story, or is that something only a human can do?

Let’s explore the power of your personal voice in storytelling—and where (or if) AI fits in.

Reflection – You and AI: A Creative Collaboration?

Journal Writing Narrative & Visual I: “Creative Journeys: Crafting Your Story from the Kindred Blackness Museum”

 is a virtual, imaginary museum set in the all-Black city of Iaville, Philadelphia, curated by a fictional version of Harlem Renaissance leader Alain LeRoy Locke. It features African American art, literature, and archives enhanced by technologies like AI, text mining, and digital mapping. In this interdisciplinary project, students use the museum as a creative research space to explore themes of identity, memory, and cultural expression. They will develop original narratives, journal entries, or visual stories that reflect both historical and imagined African American experiences. Ideal for language arts, art, media, or social studies, the project encourages culturally responsive storytelling through a blend of personal insight, creative thinking, and digital tools. 

Telling Our Stories "Kindred Blackness: A Digital Storytelling Experience"

Writing

English Language Arts

Visual Arts

The Arts

After working with AI on your first two tasks, reflect on the experience:

Did AI “get” your story idea, or did you have to guide it a lot?

Did it help improve your story or image, or did it miss the mark?

Were the pictures what you imagined—or were they surprising inside the museum project?

Use this time to compare how your own voice and creativity showed up—and where AI supported (or didn’t support) your vision.

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Telling Our Stories "Kindred Blackness: A Digital Storytelling Experience"

Reflection – You and AI: A Creative Collaboration?

Background Knowledge

Reflection – You and AI: A Creative Collaboration