Photo Gallery
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From left to right: L'Rai Arthur Mensah, Local Projects Project Director, Dr. Gregg Kimball, Shockoe Institute Senior Historian in Residence, Senator Tim Kaine, Dr. Devon Henry, Team Henry Enterprises CEO, Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi, Marland Buckner, Shockoe Institute President & CEO, Governor Abigail Spanberger, Todd B. Waldo, Shockoe Institute COO, Dr. Danny Avula, Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, Senator Jennifer McClellan, Councilwoman Cynthia Newbille, and Dr. Megan Shockley, Shockoe Institute Consulting Historian, and Delegate Rae Cousins participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Expanding Freedom.
Exterior view of Shockoe Institute and the entrance to Expanding Freedom at Richmond’s historic Main Street Station.
A visitor is welcomed to the reception for Expanding Freedom at Main Street Station.
A gallery view of Expanding Freedom introduces visitors to the exhibit’s central message about racial slavery as a defining American practice.
A visitor reads a central message inside Expanding Freedom.
The first section of Expanding Freedom examines early colonial ideas of the hierarchy of human value.
A visitor stands before a large-scale map installation showing the forced movement of hundreds of thousands of Africans through the transatlantic slave trade.
Visitors move through a section of Expanding Freedom highlighting Elizabeth Key’s 1656 legal bid for freedom and the codification of racial slavery in Virginia and the Nation.
A visitor explores a projected, color-lit interactive section of Expanding Freedom focused on the political systems and ideas that shaped the expansion of slavery.
Visitors view the “1776: Slavery and the American Founding” graphic, depicting America's founding contradiction.
Visitors view an immersive installation showing the forced migration of enslaved persons into the Deep South.
A wide view of Expanding Freedom shows floor-based mapping, a train car installation, and immersive interpretive walls.
A visitor views exhibit text connecting Elizabeth Key’s 1656 freedom case to later legal struggles for freedom in America.
Visitors view section five of Expanding Freedom, which examines how slavery shaped political decisions leading into the Civil War.
A visitor walks through section six of Expanding Freedom, examining Black economic self-sufficiency, social protest, and the ongoing struggle to expand human freedom.
The Lab at Shockoe Institute offers interactive digital tools and gathering spaces for learning, reflection, and civic dialogue.
Visitors deepen their learning journey by exploring resources on the Shockoe Institute's Library.
Leyla McCalla, Shockoe Institute Artistic Director, plays her song, Non Fon Bwa, on the Cello at the premiere of Expanding Freedom on April 9, 2026
Marland Buckner, Shockoe Institute President and CEO, delivers opening remarks at the premiere of Expanding Freedom on April 9, 2026
From left to right: Delegate Rae Cousins, Todd B Waldo, Shockoe Institute COO, Dr. Danny Avula, Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, and Governor Abigail Spanberger listen to Shockoe Institute President & CEO, Marland Buckner, deliver opening remarks on April 9, 2026
Marland Buckner, Shockoe Institute President and CEO, and Todd B. Waldo, Shockoe Institute COO, embrace at the premiere of Expanding Freedom on April 9, 2026
Dr. Danny Avula, Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, delivers remarks at the premiere of Expanding Freedom on April 9, 2026
Governor Abigail Spanberger, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, delivers remarks from the stage during the premiere of Expanding Freedom on April 9, 2026.
Guests and Senator Tim Kaine gather inside Shockoe Institute's Lab during the premiere of Expanding Freedom on April 9, 2026.
Governor Abigail Spanberger engages with a youth visitor in the Shockoe Institute's Lab during the premiere of Expanding Freedom on April 9, 2026.
From left to right: Todd B. Waldo, Shockoe Institute COO, Governor Abigail Spanberger, Marland Buckner, Shockoe Institute President & CEO pose in The Lab, a space designed for learning, reflection, and action to improve our civic life.
Visitors deepen their learning journeys while exploring different resources on the Shockoe Institute's library.
From left to right: Todd B. Waldo, Shockoe Institute COO, Fred Hopkins, Baskervill Technical Director, L'Rai Arthur-Mensah, Local Projects Project Director, discuss how they worked together to make Expanding Freedom at the premiere of Expanding Freedom on April 9, 2026.
From left to right: Marland Buckner, Shockoe Institute President & CEO, Dr. Amy Howard, Dr. Thadd Williamson, and Dr. Julian Hayter of University of Richmond discuss the enduring impacts of racial slavery during the premiere of Expanding Freedom on April 9, 2026.
Guests attend a community conversation during the premiere of Expanding Freedom on April 9, 2026 at Main Street Station.
From left to right, Megan Morris, Local Projects Content Developer, Dr. Gregg Kimball, Shockoe Institute Senior Historian in Residence, Amanda White, Local Projects Director of Content and Strategy, and Dr. Megan Shockley, Shockoe Institute Consulting Historian, engage in a community conversation during the premiere of Expanding Freedom on April 9, 2026.
Exterior daytime view of Shockoe Institute at Main Street Station in Richmond, Virginia.