The Harry Robinson Jr. Research & Conservation Institute (RCI) is the African American Museum of Dallas’s cornerstone initiative, dedicated to the preservation, study, and care of African American material culture. Named in honor of the Museum’s founding director, the Institute reflects his lifelong commitment to protecting the stories, artistry, and achievements of Black life in America.

Through RCI, the Museum is building a professional workforce trained in the specialized practices of art and archival conservation. Interns and early-career professionals gain hands-on experience in documentation, collections care, environmental monitoring, and digital archiving—skills essential to sustaining museums and cultural institutions for the future. Nationally, representation in this field remains strikingly low. According to the 2022 Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey, fewer than 20 percent of conservator roles in U.S. art museums are held by people of color, and only about 4 percent of combined curatorial and conservation positions are held by African Americans. For a museum like the African American Museum in Dallas, this underscores both the challenge and the opportunity—intentionally developing pathways into conservation is essential to shifting cause and effect.

RCI operates in collaboration with Project Still I Rise (PSIR), a Dallas-based nonprofit focused on youth leadership and career readiness. Together, the Museum and PSIR introduce high school and college students to conservation science and museum professions, creating pathways for underrepresented talent to enter the field.