Atlanta's Wren's Nest Museum Reexamines Brer Rabbit Folklore

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The Wren's Nest, a historic house museum in Atlanta, is launching a new tour that reexamines the Brer Rabbit stories, their West African origins, and the people who first shared these folktales. The launch event features a community conversation about the museum's reinterpretation project, followed by a guided tour highlighting the home's evolving history and its significance in Atlanta's changing cultural landscape.

Why it matters

The Wren's Nest is an important cultural institution that preserves and interprets the legacy of Joel Chandler Harris, the author who popularized the Brer Rabbit stories. By reexamining these folktales and their origins, the museum is providing a more nuanced understanding of the stories' significance and their connections to the African diaspora. This effort aligns with broader movements to decolonize and diversify the narratives presented in cultural institutions.

The details

The Wren's Nest's new tour will delve into the West African roots of the Brer Rabbit stories and explore how these folktales were shaped by the experiences of enslaved Africans in the American South. The guided tour will also highlight the evolving role of the historic home, which served as a gathering place for Atlanta's literary and artistic communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

• The launch event takes place on Saturday, March 28, 2026 from 2 pm to 4 pm.