NATCHEZ — The exterior of the NAPAC Museum on Main Street got a facelift last week.

Work crews finished hanging four banners on the building on Thursday.

“We were fortunate to secure the banners which call for additional attention to the structure,” said Darrell White, director of the Natchez Association for the Preservation of Afro-American Culture.

The banners were the brainchild of Ted Monsure, exhibit designer for the African and folk art collection of John and Pam Finley that is being housed in the museum.

The exhibit officially opened in June and now, White said, more people will know it is inside the museum.

“That was the goal and objective,” he said. “With what we have inside, we need to let people know it is here.”

The four banners, two long rectangular banners and two large square banners depict pieces of African art and are affixed to the exterior of the building.

“I took photos of pieces of art that are in the museum and designed the banners to be printed on the special weather-proof material,” said Sally Durkin, media liasion for the Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Durkin said the project cost less than $500 and will be funded with monies from either the $2,500 grant funding NAPAC received in August or from the CVB marketing fund.

White said the banners were a wise investment, because they are able to stand up to the weather elements better than other types of banners.

“They were fashioned after the banners that hang in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City,” White said. “They are weather resistant and high quality.”

White said with Fall Pilgrimage on the horizon, he hopes the new banners will pull traffic into the museum.

The banners are the first step in a series of changes planned for the exterior of the historic building.

White said after the banners were in place, it was noticed that they are partially blocked by trees in front of the building. White said NAPAC personnel is in the process of securing funding to replace those trees with a different plant that would not hinder the viewing of the new banners.

“There are still some adjustments that need to be made for the visual appeal (of the building),” White said. “And we are hoping to head in that direction soon.”