Where And What Is The Smithsonian National Museum Of African American History
The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW on the National Mall. The four-level museum opened on Sept. 24, 2016, becoming the only national museum solely dedicated to the documentation of African American life, history and culture. This Smithsonian Institution museum is an architectural marvel that features numerous interactive exhibits.
The museum is currently open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. 4 p.m. The easiest way to get there is via Metrorail or the DC Circulator. The closest Metro stop is Federal Triangle on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines. The DC Circulators National Mall route is your best bus option, and it will be easy to continue your exploration of the National Mall afterwards. The facility is handicap-accessible.
Galleries And Public Spaces
The American Art’s main building contains expanded permanent-collection galleries and public spaces. The museum has two innovative public spaces. The Luce Foundation Center for American Art is a visible art storage and study center, which allows visitors to browse more than 3,300 works of the collection. The Lunder Conservation Center is “the first art conservation facility to allow the public permanent behind-the-scenes views of the preservation work of museums”.
The Luce Foundation Center for American Art
The Luce Foundation Center, which opened in July 2000, is the first visible art storage and study center in Washington, D.C. and the fourth center to bear the Luce Family name.It has 20,400 square feet on the third and fourth floors of American Art Museum.
It presents more than 3,300 objects in 64 secure glass cases, which quadruples the number of artworks from the permanent collection on public view. The purpose of open storage is to allow patrons to view various niche art that is usually not part of a main exhibition or gala special. The Luce Foundation Center features paintings densely hung on screens sculptures crafts and objects by folk and self-taught artists arranged on shelves. Large-scale sculptures are installed on the first floor. The center has John Gellatly’s European collection of decorative arts.
Lunder Conservation Center
Sheet Music For Hands Off By Suliaman El
- Suliaman El-Hadi, American, 1936 – 1995
- Printed by:
- Spoet Publishing Corp.
- Medium:
- ink on paper
- Dimensions:
- H x W : 12 1/2 × 9 5/8 in.
- H x W : 12 1/2 × 19 in.
- Type:
- Spoken word
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Qaddafi El-Hadi in memory of Suliaman El-Hadi
- Object number:
- See more items in:
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- GUID:
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It’s Now Possible To Visit The Smithsonian’s African American History Museum Virtually
From
The NMAAHC launched a “Searchable Museum” this week, translating its archives and stories into an interactive digital experience. Alan Karchmer/Courtesy of the Smithsonianhide caption
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Anyone who’s been to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will speak of its elevator ride through time, which takes visitors from the present day to the 15th century and kicks off the first exhibit, Slavery & Freedom. With the launch of a new virtual platform, visitors can now travel on the elevator down to that exhibit without ever leaving their homes.
The Searchable Museum, launched Thursday, transforms the artifacts, stories, and interactive experiences of the physical exhibit into a digital platform where museumgoers can take it in at their own pace.
Eventually, the museum plans to bring all of its exhibits online. The next exhibit, Making a Way Out of No Way, will go online this spring.
“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived but if faced with courage, need not be lived again, ” echoes Angelou’s voice as a video plays, showing images from the past 600 years of Black history.
Unlike other Smithsonian museums, the NMAAHC has required timed-entry passes to enter the site almost exclusively since it opened in 2016. Though these timed tickets are still free of charge, they can be snapped up pretty quickly: Many tickets for December have already been claimed.
The Early History Of Blacks In The Americas
Africans assisted the Spanish and the Portuguese during their early exploration of the Americas. In the 16th century some Black explorers settled in the Mississippi valley and in the areas that became South Carolina and New Mexico. The most celebrated Black explorer of the Americas was Estéban, who traveled through the Southwest in the 1530s.
The uninterrupted history of Blacks in the United States began in 1619, when 20 Africans were landed in the English colony of Virginia. These individuals were not enslaved people but indentured servantspersons bound to an employer for a limited number of yearsas were many of the settlers of European descent . By the 1660s large numbers of Africans were being brought to the English colonies. In 1790 Blacks numbered almost 760,000 and made up nearly one-fifth of the population of the United States.
Attempts to hold Black servants beyond the normal term of indenture culminated in the legal establishment of Black chattelslavery in Virginia in 1661 and in all the English colonies by 1750. Black people were easily distinguished by their skin colour from the rest of the populace, making them highly visible targets for enslavement. Moreover, the development of the belief that they were an inferior race with a heathen culture made it easier for whites to rationalize Black slavery. Enslaved Blacks were put to work clearing and cultivating the farmlands of the New World.
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Smithsonian American Art Museum
Elizabeth Dale-Deines
Elizabeth Dale-Deinesis Teacher Programs Coordinator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Since 2014, she has taught DC-area educators and students how to engage with artworks as rich texts and provocation of deeper inquiry. She has presented at regional and national conferences on interdisciplinary education and has collaborated closely with a local research project of Harvard Graduate School of Educations Project Zero. Elizabeth served as American Arts Distance Learning Coordinator between 2010 and 2014, bringing the Museums collection to lifelong learners in the States and dependents of American military personnel around the world via videoconference. Elizabeth has a B.A. in psychology from the University of Virginia and an M.A.T. in museum education from the George Washington University.
Phoebe Hillemann
Phoebe Hillemann is the Teacher Institutes Educator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She manages the Museums annual week-long summer teacher institutes, focused on integrating art across the curriculum to bolster critical thinking and content learning. Her work also involves delivering live, interactive webinars for teachers, presenting at national and regional education conferences, and inquiry-based teaching in the Museums galleries with students and teachers. Phoebe has a B.A. in art history from Kenyon College, and an M.S. Ed. in Leadership in Museum Education from Bank Street Graduate School of Education.
African American Heritage Night Tour Of Washington Dc Provided By Kb Tours
- Learn more
- Instant confirmation
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- Dinner at OooHs and AaaHs . The dinner does not include desert
- US Navy Memorial Plaza, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004, USAWe will pick up at the Navy Memorial across from the National Archives on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 7th and 8th street . 701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. . Please look for a black bus with KB Tours written on it.
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If its canceled due to poor weather, youll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If its canceled because the minimum isnt met, youll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
- Dinner at OooHs and AaaHs . The dinner does not include desert
- US Navy Memorial Plaza, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004, USAWe will pick up at the Navy Memorial across from the National Archives on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 7th and 8th street . 701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. . Please look for a black bus with KB Tours written on it.
- Returns to original departure point
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Celebrate Black Birders Week And More Natural History Programs This May
Tune into programs about ancient mummies, resilient coral and the evolution of skin tone
This May, learn how beneficial microbes fuel healthy coral, discover the evolutionary underpinning of skin color, and participate in an inclusive nature experience with the whole family for Black Birders Week. Here are some of the programs you shouldnt miss at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History this May.
Meet a Researcher Tracking the Health and Diversity of the Caribbeans Coral ReefsMay 12, 1 p.m. ET
A healthy coral reef creates a bustling aquatic community of fish and invertebrates that live in and around the sprawling coral structures. Monitoring this dynamic assortment of marine species is one way researchers, including Leah Harper of the Smithsonians , are taking stock of coral reef health throughout the Caribbean Sea.
To learn how Harper and her colleagues assess fish and invertebrate diversity and track a contagious coral ailment called stony coral tissue loss disease, tune into this interactive webinar on May 12. As part of the Smithsonian Science How program, the program is designed for students in grades 3-5 and will be approximately 45 minutes with interactive polls and Q& A.
May 19, 11:30 a.m. ET
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Smithsonian National Museum Of African American History And Culture
Washington DC, USA
- 39,019 m² / 420,000 ft²
- Category
- Guy Nordeson and Associates, Robert Silman Associates
- Security Consultants
- – Institute Honour Award for Architecture, American Institute of Architects , 2019- Interiors Awards, Civic/Public, Contract Magazine, 2018- Best in Competition, AIANY Design Awards, 2018- Gold Winner, Good Design Award, 2018- Design of the Year, Beazley, 2017- Cultural Event of the Year – New York Times, 2017- Best Cultural Institution, Surface Travel Award, 2017- Award for Excellence in Architecture, AIA|DC Chapter Awards, 2017
Technical Info +
The NMAAHC illustrates how museums can offer a specific narrative alongside a universal message. The African American story is about one culture having empathy with another. The hope is that the museum will offer an open exploration of history, culture and society thereby addressing profound aspects of the human condition and the positive value inherent in creating a forum for multiple interpretations of Americas history and demography however uncomfortable those may be.- David Adjaye
At 50m deep, the setback is similar to other buildings on the north side of the Mall. The underside of the porch roof is tilted upward, reflecting the moving water below. This covered area creates a microclimate where breezes combine with the cooling waters to generate a place of refuge from the hot summer sun. There is also an outdoor patio that is accessed from the fifth floor of the building.
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Reparations Arent About Justice Theyre An Act Of Revenge
The Smithsonians National Museum of African American History & Culture has a little-known but controversial section on whiteness that is creating a stir on Twitter.
The museums online description of the exhibit was tweeted out on Wednesday by Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner.
The National Museum of African American History & Culture wants to make you aware of certain signs of whiteness: Individualism, hard work, objectivity, the nuclear family, progress, respect for authority, delayed gratification, more, York tweeted.
In an Examiner opinion piece on Thursday, York pointed out the oddity of so many universally positive attributes being ascribed to whiteness.
Most of the attributes listed seem to be a recipe for success for anyone, he wrote.
Certainly millions of black Americans work hard every day, respect individual effort, plan for the future, are polite to others, and so on. It seems odd to attribute that to whiteness, as opposed to, say, the everyday values of trying to lead a successful life.
Yet according to the National Museum of African American History & Culture, whiteness it is.
The National Museum of African American History & Culture wants to make you aware of certain signs of whiteness: Individualism, hard work, objectivity, the nuclear family, progress, respect for authority, delayed gratification, more.
Byron York
It’s The Same Old Game
- Directed by:
- Charles Hobson, American, 1936 – 2020
- Interview of:
- Dan De Vore, American
- LeRoy Bowser, American, ca. 1929 – 1986
- Paul Davidoff, American, 1930 – 1984
- Francisco A. Román, American
- Dr. J. D. Carroll, American
- LeRoy Bowser, American, ca. 1929 – 1986
- Jose Garcia, American
- Art Symes, American, born ca. 1935
- Edited by:
- Bob Jackson, American
- Composed by:
- Rheet Taylor, American
- Produced by:
- United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, American, founded 1965
- Owned by:
- Pearl Bowser, American, born 1931
- Medium:
- Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Date:
- Urban planning
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pearl Bowser
- Object number:
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- GUID:
- St. Clair Bourne, American, 1943 – 2007
- Produced by:
- Chamba Productions, founded 1971
- Composed by:
- Herbie Hancock, American, born 1940
- Subject of:
- Nairobi College, founded 1969
- The City College of the City University of New York, American, founded 1847
- St. Petersburg College, American, founded 1927
- Clark Atlanta University, American, founded 1988
- Morehouse College, American, founded 1867
- California State University, Los Angeles, American, founded 1947
- Owned by:
- Pearl Bowser, American, born 1931
- Medium:
- Date:
- Urban life
- Object number:
- GUID:
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Smithsonians Museum Of African American History And Culture Goes Digital
When the National Museum of African American History and Culture first opened its doors in 2016, it was celebrated for its immersive installations that go beyond simply displaying aspects of the Black American experience. Now, the Smithsonian institution on the National Mall in Washington, DC, is bringing those presentations to life on a screen, making them accessible to audiences worldwide.
Launched yesterday after more than a year in the making, the Searchable Museum features newly digitized exhibition content as well as multimedia components, videos, audio podcasts, and 3D models based on the more than 40,000 artifacts in its collection. The first exhibition on the site is Slavery and Freedom, a permanent installation at the museum that traces the period from the 14th century to the Civil War and Reconstruction. It has been entirely reimagined for the digital space, a press release says.
Allowing the public to virtually revisit the originating struggle for American freedom in the Slavery and Freedom exhibition reminds us of the centrality of the African American journey to the American experience a story of triumph, resilience and joy over the centuries, said Kevin Young, the museums director, in the statement.
New Orleans Museum Of Art
The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016 as the nineteenth branch of the Smithsonian Institution.
In partnership with the Louisiana Architecture Foundation, NOMA will screen the 2017 documentary The Black Museum on June 14 at 7 pm as part of Friday Nights at NOMA programming and a sneak preview of of the 2019 Architecture & Design Film Festival. A panel discussion will following the screening.
The Black Museum, directed by Oliver Hardt, takes viewers on a journey through the spectacular National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., the nineteenth and newest addition to the Smithsonian complex of museums on the National Mall. Through 100,000 square feet of exhibition space spread across eight levels, the museum explores Americas history and culture through the lens of the African American experience. Interviews with the projects key figures provide detailed insight into the challenges and conflicts during the formative stage of the museum and its overwhelming success during the first year of operation.
Here are five facts about the museum to consider in advance of watching the documentary.
When the museum was authorized by Congress in 2003, it had no collection. After years of work to populate its archives, the museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and has nearly 100,000 charter members.
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