Saturday, March 23, 2024

Latest Posts

Smithsonian National Museum Of African American History & Culture

Notable Items In The Collection

Inside the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture

The Smithsonian Institution listed the number of items in the museum collection in 2012 as either more than 18,000 pieces or more than 25,000 pieces.CBS News reported in May 2015 that the collection size had grown to 33,000 objects, although this had risen to more than 40,000 objects by May 2019. About 3,500 items are on display to the public.

Items obtained by the museum initially were received, conserved, and stored at the Smithsonian Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland. Dozens of permanent curatorial staff and temporary contractors accessed the items, repaired them, and conserved them in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. Renée Anderson, the NMAAHC’s head of collections, oversaw the effort. After artifacts were selected for display, graphics and labels for each item were manufactured. Display cases for each item were also purchased, and exhibiting mounts or specially designed cases handcrafted for particularly fragile, important, or unusually sized objects. Museum officials said all artifacts and displays will be moved into the new museum in the summer of 2016, along with the museum’s 175 full-time employees.

In November 2016, NBA player LeBron James donated $2.5 million to support the museum’s exhibit on the accomplishments of boxer Muhammad Ali.

As of September 2016, notable items in the collection included:

Pre-20th century

20th and 21st centuries

In Smithsonian Race Guidelines Rational Thinking And Hard Work Are White Values

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture recently unveiled guidelines for talking about race. A graphic displayed in the guidelines, entitled “Aspects and Assumptions of Whiteness in the United States,” declares that rational thinking and hard work, among others, are white values.

In the section, Smithsonian declares that “objective, rational, linear thinking,” “quantitative emphasis,” “hard work before play,” and various other values are aspects and assumptions of whiteness.

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture had no comment for Newsweek. They referred to the website’s page titled “Whiteness” when asked for additional comment. The graphic was later removed from the page.

“White dominant culture, or whiteness, refers to the ways white people and their traditions, attitudes, and ways of life have been normalized over tiem and are now considered standard practices in the United States,” the introduction to the section reads. “And since white people still hold most of the institutuional power in America, we have all internalized some aspects of white culture including people of color.”

Another section says that white values include “steak and potatoes: ‘bland is best'” and that white people have “no tolerance for deviation from a single god concept.”

Other subsections deal with “family structure,” “rugged individualism,” “Protestant work ethic” and “aesthetics.”

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.

Recommended Reading: Miami Children’s Museum Volunteer

Literary Small Town: Livingston Montana

Livingston sprung up in the late 19th century as a service stop for the Northern Pacific Railway, and soon became known as the Original Gateway City to Yellowstone National Park. The railway used this moniker to attract visitors traveling from the East Coast, and it was a good one, since the historic town is just 55 miles north of Yellowstone. This year, the park is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a variety of activities and events, including a Nez Perce horse trail ride and parade in late July. For a look into greater Park County and its connection to Yellowstone, dont miss the Yellowstone Gateway Museum. A part of the larger Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the museum features thousands of artifacts, including a room devoted to Native cultures and a fabricated Northern Pacific Railway car.

The adventure-filled town is ideally perched among several mountain ranges and on the banks of the Yellowstone River. Rowdy River Guides runs privately chartered rafting trips on the Yellowstone River, while Livingstons neighboring Paradise Valley is home to an abundance of groomed cross-country ski trails. Conservationist Dan Bailey also turned Livingston into a fishermens paradise when he first opened Dan Baileys Fly Shop in 1938. The landmark store now stocks waders and waterproof gear bags alongside ski equipment and hiking gear, and even runs guided fly-fishing excursions in a handful of local waters.

Asian Pop And Asian Hip

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History &  Culture ...

Hip-Hop came to in the 1990s. It later developed into a genre of hip-hop in Korea called Korean Hip-Hop and music. Although African-American music influenced genres of Korean pop music and culture, some Korean artists are known to appropriate African-American vernacular and other aspects of Black culture.

Read Also: Museum Of Life And Science Durham Nc

National Museum Of African American History And Culture

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Exterior of the museum
Location
nmaahc.si.edu

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in September 2016 with a ceremony led by President Barack Obama.

Early efforts to establish a federally owned museum featuring African-American history and culture can be traced to 1915, although the modern push for such an organization did not begin until the 1970s. After years of little success, a much more serious legislative push began in 1988 that led to authorization of the museum in 2003. A site was selected in 2006, and a design submitted by Freelon Group/Adjaye Associates/Davis Brody Bond was chosen in 2009. Construction began in 2012 and the museum completed in 2016.

The NMAAHC is the world’s largest museum dedicated to African-American history and culture. It ranked as the fourth most-visited Smithsonian museum in its first full year of operation. The museum has more than 40,000 objects in its collection, although only about 3,500 items are on display. The 350,000-square-foot , 10 story building and its exhibits have won critical praise.

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.

Also Check: Us Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio

About The National Museum Of The American Latino

The Smithsonians National Museum of the American Latino advances the representation, understanding and appreciation of Latino history and culture in the United States. The museum provides financial resources and collaborates with other museums to expand scholarly research, public programs, digital content, collections and more. The museums Molina Family Latino Gallery will be the Smithsonians first gallery dedicated to the Latino experience. The legislation creating the National Museum of the American Latino at the Smithsonian passed Dec. 27, 2020. Connect with the museum at latino.si.edu, and follow @USLatinoMuseum on , and .

# # #

A Shark Lover’s Small Town: Chatham Massachusetts

Inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Filmed off the coast of Cape Cod in the early 1970s, Jaws changed the way that beachgoers everywhere interact with the sea. Nearly a half-century later, sharks are still an interest along the Atlantic Coast, especially in the waters around Chatham, a charming seaside town positioned at the elbow of the peninsulas bent arm.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and its outreach facility, the Chatham Shark Center, take an in-depth look at the often misunderstood great white shark, with exhibits highlighting the history of sharks on Cape Cod and ways to be a better ocean steward. To intimately introduce people to these magnificent creatures, the center also hosts naturalist-guided private charters that visit great whites in their natural habitat. Starting this summer, the AWSC has also joined forces with the New England Aquarium to employ a bonafide shark expert, who will verify shark sightings submitted by citizen scientists to the conservancys app, Sharktivity. This data will help protect both the public and sharks by preventing possible encounters between the two.

Chathams History Weekend, June 17 to 19, celebrates the towns historic riches, including its Old Village District, featuring homes dating back to 1730, through free museum hours, bus tours and lectures. The Chatham Band celebrates 90 years this season with Friday evening concerts at Kate Gould Park, from July to September.

Recommended Reading: New Museum Of Contemporary Art

Select Participants And Date

Meet on the corner of 9th and Pennsylvania NW, outside the north side of the National Archives Building and across the street from the Archives Metro Station. For GPS devices, use the address 800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Please arrive no later than 10:15 AM.

FromUS$ 64per person

Our last day, we took the 3 hour tour, thinking it would be OK – it was fabulous! Just the right amount of walking, a bathroom with us, with a fantastic tour guide who was extremely knowledgeable and hilarious! Our only issue was trying to find the right tour bus, since so many take off from the same spot. Arrive more than 15 minutes early so you can find your bus! Our tour person at 10:30am April 16 was a lady around 5’4″ so she held a neon orange baton in the air so we could find her in the crowds and it really was helpful. At the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, too many people to know where she was, but you could see that baton! She was also great with the many kids that were on the bus who at first was fussy and talking loud. She not only engaged them by having them participate in Q& A, she had them wanting to participate! I learned so much & had fun doing it! I hope next year we come back, we get the same guide and do the all day tour!

Black Music’s Global Influence

The genres of Jazz and Hip-Hop spread around the world. These genres traveled to Africa and Asia and influenced other genres of African and Asian Music. The textural styles, slang language and influenced American pop culture and global culture. The way African-Americans dress in hip-hop videos and how African-Americans talk is copied for style and profit in the American market and the global market. Blues, jazz, and hip-hop were created in African-American neighborhoods despite African-Americans are marginalized in American society on an economic and social level, the music created by African-Americans had a global impact due to marketing and media.

Read Also: How Much Is Getty Museum Tickets

In This Quiet Space For Contemplation A Fountain Rains Down Calming Waters

One year after the Nations first black president rang in the opening of the African American History Museum, visitors reflect on its impact

Visitors to the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture are often overwhelmed by its heart-wrenching exhibitions. The museum explores everything from the horrors of segregation to triumphs in music, the arts and the ongoing battle for civil rights. It can be a lot to takeespecially the Slavery and Freedom exhibition that begins in the bowels of the museum, three stories below ground.

I was really angry with what I saw downstairs, says Shelley Lee Hing. Shes from Jamaica, but now lives in Arlington, Virginia, and was on her second visit. I know about it. But when you see it, it comes back to the forefront of your thoughts.

But Lee Hing says visitors shouldnt want to deny the things that they see here.

You want people to understand the struggles that African Americans went through, and the fact that this country was built on their backs literally, Lee Hing says.

Both she and her sister, Nadine Carey, were focused on the positive as the museum celebrates its first birthday. On , massive crowds filled the National Mall as President Barack Obama, the nations first black president, officially dedicated the new museum with the ringing of a bell to signal the official opening, after nearly a century of fitful planning.

Finally, and simply, from Sam Cookes iconic song: A change is gonna come.

Must See Exhibits At Nmaahc

The Smithsonians Black

The collection of artifacts was too much for any person to take in so I have encouraged all of my friends who have since visited to research what they wanted to see before going to be sure not to miss something important.

For some, this might be sitting for a while at the Greensboro counter exhibit or visiting Emmett Tills coffin. The Washingtonian put together their own must see list of exhibits in the Museum, but everyone has a different experience.

For me personally, the exhibit showing the wreckage from a Portuguese ship that sank off the coast of South Africa in 1794, killing more than half the estimated 400 slaves on board was on my list. Having visited Portugal twice and visiting their historical museums and monuments from their perspective of the slave trade, it was fascinating.

As you travel from the underground levels of the Museum, you can almost feel a physical lift of your spirits. As you pass segregation, you start to see the triumphs that leaders and movements in African American culture. The culmination of the museum on the top floor where history starts moving at a wonderful pace.

Also Check: Public Parking Near Natural History Museum

Resilient Small Town: Africatown Alabama

Even after the United States outlawed the importation of enslaved labor in 1807,smugglers continued to bring capturedWest Africans across the Atlantic and into the Deep South. When the Civil War ended, the newly freed survivors of the last of these slave ships, the Clotilda, founded Africatown, a stand-alone community located about three miles from downtown Mobile. This self-sufficient town used many elements of West African law, including having tribal leaders retained their own regional language and customs and started their own schoolhouse.

With the opening of the Africatown Heritage House later this summer , the towns founders and descendants will finally have a dedicated place for their narratives to be told. The 5,000-square-foot museum will feature both documents and artifacts sharing the incredible stories of the enslaved laborers who traveled to Alabama aboard the Clotilda, survived and flourished. These include pieces of the sunken schooner, which was found in 2019, thanks in part to the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum helped with the Clotildaresearch and in finding ways to involve Africatown’s residents in preserving the ships memory, as well as the legacy of slavery and freedom in Alabama.

National Museum Of African American History & Culture Library

The National Museum of African American History & Culture Library is devoted to collecting and providing access to resources that support scholarship in African American history, culture, and the African Diaspora. The Library also supports research in genealogy and family history.

Located on the second level of the museum, the Library features a reading room with public computer stations, stack space for 11,000 volumes, electronic and print resources, and a case for rotating exhibits of items from the library and archives.

Please visit the following page for more information about research appointments: . In-person appointments are unavailable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Library reference is available via email at .

HELPFUL LINKS

Recommended Reading: Crystal Bridges Museum Of American Art Bentonville Ar

Quirky Small Town: Banner Elk North Carolina

In the heart of western North Carolinas High Country, Banner Elk sits at an elevation of 3,701 feet and acts as a gateway to the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains many offerings. This tiny one-stoplight town is just a 13-mile drive from Grandfather Mountain, part of the United Nations Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve and home to the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery, opening this June. Its a state-of-the-art center that nearly doubles the size of an already existing nature museum, adding a dozen interactive exhibits and experiences highlighting everything from the mountains natural history to its rare fauna, such as North Carolina funnelweed tarantulas and Virginia big-eared bats.

Banner Elk is sandwiched between the Souths two largest ski resorts, Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain, both of which transform their slopes into a wealth of hiking and downhill mountain bike trails each summer. The former is home to Beech Mountain Brewing, one of the only U.S. breweries owned and operated by a ski area.

The towns Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster has provided endless fun since its 2020 debut, with gravity driving each two-person car along its twisting and turning 2,390-foot track at speeds of up to 27 miles per hour. For an adventure thats a little more low-key, enjoy a tour of the family-owned Apple Hill Farm, a working alpaca farm selling artisan socks and needle-felted llamacorns.

Latest Posts

Popular Articles