My First VIsit to the National African American Museum of History and Culture
The 19th Smithsonian Museum opened its doors on September 24th, 2016. Finally, last week, I visited the National African American Museum of History and Culture (NMAAHC) for the first time.
Since my invitation to the dedication ceremony got lost in the mail, I settled for getting museum passes for four people online back in September for December 21st at 12:30 p.m.
Before its opening, the museum distributed 705,000 passes for admission through December 31st. If you haven’t had the chance to go, get ready. On January 4th, 2017, at 9:00 a.m., timed passes will be available for April 2017.
The institution was 100 years in the making. Check out the fantastic timeline below:
Quick Facts on The National African American Museum of History and Culture:
♦ Located on the National Mall near the Washington Monument
♦ The Museum has 85,000 square feet of exhibition space
♦ 37,000 Artifacts
♦ 100,000 individuals have become charter members
♦ David Adjaye was the Ghanaian-British lead male designer
♦ Zena Howard was the African-American female lead architect
♦ The Museum has five floors above ground and four below History Galleries (There was a long line here)
♦ 12 Exhibitions
♦ 13 different interactive with 17 stations
♦ 183 videos housed on five floors
♦ Mobile App Available
♦ Sweet Home Café
♦ Museum Shop
We started on the upper level at the Culture Galleries since there was at least a 30 to 40-minute wait to get into the History Galleries on the underground levels. The Culture Galleries highlighted “cultural expressions” like hair, clothing, food, dance, and language—as well as visual arts, theater, and lasting musical influences.
Remember Ann Lowe’s visit to New York City’s Museum at FIT from last week? Above is a picture of Ann with one of her designs.
As you can see, I spent most of my time in the Cultural Gallery. Perhaps all the childhood memories captivated my attention here. There were so many firsts that I could personally remember.
I grew up reading the Philadelphia Tribune.
Community Galleries: This level focused on how African Americans impacted the community through civic work, sports, and entrepreneurship.
Explore More Level: This level has many interactive stations and the opportunity to explore your family history center. Many people were in this area. I spent the least amount of time on this level.
History Galleries: We probably should have started at this level, but there was a 30—to 40-minute wait. So, we decided to start at the top level and work our way back down to this level. This area tells a comprehensive story on slavery beginning in the year 1400. From what I saw, a good part of the day must be devoted to going through the entire gallery. I snapped a few sobering photos.
What I didn’t get to see that I heard about:
♣ Black Fashion Museum Collection that includes dress sewn by Rosa Parks
♣ Emmet Till’s coffin
♣ Michael Jackson’s fedora
♣ Lena Horne’s fur-collared green velvet dress she wore in Stormy Weather.
We sampled the Sweet Home Café on the Concourse floor for light snacks. If you’re looking to sample southern comfort food, the restaurant offers many choices to satiate your appetite.
Because our stay was limited to four hours (so we could make our dinner reservations in Little Italy, in Baltimore at Aldo’s), I plan to electronically order timed passes on January 4th for a time in April.
Overall, it was an excellent educational experience. I was happy to see all the young, old, black, and white people taking their time going through the museum. I saw people being polite and patient if you were taking a photo or reading the captions.
Finally, my visit to the NMAAHC is not complete. I need to return to finish the History Galleries. I hope your 2017 plans include a visit to the newest Smithsonian.
And:
