 INFORMATION - ATTRACTIONS - BUILDINGS & MUSEUMS - HISTORY |
African American Museum
Established: 1993
| Building Information | ||
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| Address |
3536 Grand Ave. Dallas, TX 75210 |
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| Phone Number | (214) 565-9026 | |
| Type | Museum | |
| Admissions | FREE | |
| Hours |
Mon: CLOSED Tue-Fri: 12-5 Sat: 10-5 Sun: 1-5 |
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| Constructed | 1993 | |
| Renovation(s) | N / A | |
| Size | 38,000 ft² | |
| 1993 Cost | N / A | |
| Former Name(s) | N / A | |
| African American Museum Website | ||
| Current Exhibits |
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· "With an Even Hand" - Brown v Board at Fifty - On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, declaring that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." This decision was pivotal to the struggle for racial desegregation in the United States. This exhibition commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of this landmark judicial case. (January 25 - April 6, 2008) · Facing the Rising Sun: Freedman's Cemetery - Freedman’s Cemetery (circa 1869-1925) represents the remnants of a once thriving North Dallas community, which from the end of the Civil War to 1970s was the largest African American enclave in Dallas. Freedman's Cemetery: Facing the Rising Sun, is inspired by found objects, worn photographs, archival documents, broken headstones, shells, shards of earthenware, decorative pottery, china plates and glass. It is a body of work that defines the fragmentary history of a once prominent African American community, known first as Freedmantown and later as North Dallas. The exhibit brings together public and private collections and is presented in different thematic areas: Slavery, Emancipation, Reconstruction, Early Families, Education, Medicine, Religion, Business, and Community Pride. Interactive video kiosks present a menu of options and enable the viewer to gain an understanding of the life experiences of different individuals, who grew up in Freedmantown and old North Dallas. (Ongoing) · Sankofa - Sankofa presents visitors with a unique opportunity to view the stylistic range and creativity of early African American craftsmen from approximately 1790 to 1890. The works in this exhibition were produced primarily by free people of color, and showcased in the exhibition is a Thomas Day Secretary carved with an unusual scroll pattern reminiscent of the Sankofa symbol (used as the background of this page), making this piece particularly distinctive because African American craftsmen in the 18th and 19th centuries mainly worked in a Euro-American style and rarely used clearly recognizable African patterns and designs. Day, who was a freedman in antebellum North Carolina, was known for his delicately designed day beds, rockers, bureaus, sofas and millwork. (Ongoing) |
| Permanent Exhibits - (8) |
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· African Art Collection - Centers around 19th and 20th century works of art and artifacts from Zaire, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, and Upper Volta regions of the African continent. · African American Art Collection - Comprised of the fine art works of notable and emerging African American artists from the 19th century to the present · Bishop College Archives - Consists of items recovered from the 144-year old Dallas cemetery where newly freed African Americans honored their deceased loved ones. · Dallas County Black Political Archives - Collection of documents related to the contributions of notable Black political figures in Dallas County, as well as records and documents pertaining to the Dallas Black community. · Freedman's Cemetery Artifact Collection - Consists of items recovered from the 144-year old Dallas cemetery where newly freed African Americans honored their deceased loved ones. · Original Manuscript Collection - Comprises original papers and documents pertaining to the lives of A. Maceo Smith, Eddie Bernice Johnson, and other prominent African American figures in Texas. · Texas Black Women's History Archives Collection - Documents relates to the outstanding contributions of Texas Black Women. · Video Resource Center - Contains photographic, audio, and video graphic materials which pertain to collection holdings, exhibition installations, public programming activities, and images relating to the history of the Museum. |
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- Built on the original site of the Hall of Negro Life, the African American Museum is the newest museum addition to Fair Park.
- For more than 25 years, the African American Museum has stood as a cultural beacon in Dallas and the Southwestern United States. Started in 1974 as a part of the Bishop College Special Collection, the Museum has operated independently since 1979. - The African American Museum is the only museum in the Southwestern United States devoted to the preservation and display of African American artistic, cultural and historical materials. It also has one of the largest African American folk art collections in the United States. The African American Museum incorporates a wide variety of visual art forms and historical documents that portray the African American experience in the United States, Southwest, and Dallas. - The main objective of the Museum is the presentation of meaningful experiences for children and adults who would not ordinarily visit a museum. The rich heritage of black art and history is housed in four vaulted galleries, augmented by a research library. Living African American culture is experienced through entertaining and educational programs presented in the theater, studio arts area and classrooms. The Museum's permanent collections include African art; African American fine art; magazine, historical, political and community archives. |
| Current Photos | |
![African American Museum](http://gallery.lonestarthrills.com/v/Fair-Park/Museums/fp-africanamericanmuseum001.jpg.html" "African American Museum")
![African American Museum](http://gallery.lonestarthrills.com/v/Fair-Park/Museums/fp-africanamericanmuseum002.jpg.html" "African American Museum")
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