New Orleans African American Museum
One of BAIA Foundation’s 2022 initiatives is instituting marketing assistance for African American Museums and Cultural Centers.
New Orleans native Dr. Koko Zauditu Selassie, in the documentary In Our Mothers’ Gardens, warned us that, “You can’t have a short memory and be Black. You open yourself up for attack. You got to have a long memory, ‘cause we singing a long song.”
THE NEW ORLEANS AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF ART, HISTORY AND CULTURE (NOAAM) is keeping said memories alive.
Founded in 1996 under the guidance and extensive support of the City of New Orleans Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development, NOAAM is located in the Tremé section of New Orleans, a neighborhood that was home to the nation’s largest, most prosperous and politically progressive community of Black people by the mid-1850s. In the 18th century, the land was occupied by the Morand Plantation and brickyard, which was later acquired by hat maker and real estate developer Claude Tremé. In 1810, Tremé sold the land to the city of New Orleans, and it became home to many free persons of color. Congo Square, was a gathering place for free persons and slaves to gather, play music, and sell goods.
Tremé is unique in its architecture, it’s streets are a gumbo of double shotgun houses, Creole cottages and townhouses. An excellent example of Creole architecture is the Meilleur-Goldthwaire House, a villa built in 1828 which makes up part of the NOAAM campus. The New Orleans African American Museum is situated near the St. Augustine Church, one of the oldest African-American Catholic parishes in the nation, and two other museums that center Black culture and contribution: the Backstreet Cultural Museum and Tremé’s Petit Jazz Museum.
Photo: Trelani Michelle at the NOAAM
Currently the museum is operating out of the administrative building located at 1417 Governor Nicholls St, as they work to fundraise and reopen our entire historic campus. Since their grand re-opening in April 2019, they have welcomed over 4,000 guests and community members, hosted over 45 events, several exhibitions and tour groups, and completed phase 1 of the restoration of their historic campus.
Like BAIA and so many other African-American museums, the mission of the New Orleans African American Museum is to preserve the history and elevate the art, culture, and contributions of African Americans in New Orleans and the African Diaspora.
A couple of their current exhibitions includes:
- Welcome to the Afrofuture: The Matrix of Creativity: Where the River Meets the Sea, which showcases contemporary work by artists, creatives, and designers engaging in the aesthetic of Black spatial realities, imaginary spaces and Black meccas.
- Prospect 5: Yesterday we said tomorrow, the fifth edition of Prospect New Orleans, a citywide art exhibition. Inspired by New Orleans jazz musician Christian Scott a Tunde Adjuah’s 2010 album Yesterday You Said Tomorrow, the title of the exhibition centers the unspoken present, the place where past and future come together, and where other courses of action become possible.
In addition to developing exhibitions, the museum facilitates the quarterly Conversations, Culture and Calas event which brings together local movers and shakers and calas, which are an old New Orleans culinary tradition which helped many enslaved New Orleanians afford their freedom papers. NOAAM provides incubator programs like the Museum Takeover, an event series in which creatives can use the museum to investigate and create their own programming. The New Orleans African American Museum also offers its space and promotional support with the intention of strengthening the creative communities’ access to space. Every third Saturday in 2022, NOAAM supports Black-Owned businesses and institutions on their campus, where local Black Business vendors, farmers, and artists are also in attendance. Fun for the whole family!
Their mantra: Black Museums Matter.
Learn more and find out how you can support the New Orleans African American Museum here.
THE BLACK ART IN AMERICA (BAIA) FOUNDATION is a 501c3 organization that applies what we’ve learned over our 12 years as a multifaceted arts company to facilitate the growth of artists while cultivating the relationships and opportunities that bring Black artists and communities together.
We invite you to become a monthly supporter of the BAIA Foundation. Starting at just $3 a month, YOU become a stakeholder and begin to help us transform lives through art. We are growing the BAIA team and will use your contributions to hire more team members for the purpose of creating more educational and marketing resources for schools and universities about african american artists both past and present. Such art initiatives and educational programming like Blacklite with Steve Prince, Relating to Art with Dr. Kelli Morgan, and BAIA BITS would not be possible without the ongoing support of our Patreon members. Please consider becoming a monthly Patreon member today!
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