The African American Museum in Philadelphia

One of BAIA Foundation’s 2022 initiatives is instituting marketing assistance for African American Museums and Cultural Centers. 

We asked our BAIA family to nominate Black museums and cultural centers for the BAIA Foundation to feature, and The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) came up several times. 

AAMP was founded in 1976, the same year that Negro History Week became Black History Month. In celebration of the nation’s 200th year anniversary of it independence from Britain, AAMP was founded. It’s the first institution to be funded and built by a major city to honor Black people in this country. From pre-colonial days until now, according to their website, “the museum has objectively interpreted and presented the achievements and aspirations of African Americans.” 

They don’t just focus on the struggle though but rather preserve and exhibit many facets of our collective story: family life, the Civil Rights movement, arts and entertainment, sports, medicine, architecture, politics, religion, law and technology. A Google review of AAMP noted that, “the museum is the perfect spot for learning about the political history of Black Americans in Philadelphia.”

Exhibits center around one of the Museum’s three themes:

  • the African Diaspora
  • the Philadelphia Story
  • the Contemporary Narrative

Longtime Philadelphia resident and Black-life photographer, Jack T. Franklin donated his collection of over 500,000 negatives and photographs to the African American Museum in Philadelphia in 1986. “The collection is a significant and extraordinary local history comprising virtually every social, cultural and political event in Philadelphia’s African American community during his lifetime, as well as all of the major events of the 1960s Civil Rights movement.”

Artists like Franklin give eras and organized efforts like the Civil Rights movement a voice. It’s how the message is spread to the masses in a way that’s engaging and heart-centered. Art stimulates the necessary conversations, pertaining to what happened and what’s happening and what’s wanted. So it’s critical for any serious organization to be connected with the artists of its community. AAMP understands this and responds to it with a Call for Artwork to continue their mission of interpreting art, history, and culture to inspire, educate, promote dialogue, and bring together community.

Current exhibitions include:

  • Gilberto Wilson: Di Nada (Wilson is a keeper of sacred genealogies, visually telling their stories through his art. )
  • Portals+Revelations: Richard J. Watson Beyond Realities (explores the artist’s creative evolution during his time as AAMP’s artist-in-residence, spotlighting mixed media, abstraction, and assemblage- lesser known but powerful aspects of his practice. )
  • Anna Russell Jones: The Art of Design (highlights the diverse treasures of AAMP’s permanent collection.)
  • Rendering Justice (a powerful exhibition, curated by artist Jesse Krimes, that showcases an expansive examination of mass incarceration and an unflinching depiction of contemporary America.)
  • Through His Eyes: Youth Activism in The Civil Rights Era In Philadelphia (an online exhibition that pulls from the Jack T. Franklin photographic collection at AAMP to explore Philadelphia’s often overlooked civil rights activists – Black youth.)

Learn more and find out how you can support the African American Museum in Philadelphia 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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