{"id":12166,"date":"2022-04-16T12:07:08","date_gmt":"2022-04-16T12:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/media-archive.blackartinamerica.com\/?p=12166"},"modified":"2022-04-16T12:07:08","modified_gmt":"2022-04-16T12:07:08","slug":"northwest-african-american-museum-seattle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earthexhibitions.org\/media-archive\/?p=12166","title":{"rendered":"Northwest African American Museum (Seattle)"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Northwest African American Museum (Seattle)<\/h2>\r\n
\r\n

One of BAIA Foundation’s 2022 initiatives is instituting marketing assistance for African American Museums and Cultural Centers.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

Seattle is known for its coffee culture, grunge music scene, NFL Seahawks, headquarters of a lot of the big tech companies, and its lush forests, mountains, and waterways which earned it the nickname of The Emerald City. There’s also the “premier\u00a0institution for showcasing African American art, history and culture in the Pacific Northwest.” That’s the Northwest African American Museum. “Timeless, exciting view into the importance of African American contributions in Seattle,” reads a Trip Advisor review.<\/p>\r\n

The Northwest African American Museum fulfills its mission by joining with visitors to present and preserve the connections between the people of the Pacific Northwest and those of African descent. The review ended by stating that they “highly recommend a visit for all of us committed to history, inclusion and the honoring of all of us\u2014world citizens. This an opportunity to revisit some hard moments not only in Seattle’s history but also to understand the richness of Seattle’s African American experience and community, surrounded by artifacts, artistic expression and knowledge.”<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

The Northwest African American Museum opened its doors to the public in 2008 after a 25-year long birth that started with an idea of an African American museum housed inside of Coleman School building that community activists Earl Debnam, Michael Greenwood, Charlie James, and Omari Tahir Garrett would eventually claim and occupy as home for the museum. Beginning as a nonprofit called the African American Heritage Museum and Cultural Center, then gaining its independence in 2006 from the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (after being bought by them three years prior), the museum changed its name to the Northwest African American Museum.<\/p>\r\n

After devising a plan and creating their mission, the museum rebirthed in 2018 to celebrate their 10 year anniversary.\u00a0 Since then, NAAM has been selected for the first cohort\u00a0<\/a>of the Standards and Excellence Program (StEPs) by the Smithsonian\u2019s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the American Association for State and Local History, named a finalist for the National Medal for Museum Service Award<\/a> given by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and awarded the 2019 Exhibition of the Year Award<\/a> by the Association of King County Historical Organizations for its Bold as Love: Jimi Hendrix at Home<\/em> exhibition.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

NAAM features various ongoing educational programs that include virtual exhibitions, storytelling, and highlight African American history pertaining to wealth and power, uplifting of African American descendants, and more. Missed a past exhibition? No worries! You can view some of NAAM’s past exhibitions on their website:<\/p>\r\n