African American Museum in Philadelphia

Coordinates: 39°57′10″N 75°09′06″W / 39.9527972°N 75.1515694°W / 39.9527972; -75.1515694

African American Museum in Philadelphia

Established	1976
Location	701 Arch Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	39°57′10″N 75°09′06″W / 39.952797°N 75.151569°W / 39.952797; -75.151569
Director	Patricia Wilson Aden
Curator	Richard J Watson
Website	http://www.aampmuseum.org/

The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) is notable as the first museum funded and built by a municipality to help preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage of African Americans. Opened during the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations, the AAMP is located in historic Philadelphia, a few blocks away from the Liberty Bell.

Collection

AAMP currently houses four galleries and an auditorium, each of which offers exhibitions anchored on one of three dominant themes: The African Diaspora, the Philadelphia Story, and the Contemporary Narrative.

The Museum is home to more than 750,000 objects, images and documents that are made available for research, exhibitions, for loan to other museums, and used in the Museum’s many educational programs. Temporary exhibits, as well as a variety of family events, workshops, films, tours, symposiums, and concerts relating to African-American culture and history are offered.^[1]

The AAMP’s collection is composed of flyers, memos and memorabilia related to the Philadelphia Black Panthers, correspondence clippings and military artifacts of the first black doctor to direct a U.S. Army Hospital, academic and legal papers from Harry Shapiro on constitutional issues arising from the Civil Rights Movement, African American occupational and domestic objects, family scrapbooks, sports memorabilia, church and burial records, artifacts from the Ku Klux Klan, and much more. Refer to the museums website for a complete listing.^[2]

History

Philadelphia has long been known as an important center for African American history and culture. As the United States was being formed in the 18th century, Philadelphia was the center of the abolitionist movement and had the largest free black population.

Founding director

Charles H. Wesley was a noted African American historian, educator, and author. He was the fourth African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University. An ordained minister, Wesley’s distinguished career included 40 years of leadership with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1976, he served as Director of the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia, now known as the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

Recent events

In 2007, the AAMP received a $3 million grant from the city of Philadelphia for building renovations and improving displays for the museum's extensive collection. The Museum closed March 9, 2009 and reopened June 18, 2009 with the unveiling of AUDACIOUS FREEDOM, a new core exhibit installation featuring the early history of African Americans in Philadelphia (1776–1876)

References

Notes

↑ "Education". Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
↑ "Collections & Exhibitions". Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-07.

The African American Museum in Philadelphia is a member of the Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program.

Bibliography

African American Museum in Philadelphia official site
Clark, Vernon. "African American Museum gets grant." The Philadelphia Inquirer 12, September 2007.
Jones, Ayana. "Marketing pays off for Black museum." The Philadelphia Tribune 2007.
Van Allen, Peter. "Philadelphia museum makes a comeback." Philadelphia Business Journal 2, August 2007.
"Dr. Charles H. Wesley" Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon website. May 16, 2003.
"Experience Philadelphia's African American History" Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. Gophila.com.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to African American Museum in Philadelphia.

African American Museum in Philadelphia official site

Museums in Pennsylvania

Art	Allentown Art Museum Andy Warhol Museum Athenaeum of Philadelphia Barnes Foundation Brandywine River Museum Carnegie Museum of Art The Clemente Museum Demuth Museum Erie Art Museum Frick Art & Historical Center Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia La Salle University Art Museum Mattress Factory Michener Art Museum Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon Palmer Museum of Art Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Philadelphia Museum of Art Pittsburgh Glass Center Reading Public Museum Rodin Museum Susquehanna Art Museum University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Westmoreland Museum of American Art Woodmere Art Museum

History, Culture, and Religion	African American Museum in Philadelphia American Jewish Museum American Swedish Historical Museum Civil War Museum of Philadelphia Erie Maritime Museum Gettysburg Museum Heinz History Center Independence Seaport Museum Johnstown Flood Museum Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania Meadowcroft Rockshelter Mercer Museum Museum of the American Revolution Museum of Indian Culture National Civil War Museum National Constitution Center National Museum of American Jewish History Nationality Rooms Philadelphia History Museum Rosenbach Museum & Library State Museum of Pennsylvania U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center

Science, Technology, and Industry	Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University America On Wheels Carnegie Museum of Natural History Carnegie Science Center Center for PostNatural History Chemical Heritage Foundation Da Vinci Science Center Drake Well Museum Everhart Museum Franklin Institute Mütter Museum Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Railroaders Memorial Museum Steamtown National Historic Site Wagner Free Institute of Science

Children's	Children's Museum of Pittsburgh Miniature Railroad & Village National Toy Train Museum Please Touch Museum

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