- National Museum of African American History and Culture
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Coordinates: 38°53′28″N 77°01′57″W / 38.891°N 77.0326°W
National Museum of African American History and Culture 
Location in Washington, D.C.Established December 19, 2003 Location Washington D.C., United States The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum established in 2003. It will be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. In 2006, the Smithsonian's Board of Regents selected a 5 acres (2.0 ha) site near the grounds of the Washington Monument and the National Museum of American History. The boundaries of the site are Constitution Avenue on the north, Madison Drive on the south, 14th Street, NW on the east, and 15th Street, NW on the west. Construction is expected to begin in 2012.[1] Architect David Adjaye designed the building, which features a crown motif from Yoruban sculpture.[2]
The museum was established on December 19, 2003, through the National Museum of African American History and Culture Act.[3] Dr. Lonnie G. Bunch was selected as the museum's first director in July 2005.
In 2007 the National Museum of African American History and Culture became the first major museum to open on the Web before completing a physical structure. The website includes the museum's first exhibit, mounted in New York[4]. It is also designed to encourage collaboration between scholars and the public. The museum is slated to be finished by 2015.
The main feature of the web-based initiative is the Memory Book application, which allows individuals to contribute to the website via pictures, a story, or audio application, to spotlight unique experiences in African-American culture.[5] Physical exhibits will also be mounted in other institutions of the Smithsonian, such as the galleries dedicated to the NMAAHC in the National Museum of American History, as well as in museums outside of Washington pending completion of the museum's new building.
References
- ^ "Building Design Update: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture". Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. http://nmaahc.si.edu/section/about_us/view/63. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
- ^ Taylor, Kate (22 January 2011). "The Thorny Path to a National Black Museum". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/us/23smithsonian.htm.
- ^ Pub.L. 108-184 §4(a)
- ^ Holland Cotter, "The Glittering A-List of Black History", The New York Times, 11 May 2007, accessed 17 Jul 2008
- ^ "IBM and Smithsonian Open the National Museum of African American History and Culture - Virtually", IBM Press Room, 26 Sept 2007
External links
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Act
Categories:- Museums established in 2003
- American national museums in Washington, D.C.
- National Mall
- African American museums in Washington, D.C.
- Smithsonian Institution museums
- Washington, D.C. stubs
- United States museum stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
