Hampton University Museum, African-American art museum at Hampton University, United States.
Hampton University Museum holds more than 9,000 objects across galleries devoted to African American, African, American Indian, Asian and Pacific art and artifacts. It is the first institutional collection of work by African-American artists and holds the South's largest collection of ethnic art.
Hampton University founder Gen. Samuel C. Armstrong created the museum in 1868, the same year he founded the university, as a "Curiosity Room". It grew into the first institutional collection of work by African-American artists and the oldest African-American museum in the United States.
The museum's name comes from its 1868 origin as the "Curiosity Room," opened by founder Gen. Samuel C. Armstrong in the same year he founded Hampton University. Its galleries are divided by culture, with sections for African American, African, American Indian, Asian and Pacific art and artifacts.
The museum occupies a building on the Hampton University campus in Hampton, Virginia, and is reached on foot from the campus core. It is a university museum, so access and opening hours follow the academic calendar; confirm times before travelling, as they differ between term and holidays.
The museum began in 1868 as the "Curiosity Room", founded by Gen. Samuel C. Armstrong in the same year he founded Hampton University. Its holdings grew into more than 9,000 objects, including what the sources describe as the South's largest collection of ethnic art.
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