African American Museum of Dallas, African American history museum in Fair Park, Dallas, United States.
The African American Museum of Dallas sits within Fair Park and displays history and art across two floors with documents, photographs, and visual works. The collection traces the experiences of Black people in the city and region across different time periods.
The museum began in 1974 within the Special Collections of Bishop College, a historically black college that closed in 1988. It has operated independently since 1979. Its $7 million building was paid for by private donations and a 1985 Dallas city bond election that provided $1.2 million. It occupies nearly the same site as the Texas Centennial Exposition's Hall of Negro Life.
The museum's name and mission tie it to the Texas Centennial Exposition's Hall of Negro Life, which stood on nearly the same site in Fair Park. Programs run in an educational plaza with a theater and classrooms, aimed at visitors who do not normally go to art museums. The permanent collection includes African art alongside African American art and community archives.
The museum stands at 3536 Grand Avenue in Fair Park, in a cross-shaped building of ivory-colored stone. Its four vaulted galleries are supplemented by a research library, and educational programs are held in an educational plaza with a theater and classrooms. The entrance band above the doors reads "AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM".
The museum holds one of the largest collections of folk art by Black artists in the entire region, with works rarely seen elsewhere. This collection shows the artistic styles that developed in the Southwest and stand apart.
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