Anacostia Community Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1967 |
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| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Type | Community museum |
| Visitors | 38,963 (2008) |
| Public transit access |  Anacostia |
The Anacostia Community Museum (often called the ACM) is a special museum in Washington, D.C.. It's located in the Anacostia neighborhood. This museum is part of the famous Smithsonian Institution. It was the first museum of its kind in the United States to be funded by the government.
The museum started in 1967. Its main goal was to bring the Smithsonian's amazing collections closer to the people of Anacostia. It also hoped to encourage local residents to visit the bigger Smithsonian museums. Since 1970, it has focused on the history and culture of the Anacostia area. The museum also has its own library.
Contents
Museum History
How It Started
In 1966, the Smithsonian Institution called the Anacostia Community Museum an "experimental store-front museum." S. Dillon Ripley, who was in charge of the Smithsonian, wanted to help more African Americans visit the Smithsonian museums. The idea came from a meeting held by the Smithsonian.
In March 1967, the Smithsonian bought the Carver Theater. This old movie theater was in the Anacostia neighborhood. The Smithsonian asked for help from the community. A group of local Anacostia residents became advisors for the project.
John Kinard became the museum's director in June 1967. He was a pastor and an activist during the Civil Rights Movement. Kinard was very involved in the Anacostia neighborhood. He made sure that young people helped create the museum. Every week, a committee of community members met. They helped plan the museum's programs and exhibits. Staff and local people worked together. They turned the old theater into a museum space. The community also helped choose what items would be shown.
The Anacostia Neighborhood Museum opened on September 15, 1967. It had eight staff members. Only one of them had a permanent job. There were no curators or librarians at first. A large model of a Tricerotops dinosaur was at the opening. This model later became famous as "Uncle Beazley" in a children's TV movie. Today, it is at the National Zoo.
In 1968, the museum hired a photographer. They also opened a photography lab. The museum became part of the Smithsonian's official budget in 1970. That same year, the Anacostia Research Center started. It began an oral history program. This program recorded stories from people in the community.
The museum hired its first historian, Louise Daniel Hutchinson, in 1971. By 1972, the museum had ten full-time staff members. They worked in different departments. As the museum grew, it became harder to involve the whole community in planning. So, the large Neighborhood Advisory Committee became smaller. It was renamed the Board of Directors.
In October 1974, a special workshop opened at Fort Stanton (Washington, D.C.). This is where new exhibits were designed and built. In 1976, a fire happened there. No one was hurt, but the damage cost a lot of money. In 1980, the museum became the first Smithsonian museum to add labels for people with hearing problems. An archives (a collection of historical documents) about Anacostia was started in 1977.
The new Anacostia Museum opened on May 17, 1987. It was located at Fort Stanton. The museum's name changed because its mission changed. It now wanted to celebrate African American history from around the world, not just Anacostia. John Kinard, the long-time director, passed away in 1989.
After John Kinard
Steven Newsome became the new museum director in 1991. That same year, the museum started its own library. The museum's name changed again in 1995. It became the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture. The idea was for it to become the main place for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. During Newsome's time, the museum was renovated.
In 2004, Newsome retired. The museum decided to change its mission again. It wanted to focus specifically on the communities in Anacostia. So, in 2006, its name changed back to the Anacostia Community Museum. That year, Camille Akeju became the director.
With Camille Akeju, the way exhibits were chosen changed. Before, community members could suggest ideas for exhibits. Now, museum staff and curators choose the exhibition topics.
Museum Architecture
The Fort Stanton building opened in 1987. It was designed to fit into the natural surroundings. The outside of the building is made of red brick. These bricks look like patterns found in kente cloth, a traditional African fabric. The building also has round concrete parts with glass blocks and blue tiles. These parts are inspired by old ruins in Great Zimbabwe. Large windows are at the entrance.
In March 2019, the museum closed for renovations. It reopened in October 2019.
Museum Collections
The Anacostia Community Museum did not have its own permanent collection until the late 1970s. The Smithsonian did not allow it to build one at first. The Smithsonian itself did not have many items related to African American history. John Kinard encouraged other museums to collect such items. These included artwork and things owned by famous people like Duke Ellington.
In 1977, the museum was finally allowed to start its own permanent collection. The museum library was created in 1991. In 1992, the museum made a plan for its collections. This plan said the museum would focus on items from the Anacostia neighborhood.
In 2003, the museum received the archives of Lorenzo Dow Turner. His wife, Lois Turner Williams, donated them. In 2010, an exhibit called Word, Shout, Song showed items from this collection. The museum also has a collection of art. It includes works by artists like James A. Porter, Sam Gilliam, and Benny Andrews.
Museum Exhibitions
Throughout its history, the museum's exhibitions have shown the life of the Anacostia community. They often explore issues in cities across the United States. African American history and art have also been featured. Topics include immigration, slavery, civil rights, and music.
The very first exhibition in 1967 showed many different things. It had a copy of an Anacostia store from 1890. There was also a Project Mercury spacecraft and a small zoo. The zoo had a parrot named George, given by the National Zoo.
Other early exhibits included The Rat: Man's Invited Affliction in 1969. This exhibit looked at problems caused by rats. The museum's bicentennial exhibit, Blacks in the Western Movement, told stories of African Americans who explored the American West. This exhibit traveled around the country and was made into a documentary film.
Director John Kinard called these early exhibits "pasteboard exhibits." They often used display panels. In the early years, community members often helped create these exhibits. Museum staff, like exhibit designer James E. Mayo, also helped.
The ACM started working with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). Together, they created traveling exhibits. These were the first major African American themed exhibits at the Smithsonian. In 1977, The Anacostia Story showed the history of the neighborhood from 1608 to 1930. The Frederick Douglass Years focused on Frederick Douglass, who lived in Anacostia.
The 1979 exhibit Out of Africa: From West African Kingdoms to Colonization was the first to use items from the museum's growing collection. The museum closed for about two months in 1980. It reopened with the exhibit Anna J. Cooper: A Voice from the South. To celebrate the 100th birthday of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Smithsonian held many events. The ACM organized Mary McLeod Bethune and Roosevelt's Black Cabinet.
Mercer Ellington, the son of Duke Ellington, filmed a public announcement for the exhibit The Renaissance: Black Arts of the '20s. The ACM also focused on Washington, D.C.'s role in equal rights. This was shown in To Achieve These Rights: The Struggle for Equal Rights and Self-Determination in the District of Columbia, 1791-1978. Another exhibit, Footsteps from North Brentwood, discussed the history of Prince George's County, Maryland.
In 2006, the ACM exhibit Reclaiming Midwives: Pillars of Community Support looked at the role of midwives in African American communities. The ACM also worked with the Mexican Cultural Institute. They created The African Presence in Mexico. The 2010 exhibit Word, Shout and Song explored the work of Lorenzo Dow Turner and the Gullah language.
Museum Education
Since 1977, the museum has offered special education courses for teachers. The Museum Education Department also publishes books about African American history. In 1987, the ACM started the Museum Academy Program. This program works with local children throughout the year.
See Also
In Spanish: Museo Comunitario Anacostia para niños
