DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center facts for kids
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| Established | February 16, 1961 (current location since 1973) |
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| Location | 740 East 56th Place Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S. |
The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center is a museum in Chicago. It used to be called the DuSable Museum of African American History. This museum is all about learning about and saving African-American history, culture, and art.
It was started in 1961 by Margaret Taylor-Burroughs, her husband Charles Burroughs, and several other people. They created the museum to celebrate black culture. At that time, many museums and schools did not focus on African-American history. The DuSable Museum is now connected with the famous Smithsonian Institution.
Contents
History of the Museum
How the Museum Started
The DuSable Black History Museum officially began on February 16, 1961. It was first known as the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art. Margaret and Charles Burroughs, Bernard Goss, and others wanted to fix a problem. They felt that black history and culture were often left out of education.
The museum first opened in the Burroughses' home at 3806 S. Michigan Avenue. In 1968, the museum changed its name. It was named after Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. He was a fur trader of African background. He was also the first non-Native-American person to settle permanently in Chicago.
During the 1960s, the museum and the South Side Community Art Center were important places. They formed an African-American cultural area. The original museum building was once a social club. It was also a place for African-American railroad workers to stay. This building is now a Chicago Landmark. It is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
The DuSable Black History Museum quickly became very important. It filled a need for cultural resources for African Americans in Chicago. It became a key place for learning about African-American history and culture. It also became a center for black social action in Chicago. The museum has held political events and community festivals. It has also hosted many other events for the black community. Other cities like Boston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia have copied the museum's idea.
Growing and Expanding
In 1973, the Chicago Park District gave the museum a building to use. This building was in Washington Park. The museum's current home was once a police station for the Chicago Police Department. In 1993, the museum grew bigger. A new part was added and named after Mayor Harold Washington. He was the first African-American mayor of Chicago.
In 2004, the original building became part of the Washington Park United States Registered Historic District. This district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The DuSable Black History Museum is the oldest museum of its kind. Before the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016, it was the largest place caring for African-American culture in the U.S. Over time, it has grown to show the increased interest in black culture. This ability to change has helped it survive. Other museums have struggled due to money problems. The DuSable Museum was the eighth museum on Park District land. It focuses on African-American culture. However, it is one of several Chicago museums that celebrate the city's many cultures.
Antoinette Wright, a director at the museum, has said that African-American art is important. It helps to save history through stories and art. This is because other ways of recording history were often difficult. She also believes the museum helps to inspire people. It gives hope to a culture that has faced many challenges. In the 1980s, African-American museums discussed how to show negative parts of history. In the 1990s, these museums began to do well, even with money problems. In 2016, the museum became connected with the Smithsonian Institution.
What the Museum Collects
The new part of the museum has a special exhibit about Harold Washington. It includes his personal items and shows highlights of his political career. The museum also serves as Chicago's main memorial to du Sable. Important items in its collection include the desk of activist Ida B. Wells. It also has the violin of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. The Charles Dawson Papers are also part of the collection.
The museum has about 13,000 items. These include artifacts, books, photos, art, and other special objects. Most of the DuSable's collection has come from gifts from private people. It has items from the slavery era in the United States. There are also items from the 1800s and 1900s. It has old documents, like the diaries of sea explorer Captain Harry Dean.
The DuSable collection includes works from scholar W. E. B. Du Bois. It also has items from sociologist St. Clair Drake and poet Langston Hughes. The African-American art collection has pieces from students of the South Side Community Art Center. These include Charles White, Richard Hunt, and Archibald Motley, Jr.. It also has art from Gus Nall, Charles Sebree, and Marion Perkins. The museum also has many works from the New Deal Works Progress Administration period. There are also works from the 1960s Black Arts Movement.
The museum also owns prints and drawings by Henry O. Tanner and Richmond Barthé. It has works by Romare Bearden. The museum has a large collection of books and records. These are about African and African-American history and culture.
Museum Facilities
The original entrance on the north side leads to the main lobby. Here, you can see mosaics by Thomas Miller. These mosaics honor the people who started the museum. The building was designed around 1915 by D.H. Burnham and Company. It was meant to be the South Park Administration Building in Washington Park. This park is on Chicago's South Side.
The new part of the museum is about 25,000 square feet (2,322 square meters). The museum has an auditorium with 466 seats. This auditorium is part of the new wing. It hosts community events. These include jazz and blues music shows, poetry readings, and film screenings. The museum also has a gift shop and a research library. Part of the museum's money comes from a tax collected by the Chicago Park District.
After the new wing was added in 1993, the museum had about 50,000 square feet (4,645 square meters) of exhibit space. This $4 million expansion was paid for with a $2 million grant. This grant came from city and state officials. The museum has also been working to save and expand other buildings nearby. One of these is an old roundhouse with interesting architecture.
See also
In Spanish: DuSable Museum of African American History para niños
- Barzillai Lew – Lew Family
- List of museums focused on African Americans
- List of museums and cultural institutions in Chicago
- Funky Turns 40: Black Character Revolution
