African American Museum of Dallas has celebrated more than 40 years of existence
African American Museum of Dallas
DESCRIPTION: History & Culture museum
ADMISSION: Docent Guided Tours: $5 for adults (18 and over), $3 for children and youth (4-17), Free (3 and under)
Self Guided & Walk-In Tours: $2 for adults (18 an over), $1 for children and youth (4-7), Free (children 3 and under)
DAYS & HOURS: Tue-Fri 11a-5p, Sat 10a-5p
ADDRESS: 3536 Grand Avenue in Fair Park, Dallas, TX
PARKING: on premises
RAPID TRANSIT: DART Fair Park Station
PHONE: 214-565-9026
WEBSITE: http://www.aamdallas.org
African American Museum of Dallas lobby
African American Museum of Dallas
Founded 1974 as a part of Bishop College Library, African American Museum of Dallas incorporated as a separate private institution in 1979. In 1985, the citizens of Dallas voted $1.2 million in city bonds towards the construction of the $6.5 million home for the museum structure that opened 1993 and in use today. The museum is dedicated to the research, acquisition, presentation and preservation of visual art forms and historical documents that relate to the life and culture of the African American community in Dallas and the southwestern United States. It has held major exhibitions for Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Black Rodeo stars. Included in the permanent AAMD collections are: African, African American Contemporary and Folk Art. The rotating exhibits are complex, informative and artistically inspired. The 38,000 square foot museum also presents meaningful experiences for children that would not ordinarily visit a museum. The architecturally distinguished building has the shape of a cross with an exterior of ivory stone and a 60-foot high rotunda interior that seems to radiate light throughout the building. Natural materials and design motifs are used through the Museum in a manner reminiscent of pre-industrialized cultures of the African continent. The shape of the window represents an abstraction of the Dogon Statue from Mali, West Africa.
