National Museum of African American Music facts for kids
| Established | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Location | Fifth + Broadway, Nashville, Tennessee |
The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) is a museum in Nashville, Tennessee. The museum showcases the musical genres inspired, created, or influenced by African-Americans. Its location at Fifth + Broadway in Downtown Nashville, as opposed to historically-Black Jefferson Street, has been controversial.
Collection
The museum was said to eventually comprise "five permanent themed galleries" as well as "a 200-seat theater and traveling exhibits". Its founding curator, Dr. Dina Bennett, was appointed in May 2018.
The museum showcases more than fifty musical genres that were inspired, created, or influenced by African American culture, ranging from early American religious music to hip-hop and Rhythm and Blues.
Its collection will include up to 1,400 artifacts, including clothes worn by Nat King Cole, Dorothy Dandridge, Whitney Houston, and Lisa Lopes. The first traveling exhibit is expected to be about the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
History
The museum was proposed by members of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce in 2002 with the vision to preserve and celebrate African American music, art and culture. After a task force met and conducted research to determine if the project was feasible, the project shifted over the course of ten years to focus on music exclusively. NMAAM's mission is preserving African American music traditions and celebrating the central role African Americans have played in shaping American music.
The museum received $500,000 from the Regions Foundation and $500,000 from the Mike Curb Foundation in February 2019.
In 2015, the City of Nashville announced that NMAAM would be located at the old convention center site.
Grand Opening
The National Museum of African American Music broke ground in April 2017. The grand opening was January 18, 2021.
