The African American Museum in Philadelphia: Performance-based Programming and Innovative Approaches in Reaching New Audiences

Abstract

Thirty-five years ago, at the intersection of 7th and Arch Streets in downtown Philadelphia, an institution was born. As the first institution funded by a municipality to celebrate African American heritage, the new museum sought to tell the stories of a community and a people who had shaped a nation and the world. Originally called the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum, the museum was established with a ground-breaking mission—to be a resource to the peoples of the African Diaspora, to collect and preserve the evidence of our varied lives and contributions, and, through exhibitions and programs, to interpret and teach lessons of our history and culture. Though our name has changed to the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP), what has not changed is our commitment to that mission. Likewise, from our inception through to today, innovation has been integral to our mission, a core value expressed through our vision statement and realized in our programs.

In our first 10 years, it became clear that the museum was a trendsetter and a leader in programming. In 1982 the museum forged a new path in performance-based programming, introducing the “Jazz Live Series” that eventually created “Jazz ‘till Sunrise.” Innovative in its time, this new programming venture featured jazz giants such as Betty Carter, Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln, and helped establish AAMP as the cultural destination for culturally aware African Americans. We furthered our commitment to presenting performance-based programming in 1985 when the museum instituted the “Larry Neal Cultural Series” to showcase the contributions of African Americans in the field of literature. The “Major Writers in Performance” series brought outstanding authors including Maya Angelou, Tone Cade Bambera, Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka, Gwendolyn Brooks and Sonia Sanchez to the museum. Together, these programs deepened AAMP’s relationship with our core audience and solidified our membership base.