Freedom Sounds: Framing the Story of African American Music in a National Museum

One of the key exhibition spaces in the newly opened National Museum of African American History and Culture is dedicated to exploring the vast and dynamic history of African American music and the performing arts. Music is not only one of the most universally appealing lenses through which to understand America’s history—it is also a compelling agent of that history. Telling stories of cultural identity, transformation and representation through the sound and creation of music, Musical Crossroads examines African American music as an integral American phenomenon and a primary agent of social and historical change, giving visitors an opportunity to listen to, discuss and explore the complex and wide-ranging history of black music in a national museum.

 

This portion of the presentation will examine the creation of this exhibition, highlighting the processes of research, design, object procurement and installment. Specifying the gallery’s unique features and key acquisitions, this presentation will detail the general methodology developed to shape the exhibit’s narrative and physical layout to explore how the complex, dynamic and global story of African American music is told to a national audience.