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National Museum of African American History and Culture (2016-)


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To kick-off the countdown of the upcoming grand opening of the new National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) the museum will be projecting images from its collection on the building facade.

Three nights only, Nov. 16, 17, 18 from 5:30pm to 9pm.

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So I went to the opening for this...unfortunately the video plays more like a movie trailer then a tasteful projection of images.  That said, it was cool to see the new museum illuminated at night.  Hopefully they can do some interesting stuff with it down the road.  And the crescent moon hanging next to the Washington Memorial was also amazing last night.    

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The National Museum of African American History and Culture opens September 24, 2016.  Due to the anticipated crowds, the museum will have free timed, ticketed entry, until at least December it appears.  Tickets are available here.  Looks like advanced tickets for entry are sold out for the first month, the first open days are Tuesday Oct. 25 & Wednesday 25.  November and December ticketing looks to be wide open right now. 

Starting Monday, September 26 a limited number of free same day timed entry tickets will also be made available.   

The museum will have a full slate of public opening weekend activities.

Freedom Sounds Festival

Washington Monument Grounds
Friday, September 23, 2016, 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 24, 2016, 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 25, 2016, 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Dedication Ceremony

National Museum of African American History and Culture
Saturday, September 24, 2016
9:00 am Gathering and Musical Prelude
10:00 a.m. Dedication Ceremony Begins
1:00 p.m. Museum Opens to the Public

Museum Opens to the Public

National Museum of African American History and Culture
Saturday, September 24, 2016, 1:00pm – 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 25, 2016, 7:00 a.m. – Midnight

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Free Advanced Timed Entry tickets through March 2017 are sold out.  A limited supply of same day tickets are released at the door on a first come first served basis starting at 9:15 am. 

We were fortunate to get advanced tickets for this past weekend.  There was no line to enter the building, other than a short wait to go through security/metal detector.  The big line is to get down to the underground History Galleries.  When we entered the museum at 2:45pm, the wait time to access these galleries was 90 minutes.

The History Galleries are split into three levels, C3 - Slavery and Freedom 1400-1877; C2 - Defending the Freedom, Defining Freedom The Era of Segregation 1876-1968; and A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond.  The idea is start at C3 and work your way up.  The underground levels also contain the very impressive Contemplative Court, a large bare room with a waterfall element that cascades from the ceiling into a pool.  

But fear not, there is plenty on view in the upper levels, basically the part of the museum that you actually see on the Mall.  The main level, Heritage Hall, unfortunately is not that impressive, really it seems like a space to manage the traffic flow, with a help desk and the museum store.  Some art work is on the walls along with a ceiling sculpture, but there's not much to see, other than getting your bearings.

We started at the top, the level L4 Culture Galleries.  This level contains a medium sized art gallery, with some impressive art works, especially the 1960s/70s protest art, which mixes civil rights themes with the psychedelic aesthetic of that time.  Cool stuff.  The piece de resistance is the musical crossroads gallery, which brings together the African America contribution to music, it's truly staggering, from Jazz to blues to soul to funk to R&B, Motown, rock & roll, house/techno, hip hop.  Wow.  From Louis Armstrong to Miles, Aretha, Ray Charles, Gladys Knight, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Whitney, Michael Jackson (and that's just scratching the surface) the room is a who's who of some of the most influential artists in music.  Plus it has the Mothership

The L3 level contains a large section on the African American Military Experience, with a nice gallery focusing on African American Medal of Honor recipients.  The other main gallery focuses on African American athletes and the role sports has played in "leveling the playing field."  The collection features a separate room dedicated to Muhammad Ali.  Along the middle is a collection of smaller galleries with topics ranging from the African American beach community on Martha's Vineyard to the rise of hip hop in the Bronx.  The most sobering gallery is a small room discussing the history of Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, the largest maximum security prison in the US with more than 6,000 prisoners and 1,800 staff.

At the end of the day (the museum closes at 5:30) we snuck a quick look at the Contemplative Court.   

This is a very large museum.  Just going through the top two levels took us 2 hours, and we didn't even see everything on those levels.  Not to mention we didn't even have a chance to view the lower three C levels.  Honestly, it's a museum which will require multiple visits to fully take in.  If you are trying to secure Time Entry tickets, I would recommend getting morning tickets, the earlier the better, to avoid the bottleneck to get down to the C levels.

Based on this one visit...well done Smithsonian!     

 

 

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I took my family to this museum and it is worth the wait in the lines and the crowds.  The history is impactful and interactive.  We learned so much and were truly moved by some of the oral and written exhibits.  I want to encourage people to visit the Emmett Till exhibit.  When I visited we were told no talking - just really absorb the experience.  Also, there is a room where you can record your reaction to the museum and what the experience means to you.  This was such a moving experience.  

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I finally got to visit this museum. It is fabulous. A docent told me next month (September) timed-entry passes won’t be required Monday through Friday, to honor the museum’s second anniversary.

Be sure to budget plenty of time to see the underground history galleries, which are extensive, and to have a meal in the wonderful cafe. 

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