Hampton University Museum

Hampton University Museum

Established	1868 (1868)
Location	Hampton University, Virginia
Coordinates	37°01′22″N 76°20′07″W / 37.022640°N 76.335270°W / 37.022640; -76.335270
Director	Vanessa Thaxton-Ward, Ph.D
Website	museum.hamptonu.edu

Founded in 1868 on the campus of Hampton University, the Hampton University Museum is the oldest African-American museum in the United States and the oldest museum in Virginia.^[1] It is the first institutional collection of work by African-American artists, and also has the South's largest collection of ethnic art, including African and American Indian art and artifacts.^[2][3] With galleries dedicated to African American, African, American Indian, Asian and Pacific art and artifacts, the museum contains more than 9,000 objects representing cultures and people from around the world.^[4]

Hampton University founder Gen. Samuel C. Armstrong founded the university’s museum as the "Curiosity Room" the same year he founded the university.^[5]