International African American Museum

Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, USA

International African American Museum

Established| June 27, 2023; 19 months ago (June 27, 2023)
Location| 14 Wharfside Street,  Charleston, South Carolina
Type| History museum and Art museum
Visitors| 187,657 (2024)[1]
President| Tonya M. Matthews, Ph.D. [2]
Website| https://iaamuseum.org/

The International African American Museum (IAAM) is a museum of African-American history in Charleston, South Carolina, located at a former shipping wharf where approximately 40% of the nation's enslaved persons disembarked. The museum opened June 27, 2023,[3] after 20 years of planning.[4]

## Conception and construction

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The idea of the museum was initiated by former Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr.[5] The city had previously sold the land to a restaurateur, but after construction on the site discovered traces of Gadsden's Wharf, Riley decided to repurchase the land.[6]

The construction budget of the museum is $75 million. Riley raised money for the project as a private citizen. The $25 million private donation goal was met in 2018.[6] The South Carolina General Assembly delayed a $25 million contribution to the project, which delayed construction of the 40,000-square-foot facility.

The city of North Charleston donated $1 million to the project. Keith Sumney, the mayor of North Charleston, stated that he hoped the museum would include an exhibit on Liberty Hill, a historically black neighborhood in North Charleston.[7]

The design architect is Harry Cobb, of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, working in collaboration with Moody Nolan architectural firm of Columbus, Ohio; the exhibition designer is Ralph Appelbaum Associates and the landscape designer is Walter Hood, of Oakland, California.[8] The museum was built on the Cooper River, with a view towards Fort Sumter and out to the Atlantic Ocean.[5][9] Its first CEO was Michael B. Moore.[10]

The museum opened in 2023 with presentations made at the dedication ceremony by former Charleston mayors Joseph P. Riley Jr and John Tecklenburg, Phylicia Rashad, Congressman Jim Clyburn, State Senator Darrell Jackson, State Representative JA Moore, gospel singer Bebe Winans, poet Nikky Finney, anthropologist Johnnetta Cole, former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, IAAM President Dr. Tonya Matthews and others.[11]

## References

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1. ^ https://www.live5news.com/2024/06/28/international-african-american-museum-celebrates-nearly-200000-visitors-one-year-open/
2. ^ https://iaamuseum.org/leadership/
3. ^ Fernandes, Megan. "Post and Courier: Connecting the past to the present: IAAM opening month attracts 14K visitors". IAAMuseum.org. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
4. ^ "IAAM, the International African American Museum Is Now Under Construction". ArchDaily. January 22, 2020. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
5. ^ a b "Charleston's New Museum: Cobblestones and bones". The Economist. January 5, 2017.
6. ^ a b Kimmelman, Michael (March 28, 2018). "Charleston Needs That African American Museum. And Now". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
7. ^ Williams, Emily (August 21, 2019). "City of North Charleston plans to give $1 million to International African American Museum". Post and Courier. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
8. ^ Kimmelman, Michael (March 28, 2018). "Charleston Needs That African American Museum. And Now Archived March 29, 2018, at the Wayback Machine". New York Times. nytimes.com. Retrieved April 1, 2018. Print version, "In Charleston, a Museum Long Past Due", March 29, 2018, p. C1, 4.
9. ^ Waters, Dustin (September 23, 2016). "International African-American Museum to go before architectural review board next week". Charleston City Paper. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
10. ^ Manno, Adam (June 11, 2019). "Founding IAAM leader Michael B. Moore says he will step down in August". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
11. ^ Renaud, Tim (June 24, 2023). "Watch the dedication celebration of the long-awaited International African American Museum". WCBD-TV. Retrieved June 15, 2024.

## External links

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* International African American Museum

32°47′19″N 79°55′34″W﻿ / ﻿32.78861°N 79.92611°W﻿ / 32.78861; -79.92611