Anacostia Community Museum - History

History

The Anacostia Community Museum was originally described as "an experimental store-front museum," by the Smithsonian Institution in 1966. Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley intended for the museum to serve as an outreach opportunity to bring more African Americans to the National Mall to visit Smithsonian museums. The idea, which rose from a Smithsonian hosted conference in 1966, came into reality in March, 1967, when the Smithsonian acquired the Carver Theater in the Anacostia neighborhood. The Smithsonian sought community support, and a counsel of local Anacostia residents came together to advise on the project. John Kinard was appointed director of the museum in June, 1967. A pastor and civil rights activist, Kinard was heavily involved in the Anacostia neighborhood, and he made sure that the young people of the neighborhood were involved in the creation of the museum. Every week, the museum's Neighborhood Advisory Committee, of community members would meet to help plan the programming and exhibitions. Staff and community members worked side by side to change the building from a defunct movie theater into an exhibition space. The community also assisted in choosing what objects would be displayed.

On September 15, 1967, the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum opened. The museum had eight staff members, and only one was permanent. There was no curator or researchers. In 1968 the museum hired a staff photographer and a photography lab was opened on site. The museum would not become part of the Smithsonian Institution's federal budget until 1970. That year the Anacostia Research Center was founded, with funding from the Carnegie Corporation, to create an oral history program. The museum hired its first historian, Louise Daniel Hutchinson in 1971. By 1972, the museum had ten full-time, permanent staff members, working within three departments: director's office, education, and a research and exhibitions department. The museum found it challenging to incorporate the community into its planning processes as it grew larger, and more developed processes formed to incorporate the community into exhibits. The Neighborhood Advisory Committee, which consisted of ninety people, was cut down in size and renamed the Board of Directors.

The Exhibits Design and Production Laboratory, located at Fort Stanton, was opened in October, 1974. It was here where preparations for a new museum building took place. In 1976 it suffered a fire after masonite sheets fell from a forklift, and into a container of lacquer thinner. Staff were unable to call for help due to the fire damaging the phone lines. The damage cost approximately $75,000 and no one was injured. The museum became the first Smithsonian museum to use labels for the hearing impaired in their exhibitions, in 1980. An archives devoted to the area of Anacostia was created in 1977.

The new Anacostia Museum was opened on May 17, 1987, located at Fort Stanton. The name change stemmed from the change in the museums mission, to celebrate African American history not only in Anacostia, but around the world. Long-time director John Kinard died in 1989. Steven Newsome became the new museum director in 1991. The museum went through another name change, in 1995, becoming the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture. It's intent was to serve as the location for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. During Newsome's tenure the museum underwent an $8.5 million renovation. In 2004 Newsome retired, with James Early becoming acting director. Once more, the museum decided to change its mission to focus specifically on Anacostia communities, and changed its name to the Anacostia Community Museum in 2006. That year, Camille Akeju became the director.

With the arrival of Akeju, the museum's exhibition process changed, removing the community driven exhibition process, which allowed community members to submit proposals for exhibitions. The process is now curator focused, with exhibition concepts being chosen by staff.