Minnesota African American Heritage Museum Gallery

The Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery (MAAHMG) is dedicated to preserving, documenting and celebrating African American history, art and culture in Minnesota. The museum's mission is carried out through exhibitions and programs. The Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery is the only African American museum in Minnesota. It opened in 2018. The museum is located at 1256 Penn Ave., N., in Minneapolis. It is open five days a week: Tuesdays through Fridays 1 - 5 pm; and Saturdays 10 am - 2 pm. Admission is free. All are welcome!

The museum was awarded a Minnesota History Award for its exhibit "Unbreakable: Celebrating the Resilience of African Americans in Minnesota." Since its opening in 2018, the museum has presented over 20 exhibits. The museum also has traveling exhibitions that have been displayed at colleges, the Minnesota State Fair, and corporations. The museum held a Community Quilt Project to reconnect the community where participants designed quilt squares on various themes of Black history and culture. The squares were sewn to make 14 quilts that were on exhibit at the museum in 2023. The quilts will become a traveling exhibit in 2024. Over 350 people participated in the Community Quilt Project. The museum also curated the Black Lives Matter mural in Minneapolis on Plymouth Avenue N., in July 2020, involving 16 local artists. The museum offers scheduled tours to  K-12, college and graduate students, and group tours to organizations. The museum also hosts a Children's Reading Circle to promote literacy where local authors, storytellers and community members read to kids.  The Children's Reading Circle is now held virtually during due to COVID-19 precautions.

The museum has Artist-In-Residence and History Fellowship programs to provide opportunities to Black artists and individuals who are often not represented in white-led organizations and institutions. These programs provide a financial stipend to the participants for materials, research and supplies necessary to curate a body of work that is exhibited at the museum at the end of their program. These programs provide visibility and a platform to showcase their work and uplift Black voices and untold stories that are often ignored. Eight artists have participated in the residency program, and three individuals have participated in the History Fellowship program since the creation of both programs in 2021. The museum also hosts youth programming which includes a Youth Curator Program to engage high school students in Black history, and peak their interest in exploring careers in the museum field; Visionary Voices which is a creative writing and spoken word workshop; and art classes.

The museum expanded its digital content with several videos on its YouTube channel. The museum also had two short documentary films screened at the Twin Cities Film Fest - "The Making of the Black Lives Matter Mural in Minneapolis" in 2021 and "Woven" in 2023.

Join us in our mission of celebrating the history, art and culture of African Americans in Minnesota, and help us to keep moving forward. Thank you!