The State of Black Museums—Part I

In the midst of debates over Detroit’s future coming out of an unprecedented big city bankruptcy, the fate of cultural institutions rose to the forefront, largely focused on the future of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Would foundations, would the community rally around an equally important Detroit cultural institution, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History? The future for the Wright Museum reminded us that there are numerous African-American museums throughout the nation facing challenges but playing important roles in their communities and for arts and culture nationally. This is the first of a two-part review of the conditions, challenges, and prospects of African-American museums.