Since its opening on the national mall in September 2016, the
National museum of African American History and Culture has become the destination point for visitors and residents alike. And little wonder, the striking building with its three inverted pyramids contains the most comprehensive collection of artifacts, photos and media devoted exclusively to telling the African American story and how it goes to the heart of American history and culture.
The museum opened its first special exhibition More Than a Picture. It’s a display of more than 150 photos and artifacts that gives a striking visual account of the breadth of African American experiences. The exhibit explores the ways photographs represent moments in history both significant and quotidian—key cultural moments and folks dancing on a street corner or watching a parade. More Than a Picture connects the viewer to particular times and places: from slavery through Jim Crow to Black Lives Matter—and while the stories vary—one message is constant: “See Me; I am Here.”
Curator of photography and Visual Culture at the National Museum of African American History and Culture Aaron Bryant had the daunting task of co curating More Than a Picture and he walked me through how this exhibition came together.