The International African American Museum opens in Charleston, USA, acknowledging 'hallowed ground' and celebrating life and memory
After more than two decades in the making, the International African American Museum is about to open its doors to the public. Located in Charleston, South Carolina, the new American institution is fully dedicated to telling the stories of enslaved Africans brought to North America in the 18th and 19th centuries and celebrating their and their descendants' lives and contributions.
'The International African American Museum is more than a mark of architecture, it’s an extraordinary milestone,' said Curt Moody, founder of Moody Nolan. 'Having worked for the last 15 years to dream this into being, we are intimately aware of the cultural significance it has for American history. Without this building, this sacred site would have remained unknown and the stories of our ancestors untold.
The IAAM design lifts its imposing, expansive 426ft-long, 84ft-wide, single-storey main volume 13ft above ground, standing on 18 cylindrical pillars. Underneath and around it, public spaces of all kinds unfold, from open, flexible terraces to green enclosures and sculpture gardens. The openness represents 'the heart of the site’s collective memory', its authors explain. Amid this context, the African Ancestors Memorial Garden by Hood Design Studio invites reflection and remembrance.
'The Ancestors Garden – the site where many enslaved Africans first touched North America – is a series of spaces and exhibits that establishes this site as an authentic place of arrival, a place for becoming. The ground beneath the museum is the artifact of the site.
Following a grand launch on 24 June 2023, the International African American Museum will officially open to the public on 27 June.
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