USA TODAY International Edition
African American museum: A guide to living history
Newest addition to National Mall is a sure draw
It’s not just hype. After 100 years of hopes and plans, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture opened on the National Mall this weekend.
It is going to be a big hit, and not just because of its powerful symbolism. It will succeed because it is terrific.
Three reasons why the museum will be a big visitor draw:
1. Artifacts. It has 37,000 “things,” about 3,000 of which are on display at any one time. Unlike some museums, this is not a static collection of documents or pictures. It has the vivid objects of life: shoes and typewriters, tape recorders and banjos, cradles, medals, costumes, airplanes, cars, shackles, washtubs and teapots. Some objects are profoundly sad. Some are educational. Some are just plain fun.
2. Architecture. This is one great- looking building. It is unlike anything else on the Mall, with a crown- shaped, corona latticework of 3,600 bronze- colored filigree aluminum panels. The inside is all angles and shapes and filigreed light. A future architectural icon — or maybe an instant one.
3. The layout. Because the museum could not block views of the Washington Monument next door, four levels are underground and five are above. You start at the bottom and work your way up. It is clever, both practically and metaphorically.
INSIDER TIPS Have patience. There are bottlenecks on the lower concourses. The aisles seem narrow and maze- like on the bottom concourse near the South Carolina slave house, which will slow down visitors. The upper floors have a lot more space and ways to get around freely.
Eat in the café: Sweet Home Café has a mix of historical dishes, from Creole to the agricultural South, North and West. Murals and photos on the wall make it bright; one wall has a lunch counter with stools, echoing the fight against segregation. One typical dish: gulf shrimp with stone- ground grits and smoked tomato butter. Take pictures. Some galleries are frustratingly dim to protect delicate artifacts, but others have good lighting. Outside, it will take some time for photographers to figure out how to best capture the bronze- colored exterior. Try early morning or late afternoon. One cool photo? Stand outside the north side of the building and capture both the museum and the Washington Monument.
Look up in the lobby. The spacious lobby has a lovely birdlike sculpture by Richard Hunt hanging in the center. It’s a good meeting place if your group gets separated.
Look out the windows. From the outside, it looks as if the building has only about three windows. But inside, you can look out at open space to each direction — west to the Washington Monument, north to the White House, and east and south to other museums. The filigree latticework also lets in light.
FIVE MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS
1. Taking a selfie with the seated bronze sculpture of Colorado pioneer Clara Brown.
2. Chuck Berry’s Cadillac. Yes, Eldorados were once this long and this cherry- red.
3. The Mothership: an awesome 1,500- pound stage prop used by Parliament- Funkadelic ( P- Funk) in the 1990s.
4. Michael Jordan’s jersey. All the sports memorabilia, from Jackie Joyner- Kersee’s Wheaties box to Joe Louis’ boxing gloves and statues of Venus and Serena Williams, is fun stuff.
5. Tuskegee airplane. Bright blue and yellow, it hangs from the rafters. There’s a good photo op from the top of the ramp.
Check out the collection in advance at nmaahc.si.edu.
IF YOU GO
Getting there: No dedicated parking. Take a taxi, walk or park in a lot several blocks away. The museum is between 14th and 15th Streets and Constitution Avenue. The Federal Triangle and Smithsonian Metro stops are a few blocks away.
Tickets: Free, but expect huge crowds the first few months. Only same- day passes are available: Timed tickets ( up to six) are available at nmaahc.si.edu/passes. Walk- up timed tickets ( up to four) will be available each day at 9: 15 a. m., but they likely will go fast.
Disability friendly: The long sequence of ramps seems a little daunting for slow walkers and wheelchair users, but this whole building conforms to Americans with Disabilities Act standards.