Seattle Museums, Check out the Arts Scene

When I went off in search of the Northwest African American Museum I did not know what to expect. I had heard everything from accolades to disappointment over the size of the only Museum dedicated to African American people and their history in the Pacific Northwest. Well it was my turn to find out what all the buzz was about. http://naamnw.org

It was a Friday after about 2:30pm when I turned my keep Liberty into the visitor's parking lot of the Museum. The Museum is historic and occupies the old Coleman School Building which had sat abandoned for many years. There is life in that old building now, life that you can feel in the lushness of the expansive grassy lawns and restoration of the school building. I was also surprised to find that the NW African Museum sits on the grounds of the park dedicated to Seattle Rock Legend Jimmy Hendrix.

When I entered the building through its classic School House Doors, I was greeted by two welcoming voices from the Ticket Sales Window. I was pleased to find that the entry cost was a reasonable $6.00. After the very helpful staff showed me a floor map of the Museum and explained the location of the exhibits I was off. My first stop was the was the Legacy Gallery. I had no idea the impact that the City Of Tacoma had on the civil rights movement in the Seattle Metro Area and Pacific Northwest. The use of Video and Photographs of that documents both the labor and civil rights struggles of the past i found very effective and informative. I would have spent more time in the Legacy Gallery but had less than an hour left to view the other exhibits so I move on.

My next stop was the The Journey Gallery chronicled the arrival of the first African Americans to the Pacific Northwest. This Gallery is a must visit and should be mandatory stop for school tours. What you learn in Journey Gallery will shock you, regardless of your race. It is a common believe among most Washingtonians that the African American experiences in the Pacific Northwest had its start and history in the Western Washington and Seattle Area more specifically. This Gallery exhibition shows otherwise, that the African American settlements centered outside of Seattle and as far away as Central and Eastern Washington, Idaho and the State of Oregon. The personal photos images of some of the earliest African American Pioneers added a important dimension and emotional note to Journey exhibit.

I left the NW African American Museum feeling a sense of fulfillment and understanding of why this museum was so necessary.
Add this museum to your most important museum to tour on your next visit to Seattle.
Admission is free for NAAM members.

Adults
$6.00

Students/Senior
$4.00

Children (5&under)
Free

*Free Admission First Thursday of every month
Admission is free for NAAM members.

Northwest African American Museum http://maps.google.com
2300 S. Massachusetts Street
Seattle, WA 98144