The Smithsonian Institution opened a brand new museum on the National Mall on September 24, and Carnival Corporation, through Carnival Foundation, is donating $2 million to it. The National Museum of African American History & Culture was eleven years in the making, and cost a whopping $540 million. The dedication ceremony included remarks by President Obama, and a three-day festival of music and spoken word.
The museum is 390,000 square feet, and is located on a 5-acre site adjacent to the Washington Monument. It features 12 exhibitions with over 3,000 objects, and cover topics like military, sports history, performing arts, and western and northern migration.
Each day of the festival “Freedom Sounds: A Community Celebration” had a theme. Friday was Homecoming, Saturday was Celebration, and Sunday was Call and Response. The concerts had music traditions like jazz, R&B, folk, classical, New Orleans brass band, Afro-Latin jazz, and hip-hop.
Because of Carnival’s donation, the company has been designated as a founding donor of the museum.
Featured photo: Fuzheado via Wikipedia
