The African American Museum in Philadelphia - Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia, 1776-1876

The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) brings to life the story of the African American experience for visitors to Philadelphia’s historic Old City district. The facility houses four galleries, two of which currently contain Audacious Freedom. The new exhibit is an exciting and engaging blend of history with technology that is a welcome and unique addition to the Old City region of Philadelphia.

Upon entering the museum, guests pay $10 for an adult admission or $8 for a child, student, or senior citizen ticket. One then walks into a small room designed to appear as a modern-day art gallery. Titled "Foundings," contained herein are 5 screens which highlight important influences on African American life and political thought at the time. Possibly the most striking aspect of “Foundings” is the illustration on the back wall. A rendering of John Trumbull’s painting, “The Signing of the Declaration of Independence” appears from floor to ceiling. However, there is a notable deviation from the original: this version includes depictions of minorities, including African Americans and Native Americans, in order to draw the observer’s attention to how much further the new nation would have to go before living up to the ideals of the Declaration.

In Gallery 1, guests find themselves facing a wall of photographs and reproductions of primary source documents. The wall serves as a timeline taking visitors through history from 1776 to 1876. A podium is situated in the center of Gallery 1. Museumgoers can choose, via touchscreen technology, to hear a portion or all of the audio relating tales behind the images on the timeline.

Once a selection is made, the lights go down and the show begins. Overhead projectors illuminate photos or documents relevant to the audio voiceover playing at the time. In addition, moving images are projected onto the white portion of the wall above the photographic timeline. These features come together to create an impressive show which is completely engaging. Panels below the timeline wall tell more in-depth stories of the images featured above. So as not to induce museum fatigue, these panels are not necessary to an understanding of the history presented, but are completely supplemental.

Visitors make their way to Gallery 2 by way of a ramp upon which a period map of Philadelphia has been superimposed. This map details the neighborhood in which many African Americans would have lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. Gallery 2 features nine large-scale panels containing video screens. These screens show actor portrayals of several Philadelphia African Americans. Each panel includes an interactive portion which presents visitors a set of questions to ponder. Guests can push the corresponding buttons and get the answers to the queries straight from the characters themselves. The performers are emotional and make their tales personal and as a result, the videos are powerful and convey the difficulties and challenges even free African Americans faced during America’s first 100 years.

Behind the video screens is the Children’s Wall, the only portion of the museum aimed directly at youth. The wall tasks children with a small scavenger hunt, asking them to lift built-in flaps to find images which answer questions included on the featured scenes. Though the museum is intended to bring history to children, there isn’t much for youngsters beyond the Children’s Wall.

The strength of the museum lies not in its use of artifacts, but in its ability to make history come alive. In light of the dazzle provided by Galleries 1 and 2, Galleries 3 and 4 are a let-down. Gallery 3 features five pieces of contemporary art done by African American artists in a stripped-down room. Gallery 4 houses “Private Stock: Art from the Collection of AAMP and the Board of Directors.” This room contains many pieces of contemporary African American art. and does have labels. The star of the show is most definitely Audacious Freedom.

Audacious Freedom is an affecting feature housed in an important museum. The AAMP uses state-of the-art technology to enhance the museum experience. The exhibit does an excellent job of paring history down into palatable bites and bringing to life little-known stories which deserve attention. The AAMP has succeeded in blending memory with established academic fact and figured out how to make history serious and fun at once. Audacious Freedom proves that individual stories can enhance big-picture history and make what might be a daunting topic (the African American fight for freedom) accessible and approachable for the average person.