We listed a few museums offering special virtual programming for Juneteenth in our DC guide; here we’ll elaborate on what those and other institutions offer in the way of virtual tours and/or digital exhibitions while shutdowns remain in place, and we will continue to update as needed:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
In addition to these Google Arts & Culture-accessible virtual exhibits, the NMAAHC has an incredible, hugely extensive collection available to explore online. You can sort by category (LGBTQ+, Civil Rights, Music, Literature, etc.), date/era, name, object type or place if you have specifics in mind, but it’s also a great place to browse and discover without a road map. (Plus there’s also always this delightful tour with Lonnie G. Bunch III, who is now the Secretary of the Smithsonian; the video is a few years old at this point, but still worth a watch.)
The Studio MuseumÂ
Harlem’s Studio Museum allows you to learn more about Chloë Bass: Wayfinding (which is the conceptual artist’s first institutional solo exhibition ft. twenty-four incredible site-specific sculptures) in a 6-minute video on its website. You can also view some of the works on display in traveling exhibition Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center has two online exhibits on display via Google Arts & Culture currently that allow you explore photographs and read handwritten letters; the first is Rachel at Longwood and the second is My Dear Wife, I Love You: Charles Lewis in WWII.Â
DuSable Museum of African American HistoryÂ
Chicago’s DuSable currently has one exhibition available via Google Arts & Culture; titled Freedom, Resistance, and the Journey Toward Equality, it offers a view of important art and artifacts to present stories of struggle and achievement.
Northwest African American Museum
Seattle’s NAAM is offering two virtual art exhibition tours at the moment; the first is Christopher Shaw’s Algorithm:Archetype, and the second is Hiawatha D.’s Iconic Black Women: Ain’t I A Woman. You can also stay tuned about virtual programming here.
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
There are actually two different ways to virtually check out the Frederick Douglass National Historic site at Cedar Hill; Google Cultural Institute offers a 360-degree interior view of the house, while Museum Management Program allows you to explore objects from the collection and portraits of Frederick Douglass, as well as take a room-by-room tour of the house.
The Museum of African American Art
LA’s Museum of African American Art’s Palmer C. Hayden Collection is available to view on Google Arts & Culture, which includes the John Henry Series.
Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center
PGAAMCC has a really good selection of virtual tours that you can take by the episode in their Virtual Field Trip Fridays series. Each tour gives a lot of insight into the works of David Cassidy, and are a great resource.
Museum of African American History
Boston’s MAAH allows you to explore Freedom Rising: Remembering the Abolition Movement and Campaign for Civil Rights in Boston, 1770s-1930s, as well as tour The Black Heritage Trail ® via Google Arts & Culture.
Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum
There are currently two online exhibitions to check out here that center on written word as well as faith and spirituality; the first is All the Stories Are True: African American Writers Speak, and the second is Speak to my Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life.
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of The New York Public Library
Schomburg has a fantastic collection of digital exhibitions on its website, as well as two great online exhibitions available via Google Arts & Culture that explore the Black Power Movement; Black Power! The Movement, The Legacy takes a look at history as well as key organizations and figures, and Ready for the Revolution: Education, Arts and Aesthetics of the Black Power Movement examines the ways in which messages were developed and spread.
Have tips about other institutions offering virtual programming? Get in touch with us by emailing [email protected]
