Multimedia

As the Smithsonian's newest museum, the NMAAHC will unveil its new home on the National Mall in 2015. Until then, we hope our website will serve as a way to introduce you to our collections, our director and staff from a variety of departments, our current and future exhibitions and public programs, and to learn what it takes to literally build a new museum from the ground up.

Ever wonder how artifacts are gathered, preserved and showcased? We'll show you here. Interested in knowing about the history of African American history as a field of study? We'll examine that. Or what makes a particular collection or exhibition so special? You can hear our director Lonnie Bunch explain right now why our exhibition about the Scurlock photography studio of Washington, D.C. was so important.

We also want to share with you how we plan to tell the African American story – permanently entwined within the American story – through the eyes of those who lived it. From cruelty suffered by the men and women forcibly shipped across the Atlantic into slavery, to the courage of the men and women who brought us promise and progress from the Civil Rights movement. The African American narrative is an inspiring and ever-changing one, and we look forward to telling such an extraordinary story through video, audio and multimedia. Please check back often for our latest offerings.

NMAAHC's inaugural exhibition Let Your Motto Be Resistance traces African American resistance across 150 years of U.S. history. The images were selected by guest curator Deborah Willis from the collection of the National Portrait Gallery and the title was inspired by the words of Henry Highland Garnet, an abolitionist and clergyman.

The photographs reveal and illuminate the variety of creative and courageous ways that African Americans resisted, redefined and accommodated in an America that needed but rarely accepted its black citizens. In their beauty and power, the featured portraits resist the stereotypic depictions that fueled racism in America.The exhibition was organized in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery, and the International Center of Photography. The photographs offer all Americans an opportunity to embrace the rich heritage we share.

Hailed as a miracle, a genius, a modern-day priest of dance by the Associated Press, Tony Award-winning choreographer, dancer, actor, director and producer Savion Glover's credits include Broadway shows, music videos, television and film. He also has performed at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, the subject of NMAAHC's exhibition Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment. Created in collaboration with the Apollo Theater Foundation, the exhibition examines the rich history and cultural significance of the theater, tracing the story from its origins as a segregated burlesque hall to its starring role at the epicenter of African American entertainment and American popular culture.

Nearly all forms of entertainment comedy, dance, swing, jazz, rock 'n' roll, soul, hip hop and more found a place on the Apollo stage. Serving as a place where African American performers could start and advance their careers, the Apollo hosted some of the best-known names in entertainment. Savion Glover is one of those performers who visited the exhibition preview on April 20, 2010.