About
IAAM

IAAM’s own journey has involved many passionate people and carefully calibrated decisions — and a few impromptu ideas and unforseen discoveries. Explore how together they brought this institution to life over the course of more than two decades.

Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. is the first to publicly propose that the city tell its true history through a museum that illuminates long ignored and under-told stories of African American experiences.

A museum Steering Committee forms, with Congressman Jim Clyburn serving as its chair. Within two years, the committee names the museum the International African American Museum and expands the mission statement to deepen the impact of the burgeoning institution.

IAAM’s building design team is selected, with Pei Cobb Freed & Partners serving as design architects, Moody Nolan as the architect of record, and Ralph Applebaum Associates as exhibition designers.

 IAAM’s National Advisory Board is formed. Among the distinguished Americans included are the late Civil Rights icon John Lewis; Pulitzer award winning author Jon Meacham; Phylicia Rashad, the first African American actress to win a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, and many current and former elected officials.

Gadsden’s Wharf, a 2.3-acre waterfront plot on the eastern side of the Charleston peninsula, is secured as the future home of the museum. The historic site was the disembarkation point for tens of thousands of enslaved Africans brought to the U.S. from the late 1760s through 1808.

An archeological dig of Gadsden’s Wharf by Brockington and Associates uncovers wooden remains of the original 18th century wharf line, as well as timbers and the brick floor of a store house that was used to hold African captives before they were sold.

Museum receives its first $1 million donation, from Anita Zucker of Charleston, South Carolina.

The building design receives final approval from the City of Charleston. PEI Cobb Freed’s plans envision “floating” the museum building on pillars to honor the site’s significance as “hallowed ground” and acclaimed landscape architect Walter Hood (pictured) depicts a sweeping African Ancestors Memorial Garden below and surrounding the museum.

A $10 million donation from the Lilly Endowment endows a Director of Education and Engagement for Faith-Based Communities and catalyzes its faith-based initiatives program.

Museum decides to launch a groundbreaking resource for the study and advancement of African American genealogy, and work begins to form the Center for Family History.

Under the curatorial leadership of Joy Bivens, then director of museum planning and operations, the museum team decides that IAAM will be a collecting institution, allowing artifacts themselves to speak volumes to visitors.

Museum hosts inaugural Awakening the Ancestors event, a spiritual educational series that celebrates the rich musical heritage of the Gullah Geechee corridor.

The City of Charleston is designated a UNESCO “Routes of Enslaved Peoples” Site of Memory, and IAAM is chosen as the marker site. The international and inter-regional project addresses the history of the slave trade and slavery through the prism of intercultural dialogue, a culture of peace and reconciliation.

At the Museum’s groundbreaking on October 25, a community of supporters from across the state and country gather to celebrate the major milestone.

“The Seashore Farmers Lodge: Preserving the Past to Educate the Future,” IAAM’s first virtual exhibition, is launched in partnership with Google Arts and Culture. The collaborative digital experience shares the history and culture of Sol Legare Island, a rare surviving example of a largely African American community in the South Carolina Sea Islands.

Ashley’s sack, an embroidered cotton sack that tells a powerful family story, returns to South Carolina in preparation for its museum installation thanks to a long-term loan from Middleton Place.

With the support of more than 1,000 donors collectively raising $96 million, IAAM completes its capital campaign. The campaign is concluded with a major gift from Charleston businessman and investor Herbert Drayton III, an African American descendant of Middleton Place.