MAAA Celebrates 50 Years!
Celebrating 50 years in 2026, the nonprofit Museum of African American Art (MAAA) in Los Angeles was founded by Dr. Samella Lewis in 1976 and educates visitors of all ages and identities about the arts through the lens of African American culture. Exhibitions and events at MAAA reflect the belief that museums are for everyone and continue the museum's founding principle that art can and should be part of our daily lives. MAAA offers FREE admission, serves as a community gathering space, and creates cultural experiences for students, families, and lifelong learners.
MAAA Digitization Project
MAKING the museum's HISTORY ACCESSIBLE
The Archives @ MAAA
As we continue to engage with the ongoing project of digitizing the archives and institutional records at the nonprofit Museum of African American Art, we are uncovering documents, photos, and ephemera that chronicle the museum's early years, give insight into relationships between MAAA founder Dr. Samella Lewis and other artists, and reveal connections among MAAA, arts organizations, and grantmaking institutions in Los Angeles. We look forward to digitizing and sharing primary source material from the MAAA archives, so that we can fully chronicle and authoritatively voice the museum's important history for all audiences, while supporting research by students, researchers, curators, authors, and documentary filmmakers.
from the archives
This hand-painted "MAAA" logo on wood panel is the museum's original logo design created circa 1979 by Howard Smith (1928-2021), an African American artist born in New Jersey who spent most of his career in Finland. Howard Smith was a friend of the Museum of African American Art's founder, Dr. Samella Lewis, and the museum's archives include transcripts of an interview between the two.
Original MAAA logo by Howard Smith, circa 1979.
Copyright © The Museum of African American Art.
All rights reserved. Photo by Yosi Pozeilov.
the museum of african american art
Museum Hours
Visit the Museum of African American Art's exhibit space inside Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza on Level 2, Suite 283, across from TJ Maxx. We are OPEN Wednesday through Sunday, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm — with some exceptions for holidays, exhibit installations, art conservation days, group visits, class sessions, and special events. We are CLOSED on Mondays and Tuesdays. Please check the Calendar on our Contact page or email us to confirm hours for the date you plan to visit.
- MONDAY CLOSED
- TUESDAY CLOSED
- WEDNESDAY 11:00 – 5:00
- THURSDAY 11:00 – 5:00
- FRIDAY 11:00 – 5:00
- SATURDAY 11:00 – 5:00
- SUNDAY 11:00 – 5:00
community impact
"Thank you, again, for hosting me and my students at MAAA. I very much appreciate the opportunity to introduce them to an institution that is incredibly important to L.A. and the field of African American art and art history."— Dr. Rose Salseda, Stanford University, LA Arts Immersion Class (2022, 2023 and 2024)
"Keasha, I'm so happy that our paths crossed and that our students were able to hear from you last week. Thank you for taking the time in your busy schedule to share. Your work is a true example of providing holistic support to a neighborhood community. My colleague Hannah and I spent the rest of the week admiring your work as an open museum space."— RJ Sakai, Sequoyah School, Director of Social Innovation, Co-Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (2024)
"We thoroughly appreciated working with you to have the 2024 PAFF events and panels in the beautiful MAAA. Many of the attendees commented that they were happy to know that the Museum had reopened and is so beautiful. It provided the perfect setting for PAFF's panels and receptions; providing a wonderfully sophisticated environment."— Asantewa Olatunji, Director of Programming, Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF 2024)
"Last year, we visited you at the museum on one of our Saturday intensive classes and several students said it was their favorite experience of the entire semester! One thing several students mentioned last term was that our visit to MAAA opened their eyes to what a museum could be, and what it means to meet people where they are."— Zipporah Yamamoto, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Center for Business & Management of the Arts, Claremont Graduate University (2024 and 2025)
"The Museum provided the perfect venue to showcase important information, background knowledge, and perspectives for educators dedicated to implementing high quality ethnic studies courses for their students. The artwork was extraordinary and your assistance coordinating the event was exceptional."— Dr. Michelle Herczog, LA County Office of Education (LACOE 2023)