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The Museum of African American Art
(MAAA Video: Copyright © 2023 Aiseborn Jacori Perry. All rights reserved.)
welcome to maaa!
Founded in 1976 by Dr. Samella Lewis, the nonprofit Museum of African American Art (MAAA) in Los Angeles educates visitors of all ages and identities about the arts through the lens of African American culture. Exhibitions and programs at MAAA reflect the belief that museums are for everyone and represent a continuation of the museum's founding principle that art can and should be part of our daily lives. The Museum of African American Art welcomes all visitors with FREE admission, serves as a community gathering space, and offers educational experiences for students, families, and the general public.
Exhibits & Collections
Shades of Greatness NLBM Traveling Exhibit at MAAA
Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism The Metropolitan Museum of Art
MAAA Palmer Hayden Collection Mellon Foundation Grant
baldwin hills crenshaw plaza
MAAA Suite 283 BHCP Mall Level 2 (Near TJ Maxx)
The Museum of African American Art has opened a new exhibit space inside Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza during the mall's redevelopment period. The museum's exhibit space in the mall is on Level 2 (second floor), Suite 283, across from TJ Maxx.
THE MAAA EXHIBIT SPACE @ BALDWIN HILLS CRENSHAW PLAZA:
3650 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Suite 283, Los Angeles, CA 90008
After Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza's redevelopment period, the Museum of African American Art will continue serving the community from its historic location on the third floor at 4005 Crenshaw Boulevard or another space within the renovated Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
— good to know —
Group Visits
Kindly email us in advance to schedule group visits for 10 or more people. Be sure to include your preferred date, time, and the expected number of guests.
Exhibitions
Our calendar of exhibitions has been finalized for this year. We will feature works from the MAAA permanent collection from August through December 2024.
Event Rentals
MAAA only rents event space to organizations (not individuals) hosting events aligned with our nonprofit mission. We cannot serve as a venue for political events.
maaa digitization project
The Archives @ MAAA
As we engage with the project of digitizing the archives and institutional records at 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 document and authoritatively voice the museum's important history for all audiences, while supporting research by academics, curators, and authors in the art history field.
from the archives
This hand-painted "MAAA" logo on wood panel is believed to be the museum's original logo design created around 1979 by Howard Smith (1928-2021), an African American artist born in New Jersey who spent most of his career living in Finland. Howard Smith was a friend of the museum's founder, Dr. Samella Lewis, and the MAAA archives include the transcripts of an interview between the two artists.
hours at baldwin hills CRENSHAW
Museum Hours
Visit the new MAAA exhibit space inside Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza on Level 2 in Suite 283, across from TJ Maxx. We are OPEN Wednesday through Sunday, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm — with some exceptions for exhibit installations, holidays, group visits, and special events. We are CLOSED on Mondays and Tuesdays.
- 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 comments
- "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, Arts Immersion, 2022 & 2023
- "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 throroughly 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
- "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, 2023