[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 42 (Thursday, April 10, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S3064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MUSEUM OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr President, I would like to make my colleagues 
aware of an important event taking place in my home city of Detroit, 
Michigan--the opening of the new Museum of African American History. 
The Museum is unique in its size, scope and mission.
  Located in Detroit's Cultural Center, the 120,000 square foot Museum 
of African American History is the largest museum in the nation 
dedicated to documenting and celebrating the African American 
experience. It is led by Kimberley Camp, who was the first African 
American gallery director in the history of the Smithsonian Institute. 
Under Dr. Camp's leadership, the Museum is poised to become a 
destination for tourists and researchers from around the country.
  The Museum was designed by prominent Detroit architects Howard Sims 
and Harold Varner, of Sims-Varner and Associates, Inc. Using 
contemporary building materials, Mr. Sims and Mr. Varner created a 
building thoroughly American in design, but with significant accents 
which evoke African culture and traditions. Two Detroit artists, 
Richard Bennett and Hubert Massey, created some of the most striking of 
these accents. Mr. Bennett's massive African-style masks adorn the 
facade above the bronze front doors, which he also created. Mr. 
Massey's terrazzo tile mosaic, ``Genealogy,'' is interwoven with the 
floor in the rotunda. Crowning the rotunda is a glass and steel dome, 
the largest dome in southeastern Michigan.
  The central display in the Museum will be the core exhibition, ``Of 
the people: An African American experience.'' This exhibition will use 
historical artifacts, audio recordings, documents, and three-
dimensional displays to take visitors through the totality of the 
African American experience, from the first slave ships through the 
present day. Displays will also put into context the importance of 
African traditions in historical and modern American culture. Two 
additional galleries will be used for new and changing exhibits.
  The men and women of the new Museum of African American History are 
committed to creating an institution which is truly a partner in the 
community. To that end, the Museum will offer a lecture series, after-
school programs for Detroit children, weekend workshops for children 
and adults and theatrical arts programs.
  The Museum never would have been built without the leadership of 
Mayors Coleman Young and Dennis Archer, and without the financial 
support of the residents of Detroit and the corporate community. All of 
them came together and pledged their support for what will be the 
finest institution of its kind in the country.
  At the Museum's grand opening on April 12, the United States Postal 
Service will unveil the winning design for the first stamp celebrating 
Kwanzaa. The Kwanzaa stamp, which has been designed by the 
internationally acclaimed artist Synthia Saint James, will highlight 
the importance of African traditions in the lives of so many Americans. 
Ms. Saint James is an accomplished author, poet, and award-winning 
illustrator of books for children and adults. She has previously been 
commissioned to create works of art for organizations like UNICEF, 
Dance Africa and the Girl Scouts of America.
  Mr. President, it is important that we recognize the contributions 
African Americans have made to our nation's cultural heritage. People 
of all races will learn and be touched by their experience at Detroit's 
Museum of African American History. On the occasion of the Museum's 
grand opening, I know my colleagues join me in congratulating the men 
and women who helped make this remarkable institution a reality. 


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