The Kansas African American Museum

The Mission
Regional arts and cultural museum dedicated to the education, identification, acquisition, research, collection, exhibition, presentation and preservation of visual art forms, artists, programs and documents reflective of African American life and culture. Using the tool of the arts, its goal is to bridge the gap of understanding among the cultures.

The History
In 1917, Old Calvary Baptist Church was built in the heart of the African American community in Wichita, Kansas. In 1972, when the congregation moved to a new building, Doris Kerr Larkins made a stand and decided to save the church, along with her sisters and the community. In 1974, the stand formulated the First National Black Historical Society and in 1993, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, thus becoming a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization. The Society changed its name to The Kansas African American Museum, Inc. in 1999.

The Collections
The Arts Collections cover a wide area from sculputures to paintings and photography. We have on display a collection of African masks and statues, a caribbean display of paintings and sculputes along with various statues displayed around the museum. The museum has a collection of 29 photographs by Gordon Parks. The Jazz and Blues Musicians display features African Americans who played a part in the rich history of Wichita’s music scene. Our archive department is also a large resource for display items and research history.

Hours:

Monday:Closed

Tuesday-Friday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM

Saturday::00PM – 6:00PM

Sunday: Closed

Ph: 316.262.7651

The Kansas African American Museum