On a long sliver of land, the 47,000 square-foot Afro-American Cultural Center will proudly stand adjacent to the Brooklyn neighborhood, a vibrant African American community displaced during the 1960s.
In part, the museum takes design inspiration from the Meyers school, which was located in the heart of the neighborhood and nicknamed "The Jacob's ladder school" for its many fire escapes. Jacob's ladder provides both this local link to history and a broader tie to African American culture where it has represented hope and enlightenment in the face of apparently insurmountable obstacles and even served as the symbol for the Underground Railroad. As a guiding idea for the design of the museum, the Jacob's ladder theme will emerge throughout the facility.
With the new building designed by the renowned Freelon Group, the Afro-American Cultural Center will be able to significantly enhance its operations. A multipurpose event space will accommodate small-scale theatrical presentations, oratory, music concerts, lectures and social events. Exhibition spaces will display fine arts, crafts and historical and cultural exhibits, including all or parts of the internationally significant Vivian Hewitt Collection, which includes artists such as Benny Andrews, Jacob Lawrence and Elizabeth Catlett.
State-of-the-art technology will allow the Afro-American Cultural Center to host traveling exhibitions, enhancing both the center's educational mission and its national reputation. In the Charlotte region and well beyond, the AACC will be the epicenter of African American culture, allowing all to benefit from the rich legacy the Center has to share.
