Museum Hours :Wednesday - Saturday, 11AM - 6PM
General Admission: always Free, Donations accepted
Support the Houston Museum of African American Culture
Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Your support will help ensure the museum sustainability. Text “HMAAC” to 44-321 to donate!
FILM SCREENING: MOUNTAINS - SATURDAY, JUNE 28, AT 12 PM
CLICK HERE TO RSVP
The art of poetry: father figures - Sunday, June 29, at 7 pm
HMAAC storytelling event - WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, AT 7 PM
Seven storytellers will celebrate the legacy of one of Houston’s oldest historic Black neighborhoods. This HMAAC-sponsored exhibition in the community will take place at 7 PM, Wednesday, July 2, at the Sunnyside Multi-Service Center, located at 4410 Reed Road, Houston, TX. Free and open to the public. For more information, call 713-526-1015, or email AlexusR@HMAAC.org.
Ted ellis’ “Juneteenth freedom project” on view at HMAAC
Ted T. Ellis, nationally recognized as the Art Ambassador for Juneteenth, has received proclamations from the City and County of Galveston, the State of Texas, and Congressional recognition for his work in preserving African American history through art.
His powerful “Juneteenth Freedom Project” returns to Texas—on view at the Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) from June 1 to August 9, 2025. Co-curated by John Guess and Tanner Ellis, the exhibition also features “Free At Last,” the official Juneteenth painting created at Stringfellow Orchards in Hitchcock, TX.
Don’t miss this milestone celebration of art, heritage, and the 160th anniversary of Juneteenth.
Sonya Clark’s “WE ARE EACH OTHER,” on view at HMAAC from April 11 - August 16
Sonya Clark: We Are Each Other, co-presented with the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. This nationally touring exhibition brings together over 30 years of Sonya Clark’s transformative, community-centered works—ranging from beaded prayers to monumental textiles—inviting you to reflect, participate, and connect through craft, history, and collective healing.
The Houston Museum of African American Culture presents: Women's Empowerment Center: Inside and Out
This exhibition showcases the works of women from the Harris County Women’s Empowerment Center, created during Arts in Corrections Classes comprised of ten one-hour sessions. A pilot class created through the joint efforts of The California Lawyers for the Arts, HMAAC and Inprint began in July of 2023. Ongoing sessions continue today with efforts to expand the programs reach to participants inside and outside the facility.
These vibrant pieces are not just expressions of creativity; they embody resilience, community, and the transformative power of art.
Each artwork represents the unique voices and experiences of the participants. The women have explored themes of empowerment, healing, and hope, reflecting their journeys both inside and out.
We invite you to engage with these creations, celebrating the strength and creativity of those who often go unheard. This show is a testament to the importance of art in fostering connection, personal growth, and the reclamation of identity.
to schedule A TOUR OF CURRENT EXHIBITIONS, click below.
Visit the Culture Shoppe at HMAAC for all your local artists and vendors merchandise!
exhibition archive
Visit our most recent exhibitions via our virtual 3D portal. Click anywhere to begin. For more of our other exhibitions, please scroll below.
Latinx Museum of Art in Houston?, curated by Benito Huerta. A glimpse of what a gallery exhibition in a Latinx museum might look like when accompanied by programs defined completely by Latinx voices.
Permanent Exhibitions
The Houston Museum of African American Culture dedicated its Stairwell of Memory on February 19, 2022 with the addition of the portrait of Houstonian Robbie Tolan, “The Survivor.” On December 11, 2021, HMAAC dedicated a portrait of Tolan by artist Cedric Ingram that was added to the ones of Bland and Floyd. The three of them represent our area’s most prominent symbols of police brutality. America is indeed lucky and blessed that one of them survived; a living reminder that justice for black victims of police brutality is so rare as to essentially be non-existent, and that good citizens of all races must be diligent to change our current culture to one of fairness and equity.
The Jazz Church of Houston
“The Jazz Church of Houston is an endeavor by artist Tierney Malone to create a temporary institution dedicated to collecting and sharing the story of Houston's musical tribe. While there are museums in Texas dedicated to music, a space does not exist that chronicles the jazz history of Houston. The name “Jazz Church” drew its inspiration from the Church of John Coltrane in San Francisco. Established in 1970, the church uses John Coltrane’s music as an expression of worship. The Jazz Church of Houston is a secular temple that will serve as a communal gathering place for like-minded people to listen, learn and celebrate jazz music and culture in Houston.
The Jazz Church of Houston’s patron saint is Texas tenor legend, Arnett Cobb. He is the standard bearer for all those who came after him. He made Houston his base of operation instead of New York or LA, as many of his contemporaries have done. He mentored the next generation of jazz musicians who followed in his footsteps to New York. He is the model of rugged individualism that often characterizes Texans. He survived many physical challenges to pursue his passion of making music. He was hospitalized for a year from a car accident, and used crutches for the rest of his life. He never let his physical challenges prevent him from playing for audiences around the world.”-Tierney Malone, via jazzchurchhouston.org
Open Your Eyes
Houston Museum of African American Culture
OUR MISSION
The mission of HMAAC is to collect, conserve, explore, interpret, and exhibit the material and intellectual culture of Africans and African Americans in Houston, the state of Texas, the southwest and the African Diaspora for current and future generations. In fulfilling its mission, HMAAC seeks to invite and engage visitors of every race and background and to inspire children of all ages through discovery-driven learning. HMAAC is to be a museum for all people.
OUR VISION
HMAAC seeks to be a cultural portal through which people share and converge histories and contemporary experiences that acknowledge and expand the African American experience, and from such interactions come together to build a common future.
