Afro-American Cultural Center

This cultural center was created to preserve the visual and performing arts heritages of African-Americans and other minorities. The Center has an art gallery with “over 100 works of art from renowned artists such as Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, John Biggers.” It also offers art classes to all age groups.

Preview your trip on the web: Afro-American Cultural Center

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• NC Folk Artists It is important to recognize and preserve the art forms of North Carolina. On this site the artists explain their art through audio, video, images, and text.
• ArtsTeach Get ideas, develop and fund your own curriculum-based arts experiences at your school with resources from ArtsTeach.
• Lesson plan: How do I express what I believe? This is the second in a three-part lesson series seeking to examine belief systems and how they impact culture in the United States. This lesson, "How do I express what I believe?" requires 3 sessions at 40 minutes each to complete. The lesson series also seeks to let students examine their own personal belief system. In this lesson, the student will learn about the American tradition of the Face Jug/Pot and how it is used to express belief. The student will also create a Face Jug/Pot to express his/her belief, and this pot will be used in the third lesson entitled. "How do I present what I believe?"
• Lesson plan: Dance of the times: African-American expression of jazz Explores jazz dance as a social dance form and a uniquely expressive art of African-American culture from the 1920's and 1930's. Students will learn about the complexity of African-American experiences that generated the dance and musical style. The activities develop students' understanding of jazz dance while integrating visual, audio, and kinesthetic learning styles.
• Resources for looking at art A guide to some of the best websites, activities, and print resources for building visual literacy through the study of art.

Related pages

• Asheville Art Museum: Through works of art in permanent and special exhibition, students will learn about the rich history of visual arts in North Carolina.
• The Mint Museum: Access to digitized images from special exhibitions and the permanent collections of the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC, along with activities for kids.
• Appalachian Cultural Museum: This museum offers over twenty exhibit areas that present an intriguing overview of the people and places of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Related topics

• Learn more about African Americans, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, acting, arts, creative writing, culture, dance, fine art, folk arts, music, oral histories, photography, and theater.

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Begun in an effort to preserve African American heritage, the Afro-American Cultural Center’s roots began in the 1970s. The Center focuses on the many important visual arts and performing arts contributions from African-Americans, particularly those from the state of North Carolina. It also brings to light contributions by other minorities as well. A calendar of events gives a list of the current educational programs at the Center.

The Afro-American Cultural Center’s normal business hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children under 12. There is no charge for Center members.

For more information on the Center’s programs, contact Vikkii Beckwith Graham, Cultural and Educational Outreach Manager, at (704)374-1565 or send email to vikkii@aacc-charlotte.org.

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