Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, a framed image paired with a signed edition of A Fool's Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture by Lonnie G. Bunch III, the museum’s founding director. Image
This 18 x 24 framed image with ivory colored matte and black museum frame commemorates the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), a landmark institution on the National Mall dedicated to the African American experience. Accompanying the image is a signed copy of A Fool’s Errand by Lonnie G. Bunch III, the museum’s founding director and current Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

Image by Alan Kirkpatrick. AlanK Photos.com

In 2001, President George W. Bush initiated the process to establish this museum. Architect Phil Freelon, through his firm The Freelon Group, partnered with acclaimed architect J. Max Bond, Jr. to form Freelon Bond. In 2008, UK-based architect David Adjaye joined as lead designer, and the team became Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup.

The design blends African and American cultural influences. Its three-tiered Corona draws from Yoruban art and mirrors the capstone of the nearby Washington Monument. The bronze-colored lattice honors African American metalworkers and evokes patterns of the African Diaspora. Together, Freelon, Adjaye, and Bond created a structure that embodies resilience, triumph, and history—a bold architectural expression of the museum’s mission.

“His work brought to the National Mall a bold, new statement of elegance and dignity … Phil Freelon will forever have a permanent place in the story of this museum.”
— Lonnie G. Bunch III

Quote Credit: Smithsonian Institution





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Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, a framed image paired with a signed edition of A Fool's Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture by Lonnie G. Bunch III, the museum’s founding director.

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