Art Museum
Museum of African Culture

Image: Wikimedia Commons.
Museum of African Culture is an art museum in Portland, United States.
About Museum of African Culture
The Museum of African Culture Is a museum in Newfield, Maine, United States, that specialized in Sub-Saharan African tribal art and culture. Changing exhibits included art inspired by the African diaspora, and the museum's programs included music, storytelling, films, poetry, literature, healing ceremonies and other Sub-Saharan African cultural traditions. Collections included wooden masks, figures, textiles, household objects and tools. It is the only museum in northern New England devoted to African arts and culture and has over 4,500 pieces of art
It was formerly located in Portland, Maine.
Museum of African Culture by the numbers
- Founded
- 1998
Overview
The Museum of African Culture was a museum in Newfield, Maine, United States, that specialized in Sub-Saharan African tribal art and culture. Founded in 1998 and formerly located in Portland, Maine, it was the only museum in northern New England devoted to African arts and culture. The museum held over 4,500 pieces of art in its collections, which included wooden masks, figures, textiles, household objects, and tools. The institution closed in 2015, and as of 2019 no relocation had materialized.
Collection scope
The museum specialized in Sub-Saharan African tribal art and culture. Its collections encompassed wooden masks, figures, textiles, household objects, and tools. Beyond static displays, the museum presented changing exhibits that included art inspired by the African diaspora. Its programming extended to music, storytelling, films, poetry, literature, healing ceremonies, and other Sub-Saharan African cultural traditions. This combination of material culture and live programming distinguished its approach to presenting African arts.
Notable holdings
The museum's holdings consisted of over 4,500 pieces of art, making it a significant repository of African material culture in the northeastern United States. The collection was built around wooden masks and figures, complemented by textiles, household objects, and tools. No individual works are singled out in the available sources as signature pieces.
Building & site
The museum was located in Newfield, Maine, having moved from its former site in Portland, Maine. No specific architectural details or descriptions of the building or site are provided in the available sources.
Visiting
The Museum of African Culture is no longer open to the public. It closed in 2015 and had not relocated as of 2019. When operational, it was located in Newfield, Maine, United States, and was distinguished as the only museum in northern New England devoted to African arts and culture. The museum's former website was https://museumofafricanculture.org.
Museums near Museum of African Culture
- Addison Gallery of American Art Andover, United States
- Art Museum Peabody Essex Museum Salem, United States
- Art Museum Boston Athenæum Boston, United States
- Art Museum Harvard Art Museums Cambridge, United States
- Art Museum Fogg Museum Cambridge, United States
- Art Museum Museum of Fine Arts Boston Boston, United States