Exhibitions

Since 1995, the founders of the Pan African Historical Museum USA (PAHMUSA) have been bringing African and Black American culture and history alive for area students and the public in their museum spaces at Tower Square, featuring a well-rounded collection of contemporary and historical artwork and artifacts.

 

PAHMUSA is where African culture and Black American history converge to paint a complete picture of history, focusing on Western Massachusetts. Pahmusa highlights the legacy of slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade’s Springfield, MA, role in helping to aid the freedom seekers. Housed in three galleries are art, artifacts, and paintings carefully selected to provide visitors with content relevant to the Black American experience. One local history gallery includes information about Frederick Douglass and his significant milestones in Springfield’s history. A popular exhibit transports visitors back in time to Africa. The Golden Age of the Magnificent Empires: Ghana, Mali, and Songhai are inspiring and informative. It comprises full-sized renditions of the leaders who ruled these empires.

 

Visitors are encouraged to take a journey back to the Middle Ages and learn how the Sudanic empires developed wealth from the trade of gold and salt and how the empires enjoyed a time of prosperity, adventure, industrialization, and splendor. Celebrate the achievements of Women of Color with another popular exhibit. These posters present the accomplishments and achievements of over twenty women who impacted our society; science, math, medicine, law, and education, to name a few. Don Blanton and Carl Yates are local artists who have contributed their work to Pahmusa by sharing their paintings and sculptures. Changing exhibitions feature guest artists and are publicized on Facebook, The Metro, AF AM POV, and by email.