JOIN US AUG 9TH
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JOIN US AUG 9TH 〰️
THE ANACOSTIA COMMUNITY MUSEUM TELLS dC STORIES WITH dc VOICES.
IT’S FUTURE IS on the line.
let’s save our museum.
ACM today
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ACM’s exhibitions are unique among the Smithsonian. For each exhibition, ACM curators conduct original research— poring through archival records, capturing images, and recording interviews with Washingtonians to tell new, interactive stories of the nation’s capital.
Each year, the museum explores a new topic that resonates with the people of Washington. Recent exhibitions have included explorations of gentrification, food justice, environmental activism, and arts education in D.C. -
ACM continue to expand the idea of what a museum can be.
The museums hosts a variety of community programs: from Juneteenth celebrations and panel discussions, to gardening workshops and a weekly farmers’ market. -
ACM has built, and continues to build, one of the most substantial archives of local Washington, D.C. history.
The museum’s curators and archivists have recorded thousands of interviews with Washingtonians of all backgrounds. And they have collected over 3,000 objects and over 1,500 feet of documents to preserve the stories of our nation’s capital.
ACM’s History
In 1967, the Smithsonian decided to open an experimental storefront museum in one D.C. neighborhood. Anacostia residents rallied for their neighborhood to host the new museum. The Anacostia Community Museum (originally the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum) was born.
The Smithsonian hoped ACM would encourage more local Washingtonians to visit the Smithsonian’s traditional museums on the mall. ACM’s founding director John Kinard had a different vision: ACM would ensure that local Washingtonians could finally see themselves, their stories, and their issues in a museum.
For almost 60 years, ACM has done just that. Its pioneering approach has also inspired the creation of Community Museums across the U.S. and around the world.
The Anacostia Community Museum does incredible work each year on a budget of $3 million.
In June, President Trump’s proposed Smithsonian budget cut 100% of funding for the museum.
ACM is a Community Museum grounded in the people and places of Washington, D.C. — from Columbia Heights to Chinatown to Congress Heights. As the only federally funded Community Museum, ACM uniquely stewards and showcases the stories of our nation’s capitol.
Recently, a Senate subcommittee bill restored funding for ACM. But the museum’s future is not yet guaranteed. We are keeping the pressure on.
ACM must remain open and continue this important work.