Chicago’s DuSable Museum granted Smithsonian Affiliation

The DuSable Museum of African American History has been granted Smithsonian Affiliation status by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., it was announced today.

The museum, established in 1961, becomes the second cultural institution in Chicago to be granted the prestigious affiliation (the Adler Planetarium is the other).

Under the Affiliate partnership, the DuSable, one of a handful of museums dedicated to preserving the art, culture and history of people of African descent, will have access to Smithsonian’s artifacts and traveling exhibits. The Smithsonian’s Washington, D.C., museums/research centers will have access to the paintings, sculptures, print works, historical memorabilia and artifacts that comprise the DuSable’s collections. The museum is named for frontier trader/trapper Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, who established a permanent settlement in 1779 along the shore of the Chicago River — which would come to be named Chicago.

“With Affiliate status, the DuSable will bring the Smithsonian to the community and the DuSable to the world,” said DuSable president and CEO Perri Irmer, in an official statement. “The partnership will also expose the museum’s Masterworks Collection to a broader audience by giving the work and the artists international exposure.”

Posted March 23, 2016