The African American Museum of Iowa is a statewide museum dedicated to preserving, exhibiting, and teaching Iowa’s African American history. As Iowa’s leading educational resource on the topic, we educate more than 30,000 people each year through museum tours, traveling exhibits, research services, youth and adult education programs, and community and fundraising events.
Our permanent exhibit, Endless Possibilities, traces Iowa’s African American history from its origins in western Africa to the present—through slavery, the Civil War, the Underground Railroad, segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement. Our temporary exhibit gallery is currently home to Untangling the Roots. In this exhibit, visitors can explore the history and culture surrounding black hair through oral histories from local hairstylists, hands-on interactives, and curated objects from beauty schools and salons across the state.
