The long-planned Fort Worth African American Museum and Cultural Center will officially open in the coming weeks for its first exhibition in collaboration with two local art institutions.
The African American museum opens its doors in Polytechnic Heights on June 12 with the “All ’N All: Artists Embracing Community” show in partnership with Kinfolk House and the National Juneteenth Museum.
The exhibit — located at the African American museum and Kinfolk House — features paintings, photographs and mixed-media works from 11 North Texas artists to explore themes of memory, culture and the Black experience. The show is part of the larger Freedom Vibes festival planned by the Juneteenth museum from June 11-20.
Featured artists include Tatyana Alanis, Jeremy Biggers, Missy Burton, CHOKE, Jennifer Cowley, Charles Gray, Riley Holloway, Michael E. Johnson, Vanessa Meshack, Evita Tezeno and Donnie Williams.
John Barnett, board chairman of the African American museum, said it’s a privilege to collaborate with the two cultural institutions for his organization’s “first foray into the community.”
Kinfolk House founder Sedrick Huckaby said the exhibition shows the three groups are not in competition with each other, but rather in harmony.
“Perhaps more than any other time in the city’s history we see institutions with black leadership partnering with practitioners of black descent,” he said via email. “This is not a conspiracy. It is simply the evolution of the diversity of our city.”
The show is curated by Christopher Blay, director of public programs at the Juneteenth museum, and gets its name from Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1977 album “All ’N All.” The opening reception begins with 7 p.m. remarks at Kinfolk House before guests can move between both spaces.
Blay described the exhibition as a symbiotic and cohesive showcase between the artists.
The Fort Worth African American Museum has been in the works since 2020 but faced financial hurdles, including the inability to secure a location in the Cultural District.
Museum leaders purchased the 5,000-square-foot building on East Rosedale last summer. In January, the cultural center secured $40,000 — its final dollars — from Fort Worth City Council to finish building renovations.
While East Rosedale was not the original vision, Barnett said the museum board is excited to be across the street from Texas Wesleyan University and contribute to the neighborhood’s redevelopment.
The museum’s logo is an Adinkra symbol from the Akan people of West Africa, Barnett said. The symbol represents knowledge and education and features red, green and yellow hues.
“As God led us, we were able to manifest our institution in our present iteration,” he said. “We are divinely led and want to take advantage of the opportunity that we have in bringing awareness to African American history.”
Following the exhibition’s closing, Barnett will meet with community stakeholders to establish a strategic plan and future programming before fully staffing the center.
If you go
What: “All ’N All: Artists Embracing Community”
When: Opening reception 6-9 p.m. June 12; show on view noon-6 p.m. Fridays, 1-6 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 15
Where: Fort Worth African American Museum and Cultural Center, 3104 E. Rosedale St.; Kinfolk House, 1913 Wallace St., Fort Worth
Admission: Free; RSVP required for opening night
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
The Fort Worth Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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