Ebony Museum of Art:

As we first headed out to the Mandela Market, we passed by the Ebony Museum of Art. On our return to downtown, to satisfy our curiosity, we made a stop at the museum, housed in a three story Victorian on the corner of 14^th and Lindon. The fenced in front yard is filled with an unusual assortment of statues, buggies, and an eerie model constructed out of bones and wood, of what is described to be the first slave ship. The place looks official, but we had no idea of the hours or how to enter. We rang a buzzer on the gate. Just as we were about to climb back on our bike, an elderly black woman slowly opened the door and asked us what we wanted. We told her we were interested in knowing the hours of the museum; she emphatically told us, “Well, it’s open now! It’s open Tuesday through Saturday, 11-5pm. You want to come in?" She opened the gate and led us upstairs to her museum/house. Just walking through the door was an other-worldly experience: the foyer, staircase and front room are filled floor to ceiling with artifacts, sculptures, photos and books. Vernita, the 80 or 90 or 100 year old woman was a slow speaker: before she would address any of our questions, she insisted that we know some history, some background information about what we were seeing. She wouldn't let us take a picture of her, "..because I'm not dressed for visitors." Here's a photo of her from the early '80s:

Her wavery voice competed with the blaring tv; it was easy to tell that her daily life melded with the museum. Near the bookshelf was her bed (in what could have been a dining room) and an early 1990s computer stood out in the hall. Vernita started this museum in 1982; she had been an importer of African art. After some time, she accumulated her current collection and opened the museum. She wanted to insure the historical education of black children; she boasted that school groups as far as Sacramento come to her museum, “which is the only one of its kind in the US.” She doesn’t want her collection to go to a public museum. The process of display is very important, as she described that in Africa, these artifacts were not considered art, but were tools and utensils, used as part of daily life. She told us, “I put in here what I established this place for.”

In addition to being a business-woman, Vernita was also a jeweler and sculptor until her eye-sight failed her. She created tableaus from traditional black food, such as chitlins, beans, collard greens, and bones from chickens, pigs and turtles as a way to confront the embarrassment some feel towards these foods. Instead, she wants people to realize that these are the foods of survival, that the slaves had to eat this in order to live. She wants people to know their history because this is the only way that people will begin to know themselves. (We weren’t allowed to take photos of these sculptures because they are protected under copyright.)

Vernita gave us the full tour of her museum: four floors of rooms filled with amazing art, images and sculpture. We highly encourage you to visit this museum, but only when you have at least an hour or two to dedicate to your visit. Check out the Flick'r bar on the right to see more images from the museum.