CAAM - California African American Museum

The California African American Museum (CAAM) is a vital cultural institution dedicated to researching, collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history, art, and culture of African Americans, with a particular focus on California and the American West. Since its founding in 1977, the Museum has served as a space for reflection, dialogue, and discovery, highlighting narratives that have too often been overlooked while affirming the central role African Americans have played in shaping the region’s cultural and social landscape.

CAAM holds a unique place in American museum history as the first African American museum of art, history, and culture fully supported by a state. Its creation was the result of sustained community activism and visionary leadership, marking an early recognition by California of the importance of African American contributions to public life. After beginning formal operations in 1981, the Museum moved in 1984 to its permanent home in Exposition Park, a purpose-built facility designed by architects Jack Haywood and Vince Proby. From its opening exhibition on Black Olympians to its present-day programming, CAAM has consistently linked historical inquiry with contemporary cultural expression.

Photography has become an increasingly significant component of CAAM’s exhibitions and collections, offering powerful visual records of lived experience, activism, and artistic innovation. Through exhibitions featuring documentary, portraiture, and conceptual photography, the Museum explores themes such as identity, migration, resistance, and community memory. Photographic works within CAAM’s collection sit alongside painting, sculpture, and mixed media, reinforcing photography’s role as both an artistic practice and a historical document. The Museum regularly presents photography-centered exhibitions that elevate emerging voices while also honoring established artists whose images have shaped collective understanding.

Today, CAAM’s permanent collection encompasses more than 5,000 objects, ranging from historical artifacts to modern and contemporary artworks drawn from California, the broader United States, and the African diaspora. Situated among major cultural institutions in Exposition Park, the Museum continues to expand its reach through dynamic exhibitions, educational programs, and community partnerships. By foregrounding photography alongside other visual arts, CAAM underscores the medium’s power to bear witness, inspire dialogue, and connect past and present in meaningful and enduring ways.