The Africa Center is a museum and cultural center that promotes the understanding of contemporary Africa and the African diaspora through dialogs and exhibitions on policy, business and culture.
Africa is the mother of all of us. Both Latin and American pop culture are rooted in Africa.
The Africa Center
The Museum was founded in 1984 as the Center for African Art in Long Island City Queens. It was founded by Susan Mullin Vogel who was a former Associate Curator in the Department of Primitive Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Museum opened its Fifth Avenue at Central Park North location in 2019. The location has some significance. It is a cultural intersection.
Fifth Avenue is the border of Harlem and East Harlem (El Barrio). Back in the day, Latin musicians (like Tito Puente) in East Harlem would go to Harlem to listen to African-American jazz. Black musicians in Harlem (like Dizzy Gillespie) would go to East Harlem and The Bronx to listen to Latin jazz.
The circle in front of the building is home to the Duke Ellington Statue. Duke Ellington was the most prolific American composer. East of Fifth Avenue, 110th St is Tito Puente Way. Tito grew up at 53 East 110th St between Park and Madison Avenues. So the Museum is at the intersection of two legendary Black and Latin jazz musicians.
Anyway, jazz is creole (French-Afro-Caribbean), so no matter which side of the street you come from, in jazz we see our own reflection.
The Africa Center’s location at the intersection of Black and Latin invites us to better understand where we come from, and who we are now, as a way forward, towards creating a better future together.
Africa Center Address
1280 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029
(at 110th St / Tito Puente Way)
East Harlem, Manhattan
Africa Center Hours
Tuesday-Friday: 8am – 7pm
Saturday-Sunday: 9am – 7pm
Africa Center Tickets
Admission is free, except for ticketed events.
Support The Africa Center
For more information, visit www.theafricacenter.org