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Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum

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Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum

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The museum was dedicated on February 24, 1984. The Banneker-Douglass Museum celebrated its 25th Anniversary on Tuesday, February 24, 2009.
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The Banneker-Douglass Museum, named for Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass, is dedicated to preserving Maryland's African American heritage and serves as the state's official repository of African American material culture. The original museum was housed within the former Mount Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church in the heart of historic Annapolis. The Victorian-Gothic structure was included in the Annapolis Historic District in 1971 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The recently completed BDM addition is a four-story addition which uses the nineteenth-century brick of the church's north facade as its interior lobby wall.

10/31/2026

✨ Intern POV✨

📹 Take a look from the perspective of Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum’s marketing & communications intern, Alexia, as she supported the "Aesthetic Inheritance: Art, Archive, and African American Life Symposium." The three-day symposium brought together scholars, artists, and cultural workers to explore African American art, archives, memory, and historical documentation.

🤝 Experiences like these give BDTM interns a close look at how museums, universities, and community organizations work together to preserve and interpret African American history and culture. We thank Alexia for her engagement and enthusiasm throughout the symposium.

🖤 BDTM extends its gratitude to all of the speakers, artists, scholars, and community members who made this gathering so meaningful. We also thank our generous sponsors, the Terra Foundation for American Art and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and our co-organizers, Build Serve Unite and the Maryland Commission on African American History & Culture.

Bowie State University

10/30/2026

⏰ Deadline Reminder: AAHPP Non-Capital Grants close November 20!

Less than four weeks remain to apply for the FY27 Non-Capital funding round of the newly renamed Speaker Adrienne Jones African American Heritage Preservation Program (AAHPP), administered by the Maryland Commission on African American History & Culture (MCAAHC) and Maryland Historical Trust (MHT).

This year, the program has $250,000 available to support operational capacity, project planning, programming, and interpretation. The non-capital program is designed to help Maryland to share their rich African American history!

📅 Applications close: November 20, 2026
📣 Award notifications: Expected March 2027

Don’t miss this opportunity! Learn more and apply here:
🔗 https://mht.maryland.gov/funding/african-american-heritage-preservation-program-grants/aahpp-non-capital-grants

Read more about the program:
🔗 https://mdhistoricaltrust.wordpress.com/2026/09/25/new-name-more-fun

10/29/2026

🔊New Date!

Join the conversation on preserving history and honoring memory in Charles County.

On November 7th, Historian Hess Stinson, a historian on the Maryland Commission on African American History & Culture's African Ancestral Human Remains Project, will lead "Bringing Our Ancestors Home: Voices on African Ancestral Human Remains Project in Charles County."

This important program will shape this historian's report regarding three individuals' repatriation to Port To***co as a part of the larger MCAAHC project. This session aims to engage Charles County residents (especially those with family ties to Chapel Point, Port To***co, and surrounding areas) in meaningful dialogue about history, remembrance, and stewardship.

The African Ancestral Human Remains Project, in collaboration with the MAC Lab and Maryland Historical Trust, is engaged in work to identify, honor, and respectfully return the remains of African American ancestors found at several sites in Maryland.

We are proud to support this independently-organized event as an important initiative alongside the MCAAHC. We encourage our community to learn more and participate.

📅 Event Date & Time: Saturday, November 7 at 2:00-3:00 PM
📍 La Plata Branch, Charles County Public Library, 2 Garrett Avenue, La Plata, MD 20646
🔗 Register today: https://ccplonline.libnet.info/event/17438555

10/29/2026

The Maryland Commission on African American History & Culture (MCAAHC), Build Serve Unite at Bowie State University, and the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum (BDTM) held the “Aesthetic Inheritance: Art, Archive, and African American Life Symposium” from Thursday, October 1 to Saturday, October 3, 2026.

The three-day symposium brought together scholars, artists, and cultural workers to explore African American art, archives, memory, and historical documentation.
Over the course of the symposium, attendees experienced the following programs:

🖼️ Day One | Black Archival Imaginaries: How Black Women Artists Envision New Narrative Possibilities within the American Archive - The opening plenary was held at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum in Annapolis. Artists Khaleelah L. Harris and Martha Jackson Jarvis, moderated by Leslie Rose, discussed how Black women artists reimagine and envision new narratives within the American archive.

🎥 Day Two | Paint Me a Road Out of Here - Screening and Discussion. At the Dionne Warwick Theater at Bowie State University, attendees viewed the film following Faith Ringgold’s 1971 mural For the Women’s House. The post-show discussion featured Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter and Professor Tewodross M. Williams.

🎤 Day Three | Aesthetic Inheritance: Art, Archive, and African American Life - In the Bowie State University Fine and Performing Arts Center, the final day featured scholarly and artistic presentations and workshops. LaToya Ruby Frazier, Visual Artist, Photographer, and Advocate, delivered the keynote address, asking attendees: What do we inherit? What do we preserve? What do we create anew?

MCAAHC thanks all of the speakers, artists, scholars, and community members who made this gathering so meaningful. We also extend our gratitude to our sponsors, the Terra Foundation for American Art and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, and to our co-organizers, Build Serve Unite at Bowie State University, the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, and the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum.

🎥 Watch recap video here: https://youtu.be/n7qAcwbiuII

🖼️View photo gallery here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1736997848428292&type=3

10/23/2026

On Sept. 12, educators joined us at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum for the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) Workshop, part of Gallery to Classroom. Led by BDTM Director of Programs Sabriyah Hassan-Ismail and Annapolis High School educator Tinesha McNeill, the session showed how VTS can turn the museum gallery into an interactive learning space that builds observation, critical thinking, and communication skills for educators and students alike.

Missed it, or want to bring VTS into your classroom? Explore the workshop resources:
▶️ "What is VTS?" Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/N-VSyGWWc4E

🎥 Full Workshop Recording: https://youtu.be/lSienomukcI

📄 Full VTS Workshop Presentation:https://bdmuseum.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2026/10/VTS_Museum_Practitioner-1.pptx-1-1-compressed.pdf

10/22/2026

Meet our Fall 2026 Marketing and Communications Interns, Alexia Castillano and John Mannino! 🤎

🎓 Alexia Castillano is a 2026 graduate of Baruch College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in International Business and Marketing along with a minor in Spanish.

🎓 John Mannino is a 2025 graduate of Salisbury University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications with a track in Public Relations & Strategic Communication, along with a minor in Marketing.

We’re excited to have Alexia and John on the MCAAHC and Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum teams and look forward to the insight, creativity, and contributions they’ll bring to our Marketing and Communications work. 📚

Welcome to the team, Alexia and John! We’re glad to have you with us as we continue sharing and preserving Maryland’s African American heritage.

10/21/2026

The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture held its October 2026 Public Meeting on Monday, October 5, 2026, at the Building African American Minds, Inc. (BAAM) in Easton, MD. The meeting was led by Chair Kali-Ahset Amen and host Commissioner Dina Daly.

During the meeting, the public heard from the following featured speakers and received updates and reports for the commission:

🎤 Dr. James Bell, Director of Instruction, Academic Support & Community Well-Being at Building African American Minds (BAAM), Inc., spoke about the programs and resources that BAAM has brought to Talbot County and the positive impact it has had on the community.

🎤 Mr James Redman, Head of Schools at Polaris Village Academy (PVA) discussed the unique curriculum and philosophy behind PVA’s educational approach. He also brought in several of his students to share their own experience with Polaris Village Academy.

Reports:

🔊 Chair Report - Chair Amen highlighted a recent workshop at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, showing how to establish African American History State Commissions with Commissioner Brian Morrison.

✒️ Directors Report - Executive Director Chanel C. Johnson announced funding for a revamp of the museum’s permanent exhibition and upcoming temporary exhibition, "Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Social Justice", at the Banneker Douglass Tubman Museum. She also highlighted the 2026 Capital Emmy Awards won by Maryland Public Television and WETA Arts specials for ‘Sacred Spaces.’

🏛️ Government Affairs and Community Engagement Report - Vice Chair Jaelon T. Moaney discussed Senate 776, which established the Commission on the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children, and the review of roadside markers with the MDOT alongside the unveiling of an updated marker.

📜 The African American Heritage Preservation Program officially renamed the Speaker Adrienne Jones African American Heritage Preservation Program alongside the opening of a new non-capital grant.

🖼️ BDTM Committee - Commissioner Ada Pinkston reported on the Aesthetic Inheritance Symposium at Bowie State University, participation in the upcoming Annapolis Jazz and Roots Festival, and the launch of sales for the ‘She Speaks’ hardcover catalog.

The MCAAHC leadership is helmed by Chair Kali-Ahset Amen, Ph.D. and Vice Chair Jaelon T. Moaney.

View the full recording of the MCAAHC October 2026 Public Meeting on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/tHWminYXuZo

View the photo gallery here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122298898208149451&type=3

10/21/2026

✏️ New at BDTM: Interactive Worksheets for Self-Guided Visits! 🎨

Exploring the museum on your own? Grab one of our 5 new interactive worksheets, designed for grades K–12 but fun for all ages! They’re a great way for the whole family to slow down, look closely, and connect with the art.

🔍 Look & Find Scavenger Hunt (Pre-K & up)
Perfect for young explorers and visual learners (though we’ve seen all ages get hooked!). Search through artworks in the 'She Speaks' exhibition to find the items on your sheet.

💭 Think & Reflect (Middle School)
Look closely at 3 artworks across the museum and reflect on how they connect to your own experiences.

🧵 The Art of Storytelling (3 worksheets)
Created in collaboration with featured artist Zsudayka Nzinga, these worksheets center on her large textile piece The Art of Storytelling (2025):

📝 Pre-K–5th grade (with an adult): Learn about collage and quilts, go on a mini scavenger hunt, discover the history of quilt parties, and draw and write about your own story.
📝 5th–8th grade: Explore visual storytelling, the cultural tradition of quilt parties, and creative writing and drawing prompts.
📝 9th–12th grade: Dig into visual storytelling, quilt parties, and silhouette, with prompts on personal reflection, narrative, and the power of symbols.

A big thank you to our Maryland250 Fellow, who created "Look & Find" and "Think & Reflect!" 🙌

📍 Pick up a worksheet on your next visit and see what stories you discover. Visit https://bdmuseum.maryland.gov/plan-your-visit/

10/16/2026

A Keepsake of History & Vision Honoring 250 Years of History Through a Black Feminist Lens

🔊We are thrilled to announce the pre-sale launch of the exhibition catalogue and official merchandise for 'She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory'!

📖 The Exhibition Catalogue
More than a companion piece, the She Speaks catalogue is a lasting critical resource, archival record, and invitation to explore how Black women preserve, interpret, and reshape the stories we inherit.

📖 What’s Inside: Newly commissioned essays, scholarly reflections, artist profiles, archival materials, and family histories exploring themes of preservation, resistance, archival practice, and Afrofuturism.

🖋️ Contributors: Martina Dodd, Leslie Rose, Chanel Compton Johnson, Hess Love, Angela N. Carroll, Keondra Freeman, Belinda Moses, Rosa de la Vega, and Morgan White.

🎨 Featured Artists: Elizabeth Catlett, Alanna Fields, Dr. Joan M. E. Gaither, Charlyn Griffith-Oro, Khaleelah I. L. Harris, Martha Jackson Jarvis, Fabiola Jean-Louis, Jeannine Kayembe-Oro, Zsudayka Nzinga, Ada Pinkston, Beverly Price, Faith Ringgold, Noreen Smith, Darlene R. Taylor, Jessica Valoris, Savannah G. M. Wood, and Alisha B. Wormsley.

Pre-orders are OPEN NOW! Catalogues arrive in early December, just in time for holiday gifting. Whether you're looking to enrich your own library or find meaningful holiday gifts for the art and history lovers in your life, this collection offers powerful pieces to treasure for years to come.

🛍️Exclusive Merchandise
Bring a piece of the exhibition home with you! Official She Speaks merchandise is available now for in-museum pick-up:

🖼️ 3 Custom Bookmark Designs featuring the artwork of Zsudayka Nzinga, Ada Pinkston, and Noreen Smith
🖼️ Commemorative Magnets

Pre-order the catalogue and explore merchandise here today: https://baltimorereadaloud.shop/lists/LvGvyOt7HtWs

10/15/2026

Today is National Cherish Black Women Day, and at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum, honoring Black women is woven into who we are, including our very name. 🤎

When our museum added "Tubman" to its name, it was a tribute to Harriet Tubman, a freedom fighter and daughter of Maryland's Eastern Shore whose courage carried countless people to freedom. Her name now stands alongside Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass, a lasting reminder that Black women have always been at the center of Maryland's story. That legacy continues with Verda Welcome, the first African American woman elected to the Maryland State Senate and the namesake of our Historic Wing.

This celebration continues in our galleries. We invite you to experience 'She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory', a visionary presentation that examines the 250-year history of the United States of America through a Black Feminist lens. Through the work of Black women artists, 'She Speaks' reclaims, reimagines, and reframes the American story in their own voices.

Today and every day, we celebrate the Black women who came before us, those leading now, and those who will carry the work forward. Who is a Black woman you cherish? Tell us in the comments.

Plan your visit: https://bdmuseum.maryland.gov/plan-your-visit/

Address

84 Franklin Street
Annapolis, MD
21401

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+14102166180

Website

http://bdtmuseum.maryland.gov/, http://lnk.bio/bannekerdouglasstubmanmuseum

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