ONE YEAR IN: IAAM in Charleston reflects on a conversation ‘long overdue’

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Behind the floating architecture of the International African American Museum’s tall walls and pillars stands a story of a past not yet forgotten, and ready to be told.  

Since its opening one year ago today, June 27, thousands of faces have glared through the glass of nearly a dozen displays at the museum. Descendants, historians and curious minds have congregated from across the nation to view the 11 core exhibitions and five special exhibitions that the IAAM has to offer.  

The structure of the building was designed to hover above the grounds where tens of thousands of enslaved African people disembarked into the U.S. from the late 1760s to 1808, according to the IAAM website. 

Within 12 months,185,000 footsteps have echoed across the floors of the museum located in Charleston’s historic Gadsden’s Wharf.  

As museum officials pause to mark one year of being in operation, they are also accounting for who has passed through its doors and how they can keep visitors returning.   

The IAAM guests range from Southeastern states such as Florida and Georgia, to the west coast of California. Nearly half came from one state: South Carolina.   

“Which is great because, of course, we down here in the Low Country know that we love our tours, we love our visitors, but sometimes they can overwhelm,” Tonya Matthews, president and CEO of the IAAM, said. “So, I’m very excited that the folks from South Carolina have sort of the advantage, and they know how to get to the museum. So that has been really cool.” 

Exhibits speak to visitors of all ages

According to Matthews, visitors have defied traditional museum etiquette to observe IAAM’s exhibits, craning their necks in unison to unlock the displays’ messages. 

“Complete strangers will convene around an exhibit and lean their heads like ‘we’re all trying to figure this out together,” Matthews said. “Which is amazing because we wanted to create a space that encourages curiosity, that values the courage it takes to say, ‘I don’t know,’ and to be celebrated for that.”  

Related: Meet the CEO of the International African American Museum in Charleston

Related: Exhibits define ‘one of the most important museums in the world’ in Charleston

Malika Pryor, chief learning and engagement officer, said one of her favorite experiences has been watching intergenerational visits of all different ages viewing the “highly specialized, very bespoke and uniquely constructed departments.” 

“I think the fact that we exist in Charleston speaks to a conversation that I would humbly suggest was long overdue,” Pryor said. “But our very presence makes complex and difficult histories visible in a way that anyone who desires to have just a little bit more understanding… they can experience that here.” 

 “It was the most amazing thing because we want to teach about all the things that are in the museum,” Matthews said. “And if you’re at these museums we are also always trying to convince people to be inspired… we rarely think about the fact that we need to be inspiring some museum professionals, too.” 

Matthews’ past year has also included watching many visitors get “stuck” at the Atlantic Worlds Gallery, which oversees the water and answers the frequently asked questions of most viewers. For her, “stuck” is what they like to see, watching people become completely enthralled by an exhibit.  

Boosting the regional economy

In addition to educating visitors, IAAM also plays a role in boosting the regional economy. Charleston’s tourism is on the rebound, reaching the highest tourism volume in 2023 since before the pandemic — and the IAAM was a big part of the surge. 

Tourism had a $13 billion economic impact in Charleston in 2023 — a $7 billion increase from 2019. Contributing to that is the International African American Museum, which is playing a large part in tourism interest, according to Dan Blumenstock, chairman of Explore Charleston’s board of governors and director of hotels for Lowcountry Hotels.  

While talking to guests that have stayed in Lowcountry Hotels, Blumenstock said IAAM was one of the “top things on their list to do while in Charleston.”  

“It really helps to be a catalyst of telling a story that needs to be told,” Blumenstock said “It very much goes to the roots of where their heritage started by so many people.” 

Matthews said that she was “pleasantly overwhelmed” by the interest and the attendance at the IAAM in its first year, as well as the longer duration of each person’s visit than expected.  

“Our most often received feedback is that folks wish they had more time, they have to come back,” Pryor said. “Which says a lot about how intentionally, and also how accessible and digestible the content is.”

Looking ahead to the next year

With a high volume of visitors comes the needed reassurance of safety. Matthews said security and security personnel have been of the highest importance in the welcoming of their guests. To keep a consistent, welcoming attitude, the security team gets the same training as the education staff. 

“We are an intentionally unfenced space. Being open and welcoming to the public, those who intend to come visit us and those who wander into space accidentally, is really important to us,” Matthews said. “And to turn a space of rejection into a space of welcome is part of what we do 

Though remaining a booming success, the IAAM has risen to the challenge of implementing catastrophe mitigation plans for emergency weather as well as learning to manage a business that is seven days a week, Matthews said.  

Now that the museum has experienced its influx of new faces, it is looking to provide more programs and activities for repeat visitors, Matthews said. The IAAM now provides a program for people to find their families’ genealogy through the Center of Family History and is offering a recently launched speaker series, featuring a Smithsonian secretary. 

“I’m honestly awe inspired by the work of this team and what we’ve managed to accomplish in the last year since opening,” Pryor said.