Trees and flowers bloom outside the National Museum of African American History and Culture construction site in this March 18, 2016 file photo. (Courtesy Smithsonian Institution /Michael R. Barnes)
ABC will celebrate the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture with a two-hour program of music, dance and spoken word called Taking the Stage – Changing America.
The special, to be filmed on September 23rd, will air during the 2016-17 season. Follow the jump for details.
ABC CELEBRATES THE OPENING OF THE SMITHSONIAN’S NEW NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
The ABC Television Network celebrates the unveiling of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture with a two-hour program of music, dance and the spoken word called “Taking the Stage – Changing America.”
“ABC is thrilled to celebrate the opening of this important new addition to the Smithsonian Institution and to help share the story of the struggles, contributions, and triumphs of African Americans throughout the history of our country, “said Channing Dungey, president ABC Entertainment.
World-renowned dignitaries, athletes and artists from around the globe will come together for the program at Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Designed to explore and celebrate African American contributions to the global landscape, the program will feature new film footage of iconic items from the museum’s collections – items ranging from a plane used to train the famed Tuskegee airmen for World War II combat duty to a bible owned by Nat Turner. The film is accompanied by music, dance and dramatic readings by a wide range of stage and screen actors. The executive producers are Don Mischer and Quincy Jones, along with Don Mischer Productions’ Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare. The production will be filmed on September 23 and will air on ABC stations nationwide in the 2016-2017 season.
About the Museum
Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum and research complex. Established in 2003, The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the 19th and newest museum in the Smithsonian family.
“The National Museum of African American History and Culture will be a place where visitors can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience, what it means to their lives and how it helped shape the nation and the world,” says Lonnie G. Bunch III, the museum’s founding director. “The African American experience is the lens through which we understand what it is to be an American.”
The 400,000 square-foot museum with 12 galleries and a collection of more than 35,000 items stands on a five-acre site adjacent to the Washington Monument. Built at a cost of $540 million, with half covered by the U.S. Congress, the museum will open to the public on September 24, 2016, on the National Mall in Washington D.C.