Current & Upcoming Exhibitions

And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture

Ongoing Exhibition

This unique, long-term exhibition serves as the central experience of The Wright Museum. The 22,000 square-foot exhibition space contains more than 20 galleries that allow patrons to travel over time and across geographic boundaries. The journey begins in Africa, the cradle of human life.  Witness several ancient and early modern civilizations that evolved on the continent.  Cross the Atlantic Ocean, experience the tragedy of the middle passage and encounter those... Click here to read more »

Inspiring Minds: African Americans in Science and Technology

Ongoing Exhibition

This comprehensive, high-tech and permanent exhibition highlights trailblazers, contemporaries and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  African Americans have contributed to the scientific and engineering output of the United States since the 17th century, and this history is brought to life through interactive computer kiosks, a touchscreen video wall, and hands-on activities and play areas teaching basic engineering concepts... Click here to read more »

Visions of Our 44th President

September 20, 2012 - August 4, 2013

Visions of Our 44th President, a groundbreaking, collective art exhibit, was created to honor and celebrate the significance of the first African American President of the United States, Barack Obama.  Forty-four busts was created from a model that served as a blank canvas, giving each of forty-four contemporary artists from across the country free reign to creatively interpret this milestone in American history... Click here to read more »

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.: Celebrating a Century of Sisterhood, Scholarship & Service, Presented by the Detroit Alumnae Chapter

April 6, 2013 - March 31, 2014

 Twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University founded Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. on January 13, 1913, with the objective of using their collective strength to promote academic excellence and to provide assistance to persons in need. The first public act performed by the Delta Founders involved their participation in the Women's Suffrage March in Washington D.C., March 1913... Click here to read more »

The Chris Webber Collection: Exceptional People During Extraordinary Times, 1755 - Present

April 7, 2011 - October 31, 2013

Chris Webber, Detroit native, National Basketball Association All-Star player (retired) and NBA announcer, collects rare artifacts that illuminate the lives and legacies of African American greats such as Phillis Wheatley, the first African American author; Rosa Parks, mother of the modern civil rights movement; civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and many others. Initially, the items were for Webber's personal inspiration... Click here to read more »

Size Matters: Large-Scale Paintings from the Collections of the Charles H. Wright Museum

January 11 - May 17, 2013

Size Matters presents fifteen contemporary large-scale paintings by twelve artists from diverse genres. The title is a double entendre that suggests two meanings: the significance of size and the problems associated with it.  In the visual arts, size is concerned with scale and proportion. On one hand, scale refers to the size of a whole object in relationship to another whole object. In experiencing the scale of an artwork, we tend to compare its size to that of our bodies... Click here to read more »

A is for Africa

Ongoing Exhibition

Twenty-six interactive stations make up a three-dimensional "dictionary" designed for children from pre-school through fourth grade in A is for Africa. Organized by the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, this long-term installation introduces young visitors to an array of interesting persons, places, events, ideas, foods and objects important to understanding the histories and cultures of Africa... Click here to read more »

Ring of Genealogy

Ongoing Exhibition

Located on the floor of the Ford Freedom Rotunda, is Genealogy, a work designed by artist Hubert Massey. The creation depicts the struggles of African Americans in this country. Each figure is symbolic of an experience, from slavery to present day violence, the hunger for knowledge, the importance of spirituality and the upward mobility of African Americans. Surrounding this 37-foot floor are bronze nameplates of prominent African Americans in history. Each year new names are added to this Ring of Genealogy... Click here to read more »

Stories in Stained Glass: The Art of Samuel A. Hodge

Ongoing Exhibition

The works of art included in this long-term installation focus on three areas of African American culture and history. The Musicians celebrates everyday people who have exercised their right to interpret the world as they see it through songs and instruments. Dance and Dancers on the other hand, honors those artists who use their bodies as the medium to express non-verbal emotions, themes and ideas. And Freedom Advocates is dedicated to notable African Americans who fought and died to ensure dignity and freedom for themselves and their people... Click here to read more »

Detroit Performs!

Ongoing Exhibition

The museum is pleased to present Detroit Performs!, a photomontage dedicated to those who gained national and often international prominence in the performing arts. Although a majority of these artists moved here from other regions, especially the south, they claimed Detroit as their own, usually crediting it as the place where they honed their skills... Click here to read more »