Originally opened in 1981 in temporary quarters at the California Museum of Science and Industry, the California African-American Museum was moved to its permanent home just in time for the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival.

Designed by African-American architects Jack Haywood and Vincent Proby, the building’s breezy galleries are entered through a 13,000 square food sculpture court with tinted-glass roof. The museum’s permanent collection focuses on paintings, sculpture, photography, and works in other media by African-American artists form the nineteenth century to contemporary periods. The historical collection runs from the emancipation and reconstruction periods through the twentieth century, with emphasis on the African-American experience in the West – particularly California.

Other historical exhibitions have presented African Americans in their roles as golfers, inventors, and players in the California gold rush.