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Through the preservation and exhibition of African American material culture, history, and aesthetic expression, the Carver Museum works to create a space where the global contributions of all Black people are celebrated. We accomplish this by telling stories about our local community and connecting those histories to larger narratives about Blackness. The Carver Museum is free and open to the public. Masks are encouraged inside the museum.
Take a Virtual Reality Tour of the Carver!
Boyd Vance Theatre renovation is finished. More information here. If you would like to submit your event to the Boyd Vance Theatre wait list, please contact our Event Coordinator, at Deelah.Muhyee@austintexas.gov.
For interest in the artifact(s) donation procedure please visit our Donations & Collection Information Page. For research assistance or inquiries about our archival holdings, please fill out the Carver Museum Archives: Request for Assistance form.
** Museum tours are at capacity and will be paused May 15 - August 31, 2025. To schedule a tour after August 31, 2025, please call 512-974-4926. **
THE 6th ANNUAL STAY BLACK & LIVE CITYWIDE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION IS HERE!
The wait is over! The 6th annual Stay Black & Live Citywide Juneteenth Celebration is here, and we're overjoyed to announce this year's suite of programming! The Carver kicks things off with the Free Your Mind Symposium featuring 2 days of film screenings, lectures, teach-ins, artist talks, and panel discussions. Then, join us for the Stay Black & Live community cookout and music festival spotlighting Austin's finest musicians, a Black vendor market, family fun, creative activations, food and more. Concluding the week, a remembrance ceremony will be held on Juneteenth proper, Thursday, June 19th from 2-4 pm at the Carver Museum. Stay Black & Live - June 10-19 at Carver Museum ATX.
FREE YOUR MIND SYMPOSIUM
The Carver Museum is celebrating our 6th annual Stay Black and Live Juneteenth Festival from June 10 – June 19, 2025. In addition to parade celebrations, music, and food, our organization is committed to engaging a broad cross-section of the American public in critical conversations about our past and our moral obligation to build a more just and equitable society. As part of our commitment to this work, we host a lecture series and symposium that features guest speakers, presenters, workshops, and creative activations that span a range of topics that all address the historic, current, and enduring fight for Black liberation. Join us on Tuesday, June 10, and on Wednesday, June 11 from 12:00 pm - 9:00 p.m. for the 2025 Free Your Mind Symposium! Free and open to the public. More information and registration link below:
Tuesday, June 10, 2025 FULL SCHEDULE
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 FULL SCHEDULE
COMMUNITY COOKOUT & MUSIC FESTIVAL
Join us on Saturday, June 14, 2024, From 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., a community cookout and music festival will take place in the historic Rosewood Neighborhood behind the Carver Museum. Starting at 3 p.m., the Carver MC will open the festival followed by DJs kicking off the vibe and attendees eat smoked BBQ prepared by veteran pitmasters. We'll have carnival games, workshops, fun activations, and more! At 4 p.m. the festival hosts will kick off the music festival with opening performances by local and national musical acts, featuring hometown hero, Tameca Jones, and Houston-based artist, Chalie Boy.
Come early for our first annual "Car Show for the Culture" at 11:00 AM on Rosewood Avenue, followed by watermelon and popsicles and educational programing inside the museum from 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM. Free and open to the public. More information and registration link below:
Saturday, June 14, 2025 FULL SCHEDULE
REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY
Join us at the George Washington Carver Museum on Thursday, June 19, 2025 from 2:00 -4:00 p.m. for a remembrance ceremony as we honor our ancestors and come together in solidarity. On Juneteenth proper, we gather in unity to honor victims of violence in Texas, and create a safe space for communal mourning and grieving as it relates to the ongoing fight for Black liberation. We invite the community to gather in the museum lobby to help elevate the spirit of our fallen sisters, brothers, and non-binary community members. Join us in song, prayer, and meditation as we honor our Black ancestors and gather our strength to continue the pursuit of liberation.
Attendees are strongly encouraged to wear all white or bright, neutral colors.
*** The Carver Museum will be closed to the public before and after the Remembrance Ceremony in observance of the Juneteenth federal holiday. ***
Thursday, June 19, 2025 FULL SCHEDULE
ON VIEW:
Second Sight
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Opening February 8 and on view through June 21, 2025, Second Sight is a group exhibition exploring the mental pressures that arise from conflict: both personal and political. Through iconography, portraiture, and abstraction, Austin-based artists Samara Barks, Hailey Gearo, Brian Joseph, and Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone investigate the coalescence of the Black identity as global citizens.
Home-goings by Irene Antonia Diane Reece | March 8 - June 21, 2025
Curated by Mueni Loko Rudd
The Carver Museum is overjoyed to present Home-goings, an exhibition featuring the work of Houston, TX -based artist, Irene Antonia Diane Reece.
Home-goings is a continuation project using church objects, Black Southern archives, and text to create a space for protection, memory, and celebration of Black lives. The term home-goings describes the traditional funerary practice in the Black Southern church of celebrating the life of those who have passed and sending them on to glory, the afterlife—the upper room. Reece is the 2025 recipient of the Gold Was Made Fa’ Her Residency, founded by Bria Lauren.
Irene Antonia Diane Reece, a Houston, Texas native, identifies as a contemporary artist and visual activist. The topics surrounding her work are racial identity, African diaspora, social injustice, family histories, re-memory, and mental and community health.
UP NEXT:
When building a timeline for your family, annual records can help fill in the gap between the 1880 and 1900 Censuses - a critical time for migration. We'll discuss strategies and methodologies for using these valuable record sets for your family research with Sarah Kroh.
4TH SATURDAY GENEALOGY SEMINAR |
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Boyd Vance Theatre Renovation and Carver Improvements
Carver Museum Facility Expansion Plan
Exhibitions
History, culture and art exhibits curated to educate and inspire. The Carver Museum has two rotating art galleries as well as four permanent exhibits honoring African-Americans in Austin and beyond.
Programs and Events
The Carver provides culture and arts based programming free and for all ages to allow visitors to connect with community through special events and ongoing learning experiences.
Education Programs and Services
The Carver offers culture and arts classes and educational programs that will come to you.
Genealogy Center
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The Genealogy Center provides genealogy databases, workshops and seminars. All resources are free and open to the public.
Community Garden and Sunken Stage
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The Carver community garden and sunken stage has breathed new life into the in the inactive Keeling pool. Recently repainted by Austin artist, Kelv Brown, this space is on its way to housing events in the fall. Renovated and reimagined by Greg Farrar, this space is outfitted by hand-made seating, greenhouses, and concession stands. Master Gardener Harvé Franks tends the planter boxes, as we continue to uplift this hidden gem situated directly beside the Freedom Plaza behind the museum.
Learn about what is happening at the Carver from special events, classes, and more.