The International African American Museum (IAAM) has received a new, significant $2.284 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. This generous grant will strategically enhance the museum's mission to deepen its Learning and Engagement Division’s Faith-Based initiatives. The foundational goals for its Faith-Based Education and Engagement department will be through the creation of a new special exhibition, "Congregation," and its related programming.
"We are incredibly grateful to the Lilly Endowment for the continued support of IAAM that makes our work and activation of our mission possible," said IAAM’s President and CEO Dr. Tonya M. Matthews. “Understanding how African Americans created community through worship and wove African tradition and culture into the Black Church – across various faith traditions – is fascinating. These ways not only shaped core American values and worship traditions, but also the various movements and moments of resistance in our nation’s history inspired by those values.”
“This gift allows IAAM to not only create a new exhibition centered on this incredibly compelling story, but also to strengthen our relationships with faith-based communities in the Lowcountry, across the country, and around the world,” said Dr. Matthews.
IAAM’s Faith-Based Education and Engagement department was originally established with the generous support of Lilly Endowment, which made a transformative, multi-million gift to IAAM in 2017 as one of its founding donors. The Faith-Based Education and Engagement became the IAAM’s staple team for community engagement and public programming prior to its opening in 2023.
Lilly Endowment gifted this new grant to IAAM through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. The national initiative is designed to encourage museums and other organizations to develop exhibitions and education programs that fairly and accurately portray the role of religion in the U.S. and around the world.
IAAM’s future "Congregation" special exhibition will serve as the anchor of this initiative, offering a profound exploration of religion in early African American culture. It will trace its influences from West African roots and examine the nuanced legacy of faith in the modern age. The exhibition will feature three prominent themes: Community, African Islam, and Complex Gods, connected by threads of Resilience of Spirit and the Sacred as Secular.
"This grant marks an exciting new chapter for our Faith-Based Education and Engagement department," said IAAM’s Chief Learning and Engagement Officer Malika M. Pryor. "It empowers us to strategically align and deepen our engagement with faith communities and the general public, moving beyond traditional outreach to a partnership-driven, community-engagement model. This project centers our first faith-driven special exhibition, which will be grounded in this new and powerful work.”
The future "Congregation" special exhibition and its accompanying programs will serve a broad audience, from museum visitors across the U.S. and abroad to residents of South Carolina. The IAAM remains committed to providing an enriching experience that encourages exploration of Charleston and the greater Lowcountry with insightful information and fresh perspectives. Faith communities will continue to be a primary audience for the Faith-Based team, ensuring they feel welcomed, involved, and engage with content that is balanced, thoughtful, and authentic.
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