Fifteenth Annual Heritage Gala 

June 5, 2021

Mark Your Calendars and get ready to celebrate the 30^th Anniversary of the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History at the Museum’s Annual Heritage Gala on Saturday, June 5th at 7:00 PM.

The fundraising event will be a virtual extravaganza and include special guests like television star / comedian James Stephen III as the featured performer. A raffle for a cash prize will be held.

The proceeds from the Gala will go directly towards repairing the Museum’s elevator, which will allow disabled children to access the Children’s Academy in the basement, and disabled visitors to see exhibits on all the floors.

Supporters can donate directly to www.gagives.org/event/Tmvk5f . Every little bit helps tremendously!

Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History Annual Golf Tournament

May 15, 2021

On Saturday, May 15, 2021 the Lucy Craft Laney Museum will host its fifth annual fundraising golf tournament at the Augusta Municipal Golf Course.

Support the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History:

All Funds raised will go towards the Museum’s elevator repair project!

Honorees: 1969 Laney High School Golf Team.

Learn More and Register!

A Tribute to Women of Excellence in the Greater
River Region

February 1 – March 27, 2021

The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History pays tribute to African American Women in Augusta with a special two month long exhibition from February through March 2021. The exhibition is a special celebration of both Black History Month and Women’s Month. It features artwork, photographs and historic documents that honor the lives and contributions of Augusta’s black women. A unique component is that the exhibit not only features historic figures, but women who are currently impacting our Augusta community.

Women featured in the exhibition include Ruth Crawford, Karen Brown, Dr. Maryemma Graham, Carrie Mays, Luvenia Pearson, Marjorie Carter, Amanda America Dickson Toomer, Dee Griffin, Reverend Essie McIntyre, Justine Washington, Jackie Lawrence, Rosa Clemons, Yolanda Copeland, Stacy Mabry, Allison Campbell, Bishop Rosa Williams, Julia Dent, Dee Crawford, Christine Miller-Betts, Rosa C. Tutt, Mildred Southward, Lucy Craft Laney, Margaret Louise Laney and Josephine Richardson.

Due to Covid-19 safety precautions, admission is limited to tours of four people. Standard tour times are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 10:30am and 2:30pm. Special tours can be arranged. Admission is ONLY by pre-scheduled tour.

Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History

COVID-19 Safety Guidelines

To help prevent the spread of Covid-19, and ensure for the safety of our staff and visitors, the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History has put the following guidelines in place, until further notice:

Limited entry – The maximum number of visitors per tour is four (4).

Temperature checks – taken prior to entering the building for tours.

Tours – By appointment only on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 10:30am and 2:30pm. Please call to schedule your tour in advance.

Masks – All employees and visitors are required to wear a mask during tours.

Physical Distancing – Maintain social distancing according to CDC guidelines of 6 feet. Floor markers are spaced to help you practice social distancing.

Sanitizing to reduce spread – Hand Sanitizing station available in the museum and administration office. Employees will also clean frequently touched areas after each tour.

Conference Room Rental – The Conference Room will remain closed for events until further notice. We will keep you posted on its reopening.

Monthly Senior Luncheon – Canceled until further notice.

Please follow quarantine guidance if you are sick, experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days. Please do not plan a visit to the Lucy Craft Laney Museum until you have been symptom-free for at least 14 days.

Spring is here! 

A Note from Linda Johnson, Executive Director

We have had a busy month here at the museum. The Women of Excellence in the Greater River Region Exhibition ended March 27, 2021 and was an outstanding success. We will showcase two concurring exhibits in April through May: The Annual Black Golf Exhibition, which will pay special tribute and honor the 1969 Laney High School Golf Team, and a special “Happy Birthday” tribute to Ms. Lucy Craft Laney. This year’s Annual Heritage Gala will be held on June 5, 2021 and admission to the virtual Black Tie event is FREE! The Heritage Gala will be a part of the Museum’s 30th Anniversary Celebration. If you have not received a letter about the Gala, please call me at the museum. All proceeds from this year’s Gala will go towards repairing the Museum’s elevator. This will allow the Museum’s exhibits to be accessible on all levels for our Children’s Academy Programs as well as patrons who have mobility challenges. I am also excited to inform you that the Museum is getting ready to go through a major renovation project. This renovation will ensure the viability of the museum of future generations to enjoy. Stay tune for updates on our much needed renovations.

Stay safe!

Linda F. Johnson
Executive Director

Annual Black Golf Exhibit

April 1 – May 22, 2021

A tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the Lucy Craft Laney Comprehensive High School’s First Golf Team.

The Life and Legacy of Lucy Craft Laney Exhibition

April 1 – May 22, 2021

Happy Birthday Lucy Craft Laney!

The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History is excited to announce a new exhibit that highlights the history and legacy of the visionary educator Lucy Craft Laney, known to many as “The Mother of the Children of the People”. The exhibit, which will run April through May of this year, will focus on many of Ms. Laney’s accomplishments. Those include the establishment of the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute, chartered in Augusta, Georgia in 1886; the establishment of the Lamar School of Nursing, the development of one of the first kindergarten programs for African Americans in Augusta and as one of the co-founders of the Augusta Branch of the NAACP in February 1917.

The exhibit also highlights many of the notables of Ms. Laney’s era that knew her, including Mary McLeod Bethune, Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Mary Jackson McCrorey, Dr. Mordecai Johnson, Marian Anderson and James Weldon Johnson, among others.

For more information about the exhibit or to book a tour please call 706-724-3576.

The Lucy Craft Laney Museum
30th Anniversary Exhibition

June 1 – July 24, 2021

A celebration of 30 years of the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, 1991-2021, the largest African American museum in the River Region. The exhibit will highlight many of the special moments that went into the development of the Laney Museum.

In 1987, Miss Laney’s home was damaged by fire, purchased by Delta House, Inc., and later restored and made into a museum, which promotes the legacy through art, history, and the preservation of her home. The Haines Alumnae Association later placed an eternal flame on her grave site, which reminds us all of a great woman.

More Art Coming to The Golden Blocks!

Phase 2 Artists Selected.

The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, Greater Augusta Arts Council,
and City of Augusta Housing and Community Development are proud to announce the selection of two artistic concepts that will be funded for the next Phase of the Golden Blocks Project. The selected artists: Xavier O. Jones, W. Travis “Brotha Trav” Wright, and Hasani Sahlehe will work with historians at the Laney Museum to create pieces in 2021 that tell the story of education in the historical Golden Blocks area.

Visual artist Xavier O. Jones and poet W. Travis “Brotha Trav” Wright are teaming up to create a mural, titled “Ember of HOPE” and a poetry manuscript with spoken word that will be placed in the digital walking tour to accompany the mural. Visual artist Hasani Sahlehe will select images related to the Golden Blocks’ educational legacy from Museum archives He has commissioned photographer C. Rose Smith to capture images of current students, educators, and schools in the Golden Blocks area. Selected photographs from both historic and contemporary sources will be printed onto outdoor vinyl and transformed into a series of photo murals.

Initiated in 2018, the Golden Blocks Project is a creative placemaking program that unites the vision and skills of local artists with the historical knowledge housed within the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History to bring the stories of Augusta’s historically Black, Laney Walker and Bethlehem neighborhoods colloquially known as the “Golden Blocks” out into public spaces. The stories of local Black history told through public art are easily accessible to everyone and bring attention to the cultural wealth of the Golden Blocks for longtime residents.

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