Winston Salem African American Arts & Culture Guide - 2019 - 2020 - 9

Museums
& Galleries

Photo by Jay Sinclair

Address
Wingate Road
Winston-Salem, NC 27109
Located behind WFDD
radio station and next to
Kentner Stadium on the
campus of Wake Forest
University.

This photo: Diggs Gallery at WinstonSalem State University; Opposite
page: Museum of Anthropology at
Wake Forest University

Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem
State University
Just a ﬁve minute drive from downtown
Winston-Salem is Diggs Gallery, located on
the campus of Winston-Salem State University
(WSSU). Diggs has been identiﬁed as one of
the top 10 African American galleries in the
nation-offering one of the largest exhibition
spaces dedicated to the arts of Africa and the
African Diaspora in North Carolina. Another
striking component to Diggs Gallery is the
magniﬁcent sculpture garden with three
works of art from Southern-based artists.
While here, don't miss the John Biggers
Murals, hanging in the O'Kelly Library.
Commissioned speciﬁcally for the university
and presented by Delta Fine Arts Center,
the Biggers murals, Origins and Ascension,
represent an integration of knowledge from
many academic disciplines.
Notable in its own right, WSSU was founded
as Slater Academy by Simon Green Atkins
in 1892 and later became the ﬁrst black
institution in the U.S. to grant degrees in
elementary education.

8

Address
601 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Winston-Salem, NC 27110
Located on the lower level
of the O'Kelly Library.
Phone
336.750.2458
Web
WSSU.edu/diggs
Hours
Tues - Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Closed Sunday and Monday
Information
Guided tours by
appointment.
Free admission.

VisitWinstonSalem.com

Museum of Anthropology at
Wake Forest University

Phone
336.758.5282

Discover the Museum of Anthropology (MOA)
at Wake Forest University, North Carolina's
only museum dedicated to the study of
global cultures. The museum showcases
exhibits and artifacts that provide a glimpse
into ancient cultural practices. Permanent,
rotating and virtual exhibits help to share
the cultures of Asia, Africa and many parts
of the Middle East. The museum also hosts
family-friendly events and receptions
throughout the year.

Web
moa.wfu.edu

Museum of Early Southern
Decorative Arts (MESDA)
at Old Salem

Address
924 S. Main Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Explore a unique approach to Southern arts at
the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts
(MESDA) located in Old Salem Museums &
Gardens' Frank L. Horton Center. The museum
displays works by skilled African American
craftsmen, including Thomas Day. Day was a
free black man during the antebellum South
whose cabinetry work was in high-demand
for many whites of status, a rare occurrence
during the pre-Civil War era. Also on display
are the captivating works of Joshua Johnson,
known to be the ﬁrst African American
portraitist in American art history. (continued
on next page)

African American Arts & Culture Guide

Hours
Tues - Sat. 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Closed Sunday and Monday
Information
Free admission.

Phone
336.721.7360
Web
OldSalem.org
=UɑÇÖ¦
Hours
Tues - Sat. 9:30 a.m. - 4:30
p.m., Sun. 1 - 4:30 p.m.
Closed Mondays

9
http://moa.wfu.edu http://www.OldSalem.org https://mesda.org/
Winston Salem African American Arts & Culture Guide - 2019 - 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Winston Salem African American Arts & Culture Guide - 2019 - 2020
