African American Museum of Iowa

The African American Museum of Iowa is the only statewide museum devoted to preserving African American history and culture in Iowa. Founded in 1993 and located along the Cedar River near downtown Cedar Rapids, the museum occupies a 17,000-square-foot facility that reopened in 2024 following a $5 million renovation. Each year the museum serves more than 30,000 people through exhibitions, educational programming, and special events, and its permanent collection includes more than 2,000 artifacts, 70 linear feet of archives, and 200 oral histories. For private events, the Aldeen Davis Celebration Hall accommodates up to 200 guests at round tables or 240 guests in theater-style seating. The hall looks out over the Harper Terrace and the Cedar River Trail, with views of the Cedar River and the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial public art installation, Trumpet. An attached catering kitchen and in-house audio-visual system with projection screen are included with every rental, and the museum welcomes outside caterers with no vendor restrictions. ADA-accessible throughout, the facility is well suited for weddings, fundraisers, formal dinners, galas, business meetings, and training workshops.