African American Museum Dallas Reopens May 1, 2026

The African American Museum, Dallas reopens May 1 at Fair Park after shutting down in March for what turned out to be a substantial round of facility work: floor repairs, auditorium renovations, fresh paint, electrical upgrades, HVAC work, and technology improvements across the building.

For Preston Hollow and Park Cities families who count Fair Park as a regular destination, that’s good news. The museum comes back with two new exhibitions lined up, and the summer calendar is packed.

First through the door is “People Who Make the World Go ‘Round: The Legacy of Sepia Magazine,” running May 1 through Aug. 11. Admission is free. The show pulls from the museum’s own photographic holdings, which run to more than 40,000 images, and it’s organized around portraiture, fashion, and global politics. Portraits of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King Jr., and Thurgood Marshall are central to the exhibition. Exhibits USA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, organized the show.

Sepia’s history is worth a paragraph. The magazine started in Fort Worth in 1946 under the name Negro Achievements, founded by a clothing merchant named Horace J. Blackwell. Blackwell died in 1949. Publisher George Levitan took over, renamed the publication Sepia in 1950, and ran it until 1983. For much of that run it stood alongside Ebony and Jet as a serious national voice in Black journalism, distinguished by a distinctly Southern editorial perspective that tracked political change and documented everyday life in African American communities across the country. Nearly four decades of publishing produced an archive the museum now holds.

“Sepia was more than a magazine. It was a powerful platform that documented Black life with depth, nuance and pride,” said Lisa Brown Ross, president and CEO of the museum. “Reopening with this exhibition allows us to share that legacy in a renewed space that enhances how these stories are experienced and preserved.”

Then June 13 arrives. That’s when the museum opens “Mandela: The Official Exhibition,” making its Texas debut at Fair Park. Developed with the City of Dallas, the show covers Nelson Mandela’s life, his commitments to justice and reconciliation, and his lasting influence. Full details on the exhibition’s scope aren’t finalized yet.

The National Historic Landmark status of Fair Park adds context here. It’s one of the more significant cultural sites in the region, and the museum’s presence there isn’t incidental. The African American Museum is among the few institutions in the American Southwest dedicated solely to preserving and exhibiting African American art, culture, and history.

NBC DFW first reported the museum’s reopening plans, including both exhibitions and the May 1 timeline.

Admission is free on May 1. Don’t wait on the Mandela exhibition details if you’re planning ahead for summer. The museum’s address and hours can be confirmed at the museum’s website directly.