Hammonds House Museum

Open since 1988 as an institution of artistic and cultural distinction, Hammonds House Museum offers visitors the opportunity to explore artistic richness and diversity of artists of African descent. Lectures, workshops, demonstrations, panel discussions, youth programming, and special events nurture an appreciation for art as well as for the contributions to world culture by artists of the African Diaspora. Nestled on a quiet residential street in Atlanta’s historic West End, Hammonds House Museum is a unique setting to explore the cultural diversity and legacy of artists of African descent.  The Museum is the former residence of the late Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds, who was a prominent Atlanta physician and a passionate arts patron.  The Museum opened in 1988 to continue Dr. Hammonds’ commitment to preserving and celebrating art from the African Diaspora, and offers a year-round calendar of fine art exhibitions and cultural programming.   Hammonds House Museum boasts a permanent collection of more than 350 works dating from the mid-19th century by artists from America, Africa, and the Caribbean.  Highlights of the collection include 18 works by master artist Romare Bearden and the oldest known painting by acclaimed landscape artist Robert S. Duncanson.  Benny Andrews, Elizabeth Catlett, Sam Gilliam, Richard Hunt, Jacob Lawrence, P.H. Polk, Hale Woodruff, and James Van Der Zee are among the scores of important regional, national, and international artists represented in the collection.   The Museum’s yearly calendar of events includes 4-5 visual art exhibitions by significant mid-career and established artists, artist talks, panel discussions, workshops, and art camps for young people, as well as book readings and music concerts.  The Museum’s Resource Center is a valuable repository of printed, photographic, and digital information on hundreds of artists and exhibitions.