The Museum of the Americas

www.MuseAmericas.org

We are building a brand new institution. A twenty-first century museum to address the absence of a cultural center designed to celebrate the Latin American and Caribbean contributions to the United States.

The Museum of the Americas believes that hemipheric policy affecting trade, development and diplomacy must embrace cultural understanding to be successful. 

The Museum of the Americas provides access to knowledge about the shared experiences of all Americans, from points furthest north to south, and across the centuries.

Founded in 1998 by concerned leaders of the US private sector, the Museum of the Americas was established as a 501c3 non-profit institution, dedicated to this goal. 

With a deep appreciation of its history and an awareness of the increasing importance of Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States, the Museum of the Americas produces programs that foster understanding between the eight hundred million people who call the Americas home.

The Museum of the Americas is a truly twenty-first century museum - working collaboratively with more than 300 affiliated museums, libraries and universities throughout our hemisphere to establish a comprehensive center of knowledge.

 

MUSE NEWS

June, 2002, the Museum of the Americas Board of Directors approved a plan to acquire its own building.

The capital campaign is underway to acquire the Newseum space in Rosslyn

For more information, please contact the Museum of the Americas at 703-516-5999.

 

 

More than 1,000 museums and other cultural institutions from the 34 member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) are linking their resources to create the Virtual Museum of the Americas, or MuseAmericas. The on-line site was launched in April 2001 in Quebec City, during the Summit of the Americas.

One of the major summit issues addressed by the attending presidents and prime ministers centered on the importance of using modern information technology to create a true hemispheric community. The Virtual Museum of the Americas opens the door to a world of opportunity to enrich our region's cultural experience, enhance access to quality education and even promote economic development.

MuseAmericas is now serving as an "information plaza" where the nations of the Americas can display and promote their art and culture. Like the vibrant plazas in so many villages, towns and cities throughout the region, this site is a hub of human interaction. Visitors are able to examine artifacts from ancient civilizations, view the work of contemporary painters, participate in lectures and forums, and discover each country's literature, music, dance and film. The site provides gateways not only to museum exhibitions and cultural events but also to entertainment, e-commerce and interactive education. Access is in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

Funding for MuseAmericas continues to come from corporate sponsors throughout the hemisphere. Telmex, Mexico's largest telephone company, is directing the construction of the site's electronic hub, which is based in Monterrey, Mexico. Other corporate sponsors include such communications companies as Microsoft Corporation, Cisco Systems, Lucent Technologies, Avaya, Hewlett-Packard, Global Crossing and Cisneros Educational TV. Several of the sponsors are providing technical assistance as well as financial support.

The project is also developing cooperative relationships with key cultural institutions throughout the Western Hemisphere. It has curatorial support from numerous sources including Mexico's Institute of History and Anthropology, and the Latin American Institute of Communications in Education (ILCE). 

MuseAmericas is the first phase of an ambitious international effort that will eventually include a brick-and-mortar Museum of the Americas, built under the auspices of the OAS, with cooperation from the Inter-American Development Bank. Current proposals call for the museum to be built on the OAS grounds in Washington, D.C., adding a major, first-of-its kind cultural destination to the National Mall.