On Loan at the Tate

Clara Ugbodaga-Ngu’s Yoruba Palm Wine Seller is one of four paintings now on display at Tate Modern in London, courtesy of HU Museum. As part of Tate’s Nigerian Modernism exhibition, HU Museum has also placed on loan two paintings by Akinola Lasekan and a painting by Simon Okeke. The works are from HU Museum’s Modern African collection donated in 1967 from the Harmon Foundation.

Freedom Fighters

William H. Johnson’s Three Great Freedom Fighters, ca 1945, features John Brown, Harriet Tubman and Fredrick Douglas. This painting is one in Johnson's “Fighters for Freedom” series. The series places an emphasis on determination in the face of adversity. Depicted in the series are individuals who fought for justice and equality. Some of the key figures included are Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, Marian Anderson and Mahatma Gandhi.

Three Great Freedom Fighters will be on display at Hampton University Museum in April 2026 as part of the “Picturing Freedom: Harriet Tubman and the Combahee River Raid,” exhibition from the Gibbs Museum of Art in Charleston, SC.

John Biggers: Dance of Creation Exhibition

On display now. Explore Dr. John T. Biggers’ early work as a student at Hampton University. Various works in this retrospective exhibition have never been showcased before. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience Dr. Biggers’ foundational works that galvanized his legacy as a nationally recognized artist and educator.

We have reopened our doors

We are once again open to the general public. Our hours can be found at the bottom of the page. Admission is free. To find out more, check out this recently published article, “The Hampton University Museum reopens after renovation, a focus on the old and new” by WHRO Public Media.

On Loan at the Tate

Clara Ugbodaga-Ngu’s Yoruba Palm Wine Seller is one of four paintings now on display at Tate Modern in London, courtesy of HU Museum. As part of Tate’s Nigerian Modernism exhibition, HU Museum has also placed on loan two paintings by Akinola Lasekan and a painting by Simon Okeke. The works are from HU Museum’s Modern African collection donated in 1967 from the Harmon Foundation.

Freedom Fighters

William H. Johnson’s Three Great Freedom Fighters, ca 1945, features John Brown, Harriet Tubman and Fredrick Douglas. This painting is currently on display at the Gibbs Museum of Art in Charleston, SC. Johnson’s “Fighters for Freedom” series places an emphasis on determination in the face of adversity. Depicted in this series are individuals who fought for justice and equality. Some of the key figures included are Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, Marian Anderson and Mahatma Gandhi.

John Biggers: Dance of Creation Exhibition

Opening April 13th 2025. Explore Dr. John T. Biggers’ early work as a student at Hampton University. Various works in this retrospective exhibition have never been showcased before. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience Dr. Biggers’ foundational works that galvanized his legacy as a nationally recognized artist and educator.

We have reopened our doors

We are once again open to the general public. Our hours can be found at the bottom of the page. Admission is free. To find out more, check out this recently published article, “The Hampton University Museum reopens after renovation, a focus on the old and new” by WHRO Public Media.

I Am Copying Nobody: The Art and Political Cartoons of Akinola Lasekan and the Sankofa Exhibitions

These two exhibitions are the result of a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation partnering Chrysler Museum of Art and Hampton University Museum.

Hampton University Museum

Admission is free and open to the public. View our hours at the bottom of the page.

ANNOUNCEMENT

31st Annual Holiday and Kwanzaa Marketplace

Join us from Thursday, December 4, 2025 to Saturday, December 6, 2025 for the 31^st Annual Holiday and Kwanzaa Marketplace.

Beginning at 10 am each day, purchase holiday and Kwanzaa gifts from the Laurel Tucker Duplessis Museum Gift Shop, which specializes in African, African American and other gift items. Select vendors from the Hampton Roads community will be available with hand crafted items including jewelry, soaps, candles and African arts.

Admission to the 31st Annual Holiday & Kwanzaa Marketplace is free. Guests are encouraged to donate toiletries for those experiencing homelessness. Baskets will be available during the Marketplace for donated items.

Thursday, December 4, 2025

MARKETPLACE 10 am – 4 pm

Hosted by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Hampton Alumnae Chapter

ACTIVITIES

12 pm – 1 pm Quarter Century Club Luncheon (Invitation Only)
1 pm History of Kwanzaa with Brother Larry Gibson
2 pm – 3 pm “Tis the Season for the Ancestors” Fashion Show with Japharii Jones (757 Black Lives Matter)

Friday, December 5, 2025

MARKETPLACE 10 am – 5:30 pm

Hosted by Hampton chapter of the LINKS, Inc., Hampton Chapter

ACTIVITIES

12 pm History of Kwanzaa with Brother Larry Gibson
1 pm Steppin’ With Purpose with April Mason

EVENING CELEBRATION 5:30 pm – 7 pm

5:00 pm History of Kwanzaa with Brother Larry Gibson
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm Holiday Performance by the Hampton University Child Development Center directed by Joy Hernandez
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Open Hearts, Open Mic, a collaborative effort between the Women’s and Men’s Caucus of the Hampton University Student Government Association. Guests can write letters to individuals impacted by homelessness, wishing them a happy holiday season

Saturday, December 6, 2025

MARKETPLACE 10 am – 4 pm

ACTIVITIES

10 am – 11 am Holiday Art Workshop with The Adams Ladies (RSVP required 757.727.5308)
11 am History of Kwanzaa with Brother Larry Gibson
1 pm – 2 pm Steppin’ with Purpose with April Mason
2 pm – 3 pm Holiday Art Workshop with The Adams Ladies (RSVP required 757.727.5308)

All programs are subject to change.

Download the Kwanzaa Marketplace schedule pdf.

The Hampton University Museum is conveniently located just off I-64. Take exit #267 and follow signs to the Museum. For additional information, please contact the Museum at 757.727.5308.

It is with deep sadness and admiration for a true friend to Hampton University and the Hampton University Museum that we acknowledge the transition of Darryl Randolph.

A true Hamptonian, Mr. Randolph “let his life do the singing!” A volunteer at the Hampton University Museum, Darryl came in weekly to scan, digitize, teach, chat and share with all his days at Hampton and of course his service in Vietnam.

He served as a guest speaker sharing his many slides of his military service and of course without his support, the Hampton University Archives, the International Review of African American Art, and the grant funded projects that utilized digitization and scanning would not have been possible without Mr. Randolph’s support.

His wife, Sandra, also a Hampton alum, also served as a volunteer and worked briefly in the Museum Gift shop, so the two of them as expected were a power couple. We are honored to have on display permanently a quilt made by Mrs. Randolph, Reflections, highlighting the buildings on Hampton’s campus. The quilt was a gift from the class of 1960. I am even more proud and honored that Mr. Randolph donated some of his most treasured articles from his time at Hampton and his service in Vietnam. He donated his 1955 Pershing Rifles Sweater and his Helicopter Pilot’s Flight Gear Helmet and earphones just recently as we prepared for our Refreshed galleries.

He will truly be missed but his legacy will continue forever in the work and the time that he shared with us at the Hampton University Museum.

Vanessa D. Thaxton-Ward, Director

WELCOME

Step into a world where art and history meet and explore the oldest African American Museum in the country. Learn about the lives of Native Americans who attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute or dive into rich African culture and tradition in our first floor galleries. Immerse yourself in 200 years of African American fine art in our second floor galleries and see which new and exciting exhibits are featured in our changing galleries. So much discovery awaits your visit!

OUR MISSION

The purpose of the Hampton University Museum is to collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and interpret artifacts and works of traditional art. Art which illustrates the cultures, heritages and histories of African, Native American, Oceanic and Asian peoples, as well as the works of contemporary African American, African and American Indian artists and three-dimensional objects which relate to the history and significance of Hampton University are the Museum’s focus.

WHAT'S NEW

Current

31st Annual Holiday and Kwanzaa Marketplace

Join us from Thursday, December 4, 2025 to Saturday, December 6, 2025 for the 31st Annual Holiday Kwanzaa Marketplace. Thursday 10 am to 4 pm, Friday 10 am to 7 pm and Saturday 10 am to 4 pm.

October 30, 2025

Education

On Loan at the Tate

Clara Ugbodaga-Ngu’s Yoruba Palm Wine Seller is one of four paintings now on display at Tate Modern in London, courtesy of HU Museum. As part of Tate’s Nigerian Modernist Exhibition, HU Museum has also placed on loan two paintings by Akinola Lasekan and a painting by Simon Okeke. The works are from our Modern African collection donated in 1967 from the Harmon Foundation.

October 27, 2025

Education

William Henry Johnson: Evolution of an Artist

William Henry Johnson was a painter associated with the Harlem Renaissance. As a young man, he was trained in the European classical style of painting. While in Europe he moved beyond the classical style as modernism became the trending movement. Upon returning to America, Johnson once again transitioned his painting style — this time into the folk-art tradition.

May 23, 2025

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OUR SPONSORS

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Art Bridges

African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund — Saving Places

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation — Humanities in Place

Terra Foundation

Virginia American Revolution 250 Commemoration

National Park Service — Save America's Treasures

Bank of America — Conservation

Virginia Tourism Corporation

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Address

Hampton University Museum

200 William R. Harvey Way

Hampton University

Hampton, VA 23668

Phone

757.727.5308

Fax 757.727.5170

Archives 757.727.5374

Hours of Operation

Monday–Friday: 8am–5pm

Saturday, Sunday, and all Major Holidays: Closed

ARCHIVES are closed on Saturday and Sunday

GIFT SHOP hours are 8:30am to 4:30pm

Enter campus via the main gate at the light off William R. Harvey Way