“Museum for the Masses”: Understanding the Role of the Kiah Museum in Savannah’s Cultural Landscape
Faculty Mentor
Amy Potter
Location
Russell Union Ballroom
Type of Research
Completed
Session Format
Poster Presentation
College
College of Science & Mathematics
Department
Geosciences
Abstract
Virginia Kiah was an educator, artist, and civil rights activist. She founded the Kiah Museum in Savannah, Georgia, in 1959. The Kiah Museum was one of the earliest Black-founded museums in the United States. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of the museum in the cultural landscape of the city of Savannah. The information and museum materials used for this research, recovered from a dumpster, are now preserved in Georgia Southern University’s Special Collections. This research will analyze and reconstruct the museum’s contribution to the city's artistic and civic life by analyzing visitor letters and archival materials. The museum was established before the surge of the Black Museum movement during the 1960s and 70s, making it a forerunner in community-based cultural institutions. This project highlights how the museum challenged the social narrative of the time and provided cultural space for African American communities during the era of segregation. The goal of this research is to engage with the awakening of Black Museum Geographies, which situates Black cultural institutions within broader questions of space, race, and representation. The Kiah Museum refines the understanding of Savannah’s local history as well as contributes to the knowledge of the Black Museum movement by demonstrating how Kiah’s early contributions paved the way for successive institutions.
Program Description
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Start Date
4-23-2026 10:00 AM
End Date
4-23-2026 12:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Talhouk, Amber, "“Museum for the Masses”: Understanding the Role of the Kiah Museum in Savannah’s Cultural Landscape" (2026). GS4 Student Scholars Symposium. 51.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2026/2026/51
“Museum for the Masses”: Understanding the Role of the Kiah Museum in Savannah’s Cultural Landscape
Russell Union Ballroom
Virginia Kiah was an educator, artist, and civil rights activist. She founded the Kiah Museum in Savannah, Georgia, in 1959. The Kiah Museum was one of the earliest Black-founded museums in the United States. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of the museum in the cultural landscape of the city of Savannah. The information and museum materials used for this research, recovered from a dumpster, are now preserved in Georgia Southern University’s Special Collections. This research will analyze and reconstruct the museum’s contribution to the city's artistic and civic life by analyzing visitor letters and archival materials. The museum was established before the surge of the Black Museum movement during the 1960s and 70s, making it a forerunner in community-based cultural institutions. This project highlights how the museum challenged the social narrative of the time and provided cultural space for African American communities during the era of segregation. The goal of this research is to engage with the awakening of Black Museum Geographies, which situates Black cultural institutions within broader questions of space, race, and representation. The Kiah Museum refines the understanding of Savannah’s local history as well as contributes to the knowledge of the Black Museum movement by demonstrating how Kiah’s early contributions paved the way for successive institutions.
