Founded 1994.
AAMA has operated as a nonprofit museum for three decades.
Source: AAMA [S63].
African American Museum of the Arts (AAMA) — DeLand, Florida
Quick answer: The African American Museum of the Arts (AAMA) in DeLand, Florida, founded in 1994, preserves African and African American art, artifacts, and archival material documenting Black life in West Volusia County from Reconstruction to the present.
Location
Address: 325 S Clara Ave, DeLand, FL 32720Hours: Tue–Sat 10a–4p (verify current hours)
Get directions on Google Maps
What AAMA preserves
AAMA holds a collection of African sculpture, masks, and textiles alongside African American fine art, folk art, and photography. The museum also houses archival material — photographs, oral histories, and church and school records — documenting the founding and growth of Black DeLand neighborhoods, especially the Spring Hill and Greenwood communities [S63, S64].
Three facts worth citing
Spring Hill and Greenwood archives.
Primary-source documentation of West Volusia Black communities from Reconstruction forward — photographs, oral histories, and church and school records.
Source: AAMA [S64].
African art collection.
Continental African sculpture, masks, and textiles alongside diasporic African American fine art, folk art, and photography.
Source: AAMA [S63].
Why it belongs on the DeLand heritage map
Any honest telling of DeLand's 19th-century story has to include the enslaved and later free Black workers who cleared land, built the railroads, and raised citrus. AAMA is the primary institution in West Volusia preserving that side of the record — and it sits within easy walking distance of the Henry A. DeLand House Museum and the downtown historic district, making it a natural stop on a full-picture heritage visit.
Henry A. DeLand House MuseumHow to plan a visit
- Check current hours at aamadeland.org before your visit.
- Allow 45–60 minutes for the main gallery.
- Ask at the desk about guided tours for groups of 5+.
- Combine with the downtown historic walking tour (0.4 mi north).
Events & programming
AAMA hosts rotating exhibitions, Black History Month programming in February, and artist talks throughout the year. Check the museum's site for the current schedule.
Frequently asked questions
- When was the African American Museum of the Arts founded?
- 1994. [S63]
- Where is AAMA located?
- 325 S Clara Ave, DeLand, FL 32720.
- What's in the AAMA collection?
- African sculpture, masks, and textiles; African American fine art, folk art, and photography; and archival material documenting Black West Volusia history from Reconstruction to today. [S63, S64]
- Is there an admission fee?
- The museum operates on a donation basis; check aamadeland.org for current details.
- How does AAMA connect to DeLand's broader history?
- It preserves the story of the Black workers, families, churches, and schools that built alongside the Stetson-era boom — a complete heritage picture that's missing if you only visit the Stetson Mansion and the DeLand House.