These are the 9 new USA museums you have to visit

Telling stories of the nation’s past, present and future, museums across the USA help visitors form deeper connections and grow an understanding of the country’s various communities. This year, expect to be dazzled by forward-thinking art and gripped by important heritage tales, as we introduce nine special new openings around the States in 2022. From Charleston’s International African American Museum, to the Museum of Broadway in New York, these creative, curious and sometimes poignant exhibits should not be missed on your next transatlantic trip.

The NFT Museum provides a glimpse into the future of art (Seattle NFT Museum/Visit The USA)

Step into the future of art in Seattle. The NFT (non-fungible token) Museum is the first art museum and gallery to display blockchain art work, an emerging sector for the creative industry. Paving the way for a revolutionary new era in art history, the gallery established Seattle as the innovative city that it is. Spread across 3,000-square-feet are 30 large screens, displaying the digital work by both national and international artists. Don’t miss Los Angeles-based crypto artist Blake Kathryn, hugely popular CryptoPunks avatars by Larva Labs and never-before-seen photos of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain as NFTs by Seattle-based photographer Charles Peterson.

More information: NFT Museum Seattle

Explore more than 4,500 years of African American History (Shutterstock)

Following a 14-year closure, the Black Holocaust Museum reopened in February in the Milwaukeee Bronzeville district, an area which is considered a centre of African American culture. Due to recent redevelopments to reinvigorate Bronzeville’s history and heritage, the museum has now returned. The Black Holocaust Museum was founded in 1988 by Dr. James Cameron, the only-known survivor of lynching, and takes visitors on a journey into the past with more than 4,500 years of African American history.

More information: Black Holocaust Museum

The Molina Family Latino Gallery is now open (MFLG/Visit the USA)

The Molina Family Latino Gallery will be the Smithsonian’s first gallery on the National Mall to celebrate the Latino experience in the United States. The 4,500-square-foot gallery is set to open with ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States, an exhibition that will shine the spotlight on the historical and cultural legacy of U.S. Latinos, offering visitors the chance to engage with first-person digital storytellers, data-driven maps, videos and illustrated biographies.

More information: The Molina Family Latino Gallery

Yosemite is popular for climbing enthusiasts (Shutterstuck)

Rock-climbing enthusiasts will be delighted with Yosemite Mariposa County’s new opening. Yosemite Climbing Museum is situated in an iconic area which attracts climbers from around the world, including museum founder and president Ken Yager in 1972, who moved to the valley at just 17 years old. The centre features from than 10,000 pieces of historical climbing artefacts, such as the stove leg pitons used on early Nose route ascents of El Capitan, and dozens of archival photographs that tell the rock-climbing community’s story through the ages.

More information: Yosemite Climbing Museum and Gallery

The Cochrane-Africatown bridge (Shutterstock)

The community of Africatown, just north of downtown Mobile, Alabama, is one of America’s treasured historical communities and this summer, the Africatown Heritage House will open. The $1.3 million, multisensory project will be the only exhibit in the world to show artefacts from the Clotilda – bringing to life the story of the 110 captives. A memorial garden will also be designed as part of the landscape and will incorporate carefully curated sculptural ceramics from renowned artist, Charles Smith.

More information: Africatown Heritage House

The Bob Dylan Centre will have more than 100,000 artefacts (ky_olsenis/Visit the USA)

May 2022 will welcome the highly-anticipated Bob Dylan Centre, boasting more than 100,000 pieces in its treasure trove that span the entire length of the iconic singer and songwriter’s career. This elusive collection of Dylan memorabilia will be the centrepiece to a three-story museum that’s opening in Tulsa’s vibrant Arts District, welcoming visitors to attend public programmes, performances and lectures. The museum will tell the story of Dylan, who is widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in history, through handwritten manuscripts to unreleased concert recordings.

More information:Bob Dylan Centre

The Museum of Broadway will be the first of its kind (Shutterstock)

Taking centre stage in autumn 2022, amidst the bright lights of Times Square, the Museum of Broadway will be the first-ever permanent museum dedicated to ‘The Great White Way’, honouring its legacy. The multi-story Museum of Broadway will blend immersive installations and traditional displays, telling the history of the legendary theatre district from its 1735 beginnings to present-day shows, such as Hamilton. This meshing of art and technology will be divided into three sections: a map room of Broadway utilising immersive video projections; a visual Broadway timeline, along which viewers will delve into the stories behind such ground-breaking musicals as Hair and Rent, learning how women led the way in much of Broadway’s early storytelling; and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a Broadway show, from set design to lighting.

More information: Museum of Broadway

Visit the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco when it opens in autumn (ICASF/Visit the USA)

This autumn, San Francisco will welcome the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), a non-collecting contemporary art museum, focusing on the artists themselves. It will be a 50/50 split between emerging Bay Area artists on-the-verge of national or international attention, and more established local and international artists. Its 11,000-square-foot warehouse space will dazzle visitors hosting large-scale installations or pieces with atypical proportions. Its shift away from acquisitions aims to create a space that is responsive to the moment, creating programmes with increased relevance and meaning.

More information: The Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco

The International African American Museum will be located in Charleston (Shutterstock)

Nearly half of all African slaves brought to the U.S. came through Charleston’s Gadsden’s Wharf, where the International African American Museum is slated to open in January 2023. The new museum aims to tell never-before-told stories of the African American journey and themes will include connections across the African diaspora, the spread of African American culture and influence, and the movements for justice and equality. From digital interactivity to live performances, visitors will learn about historic figures and events dating back to the start of slavery, the role of South Carolina in the development of the international slave trade, and the worldwide impact of African American culture.

More information: International African America Museum