Celebrating African-American heritage at the Northwest African American Museum

Seattle's newest look at its history debuts Saturday at the grand opening of the Northwest African American Museum. Following an 11 a.m. ribbon cutting with special guests including Mayor Greg Nickels, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, Rep. Jim McDermott, King County Executive Ron Sims and the Rev. Samuel McKinney, the celebration continues throughout the day with tours, children's art activities and live music.

Museum exhibits take visitors on a journey illustrating the history, culture and art of the region's African-American community. Included are photos, artifacts and videos documenting personal stories of African Americans throughout the Northwest; historical artifacts of well-known and not-so-known people; and a "We are the Future" display by local teens.

The Multimedia Learning Center provides casual seating and a small library of books, magazines, newspapers and other resources on local African-American history and genealogy resources and volunteers to research your own family history. The opening exhibit in the Northwest Gallery showcases the life and work of internationally renowned Northwest artists Jacob Lawrence and James Washington Jr. Other museum features include a cafe, bookstore/gift shop, classrooms and Legacy Gallery space to host performances, meetings, community events and traveling exhibits. Guided museum tours will be available at noon and 2 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday and by appointment for groups, with special tours and workshops available for school groups.

The opening celebration continues with free admission to the museum through March 16 and awarding of the museum's first lifetime achievement award, honoring Seattle native Quincy Jones, at an all-star concert fundraiser March 16 at the Paramount Theatre.

The details

Time: Ribbon-cutting, 11 a.m. Saturday. Regular hours, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays.

Cost: Free Saturday through March 16. Regular admission: $6/adults, $4/students and seniors, free for ages 5 and younger, free to all on first Thursday of every month.

Location: 2300 S. Massachusetts St., Seattle. Free parking.

Getting there: From Interstate 90 in Seattle, take the Rainier Avenue South exit, go south on Rainier Avenue, then left on South Massachusetts Street. For bus information, call Metro Transit at 206-553-3000 or tripplanner.metrokc.gov.

More information: 206-267-1823 or www.naamnw.org. For tickets to the Quincy Jones event March 16, contact the Paramount Theatre, 206-467-5510 or www.theparamount.com.