Wecome to the American Jazz Museum a mirror and contrast of characters, color, and sound, just like the music itself. Upon entering this ultra modern structure you encounter the Horace M. Peterson III Visitor Center. This exhibit provides the foundation for the entire museum complex; it demonstrates the journey of Africans in America, from the motherland to 18th and Vine. A plaque in the atrium of the museum, where the Visitor Center is also located reads: In memory of the nameless and unremembered men and women whose daring, endurance, and commitment to African American self-sufficiency made 18th and Vine vibrant, and in honor of those whose high hopes and hard work brought it back, with special thanks to the vision of the late Horace M. Peterson III. Mr. Peterson, 1945-1992, was the founder of the Black Archives of Mid America and a restless advocate for the preservation of the Historic 18th and Vine District. The film "A Peoples Journey" featured in the Visitors Center illustrates the rich cultural heritage that Peterson struggled to protect.

Visit:
-Studio 18th and Vine
-The Jazz Discovery Room
-Jazz Central
-The Blue Room