The Kiah House Museum (1959-2001)

The Kiah House Museum (1959-2001). . , On November 28, 1959, the residence of Dr. Calvin and Virginia Kiah at 505 W. 36th Street opened to the public as the Kiah Museum. The Kiah's were pioneers in the black cultural and museum movement and created the first African American-founded museum in Savannah. The museum was free to its visitors who included those from the historic Cuyler-Brownville Neighborhood as well as national and international civil rights activists and artists. It served as the youth headquarters for the National Conference of Artists. It hosted the International Students Art Show, a traveling exhibition of student art from 20 states, including Hawaii, and 12 foreign countries, including Ghana. Virginia Kiah began her museum collection in the 1930s. The collection included her own world-recognized portraits, antique furniture, the artwork of local youth and adults, fossils, animals, exotic plants, African carvings, and Native American artifacts. In 1974, the Kiah Museum was listed in Readers' Digest Treasures of America. The museum closed to the public in 2001 upon the death of its founder, portrait artist, educator, Virginia Jackson Kiah.