Evansville African American Museum

10/31/2026

🎃🖤 HALLOWEEN WEEKEND WATCHLIST: BLACK HORROR EDITION!

Looking for something spooky to watch this weekend? We've got a few suggestions!

Black filmmakers, actors, and storytellers have made a lasting impact on horror cinema, using everything from supernatural legends to psychological thrillers to explore identity, culture, history, and the fears that haunt us.

🍿 Here are five films to add to your Halloween watchlist:

🩸 Sinners (2025) — Vampires, blues music, and the Jim Crow-era South.

☕ Get Out (2017) — A psychological thriller that makes an uncomfortable family visit downright terrifying.

🪞 Us (2019) — What happens when your worst nightmare looks exactly like you?

🕯️ Candyman (1992) — An urban legend rooted in a haunting story of violence and memory.

📖 Tales from the Hood (1995) — A horror anthology where supernatural scares meet sharp social commentary.

From modern masterpieces to cult classics, these films show that Black horror is about more than things that go bump in the night. It's also a powerful space for storytelling, creativity, and cultural expression.

👻 YOUR TURN! Which Black horror film would you add to this list? And which one are you watching this Halloween weekend?

Drop your recommendations in the comments, and have a safe and spooky Halloween!

10/31/2026

October is Creole Heritage Month, and earlier this month, we explored how the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers shaped the movement of people, cultures, and traditions across the American landscape. Did you know that Creole-American history is part of Southern Indiana’s story, too?

In 1901, Henry S. Cauthorn published 'A History of the City of Vincennes, Indiana, from 1702 to 1901.' Within its pages is a chapter titled “Creole Customs,” documenting traditions and everyday life among the region’s early French-speaking population.

Long before Indiana became a state, Vincennes was an established French settlement along the Wabash River. Its history reflects generations of cultural interaction among French settlers, Indigenous peoples, African Americans, and other communities. These encounters shaped the region’s language, traditions, and way of life.

The history is also more complex than one label can capture. The term “Creole” has carried different meanings across time and place. In early Vincennes, the term was associated with a French-influenced population whose history included interactions with mostly Indigenous communities. Further south in Louisiana, Creole identities developed through distinct histories involving African, Indigenous, and European peoples and their cultural traditions.

Exploring these histories reminds us that the story of Southern Indiana is connected to a much larger American story—one shaped by migration, cultural exchange, colonialism, enslavement, and the resilience of communities across generations.

As we explore Creole heritage, we’re reminded that history is not confined to state lines. Sometimes, an old book opens the door to questions that help us see our region in a new light.

🔎 Want to explore the original source? 'A History of the City of Vincennes, Indiana, from 1702 to 1901' is available through the Indiana State Library’s digital collections.

The Evansville African American Museum invites you to keep learning, asking questions, and discovering the many histories that shape our region.

10/31/2026

EAAM is proud to announce that we’ve received a $1,000 Mini-Grant from Indiana Humanities to support the creation and printing of new brochures for our Baptisttown Historic Walking Tour! 🖤🎉

The updated brochures will feature additional stops, refreshed information, and new graphics to help visitors explore Baptisttown’s rich African American history.

Best of all? The walking tour and its brochures will remain completely FREE! 🙌 This grant will help us share even more of the stories, people, and places that make Baptisttown such an important part of Evansville’s history.

Thank you, Indiana Humanities, for investing in Evansville’s history and helping us make these stories more accessible to the public!

10/30/2026

Exciting things are taking shape for the Evansville African American Museum’s 2027 exhibition cycle!

Last week, EAAM Curator Tory Schendel-Vyvoda presented at the Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC), where she participated in a panel titled “Studio & Art History: Storytelling as Resistance.” Joining her on the panel was artist Melissa Brown, whose work will bring a new chapter to EAAM’s exhibition space in 2027.

During the conference, Tory also picked up artwork from Melissa ahead of the upcoming exhibition transition. The second photo features Melissa alongside Stephanie Inabinett, our current featured artist, whose work is currently displayed in the museum’s stairwell as part of our ongoing commitment to visual storytelling.

We’re excited to see this space evolve as we continue creating opportunities for artists of African descent to share their work, help us explore history, and tell stories that deserve to be seen and heard.

Stay tuned as we look ahead to 2027! 🖼️

10/30/2026

History lives in the stories we share.

Join the Evansville African American Museum for our Military Speaker Series on Thursday, November 12, for an evening of reflection and discussion exploring wartime Evansville.

Featuring Dr. James MacLeod, Robert Chester, and Cory Burdette, this program brings local historians and a member of the Baptisttown descendant community together to explore the people, experiences, and history that shaped our community.

📅 November 12, 2026
⏰ 6:30–8 p.m.
📍 Evansville African American Museum
🎟️ FREE ADMISSION

Come learn, reflect, and connect with the history of Evansville.

This program is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

10/30/2026

Thank you to Heritage Federal Credit Union for bringing community leaders and organizations together for an evening of connection and celebration last night!

EAAM was pleased to join friends and community partners for A Night of Outlaws and Legends in Evansville.

Opportunities like these allow us to connect with fellow organizations, exchange ideas, expand our networks, and share the mission of the Evansville African American Museum with people who are making a difference throughout our community.

We believe meaningful partnerships and strong community relationships are essential to preserving our history, amplifying African American stories, and creating opportunities for future generations.

📸 Back row (left to right): Jack Lowery, Member of Southern Indiana Mentoring Academy (SIMA); Lynn Miller Pease, Chief Executive Officer of Leadership Everyone Evansville; and Kori Miller, Executive Director of the Evansville African American Museum and a member of the boards of directors of SIMA and Leadership Everyone.

Front row (left to right): Museum staff members Alice McNary Burris, Angela Sanders, and Alli Willingham.

10/29/2026

🎃👻 HALLOWEEN AT EAAM! 👻🎃

Looking for a fun, family-friendly stop this Halloween? The Evansville African American Museum welcomes trick-or-treaters and curious minds on Saturday, October 31, from NOON TO 4 P.M.! 🍬

Bring the kiddos by for a Halloween treat, or stay awhile and explore our museum together. Our self-guided museum admission is just $3 for children and $5 for adults, giving your family an opportunity to discover local history, explore interactive storytelling in our Wonder Lab, and get creative in our LEGO Community area!

Whether you're making your Halloween rounds or looking for a place where little ones can unwind between activities, we'd love to welcome you. ❤️

📍 Evansville African American Museum
🗓 Saturday, October 31
⏰ Noon–4 p.m.
🍬 Trick-or-treaters welcome!

Happy Halloween from EAAM! 🧡🖤

10/29/2026

✨ GALA SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT: THE SIGN LADY LLC ✨

Some people help make an event happen. Others help make it unforgettable. The Sign Lady LLC did both by designing the incredible program book for our Colour of Humanity Gala!

We are SO proud of this year's program book, and we're not the only ones! We've heard from multiple gala guests that it was the best event program book they had EVER seen! From its thoughtful design to the stories and history it brought together, this was much more than a program for the evening. It was a keepsake celebrating the people, achievements, and legacy of African Americans whose stories deserve to be remembered and shared.

A special part of this year's book honored military heroes whose stories are an important part of our community's history. We know family members and loved ones may want a copy to keep, and we still have a limited number of program books available for pickup at the museum. ❤️

The Sign Lady LLC, led by Almarie A. McLamb, helped bring our vision to life with creativity, care, and an incredible eye for design. We are deeply grateful for the talent and dedication that went into creating something we're so proud to share.

Thank you, The Sign Lady LLC, for helping us tell these stories beautifully and create a program book worthy of the history it represents!

📚 Interested in a copy of the gala program book, especially if your loved one is featured among the military heroes? Come by the museum during our normal hours, or contact the Evansville African American Museum at [email protected] to arrange pickup while copies remain available.

10/29/2026

Our founder! 🏆

Sondra Matthews ’77 has spent decades preserving the stories, people, and history that define Evansville’s Black community.

A Mass Communications graduate and one of the first recipients of UE’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship, Sondra built a career rooted in journalism, history, and community. In 1983, she cofounded Our Times, which became the Tri-State’s only Black-owned newspaper and an important record of Black civic and cultural life in Evansville.

Her impact reaches beyond the newsroom. She helped found the Evansville African American Museum, preserved the Our Times archive at UE Libraries, and continues supporting Black-owned businesses and organizations across the community.
Her legacy is written into the city itself: the 500 block of South Garvin Street now bears the honorary name Sondra L. Matthews Way.

We are proud to honor Sondra Matthews ’77 as the 2026 Distinguished Alumna Award recipient and celebrate a lifetime of storytelling, preservation, and service.

Join us Saturday, November 14, to honor Sondra and her achievements! www.evansville.edu/alumniawards

Photo courtesy of Emma Bayens/Evansville Living.

10/29/2026

d💙 GALA SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT: DEACONESS 💙

Some partnerships do more than support an event — they make the work behind the scenes possible. The Evansville African American Museum is incredibly grateful to recognize Deaconess as a Champion-level sponsor of our Colour of Humanity Gala!

Deaconess went above and beyond with its generosity, printing both our gala invitations and program books and saving EAAM thousands of dollars in printing expenses. That kind of in-kind support makes a tremendous difference for a nonprofit organization like ours, allowing us to direct more of our resources toward preserving African American history, celebrating our cultural heritage, and educating future generations.

Their sponsorship and invaluable printing support represents more than a contribution. It reflects a willingness to invest in our mission and a belief in the importance of the work we do.

We are especially grateful for Deaconess's faith in EAAM and its commitment to helping local organizations make a lasting impact. Community partnerships like this help ensure that our stories continue to be told and our history continues to be preserved for generations to come.

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU, Deaconess! Your generosity means so much to our museum, our team, and the community we serve. 💙

Learn more about Deaconess and its community commitment at www.deaconess.com.