Austin, as the capital of the mighty state of Texas, holds many cultural centers and monuments its citizens hold near and dear for a number of reasons. One of these centers, which now holds national recognition under the Register for Historic Places, is the George Washington Carver Center. 

The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center were first constructed as a small wooden building built on Ninth and Guadalupe in 1926, Austin’s first library. The small, not-even 2,000-square-foot construction was soon overwhelmed by the demand from people in its area. Finally, a larger one was built in 1933, and due to this, the original wooden library was moved to its current location on Angelina Street. It was soon renovated into its brick fanciness. Early on, the center was labeled as the “Colored Branch”, however, it was finally given its true name, named after the scientist and inventor George Washington Carver. The Carver Library steadily grew its collection and served the citizens of Central-East Austin for decades. With the growth, the need for more space became apparent, and soon, with the voices of East Austin, a new building was born adjacent to the original library. As for the original library, the people who loved and had grown up around it voted that it should be used to honor African-American history and achievements, and in 1980 this dream came true for them. The Carver center was the first Black neighborhood museum in Texas. 

In 1988, the citizens of Austin rightfully voted in a bond election to further expand the Carver Center. This vote gave us the 36,000-square-foot museum and cultural center we know today, this building is over 18 times the original size! It includes four conference rooms, a dance studio, and a roomy theater with 134 seats, and more, perfect for all that happens in the constantly-active community center.

The museum and cultural center is home to many events and exhibits, made by citizens or the center itself, all highlighting Black stories and celebrations. This includes ongoing programs like their podcast: Small Black Museum, a podcast that surrounds stories from black Austinites. Their first episode features Stephanie Lang, a Program Administrator for the Center for Community Engagement at UT Austin, you can find that first episode here on Soundcloud. Another ongoing event at the Carver Center is the Carver Studio Arts. This is an “inclusive place for the creation of artwork informed by and grounded in the history of Black art and artists.” Quoted by the official website of the city of Austin about the Carver Center. You can find the Carver Studio Arts exhibit at the Carver Center, which always presents something new for visitors to learn more about. The Carver Center delivers something for all ages, presenting a summer camp from June-August where children ages 7-12 will get enrichment in music, acting, art, and dance, all including an African-American influence.

The Carver Center's most recent and still ongoing event is Black History Month 2023, the celebration starting this February 1st. While Austin’s most recent ice storm brought many closures during the kick-off of Black History Month, the Carver Center had no shortage of events to celebrate. On February 6th the Carver Center hosted a Blackademics event in their Boyd Vance Theater, a nationally broadcasted PBS show that brings Black intellectuals together to discuss various topics such as performance, education, and empowerment. They filmed an episode of season 11 at the Carver Center that is not yet on PBS’s website, but the event was filmed in front of a live audience and was welcome to those who wanted to see it. The Carver Center celebration still goes on this Black History Month, on February 13th they held a showing of Waiting to Exhale,  a popular 90’s romance starring the famous Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett, to celebrate Black Love Day.

The Carver Center has a long and rich history of African-American culture, especially in Austin. Austin has historically been very segregated and is still full of gentrification, a very active problem, particularly for people who live East of I-35, Black and Hispanic people. The Carver Center provided a safe space for families and the surrounding community in challenging times. The Carver Center was one of many and it still remains prevalent. In the past, as previously shown, its community banded together to bring it to Austin city officials’ attention, making sure the Carver Museum stayed renovated and in use for its long-time family.

It’s places like these that influence Austin more than we all think about, and now more than ever we need to remember to commemorate, honor, and celebrate different cultures. If you have time, give the Carver Center a visit, it’s likely they’ll have a class, event, or performance you’ll enjoy. Bring the family or a friend, visit the library, spend some time looking at the rich history that lies in the museum, and remember that Austin’s core is made of cultural centers just like the one you're in.

By Sophia Garza

Link to Carver Center Page