From Storefront to Monument

"Clearly written and concisely argued, From Storefront to Monument will be of great interest to scholars in the field of museum studies. It also deserves wide readership in the broader field of African American studies, where there has been no comparable work that offers an overarching history of the black museum movement as an important political movement."—Renee Romano, coeditor of The Civil Rights Movement in American Memory

"Clearly written and concisely argued, From Storefront to Monument will be of great interest to scholars in the field of museum studies. It also deserves wide readership in the broader field of African American studies, where there has been no comparable work that offers an overarching history of the black museum movement as an important political movement."—Renee Romano, coeditor of The Civil Rights Movement in American Memory

"A work of impressive and seminal scholarship."—Midwest Book Review

"The book is very well written, and those outside academia will enjoy it. It will also be a remarkable addition to any collection in contemporary US history, Museum studies, and African American history. Highly recommended."—Choice

"Andrea A. Burns's well-written and compelling book focuses on the creation of four African American neighborhood museums by tracing their beginnings in the 1960s, influenced by the Black Power Movement, to today. . . . The book contributes to those interested in American history, museum studies, African American studies, public history and as the author notes, Black public history. It is an engrossing story about these important neighborhood institutions."—Information Culture

"Let's face it: Andrea Burns is right. Her book, From Storefront to Monument, rightfully points out the disenfranchisement of African Americans in museums in the past, and describes the efforts to bring more African Americans to the table."—crg@cgp

"Timely and important . . . Burns is smartly attentive to the power of geography and the class identifications and conflicts embedded in these institutions. . . . From Storefront to Monument makes significant contributions to the larger historical discipline and should be read widely across the field."—Journal of American History

"The picture provided by Burns of the life history of these African American museums is insightful and well researched. . . . Burns reminds us there is much to learn from the path followed by the museums and their founders."—American Historical Review

"[A] blow by blow history of the founding of the earliest serious museums of African American Art and Culture."—Journal of American Culture

"This book examines museums as living ecosystems, makes labor visible, and asks how public history institutions write the master narrative of the nation. . . . [It] yields rich insight about the work of public history--and should be a reminder to future scholars of the necessity to understand the complex workings of its institutions before making grand claims about its products."—American Quarterly