It’s Wednesday 4:28 pm EST — We’re open. Come visit us!

About Our Center

Located in the Jefferson School City Center, The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center’s mission is to honor and preserve the rich heritage and legacy of the African-American community of Charlottesville-Albemarle, Virginia and to promote a greater appreciation for, and understanding of, the contributions of African Americans and peoples of the Diaspora locally, nationally and globally.

The Center features a permanent historical exhibit, a rotating contemporary art gallery, and a robust calendar of events, all of which combine to highlight Charlottesville’s African American history and culture of the African diaspora.

Exhibitions

Education

Events

Contemporary Gallery

Finally Remembered: The Black Patriots of Central Virginia

20 September – 14 February, 2026

Exhibition opening: 20 September | 6-8 pm

The exhibition honors the African American Men and Women who served in the Revolutionary War. Through rare documents, profiles, military records, and historical interpretation, it restores the visibility of those whose courage helped shape the nation’s founding.

Swords into Plowshares: Recast|Reclaim

14 March – 30 May, 2026

Exhibition opening: 14 March | 6-8:30 pm

Swords Into Plowshares: Recast | Reclaim presents concept drawings by three semi-finalist teams for a project that transforms the material and meaning of the former Lee statue into a new representation of public memory.

The exhibition begins in the Contemporary Gallery where photographs by Ezé Amos and Kristin Finn trace the years 2020–2023, when the democratic processes underpinning Swords took shape. In the Foyer Learning Gallery, visitors explore the social histories of five public parks under consideration as future sites for the work.The exhibition concludes in the Auditorium with concept drawings by Hood Design Studio, MASS Design Group, and Push Studio, firms at the forefront of reimagining public space in the United States and abroad.

Throughout the exhibition’s run, visitors are invited to respond to the drawings, contributing to the public selection of the design team and a final work that asks: How do we describe our communal values?