A former AT&T executive, attracted quite a bit of attention and gained a score of new supporters after he was featured alongside his $10 million private collection of African art for the documentary series The Collector. Edwards, a Brooklyn resident, estimates his collection of over 2500 pieces, to be worth approximate $10 million dollars. The extensive collection spans all 54 countries on the continent of Africa and some pieces date back to as much as 4,000 years.
Edwards announced his plans to open an African art museum in Brooklyn, so that his collection would live on and continue to be enjoyed by many for years to come. He hopes to open the Cultural Museum of African Art Eric Edwards Collection (CMAAEEC) by the summer of 2016, and has even secured famed architect Rodney Léon for the project. Léon helped design the African Burial Ground National Monument in Manhattan.
Edwards recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the project.
www.superselected.com
PROJECT OVERVIEW
For the last 44 years Eric Edwards has amassed one of the most important private collections of African art in the world. Over 2,500 artifacts reside alongside Mr. Edwards in his Brooklyn home. The collection represents all 54 countries of Africa and spans over 4000 years of history.
We are asking for your help to give this important collection a new home-- a museum where it can be seen, studied and appreciated by the public. Mr. Edwards believes that the artifacts in addition to their beauty, are therapeutic and possess the power to bring all people together because of the stories they individually tell.
The Cultural Museum of African Art will house the entirety of the Edwards collection, a world class library, and a research and media center. It is our hope that this museum will help introduce future generations of Americans to the rich cultural heritage of Africa.
It is important for all of us to know who we are, and where we come from, so that we can be more proud citizens and positive contributors to society. Please help us to make this museum a reality and give future generations a place where they can learn about, and share their history.
OUR STORY
In the 1970s Eric Edwards, a Brooklyn native, acquired his first piece of African art-- a statue of a Bambara maternity female from Mali for $300. With this purchase his love for African Art was born, and soon escalated into an obsession for acquiring one-of-a-kind African artifacts. Over the past 44 years, Mr. Edwards has amassed one of the largest collections of African artifacts owned by a private collector in the U.S.
Mr. Edwards credits his father with teaching him about Africa’s contributions to mankind. Those lessons empowered him with a self-respect and dignity that gave him a sense of real equality. The CMAA will bring peoples of all ethnic groups together in mutual respect and understanding, knowing that we all baked a piece of this pie. African American children, especially, will be empowered just as he was by his father’s lessons. The museum will provide a context for their ancestors’ accomplishments and serve as a repository for a trove of historic cultural importance. The Edwards collection will be the bedrock of the museum.
Mr. Edwards has assembled an expert team to execute the vision for a world class art museum to be opened in Brooklyn, New York. This team includes architect Rodney Leon, who designed the African Burial Ground Monument in Manhattan and the Ark of Return Monument at the UN.
We need your help to make this vision a reality. Please help us bring the Cultural Museum of African Art to Brooklyn!
Immediate Attainment & Measured Goals
If we reach our goal, the money we raise will go towards the following:
www.cmaaeec.com
http://gothamist.com/2015/05/12/african_art_bk_apartment.php
Edwards announced his plans to open an African art museum in Brooklyn, so that his collection would live on and continue to be enjoyed by many for years to come. He hopes to open the Cultural Museum of African Art Eric Edwards Collection (CMAAEEC) by the summer of 2016, and has even secured famed architect Rodney Léon for the project. Léon helped design the African Burial Ground National Monument in Manhattan.
Edwards recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the project.
www.superselected.com
PROJECT OVERVIEW
For the last 44 years Eric Edwards has amassed one of the most important private collections of African art in the world. Over 2,500 artifacts reside alongside Mr. Edwards in his Brooklyn home. The collection represents all 54 countries of Africa and spans over 4000 years of history.
We are asking for your help to give this important collection a new home-- a museum where it can be seen, studied and appreciated by the public. Mr. Edwards believes that the artifacts in addition to their beauty, are therapeutic and possess the power to bring all people together because of the stories they individually tell.
The Cultural Museum of African Art will house the entirety of the Edwards collection, a world class library, and a research and media center. It is our hope that this museum will help introduce future generations of Americans to the rich cultural heritage of Africa.
It is important for all of us to know who we are, and where we come from, so that we can be more proud citizens and positive contributors to society. Please help us to make this museum a reality and give future generations a place where they can learn about, and share their history.
OUR STORY
In the 1970s Eric Edwards, a Brooklyn native, acquired his first piece of African art-- a statue of a Bambara maternity female from Mali for $300. With this purchase his love for African Art was born, and soon escalated into an obsession for acquiring one-of-a-kind African artifacts. Over the past 44 years, Mr. Edwards has amassed one of the largest collections of African artifacts owned by a private collector in the U.S.
Mr. Edwards credits his father with teaching him about Africa’s contributions to mankind. Those lessons empowered him with a self-respect and dignity that gave him a sense of real equality. The CMAA will bring peoples of all ethnic groups together in mutual respect and understanding, knowing that we all baked a piece of this pie. African American children, especially, will be empowered just as he was by his father’s lessons. The museum will provide a context for their ancestors’ accomplishments and serve as a repository for a trove of historic cultural importance. The Edwards collection will be the bedrock of the museum.
Mr. Edwards has assembled an expert team to execute the vision for a world class art museum to be opened in Brooklyn, New York. This team includes architect Rodney Leon, who designed the African Burial Ground Monument in Manhattan and the Ark of Return Monument at the UN.
We need your help to make this vision a reality. Please help us bring the Cultural Museum of African Art to Brooklyn!
Immediate Attainment & Measured Goals
If we reach our goal, the money we raise will go towards the following:
- Employ Professional Development Person (Publicist) for raising capital funds
- Finding and finalizing the best museum site location, and payment for planning and architectural design,drawings
- Payment of Official Appraiser Fees
- Funding expenses for two planned exhibitions(September 2015 and February/March 2016)
- Employ additional Administrative Assistant
- Employ website developer for enhancement of website for further interactivity and display
www.cmaaeec.com
http://gothamist.com/2015/05/12/african_art_bk_apartment.php
He will still have 9 million dollars of art to put in there. ..
