Our Story
In 1998 Mrs. Ardie Riddick donated a 17,500 sq. ft. building to Dabls to house his museum Our Tax Exempt 501-(C)-3 status dates back 33 years. We are a major repository for African sculptures, textile, pottery, beads, bead works, metal items collections are on loan from the collection of Dabls and S. Jill Miller Lewis. From our inception, the museum has perceived its objective as being primarily two-fold. First, we seek to preserve the cultural heritage of African people. Secondly, we are dedicated in fostering a greater awareness about Africa material cultures. We envision that the museum would become a major center for the researches, educators, students, scholars and the general public. MBAD/ABA prides itself in having worked very closely with the community it serves. We have sponsored several programs, workshops and exhibitions on a variety of bead topics, published a coloring book, and a CD. In addition, MBAD has an outreach program which brings it's exhibitions to those, who are unable to come to us. 1. We have perhaps the largest selection of African beads in Michigan spanning over 300 years. 2. Hundreds of books, clippings from periodicals, magazines, pictures, letters which relate to and involve the history of beads. 3. We maintain a video, CD, cassette file on beads. 4. We have made available to schools and institutions, information and loan items from our collection and provide exhibitions that travel across Michigan. 5. We have published flyers on different items from our collection and have prepared over 35 exhibitions of Africa Material culture during the past twenty years. 6. We are the only African Beads Museum with a sister museum in Accra Ghana The Oguns Bead Museum. 7. For the last ten years, local and national media have featured stories about the museum. 8. Perhaps Michigan first open air museum. MBAD/ABA AFRICAN BEAD MUSEUM © Incorporated July 19,1971 Tax Exempt 501(C) 3