A former storefront in Arlington Heights, a sub-district of South Central Los Angeles, California, The Underground Museum now catches the attention of the local community and beyond. A modest black and white building with the numbers 3508 plastered front and center, which resides on Washington Blvd between 6th and 5th Ave, The Underground Museum is a safe space for black people and artists alike.

The shades were drawn on the sunny Tuesday afternoon that I visited, a clear tell that the museum was closed. I peeked into a world more vivid than its exterior to meet Megan Steinman, the director at The Underground Museum. Tall, and wearing a bright blue jumpsuit, Megan took me around the museum and told me about the intentionality behind the exhibits and sections, sharing the work that Noah and Karon Davis, founders of The Underground Museum and artist couple, put into place.

From the bookstore at the front of the museum to the purple garden, which was as soothing as it sounds, Megan shared how each part of The Underground Museum is not just a space for artists, but for the community as a whole.

The Underground Museum started off as a studio and living space for Noah and Karon. After Noah’s father’s death in 2011, Noah decided that he wanted to honor his father’s memory in a way that was “bigger than himself.” In 2011, the plans were put into motion and the 6,000 square foot place turned into the museum many know today. In 2013, The Underground Museum kicked off with its inaugural exhibit, “Imitation of Wealth.” The goal of this exhibit was to bring “high-quality” art to a predominantly African American and Latino working-class community. Though the museums Noah hoped to collaborate with declined, Noah recreated the pieces in their museums--that of Marcel Duchamp and On Kawara, among others-- for the exhibit.

The exhibit quickly gained attention. In 2014, The Underground Museum did its first collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), which is located in Downtown Los Angeles. Just a few years later, they are now working on their third collaboration with the MOCA, titled “Artists of Color”.

“Artists of Color is a play on words, and it looks at color as a building block to aesthetic experience,” Megan shared.

The Underground Museum, unlike many museums, is unique in the fact that it is already curated. Each part of the museum is intentional. The curation of the museum was put into play by Noah Davis himself. There’s a bar area where artists can “hold court” and come to work on the days that the space is open, as well as engage in conversation with one another. The most recent and curated piece of the museum is the purple garden. Noah designed the garden before his death in 2015,  and it is often used for yoga, events, and movie nights hosted by the museum. The people, the artists, and its employees are what give the museum its purpose. Those that come bring “their excitement for what we’re doing,” shared Brooklyn Smith, gallery manager at The Underground Museum, and multidisciplinary artist who has worked at the museum since March 2017.

For many, The Underground Museum reinforced a truth that many black people felt when Obama was elected President in 2008: Doing the things we always imagined we could do.

“I feel like after Obama was elected, there was something that changed for black folks, just to generalize.” Smith said. “I think seeing Obama in office kind of emboldened us in a new way. Where it’s like, not only is this a possibility, but it’s a possibility for me and I’m going to go get that possibility.”

Many who felt the need to be bold before, felt empowered to follow through. Noah Davis is a perfect example of this. Through what was instilled in him by his father, he created a necessary space in an unlikely neighborhood, that offered an opportunity for black people and black artists to further pursue possibilities.

Though The Underground Museum made its mark as a safe space for black people, it invites people from all backgrounds, of all shades, to engage with the art, as well as the people that visit. It is a place that aims to make you more aware of the world that surrounds you than you were before you walked in.