Last Updated on October 3, 2026
The Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens, NY presents Armstrong in Ghana, a compelling exhibition at the Louis Armstrong Center. The exhibition, opened on October, 1, 2026, explores the American and global icon navigating cultural and political complexities as he toured his music throughout the world in the 1950s and 1960s. This year-long, limited engagement, archival and contemporary art exhibition will travel with partners in Accra.
The 60,000-piece Armstrong Archive includes an array of artifacts, recordings, pictures and documents pertaining to his tour through Africa, including the Gold Coast as it transitioned out of British colonial control to a newly independent Ghana. The new exhibition, curated by Executive Director Regina Bain, will utilize these archival items, alongside established works by artists such as Kaloki Nyamai, Aaron Douglas and John Biggers. New commissioned work by artists such as Stephen Towns and Rita Mawuena Benissan will also debut throughout the year. The commissions will explore the reciprocal impact of Armstrong’s travels to the newly independent nation.
Ghana was a unique destination in Armstrong’s travels where he experienced a powerful feeling of belonging and is the only African country he returned to more than once. “Armstrong in Ghana” is an opportunity to activate shared histories across the African diaspora.
“When I first learned of Louis Armstrong’s travels to Ghana I felt an immediate pull,”says curator Regina Bain. “I wanted to know more. What was it like for Armstrong, the megastar, to travel to Ghana in the midst of the independence and freedom movements of both countries? How is that experience reflective of the many African Americans past and present who have engaged in similar journeys? And what does it mean, with specificity, when people say the roots of jazz are in Africa?”
Building upon the successful Armstrong Now residency and signature programs, the project will engage with contemporary musicians and visual artists to share their work in New York and Accra, following in Armstrong’s footsteps. Established and newly commissioned musical performances by Chief Adjuah, Keweku Sumbry, andThe Ghana Jazz Collective alongside dance performances byLatasha Barnes andEdmund Boateng Akrofi will take place throughout the year. Concurrently, established and newly commissioned visual artwork by Kaloki Nyamai, Rita Mawuena Benissan, John Biggers, Betty Acquah, J.K. Bruce Vanderpuije, Aaron Douglas, and more will feature throughout the exhibit’s duration. Transformative voices like Maya Angelou will also be included in the exhibit.
Panel talks and workshops from the museum’s education and artistic partners including Fredara Hadley, Penny von Eschen, Odile Tevie, Charlotte Ashamu, Ricky Riccardi, John Collins, Samuel Boateng and otherswill expand on the ideas within the exhibition. Experiences will includelistening sessions of the live recording from Armstrong’s 1956 concert at the Accra Opera House from the archives, discussions of the historical context for Armstrong’s visit and the African roots of Jazz, artist talks with the visual artists within the exhibition, and live showings of new performance works.
“’Armstrong in Ghana’ feels like a homecoming — for Louis, for jazz, and for the culture that connects us across the African diaspora,” Bruce Harris, Program Director, said. “There’s a personal connection for me, too. When I first interviewed for my position at the Louis Armstrong House Museum, I had just made my first trip to Ghana. I had no idea that one day I’d be helping bring Louis’s story back there. In a way, I feel Pops has a hand in guiding the moves we make as an organization. Ghana has become like a second home to me, and it’s meaningful to be part of an exhibition that honors Louis’s connection to the country and invites people to discover how his legacy continues to connect us.”
After its debut at The Armstrong Center, planned exhibition sites for Armstrong in Ghana include the Nubuke Foundation inFall 2027. Nubuke is a Ghanaian contemporary art and cultural institution based in East Legon, Accra, and Wa, Upper West region. Founded in 2006, the Foundation serves as a nexus for preserving, recording, and promoting contemporary arts and culture.
ABOUT LOUIS ARMSTRONG HOUSE MUSEUM
The Louis Armstrong House Museum is a three building campus, encompassing Armstrong’s historic home, Armstrong Center, and Selma’s Place – the donated home of Selma Heraldo, a close friend and neighbor of the Armstrongs. The museum offers guided tours of the trumpeter’s historic home, giving visitors an inside look into the life he and his wife Lucille led alongside the Corona Queens community.
The Center champions musicians and artists alike through their Armstrong Now Artist-in-Residence Program – where artists are given the opportunity to research and rehearse new work based on thematic content provided from the Armstrong Archives. Previous residents include Samara Joy, Immanuel Wilkins, Soul Science Lab, esperanza spalding, Steven Salcedo and more.
Moreover, the Center integrates their work with local Queens residents through community activations including a year-round young trumpet learning program and their Justice Arts initiative for formerly incarcerated youth.
For ticketing and more information, visit www.louisarmstronghouse.org. LAHM administers the historic house under a long-term license agreement with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and Queens College.
