National Museum of African American Music: WordPress Rebuild

A dynamic, multimedia-forward site fueling NMAAM’s mission to bring music history to life.

Overview

The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) celebrates the profound impact African Americans have had on music across all genres. As a cultural institution, NMAAM needed a website that could match the richness of its galleries, collections, and events — and engage its diverse audiences both locally and globally. The previous site fell short of those goals. Gigareef partnered with MUSAY to deliver a complete rebuild: a future-proof WordPress platform designed to highlight multimedia content, promote events, and create a flexible foundation for years to come.

Project background

Extensive discovery and audience research revealed the needs of NMAAM’s visitors: seamless access to exhibit information, event details, and engaging digital content. Equally important was giving the museum’s staff the ability to update and expand the site without requiring constant developer intervention. The new site needed to serve as both a storytelling tool and a practical resource.

Solution

We translated design insights into a custom WordPress build tailored to NMAAM’s mission. Highlights include:

Custom Gutenberg Block System

A library of modular components was developed, allowing NMAAM staff to create new pages with branded, media-rich layouts through an intuitive backend interface.

Multimedia-First Experience

The site showcases NMAAM’s exhibits, videos, and imagery front-and-center, ensuring the vibrancy of the museum translates into the digital experience.

Event Management & Calendar Integration

A robust events system makes it easy for visitors to explore upcoming programs, performances, and exhibitions, with seamless calendar integration.

Accessibility Compliance

The site was built to meet WCAG Level A standards, ensuring inclusivity and access for all audiences.

Social Media Integration

Instagram content streams directly onto the site, connecting visitors to NMAAM’s active social presence.

Advanced Search

Visitors can quickly find the exhibits, content, or events they’re interested in through a built-in advanced search feature.

Technology

WordPress

Gutenberg

PHP

MySQL

JavaScript

HTML/CSS

WCAG A Accessibility

Outcomes

The new NMAAM site transforms the museum’s digital presence into an engaging, multimedia-forward experience. It empowers staff with flexible tools to build and update content, ensures accessibility and inclusivity for all users, and showcases the museum’s galleries, events, and collections in a way that truly reflects its mission. The result is a platform that grows alongside the institution and continues to amplify the legacy of African American music worldwide.

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