COMPTON (Compton Bulletin) – Marquell Byrd said the birth of the Compton Art and History Museum came from a dream.
“I had a dream,” Byrd told the Compton Bulletin. “God gave me a dream.”
Byrd turned that dream into reality when he and his wife, Abigail Lopez-Byrd co-founded the Compton Art and History Museum. With their Color Compton organization serving as a backdrop, the husband and wife tandem opened the museum that sit just across the street from where Compton City Hall resides.
The official birth date of the museum’s opening was Feb. 18, Marquell Byrd said. Less than a year after opening, the museum’s centerpiece exhibit for the next couple of months is an homage to the 50th anniversary to hip-hop.
Compton has contributed to the hip-hop genre with legendary names like Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, the group N.W.A., Alonzo Williams (World Class Wreckin’ Cru), Problem, The Game, and King Tee staking a claim in the game.
The Compton Art and History Museum exhibit “Sounds of the City” showcases some of the finest hip-hop stars who have come from Compton. The exhibit is expected to be on display at the museum (306 W. Compton Blvd., #4, Compton, California) for the next several months, Marquell Byrd said.
One of the challenges the museum faces is getting sustainable funding, Marquell Byrd said.
“We don’t have the proper funding,” he said. “We’re looking to partner with different organizations. We have to continue to pour out.”
Some of that pouring out has paid dividends with Compton Mayor Emma Sharif and City Councilmember Andre Spicer (District 2) taking out of their schedules to stop by the museum.
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