Fresno’s downtown Arts & Culture District will celebrate the election of a new President on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 with extended evening hours and free admission. The Fresno Metropolitan Museum, Arte Americas, the African-American Historical and Cultural Museum and the Downtown Community Arts Collective will remain open from 5pm to 8pm with free admission.

The occasion allows the community to come out in celebration of a momentous day in American history by taking in some of the historic sights and sounds right here in Fresno through free programming on an evening that will be not unlike one of the monthly ArtHop evenings. 

The African-American Historical and Cultural Museum will host a party in celebration of the inauguration of the first African-American President in American history. Visitors to that celebration are invited to also stop by Arte Americas, the Downtown Community Arts Collective and the Met to view the exhibitions on view there.

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL MUSEUM, 1857 Fulton Street (corner of Fulton and Sacramento) 
The public may enjoy food, drumming, songs and poetry, and a broadcast replay of the inauguration ceremony.  T-shirts and other memorabilia will be available, along with a new Will Portis portrait art piece.  At 5:30 there will be an informal program, led by FCC professor Kehinde Solwazi.

ARTE AMERICAS, 1630 Van Ness (corner of Van Ness and Calaveras)
Food and drinks, entertainment by the Tower Jazz Trio and televised inauguration coverage will all be available to visitors during this special event.  In addition the public is encouraged to bring cameras and take photos with Barack Obama’s stand-in cutout and view current exhibitions.

DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY ARTS COLLECTIVE, 754 P Street
Attendees may also hop over to DCAC for another arts celebration featuring refreshments, Mr. Leonard DJ, and a collective art experience.

FRESNO METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, 1555 Van Ness Avenue
Visitors are encouraged to stop by the Met during the evening for an admission free opportunity to enjoy the Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight exhibition.