Dive Brief:

• The director of the future National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington is pushing for construction to finish up before Barack Obama leaves office so the first black president will be the one to cut the ribbon.

• After 10 years of planning, designing and fundraising, the $476 million museum is set to open in 18 months. It will house 40,000 artifacts and will open with 11 exhibits that trace the history of slavery, segregation and civil rights, and showcase achievements in sports, entertainment and culture, The Washington Post reported.

• Inspired by the crafts made by slaves and by the designs of iron workers displayed in New Orleans and Charleston, SC, bronze panels installed on the museum’s exterior are meant to bring to mind an African headdress, the newspaper reported.

Dive Insight:

Some of the money for construction came from individual donations of $50 or less from more than 82,000 people, The Post reported. Congress funded half of the project, while corporations and foundations pitched in the rest. The museum needs $70 million to finish the project.