(Image Credit: Calon Photography.)

The Tubman Museum opened earlier this month, in a new space in Macon, Georgia to hundreds of excited visitors. The new 49,000 square foot space was built with funds from local investors and donors, as well as several grants, totaling approximately $20 million. The facility is a major upgrade from the 8,500 square foot space that the museum had originally been housed in since its opening in 1981.

“Our collections are quite larger than people realize and fast outgrew the space that we were at before,” the Tubman Museum’s executive director Andy Ambrose tells NBC’s local affiliate in Macon, Georgia.

Contrary to popular belief, based on its namesake, Tubman Museum’s exhibitions don’t only discuss pre and post-civil war America. The museum’s expansive collection includes artwork and artifacts that span the diaspora and also includes many contemporary African American artists. Ambrose hopes the new space will bring in a diverse range of museum goers and can also be a space for learning and cultural exchange.