Through this expansion, new offerings and behind-the-scenes social media posts<\/a>, Bain is striving to make the Armstrongs\u2019 legacy more accessible. Her efforts have been recognized through accolades such as the award in 2024 of the National Medal for Museums from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the nation\u2019s highest honor for cultural institutions<\/a> making an impact in their communities.<\/p>\n A family education in the arts<\/p>\n Bain credits family for her early musical education in South Florida. She and her mother attended R&B concerts together in the 1980s and \u201990s. The first play they attended \u2014 George C. Wolfe\u2019s \u201cThe Colored Museum,\u201d a satire of Black American stereotypes \u2014 was formative.<\/p>\n \u201cI fell in love with what art was, what storytelling could be, how performance could include music,\u201d Bain said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Her relatives, in the tradition of many Black families in the South, included recitals by her and other young people in family gatherings. Performing in church plays and reciting poetry at such reunions, including memorizing Langston Hughes, impressed upon her the value of expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bain said those experiences ground her in a sense that \u201cmusic is important, language is important, dance is important, and it\u2019s something for you to master, and then to give to community, and be in and participate in with community.\u201d<\/p>\n Later, she learned Armstrong also operated at that intersection of performance. Among Bain\u2019s favorites of his include the second version of \u201cSt. Louis Blues,\u201d whose character-driven acting resonated with her. And in \u201c\u2018On the Sunny Side of the Street,\u2019 \u201d she said, \u201cthere\u2019s an optimism there that I think is really critical right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Graduate training at the Yale School of Drama provided the rest of Bain\u2019s performance education. She moved to New York City in 2001, living largely in Brooklyn. She worked as an actor for years before helping students navigate college and leadership opportunities with the nonprofit Posse Foundation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stepping into a new kind of leadership<\/p>\n During the pandemic, Bain reflected on her personal mission and what she wanted to co-create with the community. She talked it through with trusted friends and was open to the idea when someone suggested she venture into museum leadership.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bain started as executive director of the Armstrong Museum in August 2020. During a period when survival in the field required connection, it was an ideal time to reach out to other executive directors and cultural institutions for perspective. The outpouring that came in return smoothed her transition, Bain said. It was good to know, \u201cin that point of turmoil and tumultuousness and personal change, that I wasn\u2019t alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The balance of fundraising<\/p>\n Bain\u2019s primary job, like that of any museum director, involves fundraising, but it\u2019s also about managing staff, infrastructure and programming. Running a three-building campus means dealing with boilers and HVAC systems. It also entails empowering her team to lead. That way, she can focus on securing the funds needed to maintain the facilities and the resources staff need for programming.\u00a0<\/p>\n While fundraising is challenging, \u201cI don\u2019t want any aspiring leader to feel blocked because they\u2019re not sure if they can raise funds,\u201d she said. \u201cYou can \u2014 you just have to be dedicated about it.\u201d<\/p>\n That means devoting yourself to both building relationships and the discipline of logistics, Bain says: \u201cIt\u2019s being out in the public, it\u2019s getting to know your community, it is being with people, but it\u2019s also a database, and deadlines and research. You have to have both.\u201d<\/p>\n The brand of Bain\u2019s team<\/p>\n Bain\u2019s team at the Louis Armstrong House Museum has \u201camazing ideas and runs with them,\u201d said Bain, including introducing a trumpet learning program<\/a> on Saturdays. In February, Mayor Zohran Mamdani saw those trumpet players perform when he came to announce a free admission day<\/a> at the museum during Black History Month.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Whitmey4_cropped_oct_202401407.jpg\")
Early family performances taught Regina Bain that music, language and dance are for mastering and sharing with the community \u2014 a philosophy she connects to Louis Armstrong\u2019s legacy. Credit: Courtesy of Louis Armstrong House Museum.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_2139.jpeg\")
The Louis Armstrong Center ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 29, 2023. Credit: Carolina Valencia<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Exterior.jpg\")
As executive director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, Regina Bain balances boilers, budgets and Black history. Credit: Courtesy of Louis Armstrong House Museum.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Mets-National-Anthem.jpg\")
Students of the Louis Armstrong House Museum perform the National Anthem at a Mets game.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/361A3722.jpg\")
Bain\u2019s team at the Louis Armstrong House Museum runs a Saturday trumpet learning program. Credit: Courtesy of Louis Armstrong House Museum.<\/p>\n