It was opened to the public in 1989 by curator and owner Chief Baba Shango Obadina, and has since played an influential role in promoting the work and careers of local black artists, including: Queen Brooks, "Grandpa Smoky" Brown, Antoinette Savage, April Sunami, Barbara Chavous, MacArthur Fellow, and Aminah Robinson.

[1][2][3] Obadina (and several of his former Columbus East High School classmates, including Detroit's George N'Namdi) was an early pioneer in the world of independent black art.

Over the next thirteen years, he laboriously restored it, adding unique features, such as a floor made from inlaid discs of wood and a hand-carved wooden door.

Its overseeing body, the Urban Cultural Arts Foundation (UCAF), played a key role in informally naming the adjacent area as the "African Village," in honor of its ties to the local African-American heritage.

The movie's name refers to the rainbow flags displayed by the new residents, which stand in stark contrast to the handmade wooden sign placed over the entrance of the gallery.