Monday, January 20, 2025

RENO: LANGSTON HUGHES

When Langston Hughes Came to Town

May 3, 2025 - February 15, 2026

NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART
160 West Liberty
Reno, NV

From nevadaart.org:

When Langston Hughes Came to Town explores the history and legacy of Langston Hughes through the lens of his largely unknown travels to Nevada and highlights the vital role Hughes played in the Harlem Renaissance and beyond. James Mercer Langston Hughes (1901-1967) was born in Joplin, Missouri. Hughes studied at Columbia University in 1921 for one year and would eventually become one of leading writers of the Harlem Renaissance. A writer with a distinctive style inspired by jazz rhythms, Hughes documented all facets of Black culture but became renowned for his incisive poetry.

The exhibition showcases works by prominent Harlem Renaissance artists like Augusta Savage, Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, and Aaron Douglas, highlighting the movement’s vibrant expressions of dance, music, and fashion. Contemporary artists such as Isaac Julien, Kwame Brathwaite, Glenn Ligon, and Deborah Willis draw inspiration from Langston Hughes, juxtaposing his poetry with their art to explore his enduring legacy. Notable pieces include Julien’s Looking for Langston, Brathwaite’s photographs celebrating Black pride, and Ligon’s neon sculpture inspired by Hughes’s poignant Let America Be America Again.

For more information click here.

No comments:

Post a Comment