We recently received an accession of posters from the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute that show the variety of events sponsored by the center over the years. With the help of our volunteer Natalie Edmonds, they are now processed and available as Record Series 7420-03.
The Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute was founded as part of Seattle’s Model Cities program. Housed in the former Chevra Bikur Cholim synagogue at 17th and Yesler, it was originally called the Yesler-Atlantic Community Center when it opened in 1972 and was managed by the Parks Department. The name was changed in 1973 to the Langston Hughes Cultural Center to reflect its focus on providing access to arts and culture from the African diaspora. The center offered classes and activities ranging from puppetry and flower arranging to karate and public speaking. It also had a food program for young people and hosted performing arts events. In 2013, the City’s management of the center moved from the Parks Department to the Office of Arts & Culture, and (after several other interim name changes) it became known as the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. The nonprofit LANGSTON was formed in 2016 to handle programming at the center and eventually take over management entirely.
The posters cover almost 40 years of events including plays, concerts, dance performances, musicals, and film. Highlights include annual teen summer musicals, African American film festivals, hip hop weekends, jazz concerts, cultural festivals, and more. Some have been signed by the performers or filmmakers. The posters are graphically interesting and visually represent the range of Langston’s programming over the past few decades.