Tag Archives: Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute

Arts & Culture

Seattle Black Film Festival Is Back With a Slate of Thought-Provoking Films

by Jas Keimig

A chaotically sweet tale of a couple and their cat. A poetic documentary about creativity and the prison system. A celebration of a classic cowboy comedy. 

Those are some of the stories that will play out on screen at the 21st annual Seattle Black Film Festival (SBFF) from April 25–28. Hosted at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and Washington Hall in the Central District with a selection of movies available online, this year’s iteration of SBFF will include over 60 feature-length and short films. Organizers have pulled together work centered around the theme of carceral, spiritual, and imaginative liberation. 

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Arts & Culture

Teen Summer Musical Encourages People of All Ages to Pursue Their ‘Dream!’

“Put yourself out there, because many opportunities can come with that.”

by Patheresa Wells

The Teen Summer Musical (TSM) has been a Seattle institution for over 25 years, providing an opportunity for young performers of color to share their theatrical talents with the community. This year’s family-friendly show, Dream!, runs Aug. 18–27, 2023, at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute.

“It is our hope that Dream! will remind an audience that it’s never too late for dreams to come true. Settling for less than your dream can be the difference between happiness and contentment,” said Michelle Lang-Raymond, executive director of Acts On Stage Theatre.

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Arts & Culture

Seattle Black Film Festival 2023 Pays Homage to the Local Black Panther Party and More

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by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Returning in-person for the first time in three years, the 20th annual Seattle Black Film Festival (SBFF) celebrates opening night at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute on April 22, kicking off with a powerful preview of a work-in-progress documentary produced by and featuring members of the Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party. The festival will run through April 30 and be presented in hybrid format with in-person and online screenings, featuring a curated selection of feature films, performances, and short film program blocks.

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Arts & Culture

Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute Celebrates 50 Years of Black Arts

by Amanda Ong

This Saturday, Sept. 10, the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (LHPAI) will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with a block party from 1 to 5 p.m. LHPAI’s 50th Anniversary Block Party will include food trucks and acts, including its own Teen Summer Musical, spoken word artist Arami Walker, and music from Black Stax and DJ Yaddy. The mayor and City Council will also be in attendance. But most importantly, it is an opportunity to gather with neighbors and community members.

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Arts & Culture

PHOTO ESSAY: Fourth Annual ACES Showcases the Work of Over 100 Artists of Color

by Susan Fried

The fourth annual Artists of Color Expo and Symposium (ACES) took place over the weekend of April 2–3, both virtually and in person at LANGSTON (formerly Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute). The BIPOC-led and community-curated event featured the work of over 100 BIPOC artists, live performances, film screenings, artist talks, as well as workshops and opportunity tables. 

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Arts & Culture

Music and Words Flow Through Poet Monique Franklin

by Lisa Edge 

Monique Franklin is a multi-disciplinary artist and self-described performance introvert. Her exposure to the arts began as a toddler under the guidance of her mother, who led family plays in the living room of their Rainier Valley home. Music spoke to Franklin first, followed by dance. She has fond memories of dancing on a mini trampoline while listening to Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, and Lionel Richie. Next was the written word. 

“It wasn’t until I hit my teenage years, and life got complex as teenage years do. And I started writing,” Franklin shared. “I started journaling, and that was my entry into poetry, writing poetry as journal entries. And I did that for many, many years and never shared my poetry with anyone.”

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Arts & Culture

Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program Teaches Tradition, Celebrates Culture

by Chamidae Ford

The Center for Washington Cultural Traditions (CWCT), a Humanities Washington program, has partnered with the Washington State Arts Commission for their annual Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program (HAAP). The year-long program allows an apprentice to spend 100 hours with a master artist over the next year, learning a traditional craft of their culture. 

“The central goal is to preserve and celebrate traditional practices that are either rare, endangered, or unique in Washington State,” Langston Collin Wilkins, director of the CWCT, said. “We really want to provide funding for artists to take time out of their lives and out of their busy schedules to secure the vitality of their cultural traditions.”

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News

Seattle’s Mayoral Candidates Talk About Post-Pandemic Arts Recovery at Arts Forum

by Mark Van Streefkerk 

On Thursday, eight of Seattle’s mayoral candidates shared their plans for reviving the city’s arts communities at an Arts Forum at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. All the candidates agreed that arts and culture recovery is a necessary component in the city’s overall post-pandemic healing, but each had a different idea of how to go about it. 

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Arts & Culture

Seattle Black Film Festival Showcases Expansive Voices From the African Diaspora

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Now in its second year rebranded as Seattle Black Film Festival (SBFF), LANGSTON’s 18th annual event returns from April 16–26, 2021. Once again held in virtual space, SBFF will showcase 70 short and feature films — more than double last year — that demonstrate the diversity of stories from across the African diaspora.

“I feel the depth and breadth of storytelling that found us, that was submitted to the festival this year is extraordinary,” explains SBFF Director Andrea Stuart-Lehalle, who hints that both COVID-19 and recent racial reckonings have played a key role in shaping those narratives. “I feel like filmmakers are in this very raw and visceral space where their stories and experiences were close to the surface and for many, flowed directly into some powerful storytelling they put on-screen.”

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Arts & Culture

LANGSTON’s Newly Rebranded Seattle Black Film Festival Moves Online to Celebrate Black Cinematic Brilliance

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Celebrating the diversity of Black cinematic brilliance, the 17th-annual Seattle Black Film Festival (SBFF) begins Friday, July 10, and runs through Sunday, July 12. Hosted by LANGSTON, a hub for Black arts and culture in the Central District, this year’s festival will be presented online for the first time, in partnership with the independent film screening and music platform, Couch-a-thon. It comes three months after the festival was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Creatives need their works to be shown more than ever and to connect with other filmmakers telling Black stories. We feel the acute need [to show] solidarity and amplify voices,” explains SBFF Director Andrea Stuart-Lehalle. “This is really an important moment for Black creatives, so I’m really happy we found a way to keep our platform going.”

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