We have known the name Langston Hughes but never knew much about the man or his writings. Then we went to the Nevada Museum of Art and learned there is not only an exhibit on him but an event which celebrates him and the era from which he came... we were IN.

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 begins by examining the relationship of this literary giant to the state of Nevada through a unique presentation of archival photographs, ephemera, and short stories he wrote that were informed by his visit to the area. The writer’s first trip to the Silver State took place in 1932, when he investigated the working conditions at the Hoover Dam Project. He returned to the state in 1934, at the height of his career, making an unexpected trip to Reno, and found solace and a great night life in the city.

In Reno, Hughes developed a new artistic perspective shaped by his experiences in the American West, contrasting the region’s promise with the severe poverty he encountered. Traveling through the South and California, and experiencing homelessness firsthand, he created two of his most powerful stories, Slice ‘Em Down and On the Road.

In a letter written by Martin Luther King, Jr, Dr. King acknowledges Langston Hughes' poem I Dream A World as influencing his own I Have A Dream Speech, "I dream a world where man, No other man will scorn, Where love will bless the earth And peace its paths adorn I dream a world where all Will know sweet freedom's way, Where greed no longer saps the soul Nor avarice blights our day. A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the earth And every man is free..." Wow!

The presentation continues with work created by leading artists of the Harlem Renaissance who had close ties to Hughes, including sculptures and paintings. The range of work on display foregrounds the rich expressions of dance, music, and fashion prevalent during the influential movement.
Here we met Augusta Savage. In 1937, Augusta was commissioned to craft a large-scale plaster sculpture for the 1939 New York World's Fair- the only African American woman to receive this distinction. The resulting work showed Black singers dressed in choir robes- their bodies, arranged in descending height, forming the shape of a harp. The title was inspired by the poem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (1900) by James Weldon Johnson, which was later set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson. Savage created the monument (later dubbed The Harp) to symbolize the significant contributions African Americans had made to music. This maquette, fashioned as a souvenir for the fair, is a small replica of the larger work. The original was destroyed after the exposition because there wasn't enough funding to move and preserve it.


We concluded our night with An Evening of Jazz and Poetry where we had the fantastic opportunity to "Celebrate the music of the 1920s and the poetry of Langston Hughes at this event, featuring live jazz by Sapphire Jazz Ensemble and local poets reading Hughes’ works."