By Lluvia Chavez, The Seattle Medium
The neighborhood around the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute has changed, but the staff and arts organization who oversee the storied community center are adapting through deeper partnerships with local arts groups and the power of social media.
“A lot of the programming was primarily Black and Brown by default. Now it has to be a lot more carefully curated, and we have to reach a lot further out to bring our audience back in because a lot of them just don’t live in the area anymore,” said Sadiqua Iman, the program events director for LANGSTON Seattle.
LANGSTON Seattle was founded in 2016 to oversee the management of the arts institute, a building acquired by the city of Seattle in 1972. Through the programs, LANGSTON Seattle pays homage to the Black culture of this historic neighborhood.
Within the last few years, they have focused on creating deeper relationships with local Black art organizations such as Arte Noir, Wa Na Wari, and individual Black artists.
Jazmyn Scott, the executive director of Arte Noir and a former LANGSTON Seattle staff member, says the two organizations maintain consistent communication about their events and repost each other on their social media for support.
“There have been things that Sadiqua and I have had conversations about and we just haven’t had the opportunity to bring them to light,” said Scott. But “on a community level, there is always gonna be that connection between our two organizations.”
Iman said changes in the demographics of the neighborhood mean people don’t just casually drop by. This is true, especially for young people.
To remedy this, the staff have worked to increase promotion for their free youth programming, such as their weekly Healing African Drum and karate classes. Parents are also invited to sign up in an effort to foster a more family-focused environment.
Ebony Arunga, the LANGSTON Seattle interim executive director, grew up in the Central District and recalled getting involved with the institute through their summer play when she was 11. She described herself as a shy girl who discovered her passion for theater at the art institute.
Arunga got her college degree in stage management in Virginia but found her way back to the institute.“It’s just a place that I always felt like I belonged,” Arunga said. “I always felt like it was mine.”
She is passionate about her job because she wants to preserve the space so other young people can grow up at the art institute, just like she did.
The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted attendance at the arts institute. However, staff members have begun distributing fliers and posters in new spots where people could easily spot them such as local coffee shops. Social media has also been a great outreach tool that has boosted their engagement with online audiences.
In the early stages of the lockdown, Arugna and her two friends, musician and writer Gabriel Teodros, and writer Ijeoma Oluo, anticipated the lack of job opportunities for local artists and so started the Seattle Artist Relief Fund on GoFundMe. The number of applications for the Seattle Artist Relief Fund demonstrated the massive need for aid. The initial goal was to raise $20,000 but ended up raising $1.1 million for 2,100 local artists, according to Franklin Pierce Northwest Financial Services accountant who worked closely with the team to manage the funds.
LANGSTON Seattle helped out with the development of the fund by broadening its network to solicit larger grants from private donors. Arunga said that most funds came from individuals, some of whom did separate fundraisers to donate to the cause.
“It was really just a community effort. It started as the GoFundMe, a kind of crowdsourcing thing, and grew into a movement of people who wanted to take care of art,” Arguna said.
Post-Covid, LANGSTON is continuing to provide financial support to artists. They are currently establishing a new program that will give $500 grants to 25 applicants every quarter.
Since its establishment, LANGSTON has demonstrated its commitment to the community even during tough times. Iman said, “Having a place that feels like it’s not going anywhere feels safe and the Black community sure needs more safe spaces.”
