Above: Artist Noni Olabisi’s “Trouble Island” mural (2002) depicts Dr. Still conducting his opera of the same name, while images of the 1791 slave rebellion in Haiti, the subject of the score, surround him.
The William Grant Still Arts Center presents three exhibitions annually: a thematic fall show, the Black Doll Show in winter, and the African American Composer Series in spring.
Past exhibitions include the 38th Annual Black Doll show Double Dutch: A Celebration of Black Girlhood (2018); How the West Got Funked Up! (2018); A Woman’s Place (2017) an exhibition on the lives and legacies of five radical women of color (Angela Davis, Yuri Kochiyama, Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez, Ericka Huggins, and Jewel Thais-Williams); Deeds Not Words, about Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln in Spring 2012; Dragon’s Flight, an exhibition of artwork by artists who are currently or formerly incarcerated, (2012); A New Day: Nina Simone (2011); Hell No! We Won’t Go!: 50 Years of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) (2010); and Images, an exhibition of the Black LGBT Project Archive site-specific to the neighborhood and Los Angeles (2011).
Unless otherwise noted, exhibitions are curated or selected by the Director and staff at the William Grant Still Arts Center. The Center works in collaboration with local artists, historians, knowledge-bearers, collectors, and curators. Panels, concerts, workshops, screenings, and other events take place as part of the exhibit. The center also offers fall, winter, and spring classes that coincide with the theme of the concurrent exhibition.
Admission to all exhibits, panels and programs is generally free of charge. A minimal fee is sometimes charged for materials for art workshops. No one is turned away for lack of funds.
The William Grant Still Arts Center 