In celebration of Black History Month, we're looking back at ten of the iconic Black artists who have presented audacious, innovative, ingenious work on our stages — some of the most definitive American art and creative thought of the last century — a tradition that continues to this day. This month, and always, we honor them.
Katherine Dunham
March 7, 1937
Legendary dancer, choreographer, anthropologist and activist Katherine Dunham — who brought Afro-Caribbean dance to an American audience — makes her New York debut at 92NY, three years before her pathbreaking role in Broadway’s Cabin in the Sky.
Langston Hughes
February 28, 1940
Langston Hughes — one of the 20th century’s most iconic American poets and a crucial figure in New York’s Harlem Renaissance — makes his 92NY debut.
Harry Belafonte
April 21, 1948
A gifted young actor and musician, Harry Belafonte makes his off-Broadway debut at 92NY, starring in Sojourner Truth — earning him, he claims in his memoir, “my first critical praise in print,” in a column written by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Gwendolyn Brooks
February 17, 1951
Poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African American to receive the Pulitzer Prize, makes her 92NY debut in a reading from her award-winning second collection of poems, Annie Allen.
Alvin Ailey
January 31, 1960
Revolutionary dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey debuts his definitive work, Revelations, at 92NY —changing the trajectory of American dance forever. Revelations has gone on to become a touchstone of the art form.
Lucille Clifton
April 28, 1969
A young Lucille Clifton becomes one of the earliest winners of 92NY’s Discovery Poetry Contest, giving one of her first major public readings on our stage. She would go on to influence generations of writers and readers, earning a National Book Award in 2000.
James Earl Jones
January 18, 1988
In commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Tony Award-winning actor James Earl Jones lends his legendary voice to an exceptionally stirring reading of excerpts from the civil rights leader’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” before a rapt audience. Listen to the reading.
Anna Deavere Smith
November 15, 1993
Award-winning playwright and performance artist Anna Deavere Smith delivers a reading from her breakout work, Fires in the Mirror, on our stage.
Shantell Martin
Fall 2018
Acclaimed visual artist Shantell Martin serves as artist in residence at 92NY for three months, sharing new video works, sketchbooks, works on canvas, performances, and more.
Julius Eastman
April 21-22, 2023
92NY presents the work of the late, pioneering avant-garde composer Julius Eastman in a pathbreaking retrospective — a major two-day celebration of his music and legacy featuring Devonté Hynes (Blood Orange), Adam Tendler, and Wild Up.