William Grant Still Arts Center


The William Grant Still Arts Center is located at 2520 S West View Street in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1977, WGSAC has offered music and art classes for adults and youth, an exhibition space, concerts, and space for community meetings and gatherings for its surrounding neighborhood.

History

The William Grant Still Arts Center was established with in collaboration with the local community and then-councilman David S. Cunningham Jr. The building was constructed in 1929 to for the City of Los Angeles Fire Department Engine Company No. 67. In 1976, the building was renovated to serve as a community arts facility for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. In 1977, it was transformed into a community arts center with a central exhibition space in the main rotunda, exhibition and meeting rooms, offices, kitchen, and outdoor patio and amphitheater.
The center was named in honor of composer Dr. William Grant Still. "Troubled Island," the opera Dr. Still wrote with a libretto by Langston Hughes, is commemorated on the south side of the building in the alleyway in a 2003 mural created by artist Noni Olabisi, with assistance from Brother Boko.

Exhibitions

The center’s calendar operates in four quarters, each one dedicated to specific cultural themes and artistic disciplines.

Annual Black Doll Show

For nearly 40 years, the William Grant Still Arts Center has presented the Annual Black Doll Show, an original exhibition of Black dolls from artists, collectors, and the local community.

Black Doll Show exhibitions

1981 – 1st Annual – African American Dolls
1982 – 2nd Annual – Black Doll Exhibit
1983 – 3rd Annual – It's A Small World
1984 – Historical Odyssey of Black Dolls
1985 – 5th Annual - Time Capsule of Dolls
1986 – 6th Annual - Puppets and Puppeteers, The African American Image
1988 – 8th Annual - The Genius of the Black Doll - From Slavery to the Twenty First Century
1989 – 9th Annual - Symmetry - A Comparison of Dolls and Puppets
1990 – 10th Annual - Black Dolls of the World: 10th Anniversary
1991 – 11th Annual – Dolls: Past and Present
1992 – 12th Annual - Moving Parts - Puppet Images of the African Diaspora
1993 – 13th Annual – Handmade Dolls
1994 – 14th Annual - Doll as Companion, Image and Treasure
1995 – 15th Annual Black Dolls Are Maker’s Wonder
1996 – 16th Annual - Adventures in Dollhouse Land
1997 – 17th Annual - Past to Present
1998 – 18th Annual - Dolls: Social-Political Images, Collectibles & Toys
1999 – 19th Annual - A Century of African American Dolls: The Pride and Politics of Portrayal
2000 – 20th Annual - Futuristic Dreams and Fantasies
2002 – 21st Annual - A Salute to Doll Artists
2003 – 23rd Annual - A Salute to Doll Artists
2004 – 24th Annual - From the Cotton Fields to the New Millennium
2005 – 25th Annual - Lemons to Lemonade
2006 – 26th Annual - Lemons to Lemonade
2008 – 28th Annual - Dolls of Color Around the World
2009 – 29th Annual - I’ve got a Story to Tell
2010 – 30th Annual - The 3Rs - Remember, Recycle, Revive
2011 – 31st Annual - The Politics of Imagery
2012 – 32nd Annual - Space is the Place
2013 – 33rd Annual - Dolls Gone Wild
2014 – 34th Annual - A League Supreme
2015 – 35th Annual - Trench Art Retrospective: The War Against HIV/AIDS – Women Of The African Diaspora In The Trenches
2016 – 36th Annual - Paper Plastic Ceramic and Wood
2017 – 37th Annual - Jubilee, Celebrations in Color
2018 – 38th Annual - Double Dutch: A Celebration of Black Girlhood
2019 – 39th Annual - Psychedollia
2020 – 40th Annual - All Dolled Up: A 40 Year Celebration of the WGSAC Annual Black Doll Show
2021 – 41st Annual - Black Doll Magic
2022 – 42nd Annual - Fun and Games

The African American Composers Series

African American Composers exhibitions

Source:
2009 – Charles Mingus
2010 – The High Priest of Bop – The Jazz Odyssey of Thelonious Monk
2011 – A New Day – Nina Simone
2012 – Deeds Not Words – The Life and Work of Max Roach & Abbey Lincoln
2013 – Arkestry of the Cosmos – The Universe Language of Sun Ra
2014 – I Got My Pride – The Blues Tales of Lead belly
2015 – Love You Madly – A Portrait of Duke Ellington
2016 – So What! The Artistry of Miles Davis
2017 – Nearly Gone Gal: The Rescued Archives of Nellie Lutcher
2019 – Music is Art, Music is Philosophy, Music is History: The Legacy of Dr. William Grant Still 2018 – How the West Got Funked Up!
2020 – Spanish Grease – Willie Bobo

Fall Exhibition Series

Source:

Fall exhibitions

2011 – Hell No! We Won't Go!: 50 Years of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee
2012 – Dragon’s Flight
2013 – Tequio Aqui, Tequio Alla
2014 – Return of the Mecca: The Art of Islam and Hip-Hop
2016 – Intersections: Valena Broussard Dismukes
2017 – A Woman’s Place
2018 – Making the Divine from the Disposable: Teresa Tolliver
2019 – Legacy: Rocking the Nation, 30 Years of Creativity

Educational programs

Educational programs include art, movement and music classes for seniors, adults, teens, children, including early childhood education.
In 2015, the WGSAC and community members collaborated with professional archivists and local historians to develop West Adams Collectors Club, took place over the course of eight Saturdays from March 14 – May 2, 2015.

Art & Jazz Summer Day Camp

Art and Jazz Summer day camp for ages 3–12, jazz-based ensemble instruction, partnerships with teachers at local schools and universities; and readings, film screenings, and concerts throughout the year.

Community workshops

The WGSAC offers community workshops that range from drawing, arts & craft, percussion, keyboard, tap dancing, and physical exercise. The WGSAC also offers doll-making workshops to share the tradition of doll-making practices.

Directors