When Langston Hughes Came to Town

Isaac Julien's photographic artwork Pas de Deux No. 2 (Looking for Langston Vintage Series), 1989/2016 is part of the exhibition When Langston Hughes Came to Town organised by the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno. 

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.

This exhibition is organized by the Nevada Museum of Art and curated by Carmen L. Beals, Associate Curator and Outreach Director, Las Vegas. The exhibiton dates are May 3, 2025 - February 15, 2026