William Grant Still Community Arts Center

Wow oh wow!
Had no idea this little gem was in LA. I came today for the RETURN OF THE MECCA: THE ART OF ISLAM AND HIP-​HOP exhibit. It opened Oct. 4^th and runs till Nov. 22^nd 2014.
This exhibition showcases art through old newspaper clippings, tape cassettes, album covers, photography, video & film.
It was dope to see the O. G’s of Hip-​Hop such as Eric B. & Rakim, Kwame, Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy, X-​Clan, Gang Starr, Queen Latifah, Ice Cube, Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-​Tang, Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) and others from the 90’s.
Malcolm X hand written letter to Alex Haley was on display also. This Saturday Chuck D is supposed to be there from 2−4pm. Next exhibit I believe is on black dolls. Come check it out for yourself. They also have dance, keyboard, beatmaking, poetry, and painting lessons for the youth. For the adults they have line dancing, keyboards & theater/​film acting classes.
Not only does this center get 5 stars the staff gets 5 *‘s too. Everyone was very helpful and knowledgeable. Please come and support this local Art Center.

I found out about this place completely by accident when I was driving down Adams one day, saw a striking mural and stopped to take some photographs. Now, looking it up on Unilocal,I can’t believe only one other person has Unilocaled it! Located in an old fire station, the space is now used as an art gallery and jazz performance venue. Recent gallery installments have included looks at the careers of Abbey Lincoln & Max Roach and Nina Simone. If you stop by not during an event, you’ll probably only spend 30 minutes or so, but I’d recommend it when they have an event, spots like these are rare :)

The William Grant Still Community Arts Center is one of my favorite venues to go to for black historical exhibits. One of the few places in LA we have left for the genre.
The collection is housed in a old firehouse off of Adams Blvd. It gives an intimate feeling – as if you are in someone’s living room.
The city has been trying to give this place up for private ownership, but I hope this never happens – the city of Los Angeles needs to retain this space for future generations.
Aside from the visiting collections, the staff provides arts and crafts workshops to school children on a variety of subjects, changing from month to month. There are also music lessons – piano, guitar, etc. offered to the youth. All free.
Each time I have visited, it was the opening of a new exhibition, first it was the SNCC collection, and the second time it was a Nina Simone tribute, Both events had live music, appetizers, and wine — good times.
I look forward to each new installment that debuts here.