Kuumba Theatre Archive Unfurling

Sunday, August 9, 2026 | Harold Washington Library Center Reading Room | 2:00pm
Free (Reservations Required)

Step into the living history of Chicago’s Black Arts Movement with an exclusive archival unfurling event at the Harold Washington Library Center. Drawing directly from the library’s Special Collections and Chicago Theater Collection, this event uncovers the rich, radical legacy of the Kuumba Workshop (later Kuumba Theatre Company). Founded in 1969 by the visionary dramatist Val Gray Ward. Kuumba, meaning creativity in Kiswahili, pioneered a revolutionary “ritual theatre” designed to educate, entertain, and awaken community consciousness.

Attendees will have a rare, up-close look at the workshop’s original production memorabilia, photographs, and ephemera that tell the story of their powerful liberation work. From staging politically charged pieces by local and national giants like Eugene “Useni” Perkins and James Baldwin, to their community forums and open letters which challenged Black media makers to more deeply consider the role of representation, this event explores how Kuumba fiercely lived its motto to “clean up, create, and build.” Join us as we open the boxes, honor the ancestors of Chicago Black theatre, and celebrate an enduring blueprint for art as activism.

Photo by Ollie Photography.

Presented in partnership with