"Buffalo's Black Arts Renaissance" Screening and Discussion

From the late-1960s through the mid-1970s, Buffalo’s Black communities experienced an artistic renaissance with the formation of numerous cultural institutions committed to bringing the arts to the inner city. These organizations included the African American Cultural Center, the Center for Positive Thought, the Ujima Theatre Company, and the Langston Hughes Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, among many others. In conjunction with the exhibition Founders, which explores the founding and early history of the Langston Hughes Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, the Burchfield Penney will present a screening of the documentary "Buffalo’s Black Arts Renaissance of the 1970s," produced by Doug Ruffin and the Buffalo History Channel. The film explores the history and impact of this renaissance through an in-depth conversation with Gail Wells, co-founder of the Black Dance Workshop. Following the screening will be a Q&A session with the filmmaker.

The founder of Urban Legacy Filmworks, parent company to the Buffalo History Channel, Doug Ruffin has spent the last 25 years capturing and chronicling the city’s rich African American history through his work as a documentary filmmaker, content creator, and historian. His productions include rare, archival footage and interviews that highlight the stories, organizations, and individuals that have contributed to the rich legacy of Buffalo’s black communities. This is the second in a series of screenings with Ruffin to explore his unique and vital lens on our region’s history.