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Compton: Arts and Archives

"Compton: Arts and Archives" explores the significance of the "Hub City" in arts, politics and culture, through community-based articles and archives, as well as essays and artist conversations from Sepia Collective. The series is edited by Jenise Miller.

A poster made by Elliot Pinkney with a collage of images including that of Martin Luther King, Jr., piano music sheet, and words that say "Compton Hub City," "Compton College" and "Happy Cinco de Mayo!"
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A black and white photo shows a woman with short hair wearing a T-shirt standing outside in a grove of trees holding a large horizontal poster that reads "Paul Robeson Players" and "Dedicated to Theatrical Excellence" with an illustration of comedy and tragedy theater masks in the center.
Paul Robeson Players Put Compton on the Map for Theatrical Excellence
Compton's award-winning Paul Robeson Players was once one of the longest-running Black theater companies in Los Angeles.
A black and white hpoto of Medusa The Gangsta Goddess, a young Black woman with her hair in an updo and wearing large hoop earrings. She is holding a microphone up to her mouth as she performs passionately into it.
Rise of the Fly Girls: The Compton and South Central Women Who Helped Shape West Coast Hip Hop
Women in Compton and South Central Los Angeles were influential in the development of Hip Hop on the West Coast.
African American men and women in a parade of cars during Cinco de Mayo in Compton.
'You Had to be There': Compton in Literature and Memory
Compton-raised writers Robin Coste Lewis (former Los Angeles poet laureate), Amaud Jamaul Johnson (poet, professor and National Book Critics Circle finalist) and Jenise Miller (a poet and urban planner of Panamanian descent) discuss a Compton beyond the popular imagination.
Young African American men and women gather near the table of a representative from California Federal Savings and Loan during a luncheon. The event was sponsored by the Black Business Association (BBA) at Dooto's Music Center.
How Compton Became a Citadel of Black Political Power
In the 1960s and 70s, young, Black middle-class families flocked to Compton for the opportunity to live in a progressive, Black space created by Black businesses and civic and political engagement.
Students enjoyed a variety of art making activities and classes at the Happening House. | Courtesy of Willie Ford, Jr. and the Compton Communicative Arts Academy Collection, Special Collections and Archives, John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, CSU L.A.
How Compton's Communicative Arts Academy Rebuilt the City for Artists and Community Life
From 1969 to 1975, Compton's Communicative Arts Academy invigorated the city with art by establishing Compton as canvas and muse as well as by transforming buildings into venues and objects for art in the community.
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