Spelman College Welcomes New Art Installation Honoring Late Playwright Lorraine Hansberry

A traveling sculpture in honor of the playwright Lorraine Hansberry has made Spelman its newest home.

The late Lorraine Hansberry solidified herself as a successful playwright, writer, and activist. The first Black woman to have her production featured on Broadway, her timeless works include A Raisin in the Sun, Les Blancs, and To Be Young, Gifted, and Black.

Now, Hansberry’s contributions to the world of fine arts have been memorialized as a traveling sculpture, which has made its way to Spelman College in Atlanta.

Designed by contemporary artist Alison Saar and entitled “To Sit A While,” the piece is situated in front of Spelman’s newly-renovated Rockefeller Arts Building, according to a statement from the college. The sculpture bears Hansberry’s likeness as she is surrounded by five chairs, each symbolizing different aspects of her life.

According to the college, “The chairs encourage the public to literally come, sit for a while and think in Hansberry’s presence.”

The installation’s arrival on Spelman’s campus is part of the school’s larger mission to encourage the education of women and non-binary playwrights of color with The Lorraine Hansberry Initiative. Established in 2022 by The Lillys organization, the initiative highlights the renowned writer’s quintessential work and funds scholarships for aspiring women in theater.

“This (program) is to encourage women playwrights to go on to graduate school and to support a scholarship that would enable them to pay tuition and their living expenses,” said Aku Kadogo, a senior lecturer in the Department of Theater & Performance at Spelman. “They can study playwriting in the footsteps of Lorraine Hansberry.”

“We are a women’s college, and we are sending women out into the world to become playwrights, producers, technicians, actors, performers, and content creators,” she continued. “(The sculpture) absolutely should be here.”

The piece currently being displayed at Spelman College has previously been exhibited at Times Square and Howard University.