Tour and Programming

The statue was unveiled June 9, 2022 in NYC’s Times Square and had installations at the following locations in New York City:

  • Times Square Theater District
  • The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park

In addition to the NYC installations, a national tour is scheduled for the sculpture and will be augmented by public arts programming. The tour will have initial stops in major cities across the country, such as Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and more, with the intention that additional cities will be added. As the birthplace of Hansberry and setting of A Raisin in the Sun, Chicago will enjoy an enhanced and permanent installation.

Public performances and programs at each location will engage local residents, schools, and employ local artists.

Current Installation

Howard University, Washington DC

Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts |  Wednesday, October  26 – Monday, December 5

Upcoming Installations

Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago

Past Installations

New York City

Times Square, Father Duffy Square, (B’way & 47th)  |  Thursday, June 9 – Monday, June 13
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library  |  Tuesday, June 14 – Sunday, June 19
Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5  |  Thursday, June 23 – Wednesday, June 29

Times Square, Father Duffy Square, (B’way & 47th)
Thursday, June 9 – Monday, June 13

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 09: Julia Jordan, Alison Saar, and Lynn Nottage attend the Lorraine Hansberry statue unveiling by The Lorraine Hansberry Initiative at Duffy Square in Times Square on June 09, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for The Lorraine Hansberry Initiative )

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5
Tuesday, June 23 – Wednesday, June 29

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library
Tuesday, June 14 – Sunday, June 19

The Unveiling of the Lorraine Hansberry Sculpture
Thursday, June 9, 4PM

Featuring: Mamie Hansberry, Nantille Hansberry, Taye Hansberry, Lynn Nottage, LaChanze, our sculptor Alison Saar, The Lillys, and more, celebrating the Great American Playwright Lorraine Hansberry.

A Raisin in the Sun: Free Outdoor Screening
Saturday, June 11, 5:00PM, Tribeca Festival, Pier 57, Hudson River Park, NY

The Playwright as Activist: Lorraine Hansberry’s Legacy
Monday, June 13, 6:30PM, Museum of the City of New York

Brooklyn Poetry Slam: Celebrating Lorraine Hansberry
Wednesday, June 29, 1:00PM, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5, Brooklyn, NY
Presented in partnership with BRIC and Brooklyn Poetry Slam.

 

Detroit

The Charles H. Wright Musuem of African American History  |  Detroit

Tuesday, July 26 – Tuesday, August 9

In partnership with:

 

 

Minneapolis

Pillsbury House Theatre  |  Minneapolis

Monday, August 15 – Tuesday, September 20

In partnership with:

Pillsbury House Theatre Inside Out Block Party
Saturday, August 20, Chicago Ave Between 35th & 36th Streets.

Gift & Black with Free Black Dirt
Friday, August 26, Come take up space and luxuriate in summer sweetness. Be serenaded in Poeticisms and song and surrender to Black joy.

Black Women Speak
Saturday, August 27, Hansberry passed at the tender age of 34 due to pancreatic cancer. We will assess how to preserve our health and learn simple healing tools for self-preservation.

Million Artist Movement
Thursday, September 1 & 8, Community singing for children and families with Jayanthi. Come to learn protest songs and the Black tradition of singing together. Families will receive a coloring songbook at the events.

Elder Storytelling with In Black Ink
Saturday, September 3, Can we sit a while with elder storytellers reflecting on the impact of witnessing the magic of A Raisin in the Sun and the themes that came up in the play related to wealth-building, housing, and intergenerational trauma/healing?

“Letters for Lorraine” Youth Creative Writing Workshop with the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery
Saturday, September 10, Youth will write short pieces exploring and expressing the themes highlighted in Lorraine Hansberry’s work such as Black liberation, racial justice, gender equality and civil rights.

 

New York City
– Astor Place

Astor Place  |  New York City
Tuesday, September 27 – Friday, October 21

The Public Theater |  A RAISIN IN THE SUN Post-Show Talk Back
Friday, October 21, Newman Theater
Featured Dr. Imani Perry (author, Looking for Lorraine) and Tracy Heather Strain (director, Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart) in conversation on Lorraine Hansberry and the themes presented in her seminal work, A Raisin in the Sun.

The Public Theater’s cast of A Raisin in the Sun. Photo by Natalie Anne Powers for Jenny Anderson Photo.

In partnership with:

Program Partners