A reception will mark the opening of a new exhibit on display in the newly-renovated Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library – “Destined to Be Known: The James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection at 75”.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection of African American Arts and Letters, founded at Yale in 1941 by Carl Van Vechten. This exhibition will detail the life of James Weldon Johnson and showcase highlights from the collection, including manuscripts of Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Richard Wright; photographs from the Randolph Linsly Simpson Collection; and artworks by Roy DeCarava.
The new “Recent Acquisitions” exhibit will also be on view, highlighting recently acquired materials across numerous Beinecke collections.