PUMA x Schomburg Center

Join us on Wednesday, October 29th for tours of the centennial anniversary exhibition, 100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity, that gave inspiration to PUMA’s first employee-led collective of Black creatives, We Are Legends, who developed the limited PUMA x Schomburg Center collection. Blending classic Puma styles with art objects seen at the Schomburg Center and within its centennial exhibition, 100 showcases our archival collections and some of the individuals like Aaron Douglas and Langston Hughes, whose scholarship and creativity were seeded by the Division of Negro Literature, History, and Prints at original 135th Street library—the forerunner to today’s Schomburg Center.

From 4PM - 8PM part of the capsule collection will be on display in the Langston Hughes Lobby. Enjoy small bites and drinks and stay for our intimate salon conversation with award-winning multidisciplinary artist and author Malene Barnett (6PM) atop of the public art installation Rivers by Houston Conwill. From art and design to research, writing and public speaking, Malene works to empower and unite Black artists and designers through community building. The evening is dedicated to Schomburg's enduring role as a research center and a convening space for intergenerational conversations, world-building, and creativity.

PARTNERSHIP

On October 1st, Global sports brand PUMA and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture announced the second clothing capsule collection in their collaboration. The partnership, which first launched in 2023, champions education, empowerment, and cultural enrichment through scholarships, funding initiatives, exclusive product drops, community engagement opportunities, and more. In celebration of the Schomburg Center’s 100th Anniversary, the 2025 collection draws inspiration from the classic personal style of the library’s first patrons during the Harlem Renaissance.

EXHIBITION

100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity celebrates 100 years of groundbreaking work at the Schomburg Center. Curated by Center Director, Joy Bivins, the exhibition explores Schomburg’s legacy through the prism of place, people, and material culture. Featuring iconic objects from each of Schomburg’s five collecting divisions across three galleries, 100 is filled with artwork, photography, rare publications and personal journals, audio recordings from the archive, and highlights the iconic Aaron Douglas 4-panel mural Aspects of Negro Life.

WAKEUPWORLD SALON: MALENE BARNETT

Malene (ma-lay-nee) Djenaba (jen-na-ba) Barnett is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, textile surface designer, and community builder. In her work, Malene explores both her Caribbean heritage and surface pattern design found in African and diasporic architecture, textiles and objects. In 2024, Malene released her first book, “Crafted Kinship: Inside the Creative Practice of Contemporary Black Caribbean Makers” (Hachette), which includes interviews with over 60 artists of Caribbean heritage, taking readers on an important journey through the world of Black Caribbean creativity. Malene is also the founder of the Black Artists + Designers Guild, a collective of independent Black makers. Learn more about the Wakeupworld Salon .

This year, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding! Join us all year long for a wide array of special events, exhibitions, and more as we celebrate this milestone and continue the legacy of Arturo Schomburg.

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FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED Events are free and open to all, but due to space constraints registration is requested.

ACCESSIBLILITY Accessibility requests can be made by e-mail [email protected].

E-TRANSPORTATION NYPL policy prohibits electric transportation devices (e.g., motorbikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards) from being brought into or stored at library sites for any length of time, as this is the best way to keep our spaces & people safe.

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING Programs are photographed and recorded by the Schomburg Center. Attending this event indicates your consent to being filmed/photographed and your consent to the use of your recorded image for any all purposes of the New York Public Library.

PRESS Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Leah Drayton at [email protected].

Please note that personal and professional video recordings are prohibited without expressed consent.

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Host or Publisher Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture