Honoring the Power of Our Stories
August Wilson African American Cultural Center champions artists and programs that reflect universal issues of identity illuminated in the works of the 20th century’s greatest American dramatist and which still resonate today.
Upcoming & Ongoing Events
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Current & Upcoming Exhibitions
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August Wilson: The Writer’s Landscape
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center, one of the largest cultural organizations in the country focused exclusively on the African American experience and the arts of the African diaspora, will create The Writer’s Landscape, the first-ever exhibition dedicated to the life and works of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson.
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I Will Belong To Only Me
Titled after a line from her own writing, I Will Belong to Only Me marks the first U.S. solo survey of Peju Alatise (b. 1975 in Lagos, Nigeria). A defining figure in contemporary African art, this exhibition brings together two decades of her work across sculpture, installation, text, and film. Anchored by her celebrated installation Flying Girls (2015–16), I Will Belong to Only Me embodies Alatise’s artistic prowess, conceptual depth, and multidisciplinary command across architecture, painting, sculpture, and storytelling.
Lavett Ballard: a Rose is a Rose is a Rose
Lavett Ballard: a Rose is a Rose is a Rose is a poetic play of mixed media assemblages—varying in shape, scale, and texture—grounded in Ballard’s richly layered narrative style. Through her signature use of reclaimed wooden fences, collage, and historical imagery, this exhibition explores the intersections of womanist theologies, materiality, and representations of Black femininity across time.
Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh: 3rd Annual Juried Exhibition
Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh is a regional, juried Call for Art that uplifts artists whose work challenges us to imagine a more equitable future for our city and region. Now in its third year, the initiative brings together visual art, writing, performance, video, and interdisciplinary practices that center storytelling as a catalyst for justice, memory, and collective action. Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh invited artists from across the region to respond to the question: What if our beloved region worked for everyone? This year’s call centered on storytelling —examining whose stories are preserved, shared and elevated — and explored the power of libraries, archives and personal collections as tools for activism, education and social change.
Discover AWAACC
Bridging Divides
Like our namesake, we believe in the beauty of connecting with all people. Wilson often said he didn’t write for Black or white audiences, but rather about the black experience in America.
Empowering Expression
We believe that creativity is boundless. From gypsy cab drivers to Blues divas, Wilson’s work tenders no apologies and evokes love sonnets of black struggle and triumph, offering clarion tributes to the ancestors gone before, living in eternal memory.
Envisioning the Future
For over a decade, the non-profit August Wilson African American Cultural Center has embraced Wilson’s magnificent legacy. We believe by celebrating black culture and fostering the exchange of ideas, we can transform how people think about the world.
