President & CEO/Artistic Director
Janis Burley Wilson has been an arts leader for over two decades in Pittsburgh and beyond. She was named President/CEO and Artistic Director of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) in July 2017. Under her leadership, the Center is considered the 2nd largest Black, multidisciplinary performing arts center in the country. The AWAACC is known for the power of their programming and for honoring our stories.
Prior to taking the helm at the AWAACC, she was Vice President of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for 15 years, and while there, she started the music series JazzLive in 2003, which is still running presently. Burley Wilson launched the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival (PIJF) in 2011 and is one of the few women in a curatorial and directorial role in jazz in the country. The festival is now a program of the August Wilson Center. She curates multiple series at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, including TruthSayers, A Seat at Our Table, Soul Sessions, the Highmark Blues & Heritage Festival, Black Bottom Film Festival, The Intermission series, and a host of other programs that engage the local and national community. Throughout her career, she has commissioned numerous music projects, engaging musicians to create new works. As part of her vision for the August Wilson Center, the permanent exhibition, August Wilson: A Writer’s Landscape opened Spring 2022. The Writer’s Landscape is the largest exhibit dedicated to the life and work of the Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright. Ever evolving, and innovating, Janis is leading the Lights ON Liberty Avenue initiative, with the new lighting installation on the façade of the August Wilson Center designed by Mikael Owunna, which will be completed in summer of 2027.
Burley Wilson has offered her expertise to projects for organizations like Deutscher Jazzpreis in Germany, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, Jazz Philadelphia, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and Jazz Congress. She was an advisor to the NYC-based Jazz Coalition, a collective of industry professionals identifying global needs affecting the jazz and improvised music community. Janis serves on the boards of the Winter Jazz Festival and the PA Presenters Board. Burley Wilson is also a member of The Links Incorporated, the Northeasterners, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and International Women’s Network. In her spare time, she is an accomplished milliner, designing hats and accessories under the label, Janis B. et al.