The collection of Ballard’s poetic assemblages exploring Black womanhood and spirituality are on view through March 29, 2026
PITTSBURGH, PA — On Thursday, August 21, 2025, the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) celebrated the opening of Lavett Ballard: a Rose is a Rose is a Rose, a major exhibition showcasing the renowned mixed media artist’s evocative assemblages. The evening featured an Artist Talk exploring the power, symbolism, and storytelling embedded in Ballard’s work, along with a reception and exhibition viewing with Lavett Ballard herself. The dynamic dialogue was led by AWAACC Curator and Exhibition Manager Kimberly Diana Jacobs in conversation with Dr. Brittany Webb.
On view through March 29, 2026, the exhibition transforms the Center’s Benter Foundation Gallery into a space where art becomes both altar and archive. Using reclaimed wooden fences, collage, historical imagery, and circular wooden rounds inspired by August Wilson’s Century Cycle, Ballard explores themes of womanist theologies, materiality, and the enduring strength of Black femininity across time.
“Lavett Ballard’s work is a visual hymn, connecting African spiritual traditions with contemporary Black womanhood,” said Janis Burley, President & CEO/Artistic Director of AWAACC. “Her art resonates deeply with August Wilson’s legacy—giving voice to characters like Rose Maxson in Fences, whose complexity and power symbolize resilience, truth, and transformation. Hosting this exhibition in our Center is both a tribute and an expansion of Wilson’s cultural continuum.”
The exhibition’s title draws inspiration from Gertrude Stein, Aretha Franklin, and August Wilson—three cultural icons who invoked “Rose” as a symbol of beauty, resilience, and truth. In Ballard’s hands, the rose becomes a refrain: a rhythmic declaration that bridges history, memory, and womanhood. Works such as Tomorrow was Beautiful (2025), Righteousness & Rituals (2023), and Ashe, So Be It (2022) embody this dialogue, offering a call-and-response between past and present.
This exhibition is made possible with support from the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD).
About the Artist
Lavett Ballard is a mixed media visual artist, art historian, curator, and author. Her works have been featured on Time Magazine covers, in the NAACP Image Award-winning book The New Brownies’ Book: A Love Letter to Black Families, and are held in private and institutional collections across the U.S. and abroad. Ballard holds a dual Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art and Art History from Rutgers University and an MFA in Studio Art from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
ABOUT AUGUST WILSON AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a nonprofit cultural organization located in Pittsburgh’s cultural district that generates artistic, educational, and community initiatives that advance the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. One of the largest cultural centers in the country focused exclusively on the African American experience and the celebration of Black culture and the African diaspora, the non-profit organization welcomes more than 100,000 visitors locally and nationally. Through year-round programming across multiple genres, such as the annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, Black Bottom Film Festival, AWCommunity Days, TRUTHSayers speaker series, and rotating art exhibits in its galleries, the Center provides a platform for established and emerging artists of color whose work reflects the universal issues of identity that Wilson tackled, and which still resonate today.
Major support for AWAACC’s operations is provided by Richard King Mellon Foundation, Henry L. Hillman Foundation, Heinz Endowments, and the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD). AWAACC’s programming is made possible by generous support from its donors. For a complete list, visit our website: awaacc.org
Media Contacts
Ki Ki B. Jones | Nice2Media: (443) 252-3923 | kbrown@awaacc.org
Khalil Waldron: (412) 742-4771 | kwaldron@awaacc.org