News & Stories
2022
New permanent exhibit highlights the life and work of playwright August Wilson
August Wilson was not nearly as prolific. He broke through with “Jitney” in 1982 when he was 37, and followed with a staggering burst of creativity. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,”…
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‘The Writer’s Landscape’ celebrates famed playwright August Wilson and his Pittsburgh roots
Few Pittsburgh-born artists have had as great an impact on their fields as did playwright August Wilson, who won the first of his two Pulitzer Prizes for drama in 1987…
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Walk into August Wilson’s life and plays in immersive new exhibit
Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson, who died in 2005, is one of the prides of Pittsburgh – yet until this week, there has been no site in…
Read moreExhibit On Playwright August Wilson Opens At His Namesake Center
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center opens a new permanent exhibit.
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Hits and Misses
The late playwright August Wilson has loomed large over the Pittsburgh cultural landscape for 40 years, but there has not been a permanent exhibit on his life and work available…
Read moreFamily Of Youngest Black Woman Museum Exhibit Designer Who Died From COVID-19 Continuing Her Legacy
She was the youngest Black woman museum exhibit designer and she aspired to start her own firm. The 30-year-old Philadelphia native didn’t get to live out her dream, but now,…
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New August Wilson Center exhibition reveals playwright’s work, life
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center finally has a permanent exhibition dedicated to the life and work of its Pulitzer Prize-winning namesake.
Read more August Wilson Center exhibit immerses visitors in ‘writer’s landscape’
“August Wilson’s work is universal,” said Janis Burley Wilson, the August Wilson Center’s president and CEO. “The themes that he explores in his plays are love, betrayal, trust, hopes, dreams….
Read moreAugust Wilson African American Cultural Center Renames 1839 Gallery to Honor Exhibition Designer Victoria Renée Edwards
Inaugural Exhibition to Feature Works in Collaboration by Multidisciplinary Artists Li Harris and Alisha B. Wormsley, on view April 8 – August 28, 2022 April 1, 2022 – Pittsburgh, PA…
10 April events not to miss in Pittsburgh
We can imagine no better place for the first-ever permanent exhibition dedicated to Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Hill District native August Wilson. It’s an unprecedented opportunity to be immersed in Wilson’s vision and see…
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August Wilson Center to Open First-Ever Exhibition Dedicated to Its Namesake
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center will soon honor its namesake with an exhibition dedicated to the playwright’s life and work. On April 16, the center will premiere “August…
Read moreAugust Wilson African American Cultural Center Opens August Wilson: the Writer’s Landscape Saturday, April 16 First-ever Permanent Exhibition Dedicated to Life of Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright
February 24, 2022 – Pittsburgh, PA – The August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) announced today that August Wilson: The Writer’s Landscape, the first-ever permanent exhibition dedicated to the…
2021
World Premiere of CIRCLES, a multi-faceted dance and visual arts work by STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos co-presented by AWAACC and Kelly Strayhorn Theater
Tickets available now for CIRCLES: going in, a full-length dance work, October 28-30 Visual arts exhibition CIRCLES: reclamation on-view now through 31 WHAT: August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC)…
August Wilson African American Cultural Center Announces Fall 2021 Line-up
Featuring Signature Festivals: Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival featuring Chaka Khan Highmark Blues & Heritage Festival featuring Mavis Staples We Want the Funk Festival featuring Steve Arrington, and Ladies of SKYY,…
The Moment Is Always Now for Frederick Douglass
In November of 1857 Frederick Douglass gave a speech at the Federated Church in Edgartown titled The Unity of Man. A few decades later, in 1876, Mr. Douglass returned to…
Read moreAugust Wilson African American Cultural Center Announces Additional Artists for 11th Annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival September 17-19, 2021
Featuring Chaka Khan, Dianne Reeves, Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Branford Marsalis, Patrice Rushen, Gregory Porter, Jazzmeia Horn, and more July 20, 2021 – Pittsburgh, PA – The August Wilson African…
August Wilson African American Cultural Center in Partnership With Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association Presents Roger Guenveur Smith’s Frederick Douglass Now on Saturday, August 21
Live, one-night-only Performance takes place at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs, where Frederick Douglass spoke 145 years ago Smith also joins August Wilson African American Cultural Center as Guest Theater…
August Wilson African American Cultural Center Announces 11th Annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Featuring Chaka Khan, Dianne Reeves, and Marcus Miller
Line-up also includes Gregory Porter, Jazzmeia Horn, The Baylor Project, Lakecia Benjamin, and more June 8, 2021 – Pittsburgh, PA – The August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) announced…
Black-Led Community Spotlight: AWAACC Board Chair Tracey McCants Lewis
Pittsburgh born and bred, Tracey McCants Lewis has been a law professor, a civil rights attorney, and currently serves as the Deputy General Counsel and Director of Human Resources for…
Read moreAugust Wilson African American Cultural Center to Reopen May 22, 2021 With New Visual Arts Exhibition: Minding My Business (I said what i said)
Exhibition featuring works by Rabéa Ballin, Krista Franklin, Deun Ivory, Tonika Lewis Johnson, Pia Love, Natalie Lauren Sims, and SHAN Wallace Curated by Selenite Arts Advisory May 5, 2021 –…
August Wilson African American Cultural Center Receives Over $1 Million In Support From Richard King Mellon Foundation
Generous funding includes $350,000 for the creation of artist resident program supporting local, emerging artists of color Pittsburgh, PA – April 22, 2021 – The August Wilson African American Cultural Center…
August Wilson African American Cultural Center Receives Over $1 Million in Support From Richard King Mellon Foundation
Generous funding includes $350,000 for the creation of artist resident program supporting local, emerging artists of color Pittsburgh, PA – April 22, 2021 – The August Wilson African American Cultural…
August Wilson African American Cultural Center Announces Tracey Mccants Lewis as New Chair of the Board
Dr. Rahmon Hart, Tony Murphy, Shiv Seth, and Dr. James Taylor Join as Trustees of the Non-Profit Cultural Center Pittsburgh, PA – April 13, 2021 – The August Wilson African…
August Wilson African American Cultural Center Announces Black History Month Programming
Pittsburgh’s Black Art Scene: Past, Present & Future, a retrospective on Pittsburgh’s role in the cultural lexicon and a celebration of the city’s historic arts scene presented as part of…
August Wilson African American Cultural Center Announces Youth Writers Camp Utilizing August Wilson’s Award-winning Works as Curriculum to Develop Students’ Unique Voices
Open to all middle and high school students, fourth annual camp session runs March 20-July 3 February 16, 2021 (Pittsburgh, PA) – The August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC),…