The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is more than just August Wilson’s life—it embodies his legacy. Though Wilson’s work is its main focus, the Center has a rotating exhibition series and some of the most ambitious and expansive interdisciplinary programming in Pittsburgh. Through Pittsburgh’s jazz festival, exquisite sit-down dinner galas, engaging film screenings, and diverse literary readings, the Center has a lot to celebrate for its upcoming fifteenth anniversary in 2025.
Get to Know the August Wilson African American Cultural Center
“August Wilson was a master griot, a storyteller that created content based on the lives, trials and triumphs of Black people to tell the stories of our experience in each decade of the 20th century,” President and CEO Janis Burley told TABLE. “The artists that we support and present do the same. They tell stories of Black lives through a variety of mediums, giving opportunity for reflection, affirmation, and exploration for our audience. This is our mission. We are committed to continue for the next fifteen years and beyond for our local and national audience.”
In 2022, Burley spearheaded the current permanent installation within the center, the August Wilson Writer’s Landscape. The exhibition divides Wilson’s life up into select locations and motifs. It includes a diner and coffeeshop where Wilson took notes on napkins and wrote early drafts of his plays and explores his myriad of influences, like poet and novelist Jorge Luis Borges and fellow Pittsburgh-born artist Romare Bearden. Those familiar with Wilson’s works like Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and The Piano Lesson can learn more about the man behind the work and see them from a different perspective. Wilson’s widow, Costanza Romero, was also heavily involved with curating the space to honor his memory and unique creative spirit.
Something for Any Level of August Wilson Knowledge
Curator and Exhibition Manager Kimberly Jacobs describes her role as “taking on the changing exhibitions that cover a lot themes in context with the permanent collection.” She tries to balance sustainability and context with keeping things fresh and educational. “Whether you know nothing about August Wilson or you are an August Wilsonian scholar, there’s something for everyone. If you don’t know anything, you’ll definitely leave with more knowledge. But you can go on a deep dive and immerse in the plays,” she said.
Currently, visitors can view Collections in Black, an exhibit framed around Phillip “DJ Big Phill” Thompson’s collection of Black comic book heroes, writers, and creators. Johnson was the 2023-2024 artist-in-residence for a recent program within the center called B.U.I.L.D., which supports artists of color in Pittsburgh. “It was a wonderful way for me to learn about the world of comics,” Jacobs said. “Comics are often the first art form that we recognize and know. To bring that into an exhibition space has opened up a lot of opportunities for accessibility.”
Art for All
Accessibility is one of Jacobs’s central values. In 2025, she’s excited to debut exhibitions from renowned sculptors Péju Alatise and John Rhoden. Because admission to the Center is free, that allows more people to get to enjoy world-class artwork. “The perception of art spaces and centers is inaccessible, gatekeep-y, and exclusionary,” Jacobs said. “We try to break down those barriers for people. It hit me hard that some people didn’t know these exhibitions or know that we had these things or that they’re free. I enjoy breaking down that wall.”
As the August Wilson Center turns fifteen, Pittsburghers can look forward to a year of celebration. The Center is behind the International Jazz Festival, and next year’s will be an especially vibrant one. All of the Center’s programming came out of a desire not just to create a hub of Black art history in Pittsburgh, but also to invest in the city’s future through August Wilson’s legacy. Burley summed up that legacy as: “Everyday people have stories. Our stories matter. August Wilson inspires us to use our own lives to inspire others.”
Story by Emma Riva / Photo courtesy of the August Wilson Center
Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition
