It’s Black History Month and the best way you can celebrate is by educating yourself. For instance, did you know that two of the most famous Negro League Baseball teams had their home in Pittsburgh? Did you know that the LeMoyne House in Washington, PA was active in the Underground Railroad and served as an epicenter of antislavery activity? If you didn’t, or even if you did, you should head out to the various Black History Month exhibitions to learn about the importance of historical Black voices in the city of Pittsburgh. There are plenty of resources just waiting for you to jump in and discover something new this Black History Month.
Heinz History Center
The Heinz History Center has many permanent displays and event exhibitions to showcase African American history in Pittsburgh and beyond. Firstly, on February 21 catch a Black History Month Lecture from Dr. Nicole R. Fleetwood on how art provides imprisoned people with a voice. Then, explore more than 250 years of African American history from the anti-slavery movement to its impact on modern civil rights in the permanent exhibition, From Slavery to Freedom. You can also find exhibits on historic African American inventors in Pittsburgh and the story of the Negro League Baseball.
Pittsburgh Parks Conservatory
Continue your discoveries of the From Slavery to Freedom exhibit from the Heinz History Center at the Frick Environmental Center’s From Slavery to Freedom Garden. Walk the garden which features plants found in woodlands and fields that were used for food and medicinal purposes along the journey to freedom, as well as vegetables used in home gardens at the time.
August Wilson African American Cultural Center
Two exhibitions at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center will take you through the minds of two different artists. August Wilson: The Writer’s Landscape guides visitors through three “stops” in the famous playwright’s life, The Coffee Shop, The Office, and The Street. The second exhibition available till February 18, Onna-Bugeisha: Warriors of Light, is a series of paintings by Tim Okamura. His work imagines an alternate reality where due to the rise in power of an authoritarian regime, a clandestine group of women warriors – freedom fighters guided by the Bushido, or Code of the Samurai – battle persecution and injustice.
Trust Arts Education Center
Courtesy of the Trust Arts Education Center, artist Randall Coleman presents an immersive virtual reality art gallery on February 10. This exhibition brings a new perspective to historical black and white African American stories by reimagining them in vibrant color. Plus, after the exploration, Randall will teach viewers how to replicate the colorizing effect themselves.
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
Kids have two chances at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh to explore art while celebrating Black History Month. On February 11, the Art Studio will host a Teenie Harris Photo Studio where children can learn different ways to create with photography through the example of images from local Black photographer, Teenie Harris. The Art Studio hosts another event on February 21 to learn how to monoprint like Frank Bowling and Evangeline Montgomery. Kids will get a chance to learn the lives and methods of these two artists before making their own creation.
The Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center
The Miniature Railroad and Village at The Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center features some of the iconic African American figures and landmarks in Pittsburgh history. Spot the buildings of the Pittsburgh Courier, the LeMoyne House, Crawford Grill, and Ebenezer Baptist Church. You might just also see some miniature famous faces like that of suffragist Daisy Lampkin.
Carnegie Museum of Art
The Carnegie Museum of Art houses an archive of Charles “Teenie” Harris photographic works that you can view online or on display at the Art Theater Hallway, August Wilson House, and Scaife Galleries. His work chronicles everyday Black life in 20th-century America, depicting moments ranging from World War II to the Civil Rights movement and much more.
The City of Pittsburgh
To celebrate Black History Month, the City of Pittsburgh has created a display in the City County Building honoring the Freedom House Ambulance Service. This ambulance service was the first emergency medical service in the United States to be staffed by paramedics with medical training beyond basic first aid. It was also made up entirely of Black men and women. You can also find more information such as interviews about the service and its members on the city’s Facebook and Instagram throughout the month of February.
Story by Kylie Thomas
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