Janis Burley,
CEO of August Wilson African American Cultural Center,
Reflects on the Organization’s 15 Years
of Enhancing the Arts and Cultural Scene in Downtown Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH, PA, September 12, 2024 – Fifteen years ago, on September 17, 2009, the August Wilson Center for African American Culture opened its doors to the public, embarking on a journey filled with amazing arts experiences and cultural milestones.
Throughout the last 15 years, we have celebrated many successes and successfully navigated periods of uncertainty. In 2017, a new cultural organization sparked a renaissance, transforming the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) into one of the largest, multi-disciplinary Black performing arts centers in the country.
Throughout the last 15 years, we have celebrated many successes and successfully navigated periods of uncertainty. In 2017, a new cultural organization sparked a renaissance, transforming the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) into one of the largest, multi-disciplinary Black performing arts centers in the country.
We are proud of what we have built upon the foundation that others established. Our mission remains steadfast: to become a premier performing arts center, a home for arts, storytelling, and the exchange of ideas rooted in the African American experience and the African Diaspora. We welcome all to learn, recognize, and uplift the Black experience in artful and impactful ways.
Highlights over the past 15 years include the US premiere of the Flying Girls sculpture by Nigerian artist Peju Alatise, the Black Bottom Film Festival, the virtual salon series Lit Fridays and the culinary series, A Seat at Our Table.
Now, it is time to celebrate once more as we look forward to the next 15 years while honoring the past, celebrating the present, and envisioning the future of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center – a place where art and culture are created, presented, and ignite the imaginations of future generations.
Janis Burley
CEO/President
August Wilson African Cultural Center
ABOUT AUGUST WILSON AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a non-profit 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 119,000 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. www.awaacc.org.
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Highlights over the past 15 years include the US premiere of the Flying Girls sculpture by Nigerian artist Peju Alatise, the Black Bottom Film Festival, the virtual salon series Lit Fridays and the culinary series, A Seat at Our Table.
Now, it is time to celebrate once more as we look forward to the next 15 years while honoring the past, celebrating the present, and envisioning the future of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center – a place where art and culture are created, presented, and ignite the imaginations of future generations.
Janis Burley
CEO/President
August Wilson African Cultural Center
ABOUT AUGUST WILSON AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a non-profit 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 119,000 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. www.awaacc.org.
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