Ahead of its 15th anniversary, an upcoming music festival and a new comic book exhibition, the August Wilson African American Cultural Center is thriving under the leadership of president and CEO Janis Burley.
65K
square feet in the August Wilson African American Cultural Center building
15+
performers at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival
70K
visitors at previous years of Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival
4th
annual B.U.I.L.D Residency Program at the AWAACC
Since becoming the president and CEO of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC) in 2017, Janis Burley's work has become a model for innovation, renewal and modernization in downtown Pittsburgh and beyond.
“With new, growing diversity among those living downtown, the AWAACC is more important than ever to offer artistic perspective and options that meet the needs of a growing, multi-faceted population, as well as a destination and attraction to downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District,” said Burley.
This year, the center celebrates 15 years since it opened its doors as the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. True to its mission, it has continued being a center for art, storytelling and an exchange of ideas focused on the African American experience and African diaspora.
One of the center’s most popular programs is the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, returning Sept. 19 through Sept. 22. For its 14th year, the event features two days of free performances along Liberty Avenue between 10th and Seventh Streets in addition to ticketed concerts and a Taste of Jazz party catered by local Pittsburgh restaurants.
In addition to performers from around the world converging, the event has attracted more than 70,000 visitors. Organizers expect a similar turnout for 2024, partnering with Amtrak for a Jazz Train that will transport festivalgoers from New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia to downtown Pittsburgh while featuring live jazz music. Once in Pittsburgh, riders can hop on a shuttle to and from the festival. These visitors will be able to explore the jazz festival, downtown Pittsburgh and additional AWAACC programming and gallery exhibitions, including the “Writer’s Landscape.”
As the center’s permanent exhibition, the “Writer’s Landscape” is almost 5,000 square feet of immersive history dedicated to the life and works of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. According to Burley, the “Writer’s Landscape” encourages conversation, reflection and discovery through sound, video, artifacts and more, while the center’s ongoing culinary series is a dining history lesson with conversation and music — a true feast of the senses.
“We have moved beyond the standard experience of an audience in theater seats with artists on stage,” said Burley.
The AWAACC is dedicated to championing black cultural experiences in the visual arts. As part of the AWAACC’s fourth annual B.U.I.L.D. Residency Program, Pittsburgh native and DJ/filmmaker/educator Phillip Thompson curated the center’s latest exhibition, “Collections in Black,” which celebrates and highlights African American comic culture, including artists from Pittsburgh. For Thompson, Pittsburgh is an artistic hub that finds strength in community.
“We have some of the best dance festivals, some of the best food festivals, some of the best arts festivals,” said Thompson. “The grass is always greener on the other side, but the city is in good hands with Janis at the August Wilson Center, and the [Pittsburgh] Cultural Trust. We have a lot of different venues.”
For the future of the AWAACC, Burley believes that technology will enable the organization to continue reaching new audiences and attract attention to downtown Pittsburgh. Burley additionally believes that AWAACC’s position as a training ground for arts administrators of color will improve the arts scene in the city and beyond.
