Presenting African American Arts and Culture in Pittsburgh:
African American Cultural Center
The African American Cultural Center (AACC), formerly known as the August Wilson Center, is a newly created 501(c)(3) organization whose sole mission is to own, operate, and preserve the building in which it is housed as a vibrant community asset. The AACC produces and presents African-American arts and cultural programming, including visual art exhibits, theatrical, musical, and dance performances, classes, lectures, hands-on learning, and community events. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is under agreement to “operate the Center as a first-class multi-venue, multi-use public entertainment and performance and visual arts facility with a primary focus on the art, culture, and history of African Americans.”
Photo: James Steinkamp
Nearly 250 activities were held at the AACC in 2016, with more than 70 representing African-American cultural interests. Many of the scheduled activities were space rentals, generating income for the facility. A $600,000 Foundation grant in 2016 is supporting the AACC’s building operations.
(Above)The African American Cultural Center presents a diverse array of performers and exhibits to interpret
African-American culture and history at the August Wilson Center. The exhibition shown here—
From MLK to March—highlights the little-known comic books and editorial cartoons of the civil rights era.
Featured Grants
$600,000
To support building operations for the African American Cultural Center
$600,000
to support building operations
$750,000
toward programming for the African-American Cultural Center
$150,000
toward support of JazzLive International
$750,000
toward programming for the August Wilson Center
$100,000
toward a collaboration between the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and the Dance Theatre of Harlem to perform at the August Wilson Center
$600,000
toward support of operations
$60,000
toward the search for a new executive director
$750,000
to provide working capital to support start-up of the August Wilson Center
$1,750,000
toward three-year support of a capital campaign to develop the August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh's downtown Cultural District
$250,000
toward program support
$25,000
toward support for the establishment of an African-American Cultural Facility
$1,450,000
toward support of operations, programming and capacity-building for the August Wilson Cultural Center
$1,350,000
toward support of operations and programming for 2020
$350,000
to develop a residency program, provide capacity support to local art organizations, and develop a national collaborative of organizations presenting Black artists
