Presenting Art for the City of Pittsburgh

We’re kicking off Women’s History Month by looking at some of the artistic and cultural programming President/CEO and Artistic Director Janis Burley Wilson has brought to the August Wilson African American Cultural Center and the city of Pittsburgh over the years.  In this podcast, Janis Burley Wilson discusses the philosophy (engaging artists across disciplines to tell stories of African-American experiences and the African diaspora) that informs the programming of the  August Wilson African American Cultural Center in Pittsburgh’s cultural district. We talk about the center’s history  and the many programs and events it produces which include theater, music, dance, visual art, and educational programs as well as the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, the Highmark Blues and Heritage Festival, and the Black Bottom Film Festival.  Janis also talks about the center’s deep commitment to the Pittsburgh community (nearly half of all programming is free and open to the public), her own deep roots in the city, her previous work with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and experience with the arts as a catalyst for economic development, all the juggling that’s necessary in her current role, the enduring legacy of August Wilson, and  her hopes for the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in the future. Let us know what you think about Art Works—email us at artworkspod@arts.gov.