Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Until Saturday, August Wilson was attached in name only to the Downtown building that dominates Liberty Avenue between Smithfield Street and William Penn Place.
Today when you walk into the August Wilson Center for African American Culture you come face to face with a larger-than-life image of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, the centerpiece of a new mural that celebrates the Wilson legacy.
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Last year, in my third year acting class that focuses on contemporary playwrights, we worked on a lot of August Wilson's plays. I found his story and point of view to be very inspirational and influential on how I viewed theatre. When I first opened the link to the article, I saw the striking image of the mural. Immediately I recognized the larger than life portrait of Wilson and the characters from Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The use of color spoke not only to Wilson, but to each of the characters shown. Specifically, the use of blue on the character Sylvester stood out to me; it highlighted his insecurities and shyness.
The creator of the mural, Tarish Pipkinsa, drew imagery that gave more than 200 people the opportunity to go to the August Wilson Center and paint the color on to the imagery. The mural was created in three panels, they were then attached in a “U” shape and are currently on display opposite of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture's entrance.
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