onStage Pittsburgh: The new permanent exhibition at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center is as engaging and educational and as immersive and interactive as anything you will see at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., or the late lamented Newseum.
2 comments:
I really appreciate the attention to detail in this exhibit, and I am glad to see that the exhibit was made in collaboration with Constanza Romero-Wilson, because many times there are exhibits or media made to appreciate an artist, meanwhile their close family had nothing to do with it and may even disapprove. Before reading this I did not know that August Wilson was from Pittsburgh, and I also did not know about the importance of coffee to August Wilson’s life, so even just the structure of the exhibit informs the audience. As the article mentions, this is a great opportunity for people to interact with Wilson’s work and learn about his inspirations without having to find a theater producing one of his plays. I am a big fan of the projected letters on the table, it is a very dramatic effect and feels personal and unique to this exhibit.
The August Wilson African American Cultural Centre is a gorgeous space Downtown and I am so glad that there will be a permanent exhibition honouring the namesake of the centre. It is an immersive experience that honours August Wilson as a person, as a playwright, and his works. The involvement of his widow, Constanza Romero-Wilson, in the creation and design of the exhibition, as well as the donation of artefacts to be displayed from his estate, makes this all the more special and significant. Three years is a significant amount of time to spend on a project, and looking at the photos of the exhibition, it seems to be a very clear labour of love. Having visited various significant places in the Hill District to learn about August Wilson and to explore Pittsburgh, I will make it a point to go visit this exhibition before I leave!
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