A pop-up research center (“collaboratory”) and series of public events to create, exchange, and celebrate with artists whose work affirms and projects the futures of people of African descent. Community-driven designs were developed into an exhibition of objects and archives representing a synthesis of perspectives from the region.
Visiting and local resident artists invited the public to explore new creative tools for story-telling, world-building and futurity through interactive events, workshops, and discussions. Participants of all-ages contributed their ideas to projects that would culminate in an exhibition reflecting personal and collective visions from Pittsburgh.
Phase 1 ran concurrently with the opening weekend of the Three Rivers Arts Festival/Pride in Pittsburgh, PA, activating the August Wilson African American Cultural Center with workshops, film screenings, discussions, and performances.
AWC Lab artists worked with the Lab’s outcomes to develop new artworks over the course of 2018 that utilized film, digital media & fabrication, VR, performance, movement, and ritual to express collective and personal approaches to storytelling & archival practice, afrofuturism, science-fiction, and design-thinking.
Phase 2 presented a final exhibition of works at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. “New Archives: Visions & Voices from the August Wilson Center Lab”. This exhibition offered a special opportunity for works exploring alternative archives and multi-media storytelling to be in conversation with one of Pittsburgh’s largest and oldest archives - the public library.
