Remembering the Legend: August Wilson Center hosting biennial colloquium
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - If you are looking for some culture this weekend that celebrates a Pittsburgh legend, then look no further than the August Wilson African American Cultural Center downtown.
The August Wilson African American Society is hosting the biennial colloquium.
Wilson was a world-renowned playwright and this weekend, he is being celebrated in a big way.
Beginning today, the August Wilson Society from Howard University, in collaboration with the August Wilson African American Cultural Center is celebrating the opening of the legendary playwright's archive at the University of Pittsburgh.
Wilson was a native son of Pittsburgh and set many of his works in the community in which he grew up.
Dr. Sandra Shannon, the president of the society, said that Pittsburgh is the mecca for anyone interested in Wilson.
"Pittsburgh, of course, is ground zero," she said. "You have to visit these three institutions. The August Wilson African American Cultural Center and you have to take in the interactive exhibit. You have to go down the street and visit August Wilson's house. The newly renovated boyhood home of August Wilson, and you have to have a research agenda to go into the archive."
Events to celebrate the opening of the archive this weekend include several panel discussions, speeches, and performances with notable filmmakers, actors, scholars, and more.
Everyone gathered this weekend has been touched by the playwright in some way.
Janis Burley Wilson, president and CEO of the cultural center said the one reason people loved Wilson is he believed in telling everyone's story, and those stories hit close to everyone's home.
"August Wilson told the story of the African American experience in every decade of the twentieth century and the characters in his stories were people that looked like your uncle, or your aunt, or your grandmother," she said. "They all had a story, and their stories were significant. And I think that is the biggest takeaway for me. Everybody has a story and if you tell it, you might be nurturing someone else, nurturing someone else."
There's no doubt that August Wilson's legacy looms large here in Pittsburgh.
If you're a long-time fan or just getting to know the playwright, the August Wilson Center is the place to be this weekend.
