Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh

The City of Pittsburgh is known for its rich contributions to the canon of Black cultural creativity. Cultural experiences and creative innovations have always reflected the expressions and imaginations of people from the African diaspora. The Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh program is where access and opportunity connect with Pittsburgh artists who are thriving in their creative process as a means and a way of life.

The program is committed to helping to create a vibrant cultural life in Pittsburgh and the region. Until 2023, the program was co-managed in partnership with The Heinz Endowments. Currently the program is managed by The Pittsburgh Foundation, with both foundations consistently making investments towards this initiative since 1988.  

The program goals are to:

• Help build careers and support the lives of individual artists.
• Increase the sustainability of cultural organizations that focus on advancing the art of the African diaspora by working to eliminate racial disparities within the larger arts sector.
• Support collaboration in and community awareness of the Black arts sector.
• Prioritize the documentation and discussion of artists’ work and well-being as part of the region’s cultural health.
• Support work that directly addresses and calls for the eradication of systemic and structural racism.