The facade of Downtown’s August Wilson Center will play host to an international photography project that will feature the faces of 150 Pittsburghers.
It’s part of online-based “Humanae” art project spearheaded by Brazilian artist Angelica Dass that has been showcased in cities from Madrid to Chicago, and has featured residents from all over the world. Pittsburgh’s chapter of the exhibit is subtitled “I AM AUGUST.”
The project includes a series of more than 2,500 photos of people’s faces and their bare shoulders. Each person is set against a Pantone color that matches their skin tone.
The project, nicknamed “The Pantone Project,” is being produced by Janera Solomon and the Kelly Strayhorn Theater with the Magenta Foundation and support from the Pittsburgh Foundation.
“It’s a beautiful project about being one person and one humanity,” said MaryAnn Camilleri, the founder of the Magenta Foundation, based in Toronto. “The project is an incredibly beautiful fit for who August Wilson was, and who he was in the community.”
The Kelly Strayhorn is calling for 150 local volunteers to make an appointment at the August Wilson Center from July 22-25. Participants will have their photos taken as part of the project, and their photos will be displayed in the windows of the AWC from Sept. 25 until August 2016.
Pittsburgh participants will be asked to share more than their photos.
“We will do ‘Humans of New York’-style interviews when people come in, capturing the stories of the community,” said Deesha Philyaw, who is working on the project with Ms. Solomon. “We are going to ask questions about their neighborhoods, because in Pittsburgh, neighborhoods are a really big deal and everyone can relate to that.”
The organizers encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to participate.
“It really is a rallying cry for artists in the city, hearkening to the legacy and spirit of August Wilson and his work,” Ms. Philyaw said.
People who are interested in participating must make an appointment online at magentafoundation.org/popups/pittsburgh-fall-2015-call. Groups who want to come in together can contact Ms. Philyaw at deesha@kelly-strayhorn.org. An RSVP is required.
The goal of the exhibit is to revitalize the AWC. When the exhibit opens in September as part of the Cultural Trust’s Gallery Crawl, a celebratory event will be held.
Earlier examples of Ms. Dass’ photos can be found at humanae.tumblr.com.
Caelin Miltko: cmiltko@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1707 or on Twitter @caelin_miltko.
Correction (posted July 13):An earlier version of this article provided the incorrect email address for Deesha Philyaw.
First Published: July 14, 2015, 1:40 a.m.
