The Instill and Inspire volume is a comprehensive presentation of works lovingly and intentionally brought together by an African American couple, for African American artists, on behalf of African American history, society, and culture. Stanislaus welcomes the reader into the collection by describing the African American art scene in the U.S. during the second half of the 20th century—or lack thereof. She pinpoints “fear, fascination, repulsion, and entrancement,” in the rel

Vivian Davidson Hewitt (MM 1944), retired chief librarian, art collector and distinguished awards recipient received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at Carnegie Mellon University’s 120th Commencement, Sunday, May 21. Hewitt has enjoyed an illustrious career as a prominent librarian and African-American art collector. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Library Science in 1944 from the Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University, Hewitt became

When and where: Friday night at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Downtown. The opening celebration of the John and Vivian Hewitt Collection of African American Art was made extra sweet with a cake and candles to honor Ms. Hewitt’s 97th birthday. The invitation-only event welcomed 350 cultural influencers to join in the festivities and enjoy a preview of the Hewitt’s vast collection, including 58 paintings and works on paper and 50 posters by artist Jonat

Long-time friends, former colleagues, art lovers and community leaders filled the spacious lobby of Downtown’s August Wilson Center on a recent rainy Friday evening to honor Vivian Davidson Hewitt (SIS ’44), a revered former Pittsburgh librarian who, along with her husband John, has spent decades amassing one of the premier collections of African American art in the world. “I never cut ties with Pittsburgh,” said Hewitt, 97, who earned a degree in library science in 1944 from

An exhibition opening Saturday at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Downtown, offers the opportunity to see a highly regarded collection of 20th-century artworks on loan from the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture in Charlotte, N.C. “Instill & Inspire: The John & Vivian Hewitt Collection of African-American Art” has local ties — Mrs. Hewitt is a New Castle native — and that was one inspiration for Yvonne Cook to bring the art to Pitt

The exhibit "Instill & Inspire," currently on display at the August Wilson Center in Pittsburgh, contains works by some of the most highly regarded African-American artists of the 20th century. They range from an original painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937), one of the first African-American artists to achieve acclaim in both America and Europe, to works by famed collage artist Romare Bearden (1911-1988), regarded as one of the greatest American artists of his generat