University of Pittsburgh Library System

Late playwright and Pittsburgh native son August Wilson is best known for his unprecedented American Century Cycle- ten plays that convey the Black experience in each decade of the 20th Century. Materials on display in this exhibit will rotate periodically to showcase the breadth of the August Wilson Archive.

February-September 2026

This exhibit explores the Akō Incident (1701–1703), in which 47 rōnin avenged their lord Asano Takumi no Kami after he was forced to commit seppuku for attacking Kira Kōzukenosuke in Edo Castle. This famous revenge story inspired the 1748 Kabuki play Kanadehon Chūshingura, which became one of Japan’s most enduring theatrical works. Featuring musha-e (warrior prints) of the 47 rōnin from the Barry Rosensteel Japanese Print Collection and a complete set of kabuki-e from the Japanese Theater Print Collection, the exhibit highlights the lasting cultural impact of Chūshingura in print and performance.

Hiroyuki Good, Japanese and Korean Studies Librarian

The Horror Studies Collection at the University of Pittsburgh Library System is comprised of rare books, pulps, comics, and film and literary archives. Included is the George A. Romero Archival Collection, documenting the life and work of the independent filmmaker best known for Night of the Living Dead (1968). Materials on display in this exhibit will rotate periodically to showcase the breadth of the Horror Studies Collection.

Curated by Ben Rubin, Horror Studies Collection Coordinator

February-September 2026

“Read the Room! showcases University Archives in the University of Pittsburgh Library System that document the transnational networks and economic class dynamics at play during the Room's development in the 1930s and 1940s. How did decisions made in Rome and Florence determine the Italian Room’s decorative style and use of materials? To what extent was the Italian immigrant and ethnic community in Pittsburgh involved in these decisions? And at what point did skilled manual labor intersect with philanthropic support and elite decision-makers to bring the Italian Room to completion? Visit the exhibit for answers to these questions and more.

This exhibit is part of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs Centennial celebration. More information about the Centennial and related events across the University

Curated by Dr. Lina Insana, Associate Professor of Italian, and undergraduate students in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences

February-July 2026

“Heaven” denotes the sky above and its contents, the location of deities, and the way one should conduct their life. From the ancient to early-modern world, from East to West, these concepts were overlapping, such that astronomy and astrology were one science. The books from Archives & Special Collections in this exhibit show how each tradition works out the details in different ways, dividing the heavens in different proportions and attaching different significance to their times and positions.

Curated by Dr. Jason Rampelt & Runxiao Zhu

“We Humans” was an exhibit on race and racism developed by two curators of anthropology employed at the Carnegie Museum, James Swauger and Don Dragoo, that encouraged workers, students, and citizens to question their assumptions about race and to value the lives and contributions of all people. It debuted in 1955. The exhibit was a collaborative effort, jointly planned and sponsored by the museum, United Steelworkers, the City of Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh Public Schools.   “We Humans” demonstrates the extent to which anti-racism was being made an urgent public priority in the United States in the 1950s, but also betrays the pitfalls of the institutional and scientific tactics employed in such efforts at this time. Seventy years on, the current exhibit asks you to consider what the ambitions and shortcomings of “We Humans” have to teach audiences in Pittsburgh today. 

All materials on display are drawn from the collections of the Carnegie Museums and the University of Pittsburgh Library System. 
Please note that this exhibit includes racial terminology and imagery that are outdated and offensive. 

Curated by Deirdre Madeleine Smith, Curator at Carnegie Museum of Natural History & Teaching Assistant Professor of Museum Studies at the University of Pittsburgh and Lindsey Kenny, University of Pittsburgh Senior, Double Major in Anthropology and Museum Studies

February-September 2026

This exhibit is dedicated to uncovering the hidden labor and “affective diplomacies” through which women made the French Nationality Room at the University of Pittsburgh a reality, as evidenced in the University Archives. The Women Behind the Walls invites scholars and visitors alike to reconsider how personal agency and affective diplomacy shape, and are shaped by, our shared architectural legacies.

This exhibit is part of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs Centennial celebration. More information about the Centennial and related events across the University

Curated by Joanna Conings, PhD candidate in French

This exhibit introduces woodblock prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927), who was an outstanding modern graphic artist of the Noh and Kyōgen theatres, found in our special collections. Noh and Kyōgen, originating in the fourteenth century, were associated with samurai culture. Users can explore Kōgyo's prints depicting different scenes from the same Noh plays by interacting with the digital wall.

“The copycats make money, but they’re not the ones making their own vistas,” Sam Rivers said in a 1999 interview. “I’m into making vistas.”

This exhibit chronologically documents some of the major moments in Samuel Carthorne Rivers' (1927-2011) life and career, using his own words and quotes from those who knew him best. These come from from interviews in a variety of sources documented in Rick Lopez's book The Sam Rivers Sessionography. Images from the Sam Rivers Archive at the University of Pittsburgh are also featured.

Curated by Kathryn Haines, Center for American Music

Celebrate August Wilson's (Apr 27, 1945-Oct 2, 2005) 80th birthday with this exhibit of archival documents & August Wilson Society (AWS) history! See intimate glimpses into Wilson's work that don't usually see the limelight: his poetry, drawings, & items he collected. See how his legacy is uplifted with the creation of the AWS, a multidisciplinary community of educators, visual and performing artists, students, theatre professionals & theatre lovers dedicated to commemorating Wilson's legacy.

Curated by Dr. Michelle Cruz, Board Member, and Lolita Horne, Former Board Member, of the August Wilson Society

The Archival Scholars Research Award (ASRA) is designed to facilitate undergraduate research utilizing the distinctive collections housed across the University of Pittsburgh Library System (ULS). Mentored by an archivist or librarian and a faculty member, students are supported along their research journey. Students apply with a research question in mind and then see where the materials lead them--sometimes right to where the student hoped and other times to new questions and lines of inquiry.

Curated by Archival Scholars Research Award Winners for 2025

The Cathedral of Learning has captivated the Pitt community from its inception and has become a focal point of university and student activity. This exhibit highlights some of the building's milestones.