Coalition for Racial Equity in the Arts held a small gathering and talk on Teenie Harris‘ photography of East Liberty. The small event brought a diverse crowd of activists, artists, and creators. Harris was a prolific photographer in Pittsburgh documenting black life for forty years. Carnegie Museum of Art got rights to the collection of 80,000 images and have been putting it on display around town. Harris had covered events in East Liberty where Ace Hotel now calls home.
Critique: This display has unfortunate timing with CMOA and August Wilson Center showing of Teenie Harris’ work. Outside of location relevancy, none of these images stick with you compared to the other collections. The way in which the photos dots the white walls of the Ace Hotel is a travesty. Using the source material, the walls could have had large prints wrapping the staircase bringing the walls alive. Not just for a floor, but all of the floors. As it is, we’re left with smaller prints at awkward heights.
