Cecil McDonald, Jr.: The American Beauty

ALMA | LEWIS opens Cecil McDonald, Jr.: The American Beauty on Saturday, October 24, in Pittsburgh's X-factory, Suite 101. It's the first U.S. survey exhibition of Cecil McDonald, Jr.'s work, and it pulls from more than two decades of his practice. The show brings together photography, montage, film, and dance, so you'll see his work across a few different mediums rather than just one.

McDonald, born in 1965 in Chicago, works at the intersections of masculinity, family relations, and the artistic and intellectual pursuits of Black culture. One of the pieces on view is the video installation Praise House: We All Shine, in which he reimagines an antebellum structure that sheltered enslaved people as a utopian space of healing and creativity. The exhibition is curated by Kilolo Luckett and made possible by The Fleischner Family, Teiger Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, Opportunity Fund, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

It's hosted by ALMA | LEWIS (A | L), an experimental contemporary art platform dedicated to Black culture. Since 2017, it's been Pittsburgh's only non-profit contemporary art gallery focused on Black artists. The space also maintains The Black Archive, a non-circulating collection of rare books, catalogues, and ephemera centering the Black experience.

Opening night is Saturday, October 24, from 2 PM to 5 PM. After that, the exhibition runs through March 6, 2027, with gallery hours Wednesday through Friday, 12 PM to 5 PM. Admission is free and open to the public.