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CDCP x The Future is Black x WCDC Present: Vania Evangelique

July 10, 2026

Opening reception: Saturday, July 25, 2026, 12-3 PM

On view: July 25, 2026 - October 17, 2026
Gallery hours: Every other Saturday 12-5 PM

CDCP, The Future is Black, and WCDC are thrilled to kick off the 2026-2027 season of Art All Over with a solo exhibition by artist Vania Evangelique. We’re excited to partner with The Future is Black for this upcoming season and are looking forward to the future of this program under their vision and leadership.

Light and language; what it illuminates and what it does not is the means in which I position my subjects, capturing an experience lived in a moment. I do this through the mediums of photography and writing where I purposefully seek out still moments that are found in nature, the environments in which I am placed, and the intimacy of my own home. And by doing so the mundane, transitional, and stretching processes of life are able to be fully expressed. The pursuit of still moments was born out of my upbring in Brooklyn, NY and the stark contrast of my later youth in Bethlehem, PA. I spent time analyzing and digesting the difference of feeling between grass and hot concrete on my feet, the smell of pollen versus car exhaust, the subtly of voices amongst the city to the insects singing to the evening night, and how looking into the night sky lent itself to city lights versus the vastness of the stars. This dichotomic rhythm of existing was one that required me to be attentive to environments that were transforming outwardly and inwardly. It’s in this noticing that I have become more present to the current moment where I now use place as an anchor, bringing with it an awareness of space. Both my photography and writing takes on a narrative approach that is often emotionally expository, revealing itself my deeper thoughts, feelings and observations of the world that I encounter. No matter the medium, my intention is to present an invitation to pay closer attention to the world we occupy; and create within it a space to appreciate the beauty found in the unlikely of places.


About Vania Evangelique:

Vania Evangelique (b. 1996) is a photographer and writer from Bethlehem, PA by way of Brooklyn, NY. Since receiving her BA in Photojournalism in 2018 from Point Park University, she has participated in residencies such as Brew House Arts as an artist and curatorial resident, exhibited with the Associated Artist of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and was a studio artist with arts letters & numbers in Albany, NY. Curatorially, she enjoys fostering the voices of artists and has since served as an art installer apprentice with Casey Droege Cultural Productions, photographed arts news events with nextPittsburgh, and illuminated the Pittsburgh art scene through artist reviews with the commercial gallery Wick Monet.

About The Future is Black:

Ahmed Tacumba Turner Jr. is a Pittsburgh-based multidisciplinary arts professional, curator, and community development strategist. As Founder and Creative Director of The Future Is Black (2019–Present), he has produced 10 exhibitions and showcases across Pittsburgh's cultural institutions, distributing $15,000+ in artist stipends, facilitating $5,000+ in artwork sales, and engaging over 2,000 attendees — building a sustained platform for BIPOC artists in the region.

Tacumba's curatorial practice centers the visibility, economic sustainability, and cultural power of Black artists. In 2025, he served as Guest Curator and Moderator for Being Seen at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center — the first exhibition at that institution to feature a local guest curator — presenting 38 Pittsburgh artists. He also co-curated Fruits of Seeing (Mavuno) at Sweetwater Center for the Arts as part of their 25th anniversary programming.

Beyond the gallery, Tacumba brings a systems-level perspective to cultural work. He serves on the City of Pittsburgh's 2050 Comprehensive Plan Community Working Group, and holds advisory roles with Upstream, the Vital Village Network, and the O'Connor Campaign Arts Advisory Council. 

WCDC's Lohr Gallery
725 Wood St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15221

Tags casey droege cultural productions, casey droege, Casey Droege Cultural Productions, support living artists, buy art, buy art pittsburgh, wcdc, the future is black, vania evangelique, wilkinsburg, gallery, artists, art gallery, art gallery pittsburgh, free event

Intuitive Watercolor Painting: Embracing Uncertainty Workshop

July 16, 2025

Intuitive Watercolor Painting: Embracing Uncertainty Workshop

Saturday, August 23rd
12-3pm
Free + All ages
WCDC’s Lohr Gallery

Join us on Saturday, August 23 from 12-3 pm at the WCDC's Lohr Gallery for a special workshop about tapping into your intuition to find expressive potential with the help of watercolor paints. In this WCDC workshop join artist Jessica Peña Heberle for a hands-on workshop that explores watercolor and mixed media as a tool for self-reflection and storytelling. Using watercolors, charcoal, colored pencils, and graphite, we’ll slow down and give form to parts of ourselves and memories by using color, texture, and organic shapes.

This free workshop is open to all levels and ages—no experience necessary, just a willingness to experiment! All materials will be provided. RSVP required to account for materials. Click the button below to reserve a spot.

RSVP
Tags casey droege cultural productions, casey droege, Casey Droege Cultural Productions, CDCP, cdcp, wcdc, wilkinsburg, free event, support living artists, jessica peña heberle, workshop, art gallery, art gallery pittsburgh, pittsburgh art, pittsburgh artists

Pedantic Summer 2025 Cohort Meet and Greet

June 2, 2025

Join us on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at the KST Alloy Studios from 6-8pm to welcome our fifth Pedantic cohort. The Pedantic Residents will be giving brief presentations on their backgrounds and their practices.

Pedantic Arts Residency (Pedantic) is a month-long cross-disciplinary program co-hosted by Headwater Media and Casey Droege Cultural Productions. We have invited three residents whose practices span visual art, curating, and writing to explore the city of Pittsburgh and its creative communities.

We’re looking forward to welcoming zhanraw (Visual Artist), Allison Lacher (Curator), and TyLie Shider (Writer).

This is a free event, and RSVP is requested to attend. Click the button below to RSVP. Registration will also be available at the door.

zhanraw (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans sound, film, poetry, performance, and installation. A Ukrainian immigrant with a career in science, data, & technology, her art integrates computer mediated methods with deeply humanistic themes. Her recent work, Unsaid 1 & 2, debuted in 2024 with a live performance by the Bergamot Quartet, Payton MacDonald (marimba), multi-channel audio, and video projection. Like many prior works, it endeavors to slow down and let blossom the interstitial and manifold aspects of experience: matters of attention, conditions of embodiment, perceptions of self, time, the other, and one’s environment. Her interdisciplinary approach reflects her fascination with how technology can bridge the personal and the societal, turning complex questions into immersive experiences that provoke both thought and feeling.

Alison Lacher (she/her) is a visual artist, curator, and arts administrator based in Springfield, Illinois. She is a two-time recipient of the Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award, recognized for both her independent and collaborative practices. She has been awarded residencies with the Ellis Beauregard Foundation, Ox-Bow, ACRE, Vermont Studio Center, The Luminary, and Signal Fire on the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.

She serves as Director of the Visual Arts Gallery at the University of Illinois Springfield and Co-Director of STNDRD Exhibitions, a curatorial platform dedicated to site-responsive contemporary art. She has curated exhibitions at venues that include the Illinois State Museum, Monaco, the Chicago Artists Coalition, Fort Gondo Compound for the Arts, and NON STNDRD at the National Building Arts Center, as well as for the Terrain Biennial. Lacher has been a HATCH Projects curatorial resident with the Chicago Artists Coalition and a guest artist and curator at institutions including the NARS Foundation (Brooklyn), the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Washington University in St. Louis. 

TyLie Shider (he/him) is an American writer, a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellow, and the inaugural playwright in residence at ArtYard. A McKnight Fellow in Playwriting at the Playwrights’ Center, he is a recipient of Premiere Stages’ Liberty Live commission, two consecutive Jerome Fellowships, and an I Am Soul playwright in residence at the National Black Theatre. Recent projects include Security Watch, Certain Aspects of Conflict in the Negro Family, The Gospel Woman, Whittier and his filmmaking debut Sign O’ the Times. Screenwriting credits include: Truant. He holds a BA in Journalism from Delaware State University and an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU. A proud member of the Dramatist Guild, he is currently a Professor of Graduate Playwriting at Pace University, and a staff writer for Minnesota Playlist where he writes a regular column on Creative Discipline.

RSVP
Tags casey droege cultural productions, casey droege, Casey Droege Cultural Productions, CDCP, cdcp, pedantic, pedantic arts residency, artists, visual art pittsburgh, free event, support living artists

CDCP and WCDC Present: A Fine Art Portrait Session with Majestic Moments

November 13, 2024

CDCP and WCDC are excited to host two days of photographic portrait sessions with exhibiting artist Mo’Ney Thomas. Mo’Ney and Donnell Pearl will be at the Lohr Gallery as Majestic Moments, photographing portraits in front of a custom backdrop. This workshop will be free. Registration will be required for timed portrait sessions.

Imagine a portrait that captures more than just your likeness—a masterpiece that reflects your inner beauty and timeless style. Majestic Moment’s fine art portrait sessions are meticulously crafted to create enduring images that will be cherished for generations.

With expert lighting, a stunning backdrop, and a touch of artistry, they will transform ordinary moments into extraordinary works of art. The mission of Majestic Moments is to create portraits that not only showcase your authentic beauty but also evoke emotions and tell your unique story. So come dressed to impress and be ready to have some fun, relax and experience the magic of Majestic Moments!

WCDC's Lohr Gallery
725 Wood St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15221

Photographs will be shared through an online gallery sent by email, within 3-4 weeks of the shoot at the latest. To sign up, click the button below.

Learn more
Tags casey droege cultural productions, casey droege, Casey Droege Cultural Productions, CDCP, cdcp, wcdc, mo'ney thomas, majestic moments, free event, wilkinsburg, support living artists, photography, pittsburgh art, Pittsburgh parks, pittsburgh gallery

Programming for The Art of Democracy

October 10, 2024

Make sure to check out these events that are a part of The Art of Democracy series of exhibitions. Click below to learn more and register.

The Art of Democracy: Resiliency Impacted Screening
Thursday, October 17th, 5:00-6:30pm
Free

The Art of Democracy: Archiving Memories
Saturday, October 19, 1:00-2:30pm
Free

An evening of music, poetry, and peace with Diarra Imani
Wednesday, October 23, 6-9pm
Sliding scale, $0-20

Tags keystone progress education fund, keystone progress, ceasefirepa, diarra imani, the art of democracy, CDCP, cdcp, casey droege, casey droege cultural productions, Casey Droege Cultural Productions, free event, performance

The Art of Democracy: Pole-2-Polls Workshop Series

October 3, 2024

The Art of Democracy: Pole-2-Polls Workshop Series

at the Manderino Library at PennWest California and Brew House Arts

Join us for two free workshops as a part of our programming for The Art of Democracy: Whose Choice? Exhibiting artist Penny Matter will lead two making workshops where participants will make yard signs encouraging voter participation. Each event will also feature community discussions lead by reproductive rights organizations in Western PA.

Transportation may be available to those who need a ride to California, PA. To learn more about and register for the event at the Manderino Library at PennWest, California, click the button below.

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To learn more and register for the event at Brew House Arts, click the button below.

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Tags casey droege cultural productions, casey droege, Casey Droege Cultural Productions, CDCP, cdcp, keystone progress, keystone progress education fund, art of democracy, support living artists, reproductive rights, workshop, free event, pittsburgh artists, pittsburgh art, brew house arts, penny mateer, pennwest california, planned parenthood or western pa, new voices, the auto(nomous) body shop, women's law project
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