DATE & TIME Friday, Jan. 30, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

LOCATION Heinz History Center 1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh PA, 15222

TICKETING

$10 General Admission
$5 Members 

This year’s program features Deborah Willis, Ph.D., one of the nation’s leading historians of photography and author of the groundbreaking, “Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 to the Present.”

In recognition of the 25th anniversary of “Reflections in Black,” Willis will reveal stories about the photographers and artists whose work reshaped how Black life has been seen, and too often overlooked, in mainstream culture. Her scholarship also connects deeply to Pittsburgh’s own photographic legacy, including the nationally significant work of Charles “Teenie” Harris, whose images of Black life in Pittsburgh stand remain among the most celebrated and influential in American photography.

A MacArthur Genius Fellow and Guggenheim Fellow, Willis serves as professor and chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and directs NYU’s Center for Black Visual Culture/Institute for African American Affairs. Her research explores photography’s multifaceted histories, visual culture, contemporary women photographers, and evolving representations of beauty.

Drawing on her decades of expertise, Willis will explore how photography has captured the depth, creativity, and complexity of the Black experience across generations.

A Q&A book signing will follow the presentation.

Tickets are $10 for non-members and $5 for members. This program will take place in the Mueller Center on the museum’s fifth floor. Not a member? Join today to receive discounted admission.
American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation is available upon request. Please contact programs@heinzhistorycenter.org in advance to request accommodations.

Deborah Willis Ph.D. is a photography historian and author of “Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers, 1840 to the Present.” She is a MacArthur Genius Fellow and a Guggenheim Fellow, a New York University (NYU) Professor and Chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts, and the director of NYU’s Center for Black Visual Culture/Institute for African American Affairs.

The Black History Month Lecture showcases historians, scholars, academics, filmmakers, curators, and literary artists who have recently published new work offering audiences the opportunity to engage directly with their research and creative practice. Since 2014, the series has welcomed speakers such as Sylviane Diouf, Tera Hunter, Claude Johnson, Leonard Moore, Sowande Mustakeem, Nicole Fleetwood, and David Dennis, Jr. It continues to serve as a platform for scholars and creators to share their work with a broad Pittsburgh audience.

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