Showcase Noir at the Benedum

The fifth annual Showcase Noir will bring the work of jewelers, muralists and photographers… The fifth annual Showcase Noir will bring the work of jewelers, muralists and photographers all under the same roof at the Benedum Center for Performing Arts on Saturday. Showcase Noir makes the work of experienced and emerging local black artists available for show and sale.

Some of the talents making appearances are slam poet and visual artist Vanessa German, who previously adorned a room of the Mattress Factory with graffiti and won Bush-slamming competitions with her spoken art, Leslie Ansley, whose vibrant murals and paintings color Squirrel Hill and the North Side, and Armand Wright, who photographs people and architecture in Pittsburgh.

They will be joined by more than 25 other artists in the upper and lower lobbies of The Benedum Center. Jazz musician Gerald Haymon will perform at the event along with acid jazz and funk musician, DJ SMI.

Kyle Holbrook, featured artist and executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway Community Mural Project, said the showcase helps give exposure to black artists.

“In Pittsburgh, there really aren’t many opportunities to see black artists