ALMA | LEWIS, the Point Breeze nonprofit that champions Black visual culture, is about to get a lot harder to miss. The organization is trading its tucked-away space for a glass-front, street-level suite at the XFactory, roughly tripling its footprint to about 7,500 square feet. The build-out will carve out a larger main gallery, two studios, and expanded archive space. The new center is slated to open in September 2026, with its front door positioned at the end of an accessibility ramp to make the gallery easier to find and enter.
As reported by WESA, the project reclaims former nonprofit offices and two adjoining high-ceiling warehouse bays inside the century-old XFactory and transforms them into a glass-fronted, street-level presence. WESA also notes that the new main gallery will be twice as big as the current exhibition space, with 13-foot ceilings and upgraded HVAC so ALMA | LEWIS can borrow and display larger works.
Residencies, the Black Archive and artist support
The residency program remains central to ALMA | LEWIS’s mission: the organization offers three-month residencies that include a $15,000 honorarium plus living stipends, professional development, and housing for out-of-town artists, according to The Frick Pittsburgh. The center has hosted 13 resident artists to date - including Stephen Towns and Addoley Dzegede - and also maintains The Black Archive, a non-circulating research collection focused on the Black experience that organizers say draws more visitation requests than it can currently accommodate.
Costs, design and timeline
Founder Kilolo Luckett told a mid-March hard-hat tour that fundraising is roughly halfway to a $1.2 million capital goal and that the new center will open in September, per WESA. The lead project architect is John Barbera Jr. of Penner & Associates, and Luckett said the build is proceeding at a per-square-foot cost of at least 20% below typical industry rates.
What it means for the local arts scene
The expansion comes as other nonprofit arts groups in the region increase facility and studio capacity. Contemporary Craft has significantly expanded its Lawrenceville campus, and the Pittsburgh Glass Center has broadened programming and partnerships in recent seasons, signaling renewed investment in studio and exhibition infrastructure, according to Contemporary Craft and the Pittsburgh Glass Center. ALMA | LEWIS’s move gives Black artists a higher-visibility site in Point Breeze and more room for public programming and research access to The Black Archive, organizers say.
ALMA | LEWIS will continue programming from its home in the XFactory building. For hours, upcoming shows, and ways to support the capital campaign, see ALMA | LEWIS’s website. The organization lists its current suite as 6901 Lynn Way, Suite 206, and plans to share opening-event details as construction wraps this summer.
