2026 ACUI Talks: The Role of Art and Creativity

During ACUI Talks, two differing stories were shared—one personal and the other public—about creativity and the role it plays in revitalization and resilience, be it for an urban neighborhood or a professional educator.

From the large, public perspective, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Chief Programming Officer and Engagement Officer Brooke Horejsi shared the community-building and engagement efforts that went into revitalizing a formerly downtrodden Liberty Avenue district of downtown Pittsburgh into a vibrant arts venue. Hayden Greene, a past ACUI Board of Trustees member and the director of student activities and engagement for the Borough of Manhattan Community College, reflected on his personal journey of 428 consecutive days without employment through a lens of both vulnerability and resiliency.

Brooke Horejsi

Horejsi gave a history of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s successes in converting, what she described as, a stretch of “noxious use establishments” in downtown Pittsburgh into a thriving arts district that is now expanding again with a public-use civic space.

What was once a stretch of public bath houses, adult movie theaters, and associated adult entertainment venues that operated in the 1970s has since be redefined as a magnet for performing arts, centered around a restored 1928 movie theater once known as the Stanley Theater, the first building that was renovated as part of the overall project. It is now known as the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. 

Additionally, the 14-block area between Liberty Avenue and Duquesne Boulevard is also home to a smaller space—the Byham Theater—for dance, music, and theater; Heinz Hall, the home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; and the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. Due to open soon is Arts Landing, a public civic space that will provide a first-ever downtown playground, stage bandshell, visitor center, and amenities like restrooms and public Wi-Fi.

“We’ve just continued around in the district to renovate buildings and turn them into places where creativity could happen, and people could have an experience where they could come together communally. We believe very deeply in the power of communal experiences around the arts,” she said. “We’ve also realized that by investing in downtown it improves the appeal of office space in downtown.”

Hayden Greene

The number 428 represents the number of days longtime ACUI member and past Board of Trustee member Hayden Greene was unexpectedly unemployed following staff reductions after another university purchased the campus where he was working.

“I had my dream job at Marymount Manhattan College,” he said. “I was the dean of students, associate dean of students, and the director of the intercultural center. Ladies and gentlemen, I was Dean Greene!”

When Marymount was purchased by Northeastern University, Greene’s job disappeared. After 30 years in higher education leadership positions, he had suddenly gone from a place of satisfaction and success to unemployment. But as a self-described “polymath,” “a jack of all trades, but master of none,” Greene took the moment as an opportunity to use his “acumen and training in multiple disciplines” to revitalize his creative self.

“I am a spoken word artist, I am a blogger, I am a podcaster, I am a designer, a writer, a poet, and for those of you who know me, a pretty darn good photographer,” he said. “So, I sought to really incorporate what made me happy, what made my spirit happy.”

At a time when the landscape before Greene included a dismal job market and an unexpected commitment of caring for a loved one—his mother Brenda had suffered a stroke—his identity as a creative, purposeful person pushed on. “My mom had a stroke on May 1 of last year, and you know, the universe sends things to you and does things to you with you knowing what is going on. It sends you where you are needed.”

Greene then realized that he was lucky to be “unemployed” and able to care for his mother, and to still be able to rely upon his art, his photography, podcasting, blogging, and other creative resources. He even added woodworking and clothing design to his list of endeavors.

“Every day, I found a new part of my creativity to really make sure that I was staying above ground,” he said. “Those 428 days tried to kill me, tried to sink me, but my art and my love for all things creative gave me the ability to keep my head above the dark waters. The 428 days was one of the hardest times in my entire life, but I thank God every single day that I was able to lean into being a polymath, leaning into the creativity, using my art to make sure my soul was healed and was intact for when my next chance came along. And my next chance did come along.”