PITTSBURGH'S
CULTURAL SIDE
Pittsburgh supports a wealth of cultural amenities,
many with international reputations, such as the Pittsburgh Symphony, the
Carnegie Museums and Libraries, and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. Today,
more than 200 non-profit arts organizations regularly work in the city.
The city's museums and art galleries number nearly 100. The demonstrated
success of performing arts in the city led to the creation of a cultural
district supported by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The Trust's projects
have included renovation of the Benedum Theater for the Performing Arts.
The 2,800-seat Benedum Center is now home to the Pittsburgh Ballet, Pittsburgh
Opera, the Civic Light Opera, and other performing arts groups, including
first run, full cast Broadway musicals.
Heinz Hall is home to the world-renowned Pittsburgh Symphony. The Symphony
has gained national and international acclaim as one of the world's greatest
orchestras. The well-traveled orchestra was the first American orchestra
to appear in China. The century-old orchestra, unlike many other large city
orchestras, has a strong source of funding, including one of the world's
largest endowments estimated at more than $50,000,000.
Pittsburgh is delighted to be served by many professional organizations
for the performing arts.
Among these are the Pittsburgh Opera, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, and
the Pittsburgh Dance Council.
The Pittsburgh Public Theater, located on Pittsburgh's North Side, brings
professional theater and the classical and modern genre to Pittsburgh. Each
year, a varied season of six main stage productions is presented. The theater's
subscription base ranks among the largest in the country with more than
100,000 theater goers seeing a PPT production each year.
One of Pittsburgh's hidden cultural assets is the city's International Poetry
Forum. Since 1966, the Forum has brought the world's literary greats to
the city, including John Updike, Sol Bellow, Robert Lowell, Stanley Kunitz,
and Princess Grace of Monaco.
The professional theater is just the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to
performing arts in Pittsburgh. The city can boast hundreds of semi-professional
and amateur theater groups enhanced by more than thirty Pittsburgh area
colleges and universities which offer training in music, theater, and dance.
Pittsburgh is home to more than 100 art galleries, museums, and landmarks.
Outstanding is the Carnegie, industrialist Andrew Carnegie's legacy to the
city. The Carnegie is the only institution of its kind in the world. The
facility houses four main branches: the Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural
History, the Music Hall, and the Library of Pittsburgh. The Carnegie today
sponsors activities comparable to those in the Smithsonian and offers more
activities than any other American cultural institution except the Washington,
DC museum. The Museum of Art permanent collection includes works by masters
such as Monet, Degas, and van Gogh. The Museum also contains important modern
paintings by artists Georgia O'Keefe, Henri Matisse, and William
de Kooning.
In addition to the Carnegie, Pittsburgh is home to the Frick Art Museum
and the Andy Warhol Museum. Art galleries include the Pittsburgh Center
for the Arts, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh
Gallery, Forbes Gallery, and the Hewlett Gallery. Both the city's Shadyside
area and South Side area are replete with art galleries and a modern gallery
can be found in the Matress Factory on the North Side.
Pittsburgh hosts a variety of festivals concentrating on performing and
visual arts. The Three Rivers Arts Festival, a 17-day downtown event, attracts
more than 600,000 visitors each June. The Pittsburgh Folk Festival celebrates
Pittsburgh's strong ethnic heritage. About two dozen nationality groups
offer ethnic foods, crafts, artifacts, and live performances. The Mellon
Jazz Festival highlights world-renowned jazz masters, such as Miles Davis
and Billy Eckstine. For children, the city offers the Pittsburgh Children's
Festival. The festival brings world-class theater, dance and musical troupes
from across the nation to perform for the children. In addition, many of
the city's neighborhoods hold their own celebrations, which often take the
form of street festivals and small art fairs. The city has also decided
to begin each year with a festival devoted to Pittsburgh's focus on cultural
events. Each New Year's Eve, Pittsburgh celebrates "First Night,"an
alcohol-free celebration of the new year. First Night turns downtown Pittsburgh
into a smorgasbord of cultural events, including symphony concerts, opera,
dance council events, jazz bands, and even a visit from Mister Rogers' "Handyman
Joe."
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to Welcome Center.