A Global Arts Perspective

Pittsburgh’s art scene is anything but ordinary

Contemporary museums large and small challenge the viewer from the instant they walk in, exploring modern issues, tackling societal ills and expanding minds in the process. See how these five arts-forward organizations are shaking things up in 2024 and beyond.

Mattress Factory

Mattress Factory stimulates wonder and curiosity with its slate of artists this year including Shohei Katayama and Asim Waqif, whose individual works often examine ecology and the human impact while blending found and created pieces, and Andrea Peña, who accesses her work as a designer and choreographer to create performative, digital and sculptural works.

The Frick Pittsburgh

In addition to its collection dating back to the Renaissance, The Frick Pittsburgh continues to honor contemporary art, too. Reckoning: Grief and Light from artist Vanessa German and Pittsburgh and the Great Migration: Black Mobility and the Automobile focus on the Black experience in America, while The Red Dress explores telling personal stories through collaborative embroidery, including Pittsburgh's very own version created by locals.

Latin American Cultural Center

The Latin American Cultural Center, which opened in 2022, is a hub of collaboration and education located in the heart of the Oakland neighborhood. Permanent exhibits, including the stunning Presencia de América Latina mural and Latin America and the Caribbean objects and photography, exemplify the incredible vitality and diversity of this vast region of the globe. Through April 2024, be sure to visit their Mexican Masks: Symbols, Celebrations, Satire & Safety exhibit provides a robust history of masks throughout Mexican history and examples of modern uses of masks from professional wrestling to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Contemporary Craft

A working craft studio and modern, exploratory exhibition space are juxtaposed at this Only in Pittsburgh art venue. Just one highlight of an exciting 2024 exhibit schedule for Contemporary Craft is Oneness, with New Mexico-based artist Brie Ruais exploring embodiment with movement-based artworks representing interconnectedness and our intervention on nature.

Pittsburgh Glass Center

This state-of-the-art glass studio is a must for its make-it-now events and educational classes, but don’t ignore the gallery space! In 2024, Pittsburgh Glass Center’s Myth-Science of the Gatekeepers exhibit will bring in 16 glass sculptures of Black same gender loving men cast to resemble Egyptian deities, produced by Black LGBTQ arts collective Rainbow Serpent.

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Jared B.

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Jared B.

Enthusiastic Pittsburgher

Always in search of the next great craft beer and arcade. Can be found in the Supporters Section of Pittsburgh Riverhounds games and at whatever festival is happening in the city.

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