Events

DATE & TIME: Thursday, December 7, 2023 at 5 PM

PLACE:  City-County Building

Join Mayor Ed Gainey and community leaders in lighting the giant 12-foot Menorah located in front of the City County Building.  The Menorah serves as a beacon of light, symbolizing freedom and peace for all.  The celebration includes live music and Chanukah refreshments of latkes and donuts.

"Thank you to Rabbi Yisroel Altein and Chabad of Squirrel Hill for inviting me to participate in the Menorah Lighting celebrating the first night of Hanukkah tonight at the City-County Building. 

As Pittsburgh celebrates the Festival of Lights, I encourage you to remember that together we can be a bright light in darkness. We can create a space where every person who lives, works, plays, or visits our city can feel safe and welcome. 

Happy Hanukkah, CommUnity!"

Pittsburgh’s Kelly Strayhorn Theater Presents: New York Premieres of slowdanger’s SUPERCELL and STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos’s CIRCLES: going in at The Flea Theater, NYC

 As part of Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s (KST) ongoing Owning Our Future, Thriving Where We Live strategic direction, KST is thrilled to announce the second year of KST X NYC, a special initiative to share new works commissioned and developed in Pittsburgh by KST in collaboration with national partners. This year, KST is proud to announce the New York City premieres of two new dance works from Pittsburgh-based artists, slowdanger’sSUPERCELL and STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos’s (SPdp&SS) CIRCLES: going in from Thursday, January 11 to Sunday, January 14, 2024 in New York City. 

slowdanger’s SUPERCELL, an ​​evening-length multidisciplinary quintet responding to the climate crisis and media sensationalism, is presented on Thursday, January 11, 2024, at 6:00pm and Friday, January 12, 2024, at 2:00pm. STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos’s CIRCLES: going in is presented on Saturday and Sunday, January 13 - 14, 2024 at 6:00pm. All performances take place at The Flea Theater at 20 Thomas St, NYC. Tickets are Pay What Moves You: $20 to $35.

KST X NYC was first launched in January 2023 as a special presentation of Pittsburgh-based theater artist Adil Mansoor’s solo lecture performance, Amm(i)gone, at the Performance Project at University Settlement, to open the pathways for Pittsburgh-based talents to thrive through national touring. 

“Our Owning Our Future, Thriving Where We Live strategic direction reaffirms KST’s position as a Black and queer-centered organization, and building a future that includes a more concrete foundation for our vision. Supporting talented artists from our community proves our dedication to our mission,” says KST’s Executive Director Joseph Hall.

Co-commissioned by KST, The Theater Offensive (Boston, MA) and the National Performance Network Creation and Development Fund (NPN), Mansoor’s performances launched a US Tour with upcoming presentations at a growing list of institutions including Woolly Mammoth Theater (Washington, DC), and Long Wharf Theater (New Haven, CT). KST hopes to extend the life of slowdanger’s SUPERCELL and SPdp&SS’s CIRCLES: going in, through these special NYC premiere performances.

KST’s Programming Director, Ben Pryor notes, “In January, The Arts Presenters conference hosts an unprecedented opportunity for national and international exposure and exchange. In bringing these works to New York City during APAP, we are telling KST’s story to our national and international colleagues and creating an opportunity for exposure that most Pittsburgh-based artists don’t get to experience.”

slowdanger’s SUPERCELL draws inspiration from the awe-inspiring yet ominous supercells—large storms with deep, persistent updrafts often leading to tornadoes. The terrifying supercells are harbingers of substantial damage. This natural effect is also similar to sensationalist media, instantly amplifying catastrophic events for insatiable public consumption. SUPERCELLtherefore is informed by the natural effect, finding parallels and addressing environmental collapse and sensationalism in media. 

According to anna thompson and taylor knight of slowdanger, “KST has been a beacon of support for slowdanger since our inception and has become a cherished home and community for us in Pittsburgh. Their support as development partners for SUPERCELL and conviction towards placing Pittsburgh artists on the national stage has been pivotal in our growth.  

CIRCLES: going in, was co-commissioned by KST in collaboration with The Joyce Theater (NYC) and the National Performance Network (New Orleans, LA) via NPN’s Creation and Development Fund. The work premiered at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center (Pittsburgh, PA), and has toured to the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, IL). It will be presented at Bates College (Lewiston, ME) in February ‘24. 

Layering dance and visual arts with pulsing beats and bass lines, CIRCLES: going in presents snapshots of popular culture through choreographer Staycee Pearl’s lens as a Black woman. With an ensemble of five dancers, CIRCLES: going in is a colorful, unapologetic, and daring path to self-reclamation. Central to the work is an original sound score of hip-hop, house, techno, and ballroom music samples – bringing the joy, spontaneity, and uncensored freedom of self-expression from the club to the stage.

“We first developed our artistic voice and organizational mission during our time as the resident dance company from 2010 to 2013 at KST,” Staycee Pearl fondly remembers, “KST’s support has played a huge part in propelling our work onto the national stage.”  

Join KST before and after each performance for light refreshments in the lobby of The Flea Theater. You’re also invited to a special reception on Friday, January 12 at 12:30pm with the artists.  

The Flea Theater is ADA-accessible and Kelly Strayhorn Theater is happy to further address any accommodations that will enrich your visit. Please reach out to KST’s Box Office team at 412.363.3000 x213 or boxoffice@kelly-strayhorn.org to let the team know in advance.

Bring Your Family, Tell Your Friends and Head to 

HOLIDAY COMMUNITY DAY,

A FREE Event Celebrating the Season,

December 16, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center

Activities Include Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus,

Christmas and Kwanzaa Markets, Haiku Writing,

Gallery Exhibits, Live Music, Drummers, Dancers and More

 ‘Tis the season to spread love and joy, and there’s no better place to share those warm and fuzzy feelings than at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center’s (AWAACC) Holiday Community Day set for Saturday, December 16, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, at 980 Liberty Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh.  Made possible by the generous support of UPMC and UPMC Health Plan, Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD), Pittsburgh International Airport and Duolingo, the festivities are FREE and feature three hours of entertainment, shopping, photo booths and a variety of hands-on family activities. 

Shop ‘til you drop at the Christmas and Kwanzaa markets located on two floors of the AWAACC, with clothing, jewelry, arts, crafts and many more gift items. Enjoy performances by Alumni Theater Company, The Flow Band and others. Feel the cultural spirit and move to the beat with Kwanzaa dancers and drummers. Take the chill off with free hot chocolate and coffee provided by 2C Premium Coffee. Leave room for a tasty meal and purchase lunch from Food by Chef Dave/ChefnaBox. And experience the magic of the North Pole and take home a photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Sign up for a close looking and creative writing activity inspired by Tim Okamura’s large scale figurative paintings in Onna-Bugeisha: Warriors in Light. Through close looking exercises, discussion and reflective writing prompts, participants are encouraged to express themselves through poetry in the form of a Haiku. Presented in conjunction with AWCommunity Day and the exhibition Onna Bugeisha: Warriors of Light, on view from November 9, 2023 – February 18, 2024, this is a free gallery activity open to visitors ages 18 and younger, registration is required. 

All other AWAACC exhibits also will be open during the Holiday Community Day.

Holiday Community Day Schedule:

Performances in the Multipurpose Studio

11:15 am -12:00 pm Alumni Theater Company

12:15 pm -12:30 pm Black Nativity

12:30 pm -12:45 pm Kwanzaa Dancers and Drummers

1:15 pm - 2:00 pm The Flow Band

Gallery Activities

11:00 – 2:00 pm Explore all gallery exhibits

12:45 pm - 1:15 pm Onna-Bugeisha: Warriors of Light Tour and Haiku Activity

Community Partners

Young Dreamers Bookstore

Future Kings Mentoring

Cayuga Centers

Greet the Sponsors

UPMC/UPMC Health Plan

Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD

Pittsburgh Airport

Duolingo, with an appearance by Duo, The Owl.

Major support for AWAACC’s operations is provided by Richard King Mellon Foundation, Henry L. Hillman Foundation, Heinz Endowments, and the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD). AWAACC’s programming is also made possible by generous support from its donors. For a complete list, please visit awaacc.org.

The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a non-profit cultural organization located in Pittsburgh’s cultural district that generates artistic, educational, and community initiatives that advance the legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. One of the largest cultural centers in the country focused exclusively on the African American experience and the celebration of Black culture and the African diaspora, the non-profit organization welcomes more than 119,000 visitors locally and nationally. Through year-round programming across multiple genres, such as the annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, Black Bottom Film Festival, AWCommunity Days, TRUTHSayers speaker series, and rotating art exhibits in its galleries, the Center provides a platform for established and emerging artists of color whose work reflects the universal issues of identity that Wilson tackled, and which still resonate today. www.awaacc.org.

Bring your family, tell your friends and head to The August Wilson African American Cultural Center’s Holiday Community Day to feel the spirit of Christmas and celebrate the traditions of Kwanzaa. For more information on Holiday Community Day, please visit www.awaacc.org.

Boyz II Men will make a much-anticipated return to The Event Center at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at 7 p.m. The beloved R&B phenomenon will perform hits such as “End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love to You,” “One Sweet Day” and “Motownphilly.” Tickets are on sale now and start at $59.

Boyz II Men last performed at The Event Center at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh in February 2022 to a sold-out crowd.

Boyz II Men consists of Philadelphia natives Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris. Throughout their three-decade career, the group has given fans a rich catalog of hits, resulting in four Grammy Awards, nine American Music Awards, nine Soul Train Awards, three Billboard Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The group has sold 64 million albums worldwide.

“Boyz II Men’s past performances at our Event Center were nothing less than phenomenal, and there’s no doubt fans will eagerly welcome them back to Pittsburgh,” said Vice President of Marketing Shannon Redmond. “We are thrilled to have these legendary performers back at Rivers Casino on the North Shore.”

Since the talented trio emerged in the ’90s, the group has won fans over with its multi-octave sound featured in 13 studio albums. The band’s debut album, “Cooleyhighharmony,” sold 9 million copies in the U.S. and earned the group certified 9x Platinum status, while “Twenty,” the landmark album that celebrated Boyz II Men’s 20th anniversary, debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard R&B Album chart. After more than two decades, Boyz II Men continues to deliver incredible music and legendary live performances around the world.

Tickets for Boyz II Men at Rivers Casino can be purchased at RiversCasino.com/Pittsburgh.

Squirrel Hill Farmers Market is not done yet!  Introducing the Squirrel Hill WINTER Farmers Market, just in time for the Holidays!  The first three Sundays in December, the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market will operate the Squirrel Hill Winter Farmers Market from 11 AM to 2 PM (December 3, 10 and 17) in the Beacon/Bartlett Parking Lot.  

The Squirrel Hill Farmers Market is the City’s largest and most attended market, and our vendors are looking forward to continuing to serve Pittsburgh residents at the Squirrel Hill Winter Farmers Market!  “This is just one more way we can offer a unique shopping alternative, while continuing to support local farms and artisan vendors,” stated CitiParks Director, Kathryn Vargas.  Note:  Not all vendors are able to participate, so vendor selection will be smaller than normal Market operations. 

Beloved vendors and a great atmosphere is expected to make the Squirrel Hill Winter Farmers Market the perfect place to get ready for the Holidays!  So be sure to stop by the Market Pittsburgh and have some fun holiday shopping with us. 

The Squirrel Hill Winter Farmers Markets will accept food stamps (SNAP), credit and debit cards as part of Just Harvest’s Fresh Access program. SNAP shoppers can get fresh, nutritious and local-grown food, including produce, meat, dairy, bread and baked goods, produce plants, seeds and honey.  (Hot prepared food items, alcohol and non-food items are not eligible for SNAP purchases.)  Food Bucks give Fresh Access food stamp shoppers extra money to spend on fruits and veggies.  For every $5 spent in food stamps, receive an extra $2 to spend on produce.  For more information, visit justharvest.org/fresh-access 

Families and children have many exciting programs to choose from this winter at the Carnegie Library. From workshops, lectures and art programs for teens. Check out the diverse programs available at Carnegie Library this winter. One of the events free for children is Cue’s Creative Workshops for Kids. Join library card artist Cue Perry in this 60-minute intro to drawing, painting, color theory and more! Cue shows kids how art can be fun, and advocates for thinking outside the box. 

Check out this event and many other free programs at The Carnegie Library this winter: Click here for more information. 

Silver Eye is proud to announce Radial Survey Vol.3, on view from November 2, 2023 to February 2, 2024. Radial Survey is Silver Eye’s flagship biennial exhibition featuring preeminent emerging and mid-career photographic artists based within 300 miles of Pittsburgh. This third edition, Presence, includes seven artists nominated by Radial Survey Vol.2 artists and selected by Silver Eye’s curators.

These seven artists create work that invites us to explore the relationships between presence, visibility, and absence. Recontextualizing family and found photographs, reimagining genres, and affirming their unique subjective experiences, these artists create visually compelling languages that recognize and subvert forces larger than ourselves. In doing so, they question learned ways of seeing and how these affect our contemporary experience.

Radial Survey Vol.3 will be accompanied by an extensive catalog, including original essays by Anna Mirzayan, Sean Beauford, Silver Eye Executive Director Leo Hsu and Deputy Director of Programs Helen Trompeteler. A symposium with artists and scholars from around the region will be held on November 3, 2023, to discuss the exhibition’s themes and its broader implications, and to reinforce community around the powerful experience of photography and art.

Radial Survey Vol.3 is generously supported by The Leonian Foundation and Henry Simonds.

Participating Artists

Akea Brionne

Alanna Fields

Larry W. Cook

Marissa Long

Eduardo L. Rivera

Shane Rocheleau

Lisa Toboz

Related Programming

Radial Survey Vol.3 Opening Gala

Thursday, November 2nd, 2023, 7pm

Silver Eye Center for Photography

$50 Opening Gala Ticket
$110 Opening Gala Ticket + Catalog pre-order

Enjoy a first look at the work from our region shaping the future of contemporary photography. The opening gala fundraiser supports the exhibition, the catalog, and symposium. Tickets include hors d’oeuvres by Sprezzatura and refreshments from Two Frays. Learn more and purchase tickets at silvereye.org. Patron and sponsor packages available.

Radial Survey Symposium: 

Friday, November 3rd, 2023

Silver Eye Center for Photography

Free; registration required

Join artists from the exhibition and scholars from around the region for a day of conversations on the exhibition's work and the survey’s broader implications. Registration is free, but space is limited so sign up today to secure your place. Learn more at silvereye.org

Handmade Arcade welcomes winter by announcing its 19th annual Holiday Market, an iconic Pittsburgh tradition. The Holiday Market is the largest event of its kind in the region, drawing over 11,000 shoppers in 2022. The 2023 Holiday Market takes place on Saturday, December 2, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and hosts over 275 makers, including established artists, youth makers, and members of the new BIPOC maker accelerator.

“Every year, we work to make the Holiday Market an even better experience for our makers and fans,” says Tricia Brancolini-Foley, Executive Director. “We were immensely grateful for the success of the 2022 event because it proves how dedicated this community is to supporting independent artists. We can’t wait to thank everyone with a market that is bigger and more celebratory than they’ve ever experienced.”

Over the past 19 years, the Holiday Market has become a cornerstone of Pittsburgh’s holiday season and a crucial event that helps keep regional makers in business. The 2022 Holiday Market was the largest event to date at the time, hosting over 250 vendors and bringing in $680,000 in reported sales. The 2023 event, which will be Brancolini-Foley’s final as she steps down from her role in early 2024, expands to host more makers than ever before. 

Meet the Makers

The 2023 Holiday Market features over 275 makers with a wide variety of artistic disciplines and products, ranging from upcycled clothing to monster-filled screenprints to crocheted jewelry. Attendees can view the virtual catalog on the Handmade Arcade website on Monday, November 20, to browse participating makers’ wares and featured products.

The market showcases the creativity and brilliance of artists and creators of all ages. This year, Handmade Arcade is thrilled to host 13 individual youth makers, one scout troop, youth makers from Protohaven’s youth maker camp, and nine maker classrooms from schools across the region. The event also features the first group of makers from the BIPOC Maker Accelerator, a program that launched earlier this year in partnership with Sustainible, a woman, minority, and immigrant-owned startup in Pittsburgh. The BIPOC Maker Accelerator uplifts historically underrepresented makers, craftspeople, and artists in the region’s maker ecosystem.

“We are always looking for new ways to support our maker community, from supporting and coaching emerging makers on how to participate in a market to ensuring that our event truly represents the diversity of this industry,” says Brancolini-Foley. “By intentionally reaching youth makers and BIPOC makers, we are working to make events like the Holiday Market as accessible as possible to everyone.”

Featured Makers

RaiZArts
Part of the 2023 BIPOC Maker Cohort
Raymont D. Youngblood is a Pittsburgh-based digital illustrator who takes inspiration from classic anime to create punchy digital artworks.

Nox USA
New to Handmade Arcade
Garett Allen makes modern heirlooms from premium vegetable-tanned leather, ranging from hand-stitched wallets to quirky keyrings and luxurious handbags.

Ceramics by Marcè
Part of the 2023 BIPOC Maker Cohort
Marcè Nixon-Washington is a multidisciplinary artist based in Pittsburgh, PA, who crafts handmade ceramics, like mudcloth-patterned vases and her iconic Grillz Cups.

About Handmade Arcade

Handmade Arcade is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that believes in the power of making. We support makers by connecting them with consumers and resources to improve their craft and business. We offer workshops, classes, and opportunities to the regional maker community year-round, including hosting one of the most extensive independent maker fairs in the Northeast.

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