“The four Carnegie Museums are central to the lifeblood of the city. They belong to Pittsburgh.”
Geovette Washington, Chair, Carnegie Museums Board of Trustees
When GEOVETTE WASHINGTON first arrived in Pittsburgh from Washington, D.C., she was immediately struck by something unique about the city’s cultural landscape: it was anchored by Carnegie Museums. As senior vice chancellor and chief legal officer at the University of Pittsburgh, she could see how the four museums were woven into the very fabric of community life in a way she’d never experienced elsewhere.
“In other places, museums are primarily
tourist attractions,” she reflects. “The four Carnegie Museums are central to the lifeblood of the city. They belong to Pittsburgh.” Now, as chair of the Carnegie Museums Board of Trustees, she’s witnessed firsthand what makes these institutions so special: the staff that treats the museums like home and the way they engage with people of all ages.
From gallery attendants to senior leaders, she’s observed a shared passion that transforms routine visits into meaningful, memorable encounters. “There are people who’ve worked at Carnegie Museums for decades and made their career there, and they all love what they do. They have a real passion for the museums in a way that make them special for visitors.”
“I grew up thinking of museums as static places,” Geovette says, “but the Carnegie Museums are not; they’re different. Almost everyone has a
story about some experience they had in the Carnegie Museums — their favorite space, somebody they met there, something they saw there that changed their life. That is unique, for a city to have such a rich connection to one of their cultural assets.”
That connection exists because there’s something for everyone at the four Carnegie Museums. Parents can explore history, art, or science with their children. Teens find welcoming environments where they can discover, question, and grow. Seniors can build community in programs created specifically for them, and adults of all ages can find inspiration within the walls of the museums — including Geovette herself. “The Scaife Galleries in Carnegie Museum of Art are it for me, where I find my zen. If I have a spare hour, I’m going there.”
As a steward looking toward the future, Geovette is focused on ensuring that young people will have the same kinds of experiences that shaped previous generations. “It’s about expanding our reach and making museums feel like home for the broader community through programs and initiatives that remove barriers to participation,” she says. “The types of museum experiences I hear about from older adults today, I want that to continue to be the case when this younger generation is in their 50s, 60s, and 70s.”
