Being a corporate member of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh makes good business sense.  By supporting Carnegie Museums, corporate members invest in the region and reach out to the community; in turn, they reap the benefits of a strong local economy and high public visibility.

 The Bistro Group, which manages the second largest franchise of the popular restaurant chain TGI Friday’s, has in recent years taken advantage of the opportunities presented by supporting Carnegie Museums.  The Bistro Group operates seven TGI Friday’s in the greater Pittsburgh region, and the Conway family of Cincinnati, which founded and operates The Bistro Group, was interested in establishing a greater presence in the Pittsburgh community. 

“In other markets, we have to maintain separate relationships with four or five different organizations to get the same benefit we do from our affiliation with Carnegie Museums.”

Says Bob Conway Jr., vice president of Marketing for The Bistro Group, “The idea of establishing a relationship with Carnegie Museums, a collective of four different museums, was very attractive to us.  In other markets, we have to maintain separate relationships with four or five different organizations to get the same benefit we do from our affiliation with Carnegie Museums.”

The Bistro Group provides Carnegie Museums with general operating support as well as sponsorship funds for exhibitions and programs at Carnegie Science Center.  Recently, The Bistro Group donated substantial funds to help complete the Science Center’s newly renovated Kitchen Theater.  Bob Conway brought his father, Bob Sr., chairman of The Bistro Group, and his mother, Ruth, a major shareholder in the company, to the Science Center last winter to see the new Kitchen Theater. 

“They were both very impressed,” Bob says.

Bob and Larry say that TGI Friday’s has benefited from its relationship with Carnegie Museums in the ways that they had hoped.  Says Bob, “We’ve achieved more visibility among the museums’ patrons, who tend to be among our restaurants’ target audiences.  The support we’ve given to the Pittsburgh community has resulted in us getting more support from the community.”  Says Larry, “Carnegie Museums is an important part of what makes Pittsburgh the great city that it is.  By supporting the museums, we are supporting Pittsburgh.  And, if Pittsburgh is doing well, our restaurants will do well.”
 

The Folklore and Natural History of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska

Explore the natural wonders and rich folklore of the Pacific Northwest on an intimate cruise with Seddon Bennington, director of Carnegie Science Center.  You’ll cruise on a small and agile clipper specifically designed to maneuver in coastal and secluded waters, enabling you to enjoy close-up views of magnificent glaciers, gorges, and coves. 
The clipper will glide through Glacier Bay National Park, home to sea lions, bald eagles, and humpback whales; the Tracy Arm fjord, where harbor seals and mountain goats can often be seen on the ice floes and cliffs; and the Johnstone Strait, where more families of orca whales have been recorded than anywhere else in the world. 
 You’ll also take expeditions ashore to see Native American artists at work in traditional and contemporary media, and see the totems, longhouses, and carved canoes unique to the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. 
 

Art, Architecture and Landscapes of the Hudson River Valley

October 6-9

See the same breathtaking vistas that inspired the landscape painters of America’s famed Hudson River School.  The Hudson River Valley includes the broad expanses of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains.  During the 19th century, the valley was a center for romantic painting and architecture. 
You’ll tour galleries that house collections of works by Hudson River School artists as well as contemporary artists.  A highlight will be The Storm King Art Center, an outdoor sculpture park and museum described as a “symphony of architecture” by the New York Times.

You’ll also visit the homes of Hudson River School artists and the lavish mansions and estates along the river that were commissioned by prominent New York families, including the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. You’ll stay at Tarrytown Hilton and the historic Beekman Arms property in Rhinebeck, New York.