At Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

Share in the wonder and magic of the holiday season at Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. Enjoy a free concert (or two); admire the Neapolitan Presepio; tour the Holiday Trees display; visit the Miniature Railroad & Village; and shop in all five great museum stores. Whatever your plans are this season, use the information that follows to schedule a special visit to Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and take part in a Pittsburgh tradition.

Holiday Concerts at Carnegie Museums of Art
and Natural History
All concerts are free and open to the public. Concerts will be held in the Museum of Art’s Hall of Architecture from 12-12:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and 2:15-3 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays.

American Legends Holiday Trees
This year, the four trees in Carnegie Museum of Art’s annual Holiday Trees display will be decorated with ornaments that depict fabled steelworker Joe Magarac, Johnny Appleseed, Lewis & Clark, and the so-called king of keelboaters, Mike Fink—all American Legends. All of the decorations were handmade by members of the Women’s Committee of Carnegie Museum of Art—a process that takes approximately six months.

Holiday Tree Preview Party
Wednesday, December 3, 6-8 p.m.
Hall of Architecture
The Women’s Committee of Carnegie Museum of Art hosts this popular annual preview of the Holiday Trees display. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served. Tickets are $40 each and reservations are required. For more information call 412.578.2624.

The Neapolitan Presepio: A Holiday Tradition
Once again, the Women’s Committee Holiday Trees display will tower over the Museum of Art’s Neapolitan Presepio, a display that has been installed for the holidays every year since 1957. Its more than 100 figures, made in Italy between 1700 and 1830, represent the Neapolitan concept of the nativity in a scene of village life.

Trees with Personality
For the second year in a row, the Women’s Committee of Carnegie Museum of Art is also offering Trees with Personality, a series of artificial holiday trees decorated by local personalities and institutions that may be purchased through a raffle. This year, the five-foot artificial trees will be decorated by Family Communications (whose Mr. Rogers’ tree was very popular last year); The Andy Warhol Museum Director Thomas Sokolowski; the National Aviary; artists Cynthia Cooley and Burton Morris; Pittsburgh Pop Conductor Marvin Hamlisch; Elsie and Henry Hillman; and the Children’s Museum.

Raffle tickets for the trees may be purchased for $10 at the Museum of Art from December 3 through December 13. The drawing will be held on December 14. Sales of the raffle tickets benefit Carnegie Museum of Art.

Miniature Railroad & Village
November 21, 2003-June 13, 2004
See western Pennsylvania in all its glory, and try to find the two new displays that were added this fall. Don’t miss this holiday tradition!

The Christmas Star
November 24, 2003-January 4, 2004
Visit the Henry Buhl Jr. Planetarium at Carnegie Science Center and travel back in time to Bethlehem, 2,000 years ago. Then decide for yourself if that wondrous star was an astronomical event or something that cannot be explained scientifically.

Annual Special Guests Holiday Party
Monday, December 8, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Hosted annually by the Women’s Committee, children and adults with special needs are invited to enjoy Carnegie Museum of Art’s holiday displays, entertainment, and refreshments. For more information, call 412.622.3325.

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