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Decking the Halls—of Architecture and Sculpture

Marking the start to the holiday season, the Women’s Committee of Carnegie Museum of Art has once again adorned the museum’s Hall of Architecture with 20-foot trees decorated with handmade ornaments. This year the traditional display of themed trees will highlight legends and fairytales from around the world. Included are Bringing the Rain to Kipiti Plain, from Africa; The Ugly Duckling, organized by members of the Carnegie Library; The Chinese Dragon’s Gift, from China; Vadnicen, A Child’s Ukranian Story, organized with the Origami Club of Pittsburgh; and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Members and friends of the Women’s Committee decorate each tree with hundreds of hand-crafted ornaments. On view through January 7, 2007.

Another holiday tradition for Pittsburgh families is a trip to see the museum’s Neapolitan presepio. A presepio, a centuries-old tradition in Naples and southern Italy, is an elaborate nativity scene recreated with miniature figures and animals and arranged in a detailed panorama. Hand-made by craftsmen between 1700 and 1830, Carnegie Museum of Art’s vibrant Neapolitan presepio, on view every Christmas since 1957, is one of the finest examples of its kind. More than 100 superbly modeled human, animal, and angelic figures, accessories, and architectural elements, will be located in the Hall of Sculpture through January 4, 2007.

Jonathan Borofsky, American, b. 1942, Human Structures (detail), 2006, polycarbonate. Courtesy of Jonathan Borofsky.

Interpreting the Human Experience

Jonathan Borofsky, internationally known artist and creator of the 100-foot tall steel and fiberglass sculpture Walking to the Sky on the Carnegie Mellon University campus, explores archetypal figures through a variety of media—drawing, painting, installations, video, and large-scale public sculpture—to convey simple yet profound notions of human experience. The CMU grad’s newest interior installation, Human Structure, is now on view through March 11, 2007, in Carnegie Museum of Art’s Forum Gallery. This large-scale, site-specific work encourages viewers to walk around and through the installation.

Discover India, a Land of Contrasts

The stunning photography of Don Robinson is back at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, this time with a focus on India, a country of stark contrasts that Robinson says afforded him unparalleled image-making opportunities.

Through 72 photographs taken in February of 2006, Robinson captures the disparities within the country, from the congestion of elephants and buggies on the main street to the quiet, majestic palaces of the maharajas. The Face of India: Photographs of Donald Robinson, on view through Feb. 25, 2007, is a window into a complex world of religions, class systems, and social relationships.

Many of the images feature women dressed in riveting colors and the spectacular temples in Agra. The pictures include a woman beautifully attired helping a construction worker dig a sewer line, five women dressed in saris, and Robinson’s favorite from the trip, a lady in an orange sari outside a temple in Agra. .

A Growing Invasion

On the second Saturday of each month, meet a different Carnegie Museum of Natural History scientist in one of our permanent exhibit halls for an informal discussion of the museum’s collections and on-going research. Next up, Saturday, Jan. 13, from 1-2 p.m., is Dr. Chen Young, curator, Section of Invertebrate Zoology. Get to know some non-native species of insects that have become invasive pests due to their destructive habits. Native insect species can be pests, too—and Dr. Young will explain how. Free with museum admission; registration is not required..

May Cause Toe-Tapping

A movie for the whole family, Happy Feet: The Imax Experience is a comedy adventure that carries viewers to the home of Emperor Penguins in the heart of Antarctica. “You just ain’t penguin” if you can’t sing because your own unique song is what leads you to your soul mate, the story tells us. Unfor-tunately for Mumble (Elijah Wood), he is the worst singer in the world. But he is born dancing to his own tune … tap dancing. Happy Feet is on view in the Rangos Omnimax Theater at Carnegie Science Center through Dec. 23. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children (ages 3-12).

All Aboard!

Forget the mall.Kick-off the start of the holiday season at Carnegie Science Center with an event for all members of the family. Share a piping hot breakfast, a celebrity reading of Chris Van Allsburg’s beloved children’s book, The Polar Express, followed by a screening of The Polar Express: The IMAX Experience. The morning culminates with special reserved time at the Miniature Railroad & Village, a Pittsburgh holiday tradition. Dec. 2, 9, 16, & 23 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Celebrities on tap for readings include Michelle Wright, WTAE Channel 4 Action News anchor, on Dec. 2 and Mr. McFeely from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Dec. 9, 16 & 23. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for children and seniors, $20 for members, and $15 for member children and seniors. Tickets includes full-day admission to Carnegie Science Center and UPMC SportsWorks®. Buy online at www.CarnegieScienceCenter.org or by phone at 412.237.3400.

Buggin’— through the Eyes of Warhol

Andy Warhol painted portraits of Justice Louis Brandeis, who in 1928 was the first Supreme Court Justice to write an opinion opposing wire tapping (Olmsted v. United States). His opinion was,
however, instrumental in determining another legal case in 1967 (known as Katz), which overturned the Olmsted decision. Warhol also created a portrait of Richard Nixon, shortly before his presidency was ended due to the Watergate scandal, much of which hinged on Nixon’s personal recording of his conversations and phone calls. Now, as our nation once again debates the legality of wiretapping and electronic eavesdropping, Buggin’: Taps for Justice, on view at The Warhol through March 2007, examines some of the milestones of legal precedence and the public discourse surrounding them.

Off the Wall at The Warho

lGregg Whelan and Gary Winters formed Lone Twin in 1997 to work with performance on ideas of place, context, and orientation. The company has since created an internationally celebrated body of work, with regular showings across Europe, North America, and Australia. Their work ranges from context-specific works lasting many days to gallery,
studio, and stage performances. Their return to Pittsburgh after delighting audiences as a part of the Fall ‘04 Festival of Firsts marks the return of The Warhol’s performance arts series Off the Wall. Their new work Nine Years, to be performed at The Andy Warhol Museum January 26 & 27, 2007, at 8 p.m., is drawn from extensive video documentation and will re-present, re-negotiate, and re-contextualize their performance work to date in an attempt to survey the route taken and to assess the road ahead. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for members and students.

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