Warren MacKenzie, American, b. 1924; Hexagonal Lidded Jar, 1995, stoneware; Purchase gift of Peter G. Veeder and James M. Veeder, Jr., by exchange

Shelf Esteem

It’s all about the art form made functional! Explore the style, technique, and manufacture of some truly engaging objects at the 30th annual Decorative Arts Symposium, presented by the Women’s Committee of Carnegie Museum of Art on October 8.

Meissen to Mackenzie: New Directions in Decorative Arts traces the fascinating pattern of ceramics production and collecting, beginning with spectacular 18th-century Meissen porcelain designs through the geometric abstraction of contemporary American artist Warren MacKenzie. The discussion will also spotlight contemporary designs in turned wood. Author Letitia Roberts puts a whole new spin on the history of tableware with The Latest Dish: A Century of Ceramics Collecting in America, along with Curator Christopher Monkhouse, whose presentation From the Perfect Plate to Pure Abstraction: Transformation in Studio Craft reveals the unique artistic evolution of design in elaborate settings. Program and luncheon, $50; program only, $25. Call 412.622.3325.

Dance of the Ants

Rivane Neuenschwander in collaboration with Cao Guimarães, Still from Quarta-Feira de Cinzas/Epilogue, 2006, Courtesy of the artist and Tanya Bonakdar New York

On view in Carnegie Museum of Art’s Forum Gallery, the video—whose title translates as “Ash Wednesday”—captures typically unseen moments in nature while mixing samba rhythms with ambient sounds of the rainforest. The end product: a playful scenario that imagines the ants to be busily cleaning up while the rest of the world sleeps off Carnival’s revelry.

The artist’s “ethereal materialism” is beautifully manifested by the collective nature of the ant colony, illustrating the collaborative element that generates poetic experiences from ordinary events in subtle and ephemeral ways.

Neuenschwander’s Story of Another Day (2005) was acquired by the museum 
in 2006.

Mask Parade

On September 15, immerse yourself in the magical sounds of street music with the rich African-influenced rhythms and dances of the Nego Gato Afro-Brazilian Music and Dance Ensemble. Make it a slumber party with an overnight excursion into the folklore, fantasy, and festivity of modern-day Carnival on October 12, where you’ll learn about the tradition of the festival and create some of your own costume items for the grand parade. Tracie Yorke Dance presents the interactive performance J’ouvert Jump Up! – Carnival Time in Trinidad and Tobago on October 20, where you’ll experience the thrill of the Caribbean’s most famous Carnival.

DINO-mite Radio

Natural history lovers can now take a piece of the museum with them wherever they go—home, in the car, even to work—with a new radio expedition all about dinosaurs and the history of life on Earth.

Tune in each weekday to Dinosaurs and More, a 20-segment series, beginning October 22 on WDUQ (90.5 FM). Drawing from the 100-year history of one of the world’s great natural
history collections at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and its world-class Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibit, episodes will include stories such as A Dozen Dippies, A Tale of T. rex, Apatosaurus louisae, and The Bone that Rocked the World.

Produced and hosted by David Bear, travel editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and producer of such public radio series as The Traveler’s Journal and A Century of Heroes, the 90-second episodes will also focus on diverse natural science subjects like paleobotany, paleoecology, geology, and plate tectonics. Segments will provide perspective on the evolution of human understanding and history.

Made possible by a generous grant from The PNC Financial Services Group, be sure to tune in each Monday through Friday at 12:58 p.m.
and 6:58 p.m.

Next Stop, Forbes Field

For more than 50 years, the Miniature Railroad & Village^® has brought all aboard for a magical, miniature re-creation of western Pennsylvania history. Carnegie Science Center’s own model builders construct and add new models to the village each year, but this year marks the unveiling of the model most requested by the public for decades—Forbes Field.

Considerable planning went into formulating every detail of the grand structure, right down to an outfield wall made of reconditioned brick from the actual wall!  Built in 1909, Forbes Field was considered the finest baseball park in the world, and still represents a most beloved memory in the hearts and minds of native Pittsburghers. “We are held to the highest standard of quality on this replication, and our visitors will judge as to whether we’ve hit the mark,” says Patty Rogers, model builder and coordinator of Historic Exhibits at the Science Center (shown above).

Carnegie Museums’ members enjoy a special sneak peek on Monday, November 12, from
5–8 pm.

Leaping Lizards

Huge, thundering creatures will hit the big screen in a big way when Dinosaurs Alive! opens on September 8 at Carnegie Science Center—giving visitors a preview of the much-anticipated return of Carnegie’s dinosaurs at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in November.

A captivating adventure of science and discovery, this new giant-screen film features spectacular animation and a live-action story that follows the footsteps of renowned paleontologists as they explore some of the greatest dinosaur finds in   history. And it brings dinosaurs, their behaviors, and their ancient environments to life on screen as never before seen—juxtaposing stunningly realistic and scientifically accurate computer-generated imagery with intriguing 1920s docu-mentary footage and current dinosaur hunting expeditions.

Goin’ to a Glow-Go

Don’t miss Elusive Signs: Bruce Nauman Works with Light, an exhibition opening September 22, that illuminates the work of renowned light artist Bruce Nauman. 

Focusing on Nauman’s neon and light-room installations created over the first two decades of his career,the exhibition reflects the artist’s belief that language is the most powerful tool for communicating in our culture. In his work, Nauman uses words and word play—anagrams, palindromes, reversals, and puns—as he rearranges letters and phrases to create new expressions.

Nauman has spent more than 40 years working in a diverse array of media, always choosing the form that best suited his ideas at the time. As a young artist in the ‘60s, he abandoned painting and rebelled against traditional art, stating, “It seems to me that painting is not going to get us anywhere, and most sculpture is not going to either, and art has to go somewhere.”

The exhibition is organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum. It contains some words and images of an adult subject matter that some viewers may find offensive.

Matched Makers

Imitation goes way beyond flattery when The Andy Warhol Museum doubles up with the National Gallery of Australia to present the exhibition Andy and Oz: Parallel Visions.

This exhibition, opening on October 20, presents a cross-generational exploration by seven prominent Australian artists influenced by the work of Andy Warhol. Some parallels between these artists’ works and Warhol’s art will be immediately apparent while others will be unexpected and even surprising.

The exhibition will include artwork drawn from a number of media including photography, paintings, and sculpture from the National Gallery of Australia’s collection.

Andy and Oz is a curatorial collaboration between The Warhol and the National Gallery of Australia. Artists include Martin Sharp, Richard Larter, Tracy Moffat, and Juan Davila. This exhibition coincides with the festival of Australian culture presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.