Photo: Lisa Kyle

In our spring cover story (see Carnegie Museums After Dark, page 16), a young woman who is new to Pittsburgh summed up her enthusiasm for The Warhol’s Good Friday gatherings this way: “When you’re from a place like San Francisco you sometimes think you’ve seen it all. It’s good to know that you can still be surprised and learn something new—and have an interesting night out at the same time.”

Surprise and learning. Day or night, both are available in great abundance at our four museums. I would even venture to guess that just about everyone who visits our museums is surprised by at least one thing they see or hear. And our hope is that they learn a thing or two in the process.

It’s common knowledge that children learn best  by doing. But we adults often forget the same is true for us. The four Carnegie Museums are great places to remember.  
Of course, learning may not be first on the minds of the 8,000-plus children who, guided by patient adults, enjoy themed sleepovers at Carnegie Science Center and Carnegie Museum  of Natural History each year. And it’s probably  not foremost on the minds of the adults of all ages who enjoy Good Friday happenings at The Warhol. They come, nevertheless, because they’re eager to explore and experience something different. That, in itself, speaks to how open they are 
to learning something new. 

Last year, Carnegie Museums welcomed nearly 1.2 million explorers of all ages—a new record  for us. It might surprise many of you to know that thousands of them made their visits after dark. From stargazing to laser shows. From IMAX® films to live musical performances. From dinosaur sleepovers to CSI whodunit-themed all-nighters.

What a joy it is for us to bring this kind of diversity to so many distinct audiences! Our thanks to you, our members and donors, for not only patronizing our museums but for also supporting us in our efforts to always reach a little farther—even into the wee hours of the morning—to give our visitors experiences they could only find at Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.