Salvador Dalí, Theseus and the Minotaur, 1942, gift of Leon Falk, Jr. photo: Tom Little
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Advertising Andy
Andy Warhol once said, “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.” One would have to assume, then, that he’d approve of Bethany Tucke as the new deputy director of his museum.
Tucke, a Pittsburgh native, arrived at The Andy Warhol Museum from New York City where she most recently served as a marketing and special projects consultant at Nike.
“I could not have imagined returning to Pittsburgh in a more idyllic and exciting role,” says Tucke. “Warhol’s influence touches each of us, in Pittsburgh and around the globe. It could be a product on the shelf of your local retail chain, an advertisement in your newspaper, a piece of art in your doctor’s office waiting room, or an image on one of the celebrity weekly magazines as you check out at your grocery store.”
photo: Joshua Franzos
 Tucke has more than a decade of experience in marketing and branding. As a consultant for Nike, she developed and implemented communications strategies for promotions, worked on artist-product collaborations, special events, and design. She also advised on the launch of the Nike Sportswear brand and the company’s first global stand-alone boutique in New York City’s Soho neighborhood. Prior to taking on Nike, Tucke was managing director of Tomato, a London-based design agency, in their New York office, and as part of her duties developed strategic partnerships with Apple, BMW, Sony, and Levi’s.
Tucke succeeds Colleen Criste who resigned her post in 2008 to become deputy director for external affairs at the International Center of Photography in New York City.
Unpacking Dalí’s stage curtain
 Salvador Dalí’s 1942 stage curtain Theseus and the Minotaur caused quite a stir this past December when conservators at Carnegie Museum of Art unfurled it after more than 30 years in storage. Dalí created the 26-foot-high, 39-foot-wide canvas as a backdrop for the Ballets Russes’ 1942 touring production of Labyrinth, which is based on the Greek myth of Theseus; painted with black, light blue, and white oil, the beige canvas depicts the knife-wielding hero battling the Minotaur. Decades later, former Ballets Russes choreographer Leonide Massine found the backdrop while cleaning house and called his former protégé, Nicolas Petrov, who by then had founded Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. In 1976, Petrov asked Pittsburgh Ballet patron Leon Falk, Jr. to purchase the curtain, and Petrov then brought it to Pittsburgh. Eventually, Falk donated it to Carnegie Museum of Art.
Last year, chief curator Louise Lippincott became curious about it while researching another project relating to art and dance. At her request, conservators unrolled it in the Hall of Sculpture to examine its condition and to figure out how to best display it. They were shocked by what they saw.
“It’s spectacular,” says Lippincott, adding that it appears to be in great condition for its age. Stay tuned for news on when museum-goers might be able to come face-to-face with this no longer hidden gem.
Smart, sweet, and award-winning
BrainCake.org, an online sisterhood for girls ages 11 to 17 that’s become an integral part of Carnegie Science Center’s Girls, Math & Science Partnership (GMSP), is attracting throngs of viewers, earning the museum community’s highest award for visitor experience.
The site—which features girl-focused programs, blogs, scholarships, virtual mentoring, homework help, and research in a framework that integrates pop culture, science, and learning—was honored this past fall with the Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience at the 2009 Annual Conference of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC). It’s the first time that a website—not an exhibit or program—captured the prize. And it’s no wonder why: The fun, useful, and interactive resource attracts girls to the tune of more than one million site hits each month.
“Out of more than 3.2 million Americans employed in math and science occupations, only 27 percent are women,” notes Ron Baillie, co-director of Carnegie Science Center. Under Executive Director Jennifer Stancil’s leadership, “BrainCake.org and GMSP have given girls new ways to
express their interests and develop their talents in these fields.”
Local science stars in the spotlight
 For 14 years, Carnegie Science Center has recognized the region’s superstars in science and technology through its annual Carnegie Science Awards, in partnership with Eaton Corporation.
This year’s winners, announced in late January, will be honored May 7 at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. The theme of the 2010 ceremony is the Science of Sports Performance, with Chris Carmichael, personal coach to seven-time Tour de France cham-pion Lance Armstrong, as keynote speaker. Tickets are available at CarnegieScienceCenter.org.
This year’s Chairman Award went to world-renowned physician Thomas E. Starzl of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Following are all of this year’s shining science stars: Advanced Manufacturing, C. Edward Eckert, Ph.D, Apogee Technology, Inc.; Advanced Materials, Di Gao, Ph.D, University of Pittsburgh; Analysis and Reporting, Andrew Conte and Luis Fabregas, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; Catalyst, Allegheny County Health Department; Corporate Innovation, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Elementary Educator, Beth Cooper, Butler Area School District; Middle Level Educator, Arlynn Adamerovich, Ligonier Valley School District; High School Educator, Jeanne Campbell Suehr, Yough School District; School District, Franklin Regional School District; University/Post-Secondary Educator, Alison Slinskey Legg, Ph.D, University of Pittsburgh; Special Achievement in Environmental Education, Laura Branby, Wendy Kedzierski, and Jim Palmer, Creek Connections, Allegheny College; University/Post-Secondary Student, Bryan Brown, University of Pittsburgh, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Emerging Female Scientist, Charleen Chu, M.D., Ph.D, University of Pittsburgh; Start-Up Entrepreneur, Razi Imam, Landslide Technologies, Inc.; Entrepreneur, Lalit Chordia, Thar Technologies, Inc.; Environmental, Devra Davis, Environmental Health Trust; Information Technology, Luis von Ahn, Carnegie Mellon University; and Life Sciences, Andrew Schwartz, Ph.D, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
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