Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media to Cease Operations at Marshall Mansion, Refocus on Educational Programming

The following is a letter from Christine Holtz, president of the Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media regarding their decision to cease operations at the Marshall Mansion and refocus their efforts on educational programming.

Dear Friends of Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media:

On the heels of the close of our dynamic Three Rivers Film Festival, we want to thank all of the patrons who came out to enjoy two weeks of wonderful independent films. In this season of gratitude, we also want to express our appreciation to the arts community at large for your support as we’ve worked to overcome the significant challenges facing our organization.

At this time last year, we looked ahead to 2019 with optimism and excitement, humbled and inspired by the way our leadership, staff, members and artist community came together to chart a course toward a vibrant future. We expanded and redesigned programming, increased educational offerings, restructured operations, attracted new audiences, and united – literally and figuratively – Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, with the debut of Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media. Even with the considerable progress achieved through the remarkable efforts and indefatigable passion of many, we are now looking forward facing a much harsher reality - and recognizing that certain challenges sadly are insurmountable.

While we had hoped to transform our Fifth Avenue campus into an increasingly robust cultural asset for the region, the crushing expenditures needed to support basic operations and maintenance, let alone critically needed repairs, proved to be too much to sustain as a tenant. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to cease operations in the Marshall Mansion, which is owned by the City of Pittsburgh, on December 31, 2019 and hope to refocus all resources on our educational programming utilizing a much smaller campus footprint, namely the Scaife and Annex buildings. We remain in discussions with the City in that regard. In a sense, we are returning to the education-oriented spirit in which the original organizations were founded.

Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media will continue to offer classes year-round in a variety of mediums with expanded daytime programming, as well as youth summer camps. All 2019 classes and workshops will continue as planned. We anticipate very little impact on the upcoming Winter 2020 offerings and look forward to a full line-up of classes throughout the coming year. Artist services and access memberships will still be available. And we will continue to facilitate the Artists in Schools and Communities program in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts' Arts in Education Partnership.

Unfortunately, as part of this shift in approach, we have closed the Regent Square Theater while we determine the future of that asset, and screenings at the Harris Theater have ended. Our final exhibit in the Marshall building, “What Have We Done, The New Collective,” featuring 14 artists from six local guilds, will run through the end of the year. Our annual Holiday Shop will remain open until December 31st, showcasing an array of unique, handcrafted art gifts.

In addition, Dorinda Sankey, who has played an invaluable role since assuming the position of Chief Administrative Officer last year, has stepped down with our immense appreciation for her outstanding work. Kyle Houser, who has served as Creative Director and overseen all educational programming, has been named Executive Director, assuming full responsibility for overall operations. All impacted employees have been provided severance packages.

While this is not the news we’d hope to be sharing, particularly with the celebratory holiday season upon us, it is the stark reality we face. By focusing all of our resources and energies on our artist services and educational core, we will be able to continue to serve artists of all ages, playing to a strength that has provided a unique offering, experience and cultural asset to our community throughout our history. We invite you to visit pfpca.org to view a complete line-up of current offerings. Thank you again for your support.

With our best wishes for a peaceful season,

Christine Holtz
President
Board of Directors, Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media