NEWS

NEWS •

TRUST EXPANDS ACCESSIBLE SEATING IN THE PALACE THEATRE
Westmoreland County Brian Crawford Westmoreland County Brian Crawford

TRUST EXPANDS ACCESSIBLE SEATING IN THE PALACE THEATRE

Westmoreland Cultural Trust increased their accessible seating capacity in The Palace Theatre, providing those with special seating needs additional options and locations when purchasing tickets to a performance.

In addition to the existing spaces in the back of the theatre, eight accessible locations were added to the front of the theatre closer to the stage area. The new locations include four in the Gold Circle section, with an additional four installed in the first rows of Orchestra Left and Right. Contiguous companion seats are also designated for these new areas.

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New Works Festival at IUP
Indiana County Brian Crawford Indiana County Brian Crawford

New Works Festival at IUP

Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Theatre-by-the-Grove will close the 2021-22 season with the New Works Festival. The festival consists of five live performances of new one-act plays. The plays are “The Ox and the Door” by 2006 alumnus Chris Steele; “Death Wish” by 2013 alumnus Stephen Harvey; “Burying Mr. Mittens” by 2005 alumnus Phil Keeling; and “A Reimagining of Romulus and Remus” by current IUP theatre major Jacob Weverink. Directed by Michael Schwartz, the production will run April 6-9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Waller Hall main space, with a final matinee performance Sunday, April 10 at 2:00 p.m.

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Navy Sea Chanters to perform at Soldiers and Sailors
Allegheny County Brian Crawford Allegheny County Brian Crawford

Navy Sea Chanters to perform at Soldiers and Sailors

The Navy Band Sea Chanters are the United States Navy’s official chorus. The ensemble performs a variety of music including traditional choral music, sea chanteys, patriotic fare, opera, Broadway and contemporary music. The Sea Chanters regularly perform for the public in the Washington, D.C., area and throughout the United States while on national tours. At home in Washington, they perform for the president, vice president and numerous congressional, military and foreign dignitaries. In 1956, Lt. Harold Fultz, then the band’s assistant leader, organized a vocal group from the Navy School of Music to sing chanteys and patriotic songs for the State of the Nation dinner. Recognizing the ensemble’s immediate success, Adm. Arleigh Burke, then Chief of Naval Operations, transferred the group to the Navy Band, named them the Sea Chanters and tasked this all-male chorus with perpetuating the songs of the sea. In 1980, the group added women to its ranks and expanded its repertoire to include everything from Brahms to Broadway.

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Nominate a landmark for a historic marker
Brian Crawford Brian Crawford

Nominate a landmark for a historic marker

Is there a significant piece of history in your community that you would like to commemorate with a historical marker? Individuals, private organizations, local or county governments and public agencies are encouraged to nominate historic properties, persons, and events of significance on a state or national level for the Pennsylvania Historical Marker Program.

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History of the Negro League
Allegheny County Brian Crawford Allegheny County Brian Crawford

History of the Negro League

African Americans have been playing baseball since the 1860s. Teams were formed in Western Pennsylvania as early as then1870s. But the heyday of Negro League or Black baseball was the 20th century – from 1910 to 1950. In Greater Pittsburgh, two significant teams developed – The Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. Both teams where franchises in the Negro National League, formed by Rube Foster in 1920. Both fielded Hall of Fame players. And both teams were the pride of African Americans in Pittsburgh. Join us to hear from Samuel Black, the Director of African American Programs at the Senator John Heinz History Center.

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Bushy Run Battlefield seeks museum facilitator
Westmoreland County Brian Crawford Westmoreland County Brian Crawford

Bushy Run Battlefield seeks museum facilitator

The Bushy Run Heritage Society is actively recruiting the position for museum facilitator. The Museum Facilitator supports the interpretive function of the site by providing informational services; publicity; and operation of the ticketing fee collection, gift shop collection and site rental collection programs. The Facilitator performs public education and informational work for the site by implementation of school programs, tours, lectures and additional special fundraising events for the Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society, Inc. (BRBHS). The activities are based upon the site’s curatorial collection, cultural resources, history and historical research.

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Yankee Doodle  Origins of the song
Westmoreland County Brian Crawford Westmoreland County Brian Crawford

Yankee Doodle Origins of the song

As children we all sang about Yankee Doodle and the feather in his hat. However, did you know that the lyrics we all enjoy were written by the British during the French and Indian War. The English Army was one of the best trained in the world. They were polished soldiers, well trained and well dressed. In comparison, the colonial soldier was really not a professional soldier at all but farmers and shopkeepers. They had little or no training in military tactics and as for uniforms anything went. They were an untidy, disorganized, and a ragtag group next to their English counterparts. An English doctor named Richard Shuckburgh rewrote the words to a popular melody as a slap in the face to the colonists.

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The Magical World of Roman Golla opens at Irma Freeman Center
Allegheny County Brian Crawford Allegheny County Brian Crawford

The Magical World of Roman Golla opens at Irma Freeman Center

Irma Freeman Center for Imagination presents The Magical World of Roman Golla. The exhibition opens on Friday April 1st, 2022 with a reception from 7-10 pm. In addition, there will be an artist talk on Saturday April 2nd at 1pm with guest curator, Robert Nowalk. The show will run through May 6th, 2022. Gallery Hours will be on Saturdays from 2-5 pm and by appointment. Irma Freeman Center for Imagination is inviting groups to book tours to view this fascinating exhibition during its month-long duration at the IFCI.

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Handmade Arcade Announces 30 Emerging Makers Featured in April 30th Spring Market
Allegheny County Brian Crawford Allegheny County Brian Crawford

Handmade Arcade Announces 30 Emerging Makers Featured in April 30th Spring Market

Handmade Arcade will feature 30 brand new artists, craftspeople, and makers at its third annual Spring Market on Saturday, April 30 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Selected out of almost 200 applicants, this diverse group of regional artists hand craft products from playful clothing to joyful accessories to bold, colorful home decor. Hosted at Construction Junction in Pittsburgh’s East End, this free market also features live artist demonstrations, delicious fare from local food trucks, and more.

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BE BLOWN AWAY BY NETFLIX STAR ELLIOT WALKER
Allegheny County Brian Crawford Allegheny County Brian Crawford

BE BLOWN AWAY BY NETFLIX STAR ELLIOT WALKER

They call him “Best in Glass.” We’ll find out on April 30 when Elliot Walker, Netflix Series “Blown Away” Season 2 Winner, comes to Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC).

Anyone who saw the glassblowing competition on Netflix that aired in January 2021 and is available to watch now knows that Walker can sculpt almost anything in glass. Rising to meet every Season 2 challenge, some of his creations included a perfume bottle shaped like a whale, a hat and matching tie, a human spine with lungs, and a cartoon character named Mr. Noteworthy with a telescope as a head. He also had some tragic mistakes and breaks during the 10 episode season.

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IUP Art and Design Announces 2022 MFA Thesis Exhibitions
Indiana County Brian Crawford Indiana County Brian Crawford

IUP Art and Design Announces 2022 MFA Thesis Exhibitions

The 2022 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibitions celebrate the creative accomplishments of four emerging artists who are completing their studies in our graduate program. Their works will be available for viewing in the University Museum, Kipp Gallery, and Annex Gallery from March 26 through April 16, 2022, with a free public reception in all venues on Saturday, March 26 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

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ORA SEEKS HISTORIC PRESERVATION NOMINEES TO CELEBRATE AT MAY EVENT
Venango County Brian Crawford Venango County Brian Crawford

ORA SEEKS HISTORIC PRESERVATION NOMINEES TO CELEBRATE AT MAY EVENT

The Oil Region Historic Preservation Awards is part of the ORA’s celebration of Historic Preservation Month, held each May. The program recognizes appropriate preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation projects, as well as individuals and groups committed to historic preservation. It creates an advocacy for historic preservation and enhances a regional historic preservation ethic within the Oil Region National Heritage Area.

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Artist profile: Carin Mincemoyer
Allegheny County Brian Crawford Allegheny County Brian Crawford

Artist profile: Carin Mincemoyer

Carin Mincemoyer’s work ponders the ways in which humans try to embrace, struggle to control, yearn for, reject, and alter the natural environment. Her creative practice encompasses sculpture, installation, public art and design in diverse materials including wood, metal, discarded packaging, and live plants. Mining the visual evidence of humans' efforts to contend with the seeming chaos of nature

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Carnegie Museum of Art Announces Gordon Parks in Pittsburgh, 1944/1946
Allegheny County Brian Crawford Allegheny County Brian Crawford

Carnegie Museum of Art Announces Gordon Parks in Pittsburgh, 1944/1946

From April 30 to August 7, 2022, Carnegie Museum of Art presents Gordon Parks in Pittsburgh, 1944/1946, an in-depth presentation into Parks’s photographs of the Penola, Inc. grease plant in Pittsburgh and its workers who supplied essential goods to U.S. troops during World War II. This examination of an important chapter in Parks’s landmark career explores a narrative that is seldom told and still resonates today. The exhibition, which features more than 50 photographs that have not yet been seen by the public, will be paired with special programming, community events, and a publication featuring essays by artist LaToya Ruby Frazier and writer Mark Whitaker, among others.

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The Andy Warhol Diaries
Brian Crawford Brian Crawford

The Andy Warhol Diaries

After he was shot in 1968, Andy Warhol began documenting his life in a diary. Eventually published as The Andy Warhol Diaries, the wildly popular book edited by Pat Hackett, these candid entries revealed sides of Warhol never before seen.

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