September 20, 2019 Make it Glow: Bringing Blacklight into Your Classroom Join the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on November 9 for their workshop, “Make it Glow: Bringing Blacklight into Your Classroom.” This workshop is suitable for K-12 educators. Act 48 and PQAS hours available. Registration To register, visit the event webpage. More Information For more information, contact the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust at 412.471.6070. For assistance selecting accessible seating or for more information about accessibility for a person with a disability, contact 412.456.6666.
August 19, 2019 Hazelwood Community to Celebrate Elizabeth Street Park Opening The Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative and Trying Together, in cooperation with the City of Pittsburgh, invite community members and stakeholders to celebrate the official opening of the Elizabeth Street Park in Hazelwood on Wednesday, August 28. About Located on the corner of Roma Way and Gloster Street, the Elizabeth Street Park was revitalized thanks to a grant from the Heinz Endowments. Working in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works and Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, and Trying Together contracted with various entities to design and create the park. Efforts for the park began in March 2015, born out of a community conversation around access to play in Hazelwood. Youth, community members, and community stakeholders joined together to brainstorm and design the park as a stop along the Hazelwood Play Trail. The location of the park was selected to help bridge the division created by the train tracks that split Hazelwood. Located across Roma Way from a KaBOOM! community-built playground, created with funds from the Heinz Endowments and partnership between the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, Trying Together, and the Hazelwood Initiative in September 2016, the park features a beautiful mural inspired by the rich history and community members of Hazelwood. The City’s Public Art & Civic Design Division released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify artists to complete the mural on the bridge, with the highest score going to local artists Edith Abeyta and Sandy Kessler-Kaminski. Event Details Community members are invited to join together at the Elizabeth Street Park on August 28 from 5 to 7:00 p.m. for an opening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony, featuring: food, family-friendly games, music from the Center of Life’s KRUNK program, and Hazelwood-relevant information tables. Visit the event page to learn more. Acknowledgments The Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative and Trying Together thank the following organizations, individuals, and entities for their dedicated support and for the work they have done to make this project a success: the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works, Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, Department of Public Safety, Department of City Planning, and Art Commission; Zone 4 Police; the Office of Corey O’Connor; the Hazelwood Initiative; the Heinz Endowments; Studio for Spatial Practice; 1 over 1 Studio; Edith Abeyta; Sandy Kessler-Kaminski; Eisler Landscapes; and the Student Conservation Association of Pittsburgh. More Information For more information, contact Sarah Siplak at 412.567.4386 or sarahs@tryingtogether.org. Share this flyer with your network.
The Art of Inclusion Community members are invited to join the PEAL Center on October 4 for “The Art of Inclusion” to recognize those who promote the inclusion of people with disabilities and special health care needs. This event is for community members 18 and older. About At this event, participants will: decorate cookies; create screen-printed t-shirts and tote bags; bid on artwork donated by Pennsylvania artists; enjoy an interactive evening including heavy hors d’oeuvres from Big Burrito Group and a cash bar; and experience art by children, teens, and young adults answering the question, “What does inclusion mean to you?” Registration To register, visit the Eventbrite page. More Information For more information, contact the PEAL Center at 412.281.4404. Share this flyer with your network.
August 9, 2019 From Scribbles to Writing | Online Webinar Art is the “first language” of the beginning reader and writer. Children usually draw or paint before they write. They use what might seem like just scribbles, lines and blobs to represent things. But isn’t that what writing is all about? About Both art and writing are a process of symbol making and can be a means of communication. Children’s pictures are words to them and represent an essential step on the road to literacy. In this edWebinar, participants will: Look at the ages and stages of writing from infants to kindergarten and explore the many ways to support children’s beginning writing and art skills; Explore the essential social and emotional aspects of art and writing expression while building an emotional vocabulary; Develop new ideas for process-based art activities for self-expression and storytelling; Use poetry and the work of modern artists to inspire children’s art and writing; Build positive and supportive strategies for talking to children about their art; and Define the current brain research that supports the importance of art as a tool for self-expression, language, and writing. This edWebinar will be of interest to pre-k and kindergarten teachers. Register To register for this webinar, visit the EdWeb event page.
August 1, 2019 P.R.I.D.E. Pop Up Mini Art Festival Visit the P.R.I.D.E. Pop Up Mini Art Festivals and experience fun activities designed to help young Black children learn about and celebrate their race, culture, and heritage. Children ages 3 to 8 will enjoy activity stations designed by trained artists and educators. Families are invited to enjoy free food, performances, art, and music! Festival Date Hill District September 14, 2019, 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Hug Me Tight Childlife Center Questions For more information, contact Adam Flango at 412.383.8726 or AdamFlango@pitt.edu. Share this flyer with your network.
April 2, 2019 Español + Arte = Fun | Workshop Young children are quick learners and avid to explore. This workshop focuses on developing visual art strategies to engage children in a fun and playful way when introduced to a second language. Through exploration of Spanish and bilingual stories, collaboration with peers, and making connections to real-life experiences, educators will be able to develop their own visual-arts strategies and activities to teach a second language to young children. This event is intended for early childhood educators. Act 48 and PQAS credit hours available. Registration To register, visit the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s website. Accessibility For personal assistance selecting accessible seats or for more information about accessibility for a person with a disability, please contact Customer Service at 412-456-6666.
March 27, 2019 P.R.I.D.E. Seeks Early Educators & Artists for Upcoming Art Festivals Recently, the Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education program (P.R.I.D.E.) announced a call for submissions to Pittsburgh-based early childhood educators and Africana artists for the P.R.I.D.E. Pop Up Mini Art Festivals. About the Festivals Modeled after children’s activities offered during the popular Harambee || Black Arts Festivals, P.R.I.D.E. Pop Ups are small, half-day, outdoor art festivals hosted in three Pittsburgh communities: East Liberty, Homewood, and the Hill District. At the festivals, artists and educators engage young children (ages 3 to 8) and their families in hands-on activities. The goal is for adults to use art activities to teach children about their race and culture while building their positive racial identity. To see important dates and learn more, visit the P.R.I.D.E. website. Who Can Apply This call for submissions is open to early educators teaching grades Pre-K to 3rd grade and Africana artists working in the following disciplines: Literature, Performing Arts, Visual Arts & Crafts, and/or Multidisciplinary Arts. Applications are open to early childhood educators from all neighborhoods, schools, and child care settings, including public, private, charter, etc. Educators working in East Liberty, Homewood, and Hill District schools/settings are highly encouraged to apply. Participating educators and artists will receive the following compensation: Educator and Artist Cross-Training Compensation: $275 Educator and Artist Festival Participation Compensation: $260 per event ($780 total) End-of-Project Focus Group Participation Compensation: $25 Artist Material Stipend: $400 Application & Deadlines If you’re interested in applying or signing up as a volunteer, please visit the P.R.I.D.E. website. All applications must be submitted by Friday, April 5 at 11:59 p.m. About P.R.I.D.E. As a part of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education’s Office of Child Development, P.R.I.D.E. is a multifaceted program designed to help young African American children (ages 3 to 8) develop a positive racial identity, support teachers and parents by building their racial knowledge, and raise awareness of the impact of race on young children. The program provides a range of services, such as training opportunities for educators and artists, Parent Village sessions for Black children, and art festivals created to immerse young Black children in a space designed to celebrate them. See the P.R.I.D.E. Pop Up Mini Art Festivals flyer. *Information provided by the P.R.I.D.E. Program
March 20, 2019 My Traveling Song About Created by a team of professional artists who are also the mothers of young children, “My Traveling Song” is an original play especially made for children ages 1-5, the young at heart, and the grown-ups who love them. With live music, tactile play and stunning imagery, “My Traveling Song” uplifts relationships between children and their caregivers while taking audience members on a heartfelt journey filled with wonder and joy. Purpose In “My Traveling Song” thunderstorms relinquish to cheerful mud puddles and darkness reveals magical firefly constellations in the night sky. Despite a world that can be unpredictable and sometimes sad, “My Traveling Song,” affirms the connections between loved ones, communities and the world around us can help to make us feel safe, loved, and free to imagine a more empathic and playful world. More Information To learn more about the My Traveling Song cast and creative team, click here. To view photo and video of the My Traveling Song creative development workshops, click here. To purchase tickets and view all showtimes, click here. Supporters Presented with generous support from A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Heinz Small Arts Initiative, McKinney Charitable Foundation, and Off The Wall Charitable Trust.
March 19, 2019 Young Sprouts: Garden Art Join the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh to explore natural and repurposed materials to decorate their garden by bringing your art outdoors. This program is drop-in, so guests may come and go as they please! This program is designed for our youngest learners (0-5) but is suitable for all ages. Program location is weather dependent: it will be in the Garden if the weather allows; find them in the Nursery if weather is less than ideal.
