Resources, venues and arts activities for families in Pittsburgh
We at The Muse Dialogue would love to see you take the children in your life — all of them, whether your own or another’s — to the arts. Here are a few opportunities in the area.
General Information
Arts Education Collaborative: The Arts Education Collaborative pursues research and advocacy for arts education in the Greater Pittsburgh region, and creates professional development opportunities for arts educators.
Carnegie Library Listing of Art Schools and Classes: A nice place to start for learning about available opportunities.
Gateway to the Arts: A Pittsburgh-based nonprofit committed to supporting arts education and placing area artists in learning environments for children.
Music
Chatham Baroque: Chatham Baroque has been working with pre-school children with their Peanut Butter & Jam performances, which “encourage young children to become active and enthusiastic listeners through music, dance and games.”
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: The PSO is one of the world’s great orchestras. It also is a great community-oriented institution with a wide range of concerts targeted to different age ranges, from Tiny Tots to the Fiddlesticks series, designed to introduce young people to classical music.
Performing Arts
August Wilson Center for African American Culture: The AWC has a healthy variety of arts represented both in performance and education, from the AWC Family Series to the AWC Dance Academy.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre: The PBT has its own school with children’s programming, conducts outreach to schools in the area, works with educators and offers performance initiatives oriented toward children.
Pittsburgh City Theatre: City Theatre has student matinees, and they also host compelling programming through their “Young Playwrights” initiative, which presents teacher workshops, in-school events, and a young playwrights writing contest.
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: The Trust has a new education center and a variety of programming oriented toward educators and families. It is now also the home for the Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater.
Pittsburgh Public Theatre: PPT hosts a series of student matinees, a chance for us to introduce some of our older children to superior drama.
Visual Arts
Carnegie Museum of Art: The CMOA has special activities for children and also audio tours geared to young people visiting the museum. They have summer camp programs as well.
The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh: The Children’s Museum has a wonderful room for children to make art. It is also one of the best, and perhaps underappreciated, venues for visual arts exhibition that speaks to both adults and children. The interactive video installations are excellent.
Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild: MCG provides after-school programs and summer studio sessions for middle- and high-school students, including no-cost offerings for students of Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts: The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts has a host of excellent classes for children, and a robust program of summer arts camps. The PCA also supports a rich program of placing artists directly in area school districts and hosting arts learning activities at venues around the city.
Pittsburgh Glass Center: The Pittsburgh Glass Center has an active education program, which includes high school classes and their “Make It Now” events where even wide-eyed younger children get to blow their own glass piece.
Sweetwater Center for the Arts: This community center located in Sewickley offers classes and summer camps for families and children. Their tagline is “Where creativity flows,” a wonderful statement.
To find out more about arts for families and for information on advocacy for arts education nationally, please visit:
