The Harris Theater, owned by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and programmed primarily by Pittsburgh Filmmakers, is home to numerous local film festival screenings. (Photo: The Muse Dialogue)

The Muse Dialogues brings in the New Year with Vol. 1, No. 3: Film Festivals. This issue contains thoughts on the growing role of film festivals and their significance in the art of the moving image. And in case you were wondering what was the first film festival, the first US film festival, Or if you have asked what is SXSW and how many people were there last year, we have that covered here as well. For a table of contents, and article snapshots, click on  the link above or the image at right — Pittsburgh’s own Harris Theater.

As always, we look forward to your thoughts and welcome contributions on the subject. Enjoy!

Anna Pavlova as The Dying Swan (Photo: Public Domain)

The Pavlova Effect: An Argument for Equal Access to Arts Education

Michelle Van Doeren, a teaching artist at Pittsburgh’s School for Creative and Performing Arts, makes an argument for why our public education system needs to support arts education. This piece comes as an update to our issue, Vol. 1, No. 1: Arts, Families and Children.