TapeScape 3.0 Returns to Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (Children's Museum of Pittsburgh)
Pittsburgh, PA - January 15, 2019 - Back by popular demand, Children's Museum welcomes the return of TapeScape 3.0! Opening January 26, 2019, this indoor climbing, sliding landscape made entirely of more than 50 miles of packing tape shows a delightful use of a common material.
After being inspired by tape projects in Europe, artist/architect Eric Lennartson decided to create a hands-on exhibit that both engaged children's curiosity and filled the need for a large exploration exhibit.
Since TapeScape 2.0 in 2016, over 40 miles of packing tape have been added to make this the biggest interactive tape installation yet.
TapeScape first came to Children's Museum of Pittsburgh in 2013, and has had various prior incarnations: 2012 at the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose, CA; 2014 at the Manitoba Children's Museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba; 2015 at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, MN, Liberty Science Center in the Jersey City/NYC area, and Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota.
TapeScape will be presented in the Garage, and will include TotScape, a smaller, free-standing section for smaller children.
TapeScape 3.0 is free with Museum admission, and open for shoes-off/socks-on play daily from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm through May 12, 2019.
TapeScape 3.0 is sponsored in part by Winchester Thurston School, 90.5 WESA, and 91.3 WYEP.
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is open Monday - Sunday from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. Admission is $14 for adults, $11 for children 2-18 and senior citizens. Children under two are free. The Museum is located on Pittsburgh's historic North Side at 10 Children's Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. For more information, please call (412) 322-5058 or visit the Museum website www.pittsburghkids.org.
Pittsburgh, PA - January 15, 2019 - Back by popular demand, Children's Museum welcomes the return of TapeScape 3.0! Opening January 26, 2019, this indoor climbing, sliding landscape made entirely of more than 50 miles of packing tape shows a delightful use of a common material.
After being inspired by tape projects in Europe, artist/architect Eric Lennartson decided to create a hands-on exhibit that both engaged children's curiosity and filled the need for a large exploration exhibit.
Since TapeScape 2.0 in 2016, over 40 miles of packing tape have been added to make this the biggest interactive tape installation yet.
TapeScape first came to Children's Museum of Pittsburgh in 2013, and has had various prior incarnations: 2012 at the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose, CA; 2014 at the Manitoba Children's Museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba; 2015 at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, MN, Liberty Science Center in the Jersey City/NYC area, and Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota.
TapeScape will be presented in the Garage, and will include TotScape, a smaller, free-standing section for smaller children.
TapeScape 3.0 is free with Museum admission, and open for shoes-off/socks-on play daily from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm through May 12, 2019.
TapeScape 3.0 is sponsored in part by Winchester Thurston School, 90.5 WESA, and 91.3 WYEP.
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is open Monday - Sunday from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. Admission is $14 for adults, $11 for children 2-18 and senior citizens. Children under two are free. The Museum is located on Pittsburgh's historic North Side at 10 Children's Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. For more information, please call (412) 322-5058 or visit the Museum website www.pittsburghkids.org.
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh Warms Up Holiday Season with Pop-Ups (Children's Museum of Pittsburgh)
Pittsburgh, PA - December 5, 2018 - Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is bringing activities into the community this holiday season from its exhibit XOXO: An Exhibit about Love & Forgiveness. These pop-ups will provide families opportunities to interact with exhibit components and activities designed to make them explore and consider what makes us sad, mad, and happy, and to think about love and forgiveness. And play.
XOXO: A Project about Love and Forgiveness pop-ups will include these activities:
Pop-up activities will happen at various December events throughout the Pittsburgh area, including the Oakmont Library, Women's Incubator in Braddock, South Park Library, Assemble in Lawrenceville, Robinson Township Library, Community Food Bank, and Sewickley Library.
If you'd like an XOXO pop-up at your venue or event, contact [email protected] for more information.
Pop-ups will also be installed downtown in the storefront at 819 Penn Avenue for the public to visit during select evenings and weekends.
XOXO: A Project about Love & Forgiveness has been made possible with support from The Grable Foundation and the Children's Museum's New Ideas Fund.
Between December 26-31, 2018, the Museum will be prototyping an XOXO mini-exhibit containing pop-up activities and components that will travel for a "rapid response" installation to communities that have experienced trauma to help those who need it most.
Since its creation by Children's Museum of Pittsburgh in 2014, XOXO: An Exhibit about Love & Forgiveness has traveled to 12 museums in the United States and Canada, and is currently at the Minnesota Children's Museum.
Pittsburgh, PA - December 5, 2018 - Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is bringing activities into the community this holiday season from its exhibit XOXO: An Exhibit about Love & Forgiveness. These pop-ups will provide families opportunities to interact with exhibit components and activities designed to make them explore and consider what makes us sad, mad, and happy, and to think about love and forgiveness. And play.
XOXO: A Project about Love and Forgiveness pop-ups will include these activities:
- Love Letters: Explore the wonders of handwritten letters and how much words can convey love.
- Write & Shred: Draw or write what makes you angry or sad, and release those feelings as you crank it through a paper shredder. The shredded messages are placed in clear plastic ornaments or bottles to be transformed into decorations or a collaborative artwork.
- Response Wall: Write or draw your responses to prompts such as 'How has someone been kind to you?' and 'What do you do when you feel mad?', then add your responses to a collaborative collection. Spend time reading other responses for a unique feeling of connectedness.
- XOXO Wall: Pose with a loved one and message cards, take a picture, and share your photos on social media.
Pop-up activities will happen at various December events throughout the Pittsburgh area, including the Oakmont Library, Women's Incubator in Braddock, South Park Library, Assemble in Lawrenceville, Robinson Township Library, Community Food Bank, and Sewickley Library.
If you'd like an XOXO pop-up at your venue or event, contact [email protected] for more information.
Pop-ups will also be installed downtown in the storefront at 819 Penn Avenue for the public to visit during select evenings and weekends.
XOXO: A Project about Love & Forgiveness has been made possible with support from The Grable Foundation and the Children's Museum's New Ideas Fund.
Between December 26-31, 2018, the Museum will be prototyping an XOXO mini-exhibit containing pop-up activities and components that will travel for a "rapid response" installation to communities that have experienced trauma to help those who need it most.
Since its creation by Children's Museum of Pittsburgh in 2014, XOXO: An Exhibit about Love & Forgiveness has traveled to 12 museums in the United States and Canada, and is currently at the Minnesota Children's Museum.
Holy Family Institute of Pittsburgh - Journey of Hope Program Statement for annual report (Elm Ink)
Pittsburgh, PA - July 31, 2018 - For almost 120 years, Holy Family Institute (HFI) has provided destitute children with a safe, nurturing environment. While not a political organization, HFI has often provided for children in politically-charged times. In 2010, HFI provided for Haitian orphans fleeing disaster, and in 2014, HFI began accepting children who arrive at U.S. borders without parents or legal sponsors. With beginnings as an orphanage, HFI's main focus has, and always will be, the welfare of children in need.
Through the Journey of Hope Program, which has been in place since the 2014/15 fiscal year and has been renewed for another three years with the government as of February 2017, HFI has continued to respond to the recent crisis of family separation at the U.S. - Mexico border. Children ages 4-17 receive educational services 12 months of the year, five days a week, as well as dental and health care, check-ups, follow-up, and trauma care. Additionally, all caregivers are fluent in Spanish and are trained to identify and address trauma.
By the end of July 2018, all children that had been separated from their families were reunited with their loved ones. HFI caregivers and counselors accompanied the children in the next step in their journey.
While HFI recognizes the complicated aspects of this issue, children will not be allowed to live in difficult conditions when HFI has optimal living space, devoted staff, and a nurturing environment.
HFI' s mission is to ultimately provide for and educate children separated from their families in a safe space as they search for a new life and brighter future.
Inspired by faith, Holy Family Institute believes that these children are victims of a situation which is out of their control, and regardless of their origins, are deserving of love and kindness.
Pittsburgh, PA - July 31, 2018 - For almost 120 years, Holy Family Institute (HFI) has provided destitute children with a safe, nurturing environment. While not a political organization, HFI has often provided for children in politically-charged times. In 2010, HFI provided for Haitian orphans fleeing disaster, and in 2014, HFI began accepting children who arrive at U.S. borders without parents or legal sponsors. With beginnings as an orphanage, HFI's main focus has, and always will be, the welfare of children in need.
Through the Journey of Hope Program, which has been in place since the 2014/15 fiscal year and has been renewed for another three years with the government as of February 2017, HFI has continued to respond to the recent crisis of family separation at the U.S. - Mexico border. Children ages 4-17 receive educational services 12 months of the year, five days a week, as well as dental and health care, check-ups, follow-up, and trauma care. Additionally, all caregivers are fluent in Spanish and are trained to identify and address trauma.
By the end of July 2018, all children that had been separated from their families were reunited with their loved ones. HFI caregivers and counselors accompanied the children in the next step in their journey.
While HFI recognizes the complicated aspects of this issue, children will not be allowed to live in difficult conditions when HFI has optimal living space, devoted staff, and a nurturing environment.
HFI' s mission is to ultimately provide for and educate children separated from their families in a safe space as they search for a new life and brighter future.
Inspired by faith, Holy Family Institute believes that these children are victims of a situation which is out of their control, and regardless of their origins, are deserving of love and kindness.
Pittsburgh Opera - Prepared Media Statement for 'Madama Butterfly' (Elm Ink)
Pittsburgh, PA - June 28, 2018 - Madama Butterfly, by Giacomo Puccini, with a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, premiered in Milan in 1904. Since then, it has become an audience favorite and one of the most frequently produced operas in the world. It has also raised questions of stereotyping and cultural appropriation, especially since Puccini himself never visited Japan, despite his attempt to show his appreciation for Japanese culture. While Madama Butterfly is intended to be consumed as a piece of art, there are some elements of the opera portraying Japanese culture inaccurately and others that were introduced solely to elevate drama and drive the plot, such as Cio-Cio San’s ritual suicide. Pittsburgh Opera nevertheless looks forward to sharing the majesty and beauty of this classic while respecting the identities and cultures of all members of our community.
Pittsburgh Opera, which is performing Madama Butterfly Oct. 6-14, 2018, recognizes that there may be concerns about the casting of its production, particularly regarding the role of Cio-Cio San, which will be performed by Russian opera star Dina Kuznetsova, who has performed the role numerous times to great critical acclaim. Laurel Semerdjian, an Armenian American, will sing the role of Suzuki. Pittsburgh Opera follows the standard industry practice of color-blind casting: unless otherwise specified by the librettist or composer, the opera will choose the available singer whose voice is the best fit for each part, regardless of race. In the case of highly challenging parts like that of Cio-Cio San, the pool of qualified singers is extremely limited.
In recent seasons, Pittsburgh Opera has produced several works that reflect the philosophy of color-blind casting. For example, in the Pittsburgh Opera production of As One, co-written and inspired by the life of transgender filmmaker Kimberly Reed, the sole protagonist was performed by both an Asian man and an African-American woman. Color blind casting has been in practice in the opera world for many years, utilized by companies from the Metropolitan Opera as well as small, independent groups.
The world of opera is one in which the past is very much alive in its traditional portrayals of dramatic intrigue and tragedy. As the industry in general evolves, Pittsburgh Opera will continue working to create more space for marginalized voices, new stories and fresh visions.