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Celebrate "Together This Season" at Carnegie Museum of Art

Delight in new and returning holiday traditions for all ages with friends and family

November 2, 2021

Celebrate with friends and family together this season at Carnegie Museum of Art! This year, the museum is introducing a new lineup of art-filled festive events and engaging programs for all ages starting November 20 including the Friends & Family Photo Studio, Gift-Making Workshop, Out of Office Party, and Sounds for the Season live musical performances. Additionally, treasured annual exhibitions will return earlier than usual, so visitors can get a jump start on their holiday plans! The Neapolitan Presepio, a favorite tradition for many since 1957 will be on display in the Scaife galleries, a new home for the exhibit, with Art Chats that visitors can participate in. The Carnegie Trees, which are commemorating 60 years, will be showcased in the Hall of Architecture. The Presepio and Carnegie Trees will be available for viewing starting November 20 to coincide with the kickoff of seasonal activities in the Pittsburgh region!

Registration for events and programs begins on November 1.
Visit cmoa.org/together-this-season to learn more!


Friends & Family Photo Studio 
Make Carnegie Museum of Art the backdrop for your holiday photo! Gather friends, family, loved ones, workmates, neighbors, or yourself for a portrait taken by a professional photographer with a selection of six different backgrounds within the many beautiful spaces and places of Carnegie Museum of Art, which registrants can choose from.  We’re partnering with a fantastic line up of Pittsburgh-area photographers including Cameron Brown, Beth Kukucka, Kemuel Benyehuda and Porter Loves Creative.

Maximum six participants per session.  If registrants would like to have more than six people in their photos, they will need to sign up for two sessions in a row to ensure there is enough time allotted. Three high-res digital photographs from registrants’ photo session will be provided by the photographer following the session for registrants’ exclusive use and printing.

45-minute photo sessions will run on Saturdays and Sundays from November 20 through December 19 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Register at cmoa.org/event/photo-studio 
$75


Gift-Making Workshop
This season let Carnegie Museum of Art be your source of gift-making and giving inspiration! Join the museum’s artist educators in our new gift-making workshop in the Hall of Architecture to create a selection of handmade gifts inspired by the very artworks in our collection. This workshop will provide all supplies needed to create your gift to take home and give a loved one. After making your gift, stop by Café Carnegie for hot chocolate and holiday cookies!  

Workshops will run on Saturdays and Sundays from November 27 through December 19 from 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.  Once visitors register online for the workshop, they are free to drop in anytime during this 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. time slot to make their gift!
Each registration provides one gift, hot chocolate, and holiday cookies, plus admission to the museum.
Register at cmoa.org/event/gift-workshop
$35


Out of Office Party 
It’s an office party mixer to remember, and the location is Carnegie Museum of Art! Ditch the ugly sweater and awkward office holiday party moment and bring yourself, or your whole office, to the museum! Centered among the Carnegie Trees in the Hall of Architecture, enjoy delicious bites, drinks (holiday punch, of course!), the best-vibe-DJs, a photo booth, and pop up performances. And check out the entire museum while you’re at it!

There are two ways to attend the Out of Office Party: organizations and businesses can let Carnegie Museum of Art take care of the details for their annual party – just select “whole office party” when you register to reserve tickets for your entire staff. Individual tickets can also be purchased - at the Out of Office Party, you never know who you’ll meet!  

December 9:     Music by huny and DJ Shoe
December 16:     Music by Title Town

Out of Office Parties will take place on Thursdays December 9 and 16 from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Out of Office Party is recommended for those 21 and up.
Two drinks, appetizers, and museum admission are included with registration per person.
Register at cmoa.org/event/out-of-office-party 
$35 per individual; or buy for a group of 10 people for $315 


Sounds for the Season Live Musical Performances
Delight in the sounds of the season in the Hall of Architecture among the Carnegie Trees with live musical performances featuring friends of Carnegie Museum of Art! Gather together for one or all of the performances and enjoy a range of music celebrating all that the season exudes.

Saturday, November 27:      River City Brass Band Quintet
Saturday, December 4:     Roger Humphries and the RH Factor
Saturday, December 11:     Mount Ararat Baptist Church Ensemble
Saturday, December 18:     Hugo Cruz and the Caminos

Live musical performances will take place on Saturdays November 27 and December 4, 11, and 18 between 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
No registration is required, free with museum admission
Learn more at:  
cmoa.org/event/sounds-for-the-season-river-city-brass-band
cmoa.org/event/sounds-for-the-season-roger-humphries-and-rh-factor
cmoa.org/event/sounds-for-the-season-mount-ararat-baptist-church-ensemble
cmoa.org/event/sounds-for-the-season-hugo-cruz-and-caminos


Art Chat: Neapolitan Presepio
Since 1957, Carnegie Museum of Art has marked the holiday season with the Neapolitan Presepio. A centuries-old tradition in Naples and southern Italy, the Presepio is an elaborate nativity scene recreated with miniature figures arranged in a detailed panorama of 18th-century life in Naples. Handmade by artists in the Royal Court of Naples between 1700 and 1830, the Presepio includes superbly modeled humans, animals, angelic figures, and architectural elements.

This season encounter the Neapolitan Presepio as never before, in Carnegie Museum of Art’s Scaife galleries. For the first time, this cherished fixture will be exhibited in proximity to paintings and sculptures in the collection, contextualizing the artwork as it would have been in 19th century Naples. Sharing a gallery with Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces such as The Nativity and The King and the Shepherd (1888) by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, visitors will be able to enjoy and reflect on the Presepio in an inspiring and new context.

And be sure to join the scene - Carnegie Museum of Art’s historic nativity scene! Drop in and meet a docent for an Art Chat tour of the Presepio and experience the nativity through the eyes of Neapolitan artisans and collectors.

Learn more about the Presepio, which will be on view from November 20 through January 10, at cmoa.org/exhibition/neapolitan-presepio-2021

Art Chats are on a drop-in basis and will take place from November 20 to January 9 on Thursdays from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. in the gallery.
Learn more at cmoa.org/event/art-chat-neapolitan-presepio; no registration required, free with museum admission


Carnegie Trees 
The annual installation of the Carnegie Trees is considered by many the start of the holiday season. This year marks the 60th anniversary, and in celebration, the five 18’ Fraser Fir trees will be magnificently lit, adorned in hand-made ornaments evoking a winter-wonderland atmosphere in the Hall of Architecture.

Since 1961, the annual installation and decoration of the Carnegie Trees has been the signature event of the Women’s Committee of Carnegie Museum of Art. Each year the trees are decorated with ornaments handmade by the committee, celebrating a different theme ranging from Great Cities of History to Beloved Children's Book Characters.  The theme for 2021 is BEDAZZLED: Celebrating the Diamond Anniversary of the Carnegie Trees.

On view from November 20 through January 10
Learn more at cmoa.org/exhibition/carnegie-trees-2021


Online Crash Course:  Food, Feasting, and Art 
Enjoy the museum from the comfort of home with this delicious Crash Course art history class! Gathering with friends and family to share holiday meals is a central part of the human experience. Explore the visual buffets, both extravagant and modest, created by artists from the 15th through 17th centuries, and our relationships with foods and feasting. Guest lecturer, Dr. Saskia Beranek, guides you through representations of the Last Supper, the raucous, drunken parties in genre paintings by Frans Hals, the virtues depicted by Dutch still lifes, and the trade of luxury snacks. No matter your palate, there is a little taste of something for everyone!

About Dr. Saskia Beranek:  Dr. Saskia Beranek specializes in the art of the Dutch Republic during the 17th century with an emphasis on the role of women as patrons and artists. She received her MA in Art History from Duke University and her PhD from the University of Pittsburgh. She is Assistant Professor of Art History at the Wonsook Kim School of Art at Illinois State University.

Thursdays, December 9 and 16, 2-3:30 p.m.
Pay What You Wish
Learn more at https://cmoa.org/event/food-feasting-art


Holiday Shopping at Carnegie Museum of Art Store and Custom Prints Store
Both in-person and online, the Carnegie Museum of Art Store and Custom Prints Store will offer unique must-have gifts for the art lovers in your life! From the stately new Carnegie Museum of Art Collection Handbook to stunning framed and canvas custom prints from our collection, give the gift of art this season while shopping local and supporting your art museum.  And be sure to take advantage of seasonal holiday promotions!

About Carnegie Museum of Art’s New Collection Handbook
Published on the occasion of the museum's 125th anniversary, Carnegie Museum of Art’s new Collection Handbook features images of more than 200 works from our collection and essays by museum staff, past and present that reveal the stories behind the works' creation and acquisition. Color images of previously unpublished archival materials trace the museum's history from the late 19th century—when Andrew Carnegie established the Carnegie Institute to bring the "Old Masters of tomorrow" to Pittsburgh—to the present day. The Collection Handbook is now available for purchase here.

About Carnegie Museum of Art Custom Prints 
Order archival quality prints of artworks in our collection in your choice of size, on paper or stretched canvas, framed or unframed. The high standard of reproduction is the result of direct collaboration between museum staff and expert printers with each print being made to order according to your specifications. A truly special gift idea for all ages, beat the holiday rush and purchase today! prints.cmoa.org

 Spread the holiday cheer with these special seasonal holiday promotions! 

  • Custom Prints Sale | November 15-30 
    • Shop at:  prints.cmoa.org
    • 10% off all paper prints
    • 20% off all framed prints and canvas
  • Carnegie Museum of Art Store – In Store Holiday Promotion | November 26-29
    • Shop at: Carnegie Museum of Art Store: 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213; 412-622-3216; admission to the museum is not required to shop
    • Non-members receive 10% off purchases of $50+ and members receive 15% off regular price items 
  • Carnegie Museum of Art Store – Online Holiday Promotion | November 25-29