Carnegie Museum of Art creates experiences that connect people to art, ideas, and one another.
The museum began as the vision of Andrew Carnegie, and his initial concept was to create a museum that would bring the world to the people of Pittsburgh. He achieved this aspiration by creating the very first Carnegie International exhibition in 1896, as a gift to those living and working in the city. More than 125 years later, through collecting art via each Carnegie International, the longest running North American survey of international art, and through its collection, artist-centered exhibitions, co-created educational resources, and dynamic public programs, CMOA continues to expand the imaginative potential of what a museum can be. The museum strives to be an inquisitive and responsive institution, bringing together perspectives from the Pittsburgh region, the broader nation, and the globe to connect our lives to the larger human experience.
Carnegie Museum of Art’s celebrated collection includes more than 100,000 objects featuring a broad range of visual art, including painting and sculpture; prints, drawings, and photographs; architectural casts, renderings, and models; decorative arts and design; time-based and digital media; and installations. As part of the collection, the museum houses the Teenie Harris Archive. Acquired by Carnegie Museum of Art in 2001, this archive contains more than 70,000 images by acclaimed photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris.
From early childhood to seniors, Carnegie Museum of Art’s programming, activities, and special events are designed to create meaningful experiences for its audiences—with art, artists, each other, and the world. Exhibition and collection programming provides opportunities to engage not only through the artwork on view but the contexts, histories, and processes in which the art was made with conversations between artists and curators; tours led by educators, docents, and curators; art history crash courses; artist-led cross-disciplinary conversations, and performances. CMOA’s programming engages lifelong arts and culture lovers through summer camps, The Art Connection (Saturday art classes for middle and high school students), Youth Art Initiative (student-driven high school internship), Mindful Museum (wellbeing through art for visitors 55), Inside Out (free outdoor summer event series), among more teen programming, creative wellbeing and aging initiatives, and artist-centered workshops.
Carnegie Museum of Art is also an expansive creative teaching and learning resource for young people, teachers, and families throughout the region. Teaching artists, docents, artists, curators, and visitor services staff create a compelling learning environment with multiple access points as well as tools for on-site and off-site education that directly engage with a multitude of learning styles, structures, and life experiences. K-12 offerings range from virtual learning tool kits to teacher professional development for arts integration, to in-person artmaking and learning school field trips.
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Story and Photography by Carnegie Museum of Art
Image: Sol LeWitt, Wall Drawing #493, The wall is divided vertically into three equal parts. All one-, two-, and three-part combinations of three colors, 1986, Carnegie Museum of Art, Purchase, gift of Richard M. Scaife to honor Margaret R. Battle, Gift of the artist
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