Things to do in Western Pa.
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What would you like to do for fun this week?
Paint a bird portrait? Listen to some roots music? Have a few belly laughs?
Get the kids to bed — for once — with a minimum of fuss?
You can do all those things, and more.
The details are here, in this week’s Big List.
Art happenings
• New installation: The work of Thaddeus Mosley, a self-taught, Pittsburgh-based artist, will be the topic of a Zoom discussion at 6 p.m. Thursday, marking the installation of three of Mosley’s biomorphic sculptural works at Eastside Bond Apartments plaza in East Liberty. The discussion, hosted by art historian and curator Kilolo Luckett, is presented by Kelly Strayhorn Theater in partnership with Mosites Construction and Development Co.
Details: kelly-strayhorn.org
• Held over: The inaugural exhibition at Contemporary Craft’s new, permanent home at 5645 Butler St., Upper Lawrenceville, has been extended until March 20. “The Heart Lives Through the Hands” features large-scale paper and mixed media artworks and an immersive sculptural installation by internationally renowned street artist Caledonia Curry.
The gallery reopens on Thursday. Admission is free; timed tickets are required to assure social distancing.
Details: contemporarycraft.org
• For the birds: The National Aviary is hosting a series of Zoom portrait painting sessions, each including a behind-the-scenes look into the animal species that will inspire the portrait. Artist Maria DeSimone Prascak will lead a session on the Victoria Crowned Pigeon at 11 a.m. Saturday. Other virtual “Brushes & Birds” sessions, suitable for all experience levels, are scheduled for February through May.
Details: aviary.org
• Artist snapshot: The Carnegie Museum of Art will host an online conversation between renowned photographers Dawoud Bey and An-My Lê at noon Saturday. Moderated by CMOA curator of photography Dan Leers, the pay-what-you-wish program is offered in conjunction with the closing of the exhibition, “An-My Lê: On Contested Terrain,” on Monday.
Details: cmoa.org
• Outdoor painting: The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley invites artists to participate in a special Winter Plein Air Paint Out from Feb. 18-20, to capture outdoor scenes of the surrounding area. The weekend will culminate in a wet show and sale of the works from 1-4 p.m. Feb. 21.
A nonrefundable $30 fee is required for registration; cash prizes totaling $500 will be awarded. For information and registration, visit the museum at 1 Boucher Lane, call 724-238-6015 or email ligonier@sama-art.org.
Comedy
• Yuk it up: Arcade Comedy Theater is streaming these shows on YouTube Live: “Lucky Draw: Random Improv,” 9 p.m. Thursday; “The Latchkey Kids: Reality Still Bites,” 9 p.m. Saturday; “Talking Tunes With These Few Goons,” 9 p.m. Jan. 21; and “Arcade Improv Night: Zero Suit + Select Start,” 9 p.m. Jan. 22.
For more upcoming shows on all streaming platforms, visit arcadecomedytheater.com.
Film
• Film pioneers: The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will stream three classic film shorts by early African American filmmakers at 7 p.m. Jan. 20. Titles include “Two Knights of Vaudeville” (1915), “Mercy, The Mummy Mumbled” (1918) and “Hot Biskits” (1931).
The program, which will include a discussion, is offered in conjunction with the exhibition, “African American Art in the 20th Century.
Advance registration is required at 888-718-4253 or thewestmoreland.org.
History
• Super insights: Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe will present a virtual program on how the civil rights movement shaped the Super Bowl at 6 p.m. Monday. Veteran sports broadcaster Evan Weiner will guide viewers through Super Bowl information, including historical timeline, the game’s origins, halftime shows and other topics, including how it got its name.
Advance registration is required here.
• Pittsburgh cheer: The Heinz History Center has extended its holiday installation, “A Very Merry Pittsburgh,” through Monday. Visitors can explore Christmas artifacts from Kaufmann’s and Horne’s department stores and learn how Western Pennsylvanians have celebrated Chanukah, Kwanzaa and Diwali in the display in the first-floor Great Hall.
Visitors are strongly encouraged to purchase timed tickets in advance at heinzhistorycenter.org. Tickets also will be available at the door.
• Acting out: Gemini Children’s Theater is offering winter and spring acting classes in the Ryan Arts Center in McKees Rocks. Classes are offered in four age groups from 4-17. Topics include creative play, puppetry, story writing, theater games, scene work, improvisation, monologue studies and technical theater skills such as lighting, sound, prop and costume design. Sessions adhere strictly to CDC safety guidelines.
Details: geminitheater.org
• Bedtime stories: Tony Award nominee Lilli Cooper is the Dream Queen who guides adventurers through “Sleep Squad,” a family-friendly, interactive, virtual theater experience offered by Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Adapted from stories written by kids, the adventures include a visit to a desert island, a dinosaur’s birthday party and an intergalactic nightclub. Available through Jan. 31, the on-demand production is designed as a new kind of bedtime ritual for kids ages 4-12.
Details: trustarts.org
Music
• Roots music: An hour of original music by The Olga Watkins Band will stream at 7 p.m. Jan. 21 on City of Asylum’s virtual channel. The Pittsburgh-based band melds influences from blues, funk, soul, jazz, reggae and rock into its songs.
Details: alphabetcity.org
• People’s music: Episode 5 of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s online “Front Row” series will debut at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22. “For the People (Part 1)” presents a program of works written in the past 100 years by five female American composers, filmed at the Washington Penn Plastics Hangar and Heinz Hall.
Details: pittsburghsymphony.org
• Jazz online: The latest installment of the BNY Mellon Presents JazzLive at Home series features pianist, composer, producer, and educator Alton Merrell. Produced by Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the free online series also has episodes showcasing Sean Jones, Kenia and Thomas Wendt.
Details: trustarts.org
Theater
• All for one, one for all: Pittsburgh Public Theater will offer access to online readings of TJ Young’s “The Inseparables,” a loose adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers,” from 7 p.m. Jan. 21 through 10 p.m. Jan. 24. The readings are part of the Public PlayTime benefit series, “Classics N’at.”
Donations start at $10. For information and registration, visit ppt.org.
• Act up: Registration is open for Little Lake Theatre Company’s winter “Zoom-cademy” online acting classes for children and teens. Adult classes also are available. Sessions begin Monday.
For information and registration, visit littlelake.org.