Be inventive with members of makers groups from around Pittsburgh in Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939.

Jill Jonnes’s Empires of Light (related exhibition: Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939)

Look at some classic and contemporary photographs in the galleries with Linda Benedict-Jones, curator of photography and former curator of The Polaroid Collection, considering factors important to building private, corporate, and museum collections of photography.

Jill Jonnes’s Eiffel’s Tower: The Thrilling Story Behind Paris’s Beloved Monument and the Extraordinary World’s Fair That Introduced It (related exhibition: Inventing the Modern World)

Hill District BEAT was created as the soundtrack to our groundbreaking exhibition, Teenie Harris, Photographer: An American Story. Performed live for the first time by the MCG Jazz All Stars, the soundtrack will take you on a journey of 40 years of 20th-century jazz, from swing and bebop to cool and contemporary. Tickets are required and can be purchased through MCG. Call 412.322.0800 for details.

Hill District BEAT was created as the soundtrack to our groundbreaking exhibition, Teenie Harris, Photographer: An American Story. Performed live for the first time by the MCG Jazz All Stars, the soundtrack will take you on a journey of 40 years of 20th-century jazz, from swing and bebop to cool and contemporary. Tickets are required and can be purchased through MCG. Call 412.322.0800 for details.

In Europe, the survival of old buildings serves as an everyday reminder of history. How can we in America ensure that the past endures in our contemporary urban environments? Join Pittsburgh native Holly Brubach, an internationally known journalist and design consultant, as she probes this question in an illustrated lecture on the transformative power of architectural preservation. Co-sponsored by Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Limited to 175 people; Reservations required by November 26; Contact Mary Lu Denny at marylu@phlf.org or 412.471.5808, ext. 527.

Enjoy a first look at the Carnegie Trees at this preview party, hosted by the Women’s Committee of Carnegie Museum of Art. This year’s theme, “World’s Fairs,” celebrates the exhibition Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939. Purchase tickets online.

Enter the world of digital technology as artistic medium with curator Tina Kukielski and practitioners from Pittsburgh’s lively digital arts and gaming community.

Labeled eccentric and radical during his lifetime and long after, James Abbott McNeill Whistler had a significant impact on American and European artists and designers. Join author and Whistler scholar Linda Merrill for an in-depth discussion about this masterful painter and printmaker, including his friendships, battles, and lawsuits with other artists and his contradictory quests for a bohemian Parisian life and a triumphant return to America. Hear about his self-promotion in world’s fairs and learn about his Pittsburgh connections.