Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—Celebrate the holidays by visiting Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History. Popular holiday traditions, such as the Neapolitan presepio and Carnegie Trees, return to the Hall of Architecture for a stunning display. Newer favorites such as the family sing-along and children’s holiday camps are also sure to get family members of all ages in a festive mood. Many activities are free with museum admission, so bring family and friends to enjoy these special events. While you are here, stop by our shops for truly one-of-a-kind gifts, including the Dippy Snow Globe.

Admission will be free to all visitors 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday, December 10, thanks to the generosity of The Women’s Committee of Carnegie Museum of Art.

A complete list of events follows; all activities are free with museum admission unless otherwise indicated. Details for all holiday events can be found at www.carnegiemnh.org/holidays.

Activities at Carnegie Museum of Art

During the holiday season, Carnegie Museum of Art decks the Hall of Architecture with delightful seasonal displays. The Neapolitan presepio has enchanted generations of visitors, and towering Carnegie Trees adorned with handmade ornaments create a festive atmosphere. Guided tours of the presepio are available. Plus, don’t miss a festive holiday sing-along with Emmy Award-winning children’s musician, Frank Cappelli.

Neapolitan Presepio

November 25–December 4, 2011 (The presepio is off view December 5–8 while the Carnegie Trees are installed) and then open again December 8, 2011–January 8, 2012.
Hall of Architecture
Free with museum admission

A visit to Carnegie Museum of Art’s Neapolitan presepio, one of the finest Nativity scenes of its kind, has been a Pittsburgh holiday tradition since 1957. Handcrafted by artisans between 1700 and 1830, the presepio features lifelike figures and colorful details that re-create the Nativity within a vibrant panorama of 18th-century Italian village life. More than 100 superbly modeled human and angelic figures, along with animals, accessories, and architectural elements, cover a 250-square-foot area and create a memorable depiction of the Nativity as seen through the eyes of Neapolitan artisans and collectors.

Carnegie Trees Preview Party

Wednesday, December 7, 2011
5:30–8 p.m.
Hall of Architecture and Hall of Sculpture
$65
Call 412.622.3325 for more information.

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, Solid Gold: Classics that Endure, celebrates the 50th anniversary of this holiday tradition. Proceeds benefit a free admission day for visitors to Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History on Saturday, December 10, 2011.

Carnegie Trees: Solid Gold: Classics that Endure

December 8, 2011–January 8, 2012
Hall of Architecture
Free with museum admission

The Carnegie Trees celebrate their 50th year at Carnegie Museum of Art. This year, six 20-foot Colorado spruce trees line the Hall of Architecture, each adorned with handcrafted ornaments that celebrate art, culture, and science, related to the “solid gold” theme.

Family Holiday Sing-Along

Saturday, December 10, 2011
Hall of Architecture
Free admission to all museum visitors

Join singer-songwriter Frank Cappelli and Dr. Colleen Gray for an afternoon of family fun at the museums, featuring a lively and festive sing-along of your favorite seasonal tunes in the Hall of Architecture, where the holiday tree display and the famous Neapolitan presepio are on view. Frank Cappelli is best known for his television show Cappelli & Co. which aired on Nickelodeon. Cappelli is an Emmy Award-winning artist and a father with a passion for bringing joy to families through music.

ARTventures

Saturday and Sunday, November 25–January 8
Monday–Friday, December 26–30
12:30–4:30 p.m.
Free with museum admission

Celebrate the holidays with gallery searches and art-making for kids and adults! Share your discoveries with your own ornament on our Carnegie kids’ tree.

Activities at Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Explore the natural world and how it changes to adapt to the winter season. Through interactive demonstrations and activities, visitors of all ages investigate how plants, animals, and humans live during the cold weather months.

Winter in the Discovery Room

November 25, 2011–January 8, 2012
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 1–4:30 p.m.
Thursday, 1–7 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Sunday, 1–4:30 p.m.
Free with museum admission

Experience the wonder of winter! Learn about holiday greenery by seeing and smelling live spruce, pine, and other festive plants. Touch a caribou’s winter white fur, investigate animals on the Discovery Room tree, listen to the calls of wild birds, and more.

Adopt-A-Bird-Band

Give them the gift that lasts long after the holidays have flown! Personally support bird migration and conservation research by adopting for yourself or a loved one. Over the past 50 years, 500,000+ birds have been banded at Powdermill Nature Reserve, providing vital data about bird migration, habitat loss, and climate change. Adoptions range from $25 to $100 and include adoption certificates, replica bird bands, behind-the-scenes tours, and more! Visit the website at www.carnegiemnh.org/ADOPT to browse benefits and available birds—including five new winter friends added just for the holidays! Bird banding and the Adopt-A-Bird-Band program are projects of Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystems.

Holiday Vacation Camp at Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History

December 27–30, 2011
9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Each camper may register for one museum camp per day.
Fee: $35 Members; $40 non-Members per day
Pre-care 7:30–9 a.m. ($5/day) and post-care 3–6 p.m. ($10/day) are available.

Payment is due at time of registration. Registration must be made by December 20. Contact Program Registration at 412.622.3288 or ProgramRegistration@carnegiemuseums.org.

Experience the fun and excitement of summer camp in December! The museum campus is a field for discovery and creativity where kids investigate science and make art. One and two-day sessions are available. For more information on Holiday Vacation Camp themes visit http://carnegiemnh.org/holidays/.

Dippy Snow Globe

$49.95

Discovered in Wyoming in 1899, Diplodocus carnegii was the first dinosaur ever displayed at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. For more than 100 years, Pittsburgh’s beloved “Dippy” has captured the imaginations of generations of museum visitors. Our limited edition snow globe recreates this prehistoric wonder in amazing detail, in a lifelike sculpture based on the historic fossil skeleton exhibited in Dinosaurs in Their Time. Hurry, supplies are limited—reserve your very own Mesozoic marvel today! Order online at www.naturalhistorystore.com.

Holiday Shopping

The stores at Carnegie Museum of Art and Carnegie Museum of Natural History offer unique, imaginative, and affordable gifts—many of them exclusive to the museums. The stores are open during museum hours. Shoppers may also purchase items online at www.carnegieartstore.com and www.naturalhistorystore.com.

Restaurants

Carnegie Café, quality self-serve dining, Tuesday–Saturday, 10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Fossil Fuels, family-friendly food, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sunday, noon–4 p.m.

Brown Bag Lunchroom/Vending area, daily during museum hours

Changes in hours

This holiday season, Carnegie Museum of Art and Carnegie Museum of Natural History will observe the following changes to normal open hours:

        CLOSING at 3 p.m.
Thanksgiving Eve (Wednesday, November 23)
Christmas Eve (Saturday, December 24)

        CLOSED
Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 25), Christmas Day (Saturday, December 25), and New Year’s Day (Saturday, January 1)

        OPEN
Monday, December 26, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Carnegie Museum of Art

Located at 4400 Forbes Avenue in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museum of Art was founded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1895. One of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, it is nationally and internationally recognized for its distinguished collection of American and European works from the 16th century to the present. The Heinz Architectural Center, part of Carnegie Museum of Art, is dedicated to enhancing understanding of the physical environment through its exhibitions, collections, and public programs. For more information about Carnegie Museum of Art, call 412.622.3131 or visit our web site at www.cmoa.org.

Contact:

Jonathan Gaugler
412.688.8690
gauglerj@carnegiemuseums.org