Museums N’at

Inside the Rivers of Steel Museum
GIF Credit: Steven Baleno

By Steven Baleno

There are only so many times you can visit the Silver Clouds at the Andy Warhol Museum, the laser show set to Freddie Mercury songs at the Science Center, or the dinosaur exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History before you start desiring a change of scenery. I know, I know, you probably think I’m crazy, but after you’ve seen the Tyrannosaurus rex three, four or maybe nine times, the initial wonder starts to wear off.

If you find yourself in my shoes, or if you just want to brag to your friends about some cool new places they probably have never been to yet, don’t worry, there are plenty of other museums in the city just waiting for you to come by and have a good time.

Rivers of Steel Museum: Extending the city’s history beyond its walls

Over a century before the Waterfront became the go-to dining destination for the ’Burgh, the area served as the center for steel mills and workers’ rights.

Does the Pinkerton Strike jog any memories from your high school history class?

No? Well, the Rivers of Steel Museum, right on the main stretch of Homestead, offers exhibits that will give you a refresher course on Homestead’s vital part in shaping the Steel City. Operating out of the historic Bost Building, known for its role in the 1892 strike, this museum offers a look at the history of the Homestead Works, but also showcases steel factory pieces from private collectors.

It’s the glimpse into the lives of the sweat-and-blood workers that literally made this city.

Once you’ve brushed up on your history, make sure to stop by the Pump House, site of the bloody battle between the laborers and Pinkerton agents during the strike, located down in the Waterfront.  And if you manage to stop by on a Sunday, you may even run into one of Rivers of Steel’s Heritage Markets for a little bit of music and home cooked goodness to go with your foray into Pittsburgh’s past.

Toonseum: Proving your parents wrong about cartoons since 2007

A zoetrope spins in one of Toonseum's galleries
GIF Credit: Steven Baleno

Many might not think of cartoons as culturally significant, but here’s the thing: the Toonseum is located in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District for a reason.

The museum, which recently wrapped up an exhibit giving a look into the black animated characters that appeared in the wake of the Civil Rights movement, is now showcasing works by Will Eisner, the graphic-novel godfather, who’s known for capturing the transformation of New York City’s landscape and soul pre- and post-Depression. If you’re looking for something thought provoking, don’t miss this collection.

But what’s coming up after Eisner’s works leave in May? Keep an eye out for a gallery of artwork from the comic strip “Pearls Before Swine” and an exhibition focusing on the Care Bears for the young at heart. And don’t miss the museum’s numerous lectures, most recently welcoming Playboy cartoonist Doug Sneyd.

With three rotating galleries, there’s always something worth checking out at the Toonseum and always something to learn.

The Bible Lands Museum: Where archaeology and theology make strange, fascinating bedfellows

The beauty of Pittsburgh lies in the fact that you’ll find a surprise in any neighborhood if you’re willing to look for it.

Lucky for you, I’ve already done the legwork to find one of East Liberty’s most unusual surprises, located at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary off of North Highland Avenue, which collects archaeological finds from the Near East.

Now, don’t let the word “Bible” in the name fool you, because even though the museum focuses on artifacts in and around historic cities with roots in Biblical narratives like Judah and Jericho, you’ll find it refreshing that the exhibits serve to contextualize the everyday life of the people featured in Hebrew and New Testament texts, rather than feeling like a religious polemic. In fact, one of the most interesting exhibits focuses on the archaeological expeditions led by some of the museums’ archaeologists from the early 20th century, giving a rare look into the history of the science over the past 90 years.

Additional exhibits include ones on burial practices, pottery, and early writing systems in the Middle East, even one on the discovery of a Hebrew alphabet dating from tenth century BCE.

If you’re into the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Ancient Egyptian exhibit (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?), but you’re looking for something new, this is the place for you, especially since there is no admission charge (donations are encouraged) and it is open to the public during the academic year.

Museums N’at by Steven Baleno is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.