Arts, Sports & Culture

With a grand goal of restoring the Allegheny County Courthouse but few details and even less funding, an effort to rehabilitate the 125 year old building was launched Wednesday by County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.  The executive has named a committee chock full of current and former elected officials to spearhead the effort.

Officials working with ARTPGH and DESIGNPGH presented City Council Tuesday with an update on their progress in creating guidelines to how city officials and artists can best plan urban art projects.

Maggie Connor, a Principal at Urban Design Associates and DESIGNPGH consultant, said to create their “urban design manual” they’ve made two management committees, had 13 public meetings, and put together a survey for the public. She said they’ve received a total of 2,500 comments.

A "Lozziwurm" play sculpture among the trees will be ready near the Carnegie Museum of Art's main entrance in Oakland.  The "Lozziwurm" is a colorful, twisting, tubular play structure designed by Swiss artist Yvan Pestalozzi in 1972. This is the first US installation of a "Lozziwurm" and it will be open to the public.

The "Lozziwurm" is one of several projects leading up to the 2013 Carnegie International, which opens October 5. It reflects the International’s explicit engagement with the city of Pittsburgh, the museum’s patrons, and conceptions of play.

The beat goes on for more than 700 Penn State students grooving at the annual 46-hour dance marathon for charity.

The IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon is billed as the world's largest student-run philanthropy. The signature Penn State event is taking over the Jordan Center this weekend with thousands of students hosting pediatric cancer patients and their families.

The University of Pittsburgh’s African Heritage Classroom Committee has received a donation of eight important African artifacts from Ralph Proctor, a Pitt alumnus and professor at the Community College of Allegheny County who is a nationally recognized collector of African art.

Why donate? More like why not said Proctor, who has been associated with the room since its very beginning and just though it would be a good idea.

The Pennsylvania State Senate today passed a resolution honoring Baseball Hall of Famer Stanley Musial.

“Stan the Man," as he was known, was a Donora, Pennsylvania native, and died January 22nd at the age of 92.

Senator Tim Solobay (D-Washington County), who introduced the measure, said Musial leaves behind a great legacy.

“ 'Stan the Man' Musial was an athlete from the greatest generation. He was a true sports hero in every sense of the word.”

Visitors to the Carnegie Museum of Art are being asked to take photos, share experiences, and eat free cake as part of the museum’s two new projects.

Debuting February 9 and 21 respectively,  20/20: Celebrating Two Decades of the Heinz Architectural Center and Oh Snap! Your Take on Our Photographs are designed to help visitors see a trip to the galleries as part of a conversation.

With the cold temperature, the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium is letting its penguins out to get some fresh air. Every weekend in January and February, the penguins come out of their enclosure and walk outside, whether it’s clear or snowy.

“We’ll bring them out to play in the snow, and it’s so nice to see them play in the snow, they actually snap at the snowflakes and it enables Pittsburgh folks to come out and see the birds,” said aquarium Curator Dwayne Biggs.

The life of the country’s first professional songwriter will be remembered when historians, musicians and others gather at the Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville Friday.  The group will mark the impact that Pittsburgh-native Stephen Foster has had on the songs we hear today and the music industry in general.

Foster died 149 years ago Jan 13th.  He was 37 years old at the time, which University of Pittsburgh Center for American Music Director Deane Root thinks is remarkable given the impact he had on the world.