Arts, Sports & Culture

The incoming leader of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is eager to direct the system out of choppy financial waters and to begin expanding services online and at branch locations.

The library system's Board of Trustees has named Mary Frances Cooper the system's new President and Director. She assumes the position on New Year's Day.

Madeleine Albright was in Pittsburgh on Monday night for the opening of the "Read My Pins" exhibit, which features more than 200 pins from her collection, all of which have their own foreign policy story.

Albright was the first woman to become a U.S. Secretary of State, a post she held from 1997 to 2001. But it was her position before that, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, that prompted her to use the pins to send messages.

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History has launched the Center for World Cultures. This is an effort to leverage the museum's research, exhibits, and public programming to highlight how different cultures, past and present, shape modern-day challenges and issues, and to basically highlight the human experience and its effects on the planet.

Did Pittsburgh Council's amending of a bill restricting electronic billboards in the city actually bring an end to a three-year moratorium on the electronic signs? That question could wind up in Common Pleas Court.

Pittsburgh's New Year's Eve celebration, Highmark First Night, announced the entertainment lineup for this year's family-friendly event. Headlining a concert to ring in the New Year will be Pittsburgh band Rusted Root. They'll be playing on the Highmark Stage starting at 10:45 PM. The concert will run right up to midnight for the count down to the new year. In addition, Cello Fury with special guests Bill Deasy and Bodiography Contemporary Ballet, and House of Soul will perform.

Antique buffs came together at the Carnegie Museums in Oakland Saturday for the 2011 Preservation Fair, bringing artifacts and heirlooms — as well as considerable expertise — in tow.

Carnegie Mellon librarian Charlotte Tancin is one of the organizers of this year's fair. She said it's important for the public to understand preservation.

The second annual sing-off competition is underway. Equitable Gas Company is searching for musically talented middle and high school students to audition for the event as part of the upcoming 2012 First Night Pittsburgh celebration, a production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

"We're asking them to submit a video audition performance, and they can do that via YouTube, by submitting a video up to five minutes in length," said Equitable Spokesman Scott Waitlevertch.

This October, the walls of the state Capitol's lower rotunda are adorned with art created by Pennsylvanians with disabilities.

The display promotes October as National Disability Employment Awareness month.

Gene Bianco, president of the Pennsylvania Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, singled out the work of Sal Panasci, who began painting after he suffered a traumatic brain injury.

"When Sal paints and he moves to watercolor, he relearns painting and watercolor," said Bianco. "He does not build his art over time. He has to relearn his art every time."

In 2007, the Heinz Endowments sent out a small group of photographers to document what it believed was another Renaissance underway in the city. Over the next three years, nine photographers documented not only the rebirth of the city's buildings, but also the people who inhabit the city.

40 Pittsburgh venues will be offering free admission during the 10th annual RADical Days which are held as a thank you to the public for the sales tax revenue that supports the region's parks, libraries, sports facilities, and local attractions.

Residents of southwestern Pennsylvania are being urged to "put a face to your food" by exploring what local farms have to offer and learning about their growing practices. The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is hosting its 5th annual Buy Fresh Buy Local Farms Tour this Saturday from 1-5 p.m.

Crews filming the third movie of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy have shot in Lawrenceville, Heinz Field, and other locations already, but they'll probably cause the most pressing traffic closures when they film Downtown from Tuesday night to Sunday.

Dawn Keezer of the Pittsburgh Film Office says several major routes, like Smithfield Street and Oliver Avenue, will close temporarily on various days during that time period. Sidewalks and curbsides will sometimes be off-limits as well.