Search #MuseumFromHome on Twitter or Instagram, and you will find virtual experiences and tours of museums around the world. Lucky for us, we have brilliant art in our backyard only a click away. Here are virtual art experiences from five Pittsburgh museums you can enjoy from the comfort and safety of your screen.
Greer Lankton, “It’s all about ME, Not You” (1996) // Mattress Factory
https://www.instagram.com/p/B94x8VrHA7K/
Greer Lankton’s “It’s all about ME, Not You” is made for online viewing. Using gigapixel panoramas (digital images with a lot of pixels), zoom in and out of Lankton’s Chicago apartment recreation. The show was first shown in 1996, the year Greer sadly passed. It eventually emerged from storage and was donated to the Mattress Factory by the Lankton Family. As described on the Museum’s website, “Like the artist herself, Lankton’s dolls and environments possess a disarming mix of innocence and decadence, hope and pathos. She said her work was “all about me,” reflecting her life as an artist, a transsexual and a drug addict.”
“Pittsburgh”, Permanent Collection //The Westmoreland Museum of American Art
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Hve0AA3Xs/
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art has a free admission policy and that accessibility extends online. Explore the keyword “Pittsburgh” in their permanent collection and descend upon paintings and photographs of our beloved city.
Explore the full WMAA permanent collection here.
Fashion & Fine Dining Inspiration // The Frick Pittsburgh
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDYjkFVLGh-/
Need a little boost of inspiration dressing for work while at home? Gilded Age Fashion, a highlight of The Frick Pittsburgh’s costume collection, is your muse. The collection houses over 2,000 pieces, from clothing to accessories, from the Frick family. It dates back to the 1880s. I personally want to take my next video conference call wearing the Lady’s Cape.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmL_dIFhgZX/
Entertaining at Home certainly spikes interest right now. This online exhibit serves up ornate and extravagant dining objects from the turn of the twentieth century. Scroll through and gain ideas for your next in-home fine dining experience, with a service bell and all.
Find more virtual Frick exhibits here!
Silver Studio Sessions // The Andy Warhol Museum
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Q-a68HZBX/
Sound Series is an ongoing concert series by The Andy Warhol Museum featuring a range of artists and bands, including Pittsburghers. While the Sound Series is on hold, check out Silver Studio Sessions on the museum’s YouTube channel. It is a shortened set from a Sound Series artist in a space inspired by Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory. Start with Meeting of Important People, a Pittsburgh indie rock band whose session is uplifting and gives a much needed reprieve from the daily current events.
Watch The Warhol’s Silver Studio Sessions on YouTube
Storyboard // Carnegie Museum of Art
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwfKOv2Fc6S/
For those who love to read and have a deeper curiosity, Storyboard, Carnegie Museum of Art’s online journal, is for you. Storyboard shares “stories that matter, artfully told.” It extends art beyond the museum, linking it to ideas, movements and moments in time. The video teaser alone will excite you to read. The latest issue, “Altered Landscapes” dissects transformations, from social to environmental, and tackles where we fit in this world.
More virtual Pittsburgh museum collections to browse online:
- Heinz History Center: The Heinz History Center has several exhibits that can be browsed online through a partnership with Google Arts & Culture. Check out The Legacy of Fred Rogers and the #Pixburgh exhibits.
- Music Gallery @ Bayernhof Museum: The Bayernhof Museum is one man’s castle that houses a large collection of antique music machines. You can learn more about the machines and watch some videos on the Beyernhof website.
- Teenie Harris Archive @ CMOA: Charles “Teenie” Harris was a photographer who often captured images for the Pittsburgh Courier. The Carnegie Museum of Art purchased the archive of his work in 2001. Over 59,000 of the images have been digitized and can be browsed online. Harris captured many of the politicians and celebrities who visited Pittsburgh as well as photographs of everyday life in Pittsburgh’s African American community.
This story was originally published on March 30, 2020, and has been updated with current information.
