Event Photography

Carnegie Museum of Art: Paul Thek Exhibition (2011):

Carnegie Museum of Natural History: The Alcohol House (2011):

These photos were taken at an event for the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, specifically in their Section of Amphibians and Reptiles—also called the "Alcohol House." No, it was not the section of the museum where they keep all of the wine and spirits for the employees (you'll never see those pictures!), it is where they collect and house a whole bunch of cool animal specimens in jars of alcohol.

This event was incredible because members were given a chance to see how this section works behind-the-scenes. Why are there so many snakes, frogs, salamanders, and other slimy creatures in jars of alcohol? Some of them have been there since the museum was established in 1895! These specimens are used in scientific research, particularly in environmental conservation efforts.

There are three floors to this biological library, with hundred-year-old staircases spiraling you up into the next level of suspense and discovery (and heat). Just imagine shelves and shelves of jars packed full of snakes and frogs and salamanders and turtle eggs... It would not, I repeat, NOT be a good spot to be for a "Night at the Museum"-type occurrence. The collection manager, Steve Rogers (yes, he did have a picture of Captain America on one of his cabinets) was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. Unfortunately, this section of the museum has been virtually untouched by renovation since it was built in 1895 and there is no type of climate control. The higher you go, the hotter it gets, and the specimens need to be maintained at a level of no more than 70 degrees. It was at least 90 on that day in early June.

Though some may think the collections are gross and pointless, it is important to remember that these specimens (like all museum collections) are used in scientific study. They are used in comparative studies (some of the specimens were collected over a hundred years ago) and they can help us understand more about an ecosystem, how it operates, and how it is changing. For example, it is with collections like this that scientists have been able to show that mercury levels have increased in certain streams over time through the examination of the stomach contents of fish in their collection.

Overall, the event was a real success with about 50 members attending. I tried to get a photo of everyone amidst the jars of the cool, creepy crawlies. (6/2011)

Alliance Française de Pittsburgh: Bastille Day Celebration at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts (2011):

Warhol Museum: Rodef Shalom Tour of the Biblical Gardens (2011):

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh: Molly's Trolleys Architectural Tour (2011):

Carnegie Museum of Art and Warhol Museum Events (2011):

Carnegie Museum of Art: Carnegie International 2013 Curators' Apartment (2012):

This event took place at the end of January 2012 and was hosted at an apartment that the Carnegie Museum of Art rents in Lawrenceville for the curators and artists preparing for the world-renowned Carnegie International (an international art exhibition held at the museum every five or so years). The museum hired three curators to basically travel the world and find artists! What a job!!! They said that they had just about all of the artist spots filled for the exhibition, which opens in 2013. Later this year, they will probably have some of the chosen artists come to Pittsburgh to work on the art or create an installation at the museum, and they will have them use this apartment as their home base. It was a pretty cool place! (1/2012)

Warhol Museum: Inner Circle Featuring Donald Warhola (2012):

This event took place at the Warhol Museum on Pittsburgh's North Side, and the guest of the evening was Donald Warhola, Andy Warhol's nephew (Warhol dropped the "a" in his name to add mystery and ambiguity to its origin, which is Slovakian). Donald spoke to a special group of Warhol enthusiasts about his family and his famous uncle. He said that he never really viewed his uncle as "the" Andy Warhol—he was just Uncle Andy. Donald was about 25 when Andy Warhol died in 1987, so he was able to know him as an adult and not just as a child. If Donald had donned a blond bouffant wig, he could have totally passed as Warhol; there was such a striking resemblance between the two. Donald said that he used to get hand-me-downs from his uncle and he was like a "mini Andy Warhol" when he was in college, but he didn't view it that way—he was just wearing his uncle's cool clothes. There is an iconic leather jacket with multiple zippers that Warhol once wore, which was later given to Donald and his mom. They used to wear it outside to get the mail at their home in Pittsburgh. His mom later put it in Goodwill(!!!), so there may be an Andy Warhol jacket floating around out there. He said that he visited Andy at his studio in NYC and had a hard time not being star-struck when, say, Duran Duran was in the studio or once when Andy introduced him to his "good friend Ric" (that is, Ric Ocasek of the Cars). Donald passed it off by saying "Oh, Ric, is it? Nice to meet you." But inside he said he was like, "OMG, it's Ric Ocasek!!!"

He said that when he and his brother, who is six years older, used to visit Andy at his apartment, they would look in his attic where he kept a lot of things that he collected over the years. They couldn't understand why he had piles and piles of Brillo boxes. Donald's mom was a little concerned that Andy was not throwing away his garbage.

Overall, it was really neat to hear him talk about how having a famous person in his family affected him and his experiences growing up. He said that it's his duty to sort of carry on the Warhol legacy by teaming up with the Warhol Museum. For many years, Donald worked as a licensed therapist and he didn't really do much with the Warhol Foundation or the Museum but he has recently been hired as an Educational Liaison for the Warhol. This was a really, really cool event and it inspired within me an interest in Warhol and his work. (3/2012)

Warhol Museum: Inner Circle House Party (2012):

Alliance Française de Pittsburgh: Bastille Day Kick-Off Extravaganza at the Mansion on Fifth (2012):

Alliance Française de Pittsburgh: Bastille Day at the Carnegie Museum of Art (2012):

Warhol Museum: Factory Direct (2012):

Carnegie Museum of Art: Zelevansky Book Promotion (2012):

Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Halloween with the Department of Invertebrate Zoology (2012):

Carnegie Museum of Art and Warhol Museum Events (2012-2013):

Alliance Française de Pittsburgh: Bastille Day at the Duquesne Club (2013):

Carnegie Museum of Art: Brinkmann House (2013):

Carnegie Science Center, Warhol Museum, and Carnegie Museum of Art Events (2014-2015):

Alliance Française de Pittsburgh: Bastille Day at the Carnegie Museum of Art (2015):

I have taken photos for the Alliance Français de Pittsburgh for Bastille Day (the date of French independence) each year on July 14th since 2011. Wow! Each year is more and more fun than the last. Take a look at my friend, Arielle, dressed as Marie Antoinette—she looks amazing!! Her dress was super cool. Unfortunately, it rained that night—which didn't seem to deter people from attending—but it did force us to contain festivities to the indoors. Of course, we were able to enjoy the wonderful musicians who provided an endless French soundtrack with their accordion and violin. It was quite lovely and I’m so grateful I have been able to photograph events like this throughout the years! (7/2015)

Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Patron Event (2015):

I was invited to take photos at an event for the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh—this time, it was held in my most beloved of all museums: The Carnegie Museum of Natural History. This event was a kind of "thank you" to major donors to the museums over the years, and the new President discussed how that funding helps maintain a museum's timelessness and its timeliness. It is always interesting to hear what the museums' leaders have to say about the future of the institute. She spoke a lot about how to engage the younger generation—about how they tend to enjoy more social interaction. It will be interesting to see how they begin to incorporate these concepts into the museum experience. (9/2015)

Carnegie Museum of Art: Robert Burns Birthday Bash (2016):

I was invited to photograph an event held by the Carnegie Museums in honor of Robert Burns, the Scottish poet. It was a lovely night full of kilts, bagpipes, dancers, kilts, whiskey, haggis, kilts, plaid, music, and—did I mention—kilts???

This was a traditional "Burns supper" held near the poet's birthday (January 25th) as a celebration of his poetry and life. They have been held for over 200 years now.

One gentleman (in a kilt, of course), took to the podium and read the famous Burns poem Address To A Haggis. At one point in the poem, by tradition, he pulls out his haggis knife and stabs it into the haggis. The knife is part of the kilt uniform and can be kept in a pouch around the waist or tucked into the sock.

This was a nice evening and we had a large showing despite the snow! We were really concerned that we would have a lot of cancellations, but it seems that the Pittsburgh Scots community wanted to brave the snow in order to get a taste of the haggis with tatties and neeps! (1/2016)

Carnegie Science Center: Omnimax Event (2016):

It's the annual Donors' Day celebration at the Carnegie Science Center! Each year, the central office of the four museums invites their donors to a sneak-peak showing of a Omnimax movie. This year it is a film titled "National Parks Adventure," and each year I never stick around to watch the film. For free. In the Omnimax theater. What's wrong with me?? Too busy being shutterbug, I guess! Not many photos to share from this event, but it was the largest event I've photographed for the museums to-date. I think—and this is not my official count—that this is my 31st event that I have done for the museums since I started taking pictures for them in 2011. (6/2016)

Alliance Française de Pittsburgh: Bastille Day at the Pittsburgh Golf Club (2016):

This is my fifth time photographing Bastille Day for Alliance Français de Pittsburgh since 2011. Bastille Day is the day of the French Revolution (akin to America's July 4th) and, this year, we celebrated on what must have been the hottest day of the year! But... I found the Secret Air Conditioning Vent upstairs where I would steal away with my camera and get photos from above while cooling off.

This is my favorite event of the year and it's nice to see people year after year and get to know their names -- while also seeing some younger attendees enter the picture. This year, we held the event at the Pittsburgh Golf Club, which was absolutely beautiful with it's vaulted ceilings and light-filled rooms. The food and drink were delicious as always! (7/2016)

Carnegie Science Center and Carnegie Museum of Art Events (2017):