Pittsburgh Humanities Festival Returns March 21-27
Media Inquiries
This spring, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust(opens in new window) and The Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University are bringing internationally acclaimed artists and performers together with renowned academics and community leaders for a series of curated conversations and performances. This year's Pittsburgh Humanities Festival(opens in new window) will explore topics like Pittsburgh's history, policy and politics, Kennywood, racial inequalities, drag culture, Shakespeare, food and art. The festival will run March 21-27.
Featuring 16 events and three partner events, highlights from this year include a performance from Tony Award winner Ali Stroker and a new twist on a "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Other core conversations include writer Ed Simon, who received his master's degree from the Department of English(opens in new window) in 2007; professor and novelist Kathleen George, who is the widow of beloved CMU English professor Hilary Masters; and artist Max Gonzalez, a 2016 graduate of the College of Fine Arts(opens in new window).
"The festival has successfully brought the humanities to thousands of Pittsburgh residents," Shumway said. "Our audience is primarily not students or academics but members of the general public. We are able to bring the kinds of conversations we have typically in the classroom on campus to people who don't normally get that experience on a regular basis. I think that's been a really important part of our mission and has been quite successful."
Shumway noted that people who are interested in the festival should consider attending the core conversations. The audience size normally ranges between 25 to 40 people, so attendees get the chance to know the presenter and ask questions.