The centerpiece of this art-filled three-day visit to Pittsburgh—a city of smokestacks and steel miraculously reborn as a cultural capital—is the 58th Carnegie International exhibition. Held every three to five years at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the latest edition displays the work of more than 30 artists, both rising stars and celebrated figures.
In addition, the tour led by arts journalist Richard Selden visits alternative-art venue the Mattress Factory, the museum devoted to Pittsburgh-born pop-art king Andy Warhol, and the former estate of industrial baron and art collector Henry Clay Frick, an associate of Andrew Carnegie.
The rich ethnic and industrial history of “the ’Burgh” isn’t neglected. The itinerary includes a walking and tasting tour of Pittsburgh’s revived market center, the Strip District, and a ride on the 1877 Duquesne Incline cable car to view a panorama of the city’s now-gleaming downtown, bordered by the famed three rivers. Two dinners and two lunches are included, including a lunch at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
The group’s accommodations also reflect Pittsburgh history: A former Benedictine monastery that dates from 1888 has been transformed into a boutique hotel, the Priory, which retains the original structure’s dramatic spaces and architectural and design details.
Know Before You Go
- Cost includes bus transportation, lodging, all activities, and the following meals: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners.
- Overnight accommodations at the Priory Hotel. Note that all rooms at the Priory are single-bedded (king or queen); very limited shared accommodations consist of a king or queen bed and a pull-out sofa.
- Tour departs by bus from the Mayflower Hotel, Connecticut Ave. and DeSales St., NW, with a pick up stop at the Best Western Plus Rockville Hotel & Suites, 1251 W. Montgomery Ave., I-270, Exit 6B, at about 8:30 a.m.
- Single-room supplement $185 (factored into the Single Room Member and Single Room Non-Member pricing).
- Singles registering at the double-room rate are paired (on a nonsmoking basis) if possible, but must pay the single-room supplement otherwise.
- Detailed information is emailed to registrants about four weeks prior to departure.
- Participants are advised to purchase travel insurance for overnight and multi-day tours from a provider of your choice. Travel insurance provides additional coverage against unforeseen incidents that require last-minute cancellations.
General Information
- Update: Registration for this tour will end by 1 p.m. ET on Monday, March 20, 2023.
- The tour departs by motorcoach from downtown Washington, DC with a designated secondary pick-up outside the city. Content delivered by the study leader on the way to the destination, after the secondary pick-up, is an integral part of the study tour experience. Meeting the group once the tour is en route is discouraged.
- Smithsonian is a mask-friendly environment. Masks are strongly recommended to be worn on buses at all times and may also be required at various indoor sites.
- For additional tour information:
