The Warhol, The Frick, Carnegie and more open spring exhibits.
Museums are open but advance reservations are usually required. Before you go, check the venue’s website for hours, admission and COVID-19 safety protocols.
Carnegie Museum of Art, Oakland: “New to the Collection” showcases contemporary art the museum has acquired since 2018, including works by Mark Bradford, Sarah Crowner, Katherine Bernhardt, Charline von Heyl, Kerry James Marshall and Thaddeus Mosley. Open through Sept. 19 in the Forum Gallery. https://cmoa.org/exhibition/new-to-the-collection/
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Oakland: To survive, some dinosaurs grew 14-inch spikes while others used clubbed tails to ward off predators. See “Dinosaur Armor” through July 5. https://carnegiemnh.org/explore/dinosaur
Carnegie Science Center, North Side: In the Space-Place gallery is “Sun, Earth, Universe,” a new exhibition about Earth, the solar system, the universe and the big questions NASA is trying to answer about each. The exhibit features engaging, hands-on interactives and dazzling imagery. carnegiesciencecenter.org
The Andy Warhol Museum, North Side: In 1985, Andy Warhol published “America,” a book of photographs he took or collected on his cross country travels. in “Fantasy America,” New York artists Nona Faustine, Kambui Olujimi, Pacifico Silano, Naama Tsabar and Chloe Wise revisit this seminal publication and contribute through their own work, inspired by repetition and image appropriation, exhibited through Aug. 30. Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat were friends and artistic collaborators and “Warhol and Basquiat
In Focus,” a deep dive into their work, features works from the permanent collection. It opens June 7 and runs through Sept. 20. www.warhol.org.
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, North Side: “The Cryptid Critter Crawl” consists of eight outdoor sculptures designed for children and families to explore. Cryptids are creatures from folklore and legend. The eight sculptures on the museum campus include The Museum Space Goo, Mothman’s Chrysalis, Bigfoot’s Lost Shoe and Yateveo’s Spice Rack. Each sculpture features stories and directs viewers to a mobile website: www.cryptidcrittercrawls.com. The free exhibition is open 24 hours a day.
Contemporary Craft, Lawrenceville: “Humaira Abid: Searching for Home” is a solo exhibition by Humaira Abid, a Pakistan-born, Seattle-based artist who uses traditional Mughal miniature painting and carving wood sculptures to show the impact of migration on women and girls. The exhibit is showing through Aug. 21. https://contemporarycraft.org.
Fallingwater, Laurel Highlands: The house built over a waterfall for department store owner Edgar J. Kaufmann has reopened with a new guided architectural tour. Visitors will see Fallingwater’s main floor, its cantilevered outdoor terraces, the guest house and the landscape that inspired its design. Visit Fallingwater.org/Experience-Fallingwater.
The Frick Pittsburgh, Point Breeze: In “Frida Kahlo: Through the Lens of Nickolas Muray,” photographs dating from 1937 to 1946 explore Nickolas Muray’s unique perspective as Kahlo’s friend, lover and confidant while highlighting her deep interest in her Mexican heritage, her life and travels, family and friends. Through May 9. “Frida Kahlo —
An Intimate Portrait” features 115 images of the artist from her private photograph albums. The images document her marriage to Diego Rivera, friendships and physical pain. Through May 30.
“Reckoning: Grief and Light” is a multisensory installation of sculpture by artist-in-residence Vanessa German serves as an elegy for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain and explores the capacity of museums to function as agents of change.
The Frick Pittsburgh’s Car and Carriage Museum: What began as a way to monitor radiator temperature evolved into displaying status and personalizing vehicles. “Cast in Chrome: The Art of Hood Ornaments” explores the relationship between car makes and hood ornament designs, looks at the artists who sculpted these miniature works of art and examines their decline in popularity. Through Oct. 31; thefrickpittsburgh.org.
Heinz History Center, Strip: “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith” is a 7,000-square-foot exhibition featuring artifacts like a protest banner carried by University of Pittsburgh students during the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, a Black Construction Coalition flag, and campaign buttons and ribbons from 1840 to present day. A special section on citizenship examines Pittsburgh’s role in the development of the U.S. naturalization exam. Through Oct. 10. During the month of May, all teachers and educators with valid identification are admitted free to the Heinz History Center, Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, Fort Pitt Museum and Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village. www.heinzhistorycenter.org
The Mattress Factory, North Side: “Feeling The Spirit In The Dark” by Shikeith and “Museum of All Things” by Jennifer Angus remain on view through June 13. “Factory Installed 2021,” featuring work by Meir Tati, Sarawut Chutiwongpeti, Andrea Stanislav and Luftwerk remains on view through Nov. 14. www.mattress.org
Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, Avella: The oldest site of human habitation in North America just reopened. https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/meadowcroft/
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Oakland: The new exhibition is “The Hidden Life of Trolls.” www.phipps.conservatory.org
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, Oakdale: The 60-acre garden offers walking trails through woodlands, gardens blooming with native plants, a lotus pond and a sensory garden featuring herbs and vegetables. Artwork by Atticus Adams is on exhibit in the new welcome center, which opened in April. www.pittsburghbotanicgarden.org
Pittsburgh Glass Center, East Liberty: “Light in Transmission: A Neon and Plasma Light Exhibition” features the work of Sarah Blood, Patrick Collentine, Percy Echols II, Michael Flechtner, Mundy Hepburn, Eve Hoyt, Danielle James, Ed Kirshner, Leticia Maldonado, Denzel Russell, Harriet Schwarzrock, Megan Stelljes, Wayne Strattman and Leo Tecosky; www.pittsburghglasscenter.org.
Powdermill Nature Reserve: Adult Nature Walk at 2 p.m. on May 8. https:// carnegiemnh.org/event/adult-naturewalk
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg: “Border Cantos | Sonic Border” opens May 30. The exhibition is a collaboration between American photographer Richard Misrach, who makes large scale photographs, and Mexican American sculptor and composer Guillermo Galindo. The composer’s installation, Sonic Border, is an original score for eight instruments, created out of discarded objects found and collected at the border. Open through Sept. 5; www.thewestmoreland.org.