Events and Lectures

Free with museum admission unless otherwise noted.
Act 48 hours available for K-12 educators.
 

Attack Theatre: Remainder, Phase Two
Thurs., Jan. 8, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Carnegie Music Hall
Attack Theatre dancers return to Carnegie Museum of Art for Phase Two of Remainder, a 10-month process/performance inspired by Life on Mars. Join in the creative conversation by sharing your reactions to the works of art and the dancers' interpretations. For the final installation of this compelling project, Attack Theatre transforms this work into a multimedia dance production for the world premiere of Remainder in February. For more information, visit www.attacktheatre.com.

Tours

Daily Tours
Guided drop-in tours are free with museum admission and meet in front of the museum store.
Tues.-Sun., 1:30 p.m. 
Thurs. at 6:00 p.m.
Hour-long tours provide a closer look at specific artists included in the exhibition that brings the best contemporary art from around the world to Pittsburgh.

Group Tours
To schedule adult or student group tours, call the group visits office at 412.622.3289. Discounts apply for groups who register and pay in advance.

Tours just for Members!
Two-week advance reservation required. Call 412.578.2476.
Jan. 11, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Enjoy a last look at Life on Mars. This tour encourages lively discussion. 
Jan. 11, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Bring the family for this special child-friendly guided tour. Find fascinating characters in the contemporary art on view in Life on Mars.

ALL OPEN HOURS

Cell Phone Audio Guide
Hear from curators and artists right from your own cell phone. You control what you hear and when.

Idea Centers
Relax, read about artists in the exhibition, check out the Life on Mars web site, see what others are saying and add your ideas to the blogs.

Fun for Kids and Families

ARTventures: Self-Guided Fun
Daily, all open hours
Free with Museum Admission

Gallery Searches
Pick up a gallery search at the Idea Centers to search Life on Mars for fabulous and fantastical environments created by artists from around the world.

Audio Guide
Ask at the top of the Scaife stairs for our free kids' audio guide narrated by Art Cat.

Saturday Art Classes for Kids

10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
$49 members/$57 nonmembers

Ages 5–7: Life on Mars: Out-of-This-World Art
Sat., Sept. 27–Oct. 18
See art that’s out of this world in Life on Mars, the 2008 Carnegie International. Discover art made from unusual materials, as you create your own amazing art.

Ages 8–10: Life on Mars: Imagination Installation
Sat., Oct. 25–Nov. 15
Artists transform spaces and places into other worlds with art “installations.” Experience some amazing art environments in Life on Mars, the 2008 Carnegie International. Combine artistic inspiration with your imagination and create your own art installations, in miniature models and on a large scale.

Past Events and Lectures

Artist's Lecture: Thomas Hirschhorn
Tues., Sept. 9, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Carnegie Lecture Hall; Free
Thomas Hirschhorn produces impassioned sculptural works, public projects, and immersive environments dedicated to resistance and the voicing of discontent. Hirschhorn and curator Douglas Fogle discuss the artist's past work and current Life on Mars installation entitled Cavemanman, a labyrinth of cardboard and packing tape, crammed with remnants of consumerism. Cosponsored by Carnegie Mellon School of Art.

Artist's Lecture: Ryan Gander
Thurs., Sept. 11, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Carnegie Mellon University, McConomy Auditorium; Free
Repetition, chance, and everyday experiences are central to Ryan Gander's work. In his Life on Mars installations, including the film Man on a bridge--(A Study of David Lange) and the scattered crystal balls of A sheet of paper on which I was about to draw, as it slipped from my table and fell to the floor, Gander varies his processes as he connects disparate elements in what he describes as "a box full of possibilities." Cosponsored by Carnegie Mellon School of Art.

  From Pittsburgh to Mars: Artist Gallery Talk Series
Sundays, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Free with museum admission
Meet in the Museum of Art Lobby
Enjoy informal talks with Pittsburgh-based artists in the Life on Mars exhibition galleries. Each talk will reflect the point of view of the presenting artist, and inspire a lively discussion focusing on different works of art each month.
June 22: Ayanah Moor and Andrew Johnson
July 20:  Bovey Lee and Fabrizio Gerbino
Aug. 17: Liz Richards and Tom Sarver
 

Life on Mars: New Perspectives 
a Sunday film series on being human in today's world and the worlds we have yet to discover
Sun., Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
8:00 p.m.
Regent Square Theater, 1035 S. Braddock Ave., Edgewood
$8 adults; $6 students/seniors/children
Film has always been an effective medium for exploring themes of humanization, mechanization, and changes in our world that affect our daily lives. Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Carnegie Museum of Art team up to present a series of popular films from the last 50 years that question what it means to be human in our world and the worlds we have yet to discover. Cosponsored by Pittsburgh Filmmakers.

 Aug. 3: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick; 1968; 140 min)
This is the ultimate science-fiction voyage of a man through outer and inner space, through the phases of his own life in time thrown out of whack, to his death and rebirth in an intergalactic embryo. "[Kubrick] made a philosophical statement about man's place in the universe, using images as those before him had used words, music or prayer. And he had made it in a way that invited us to contemplate it -- not to experience it vicariously as entertainment, as we might in a conventional science-fiction film, but to stand outside it as a philosopher might, and think about it." --Roger Ebert 

Aug. 10: Brazil  (Terry Gilliam; UK/USA; 1985; 131 min)
This dark comedy is one of the best films ever made showing how technology might spawn a nightmare society of the future. With nods to both Orwell and Monty Python, this is a world marred by oppressive automation and towering bureaucracy, and populated by tyrannical guards who strong-arm the lawbreakers. Sam Lowry is a civil servant who uses his imagination to escape.  

Aug. 17: Blow-Up (Michelangelo Antonioni; 1966; 108 min)
When a photographer believes he has inadvertently captured a murder on film, he begins to question everything he sees. This masterpiece--the first English language film by Antonioni--is  a fascinating look at the ramifications of "recording" reality. 

Aug. 24: Playtime (Jacques Tati; 1967; 126 min)
In this French comedy classic about a stranger in a strange land, Monsieur Hulot (played by the brilliant Jacques Tati) comes to Paris for an appointment but the "space age" buildings seem to thwart his every move, and he feels out of place in the modern world.  "It directs us to look around at the world we live in, the one we keep building." --film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum 

Aug. 31: Alphaville (Jean-Luc Godard; France; 1965; 100 min)
Part science-fiction, part film noir--this French New Wave thriller from one of cinema's greatest contributors is nothing less than a cult classic, using no special visual effects. A bizarre space-chase across a glass and metal landscape of futuristic Paris--here called Alphaville--is the movie's premise. This dystopian tomorrow is characterized by alienation, conformity and a stunningly clinical world. Godard slyly suggests that the future is now. The result is a touching, original film laced with the director's familiar political and intellectual themes. With subtitles. 

Remainder, a new process/performance by Attack Theatre: Phase one
Thurs., June 19
Gallery discussions: 6:00-6:45 p.m.
Performance: 7:00-7:45 p.m.
Sculpture Court (rain location: Carnegie Lecture Hall)
Fri., Aug. 1
9:00 and 10:00 p.m.
Attack Theatre Studio Space, 4805 Penn Ave

Attack Theatre, Pittsburgh's premier fusion of creative movement and music, presents Remainder, Phase One, the first installment of a three-part work inspired by Life on Mars. Dancers open the Thurs., June 19 event with a gallery discussion of works that inspired their movement sequences and then continue in the Sculpture Court where they will present their synthesized choreography. During the following weeks, visit the Life on Mars web site to view, ask questions, and participate with Attack Theatre in the artistic distillation process, which leads to a studio event on Fri., Aug. 1. This event will be part of Attack Theatre's monthly "Game Night and the Seven Minute Dance Series." Remainder's culminating performance will take place in January 2009.

 
Pushing Pencils through Mars: A Writer's Workshop
Thurs., June 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Lecture: The Philosophy behind the Art and Science of Exploration (Class will meet after the lecture until 8:30 p.m.)
Classes: Thurs., July 10-31, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Heinz Architectural Center
Public Reading, Thurs., Aug. 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m., CMA Theater
$40 members/$50 nonmembers
Limited to 15 participants
Call 412.622.3288.to register
Explore Life on Mars with pencil and paper. This five-session summer writing workshop brings together the experience of looking at contemporary art and reflections on the exhibition's title Life on Mars to inspire writing about living in the world today. Led by Sherrie Flick, artistic director of the Gist Street Reading Series, and Marc Nieson, Chatham University creative writing instructor, the class sessions include writing and revision exercises, feedback, examples, discussion, and fun. The workshop culminates in a public reading of selected works on August 7.

Artist's Lecture: Ranjani Shettar
Tues., July 15, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Free, CMA Theater
Ranjani Shettar draws upon Indian culture, religion, and traditions to create intricate sculptures, installations, and prints that delve into the relationship between the physical and spiritual. Employing such materials as coconut fibers, mud, cotton, plastic, wax, and metal, Shettar explores the symbolic and sacred potential of the seemingly mundane in works that suggest a range of organic forms, from cocoons to webs to the skeins of the nervous system. Her Life on Mars installation, entitled Just a bit more, fills a room with a web made of hand-molded beeswax, pigments, and thread dyed in tea.

Lunch & Learn: The Art of Carnegie Exhibitions: Yesterday and Today
Thurs., July 17, 9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
$45 members/$55 nonmembers
Lunch and transportation are included. Call 412.622.3288 to register. Teachers earn 2.5 Act 48 hours.
Travel to the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, for a guided tour of  Painting in the United States--a re-staging of the annual exhibition organized by Carnegie Museum of Art during World War II when international art was inaccessible. After lunch, return to Carnegie Museum of Art for docent-led tours of Life on Mars, the 2008 Carnegie International to see how trends in contemporary art have changed over the years.

Film Screening: Wilhelm Sasnal
Exhibition opening: Out of This Furnace
Afterparty!
Sat., July 19, 2008
Free

6:30-7:30 p.m.--Film screening
Braddock Carnegie Library, Music Hall
419 Library St., Braddock
Free
Life on Mars artist Wilhelm Sasnal is a filmmaker and painter whose widely varied use of styles and subjects challenge viewers to question what they see. A series of Sasnal's intriguing short films will be shown in the historic Music Hall at the Braddock Carnegie Library.

8:00-10:00 p.m.--Out of This Furnace exhibition opening
10:00 p.m.--Afterparty
Unsmoke Systems
1137 Braddock Avenue
An exhibition organized by Heather Pesanti, assistant curator of contemporary art at Carnegie Museum of Art, of 16 Pittsburgh-based artists responding to the site, opening in the newly renovated Unsmoke Systems building.
At 10:00 the party begins with DJ Ollie 6.0 FM! and friends.

Download the event flyer (pdf, 108 KB). Check out 15104.cc for more information about Braddock.
Look for additional artist films at various Pittsburgh Filmmakers locations from September through November.

Panel Discussion: The Philosophy behind the Art and Science of Exploration
Thurs., June 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
CMA Theater
Free with museum admission
Is there life on Mars? Are we alone in the universe? The process of questioning--metaphorically and physically--is central to both art and science. Acclaimed writer Michael Sims, "science raconteur" and author of Darwin's Orchestra and Apollo's Fire, joins NASA scientist Dr. Claudia J. Alexander, Project Manager of the U.S. Rosetta Project, to discuss the ways that space exploration changes our perception of our own world, as well as the interplay between scientific discovery and artistic creation.

Sound and Vision:  A Night With Barry McGee, Japanther, and PAPER RAD
Thurs., July 24,
8:30 p.m.: Discussion, CMA  Theater
9:30 p.m.: Concert, Sculpture Court (rain location: Carnegie Music Hall)

Curator Douglas Fogle teams up with Carnegie International artist Barry McGee for a conversation about his work and about artists' responses to the phrase "life on Mars." From his beginnings in graffiti culture in the 1980s to his emergence as a gallery artist, McGee, known as Twist in skateboarding circles, has created art that reflects an antiauthoritarian, non-institutional point of view. Using bold colors and dynamic geometric shapes, his installations have the chaotic energy of the urban experience, bringing a subversive street aesthetic into the space of the museum. For Life on Mars, McGee has transformed an ordinary hallway with his mixed-media installation. Following the talk will be performances by Japanther, Extreme Animals [Paper Rad], and Centipede E'est with DJs Cutups and Edgar Um in the Sculpture Court.

Artist's Lecture: Haegue Yang
Tues., Sept. 30, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Carnegie Mellon University, Giant Eagle Auditorium; Free
Haegue Yang's work resists a defining medium, ranging from wall drawings to sculpture, moving image, and photography. In Life on Mars, her installation Three Kinds employs such commonplace objects as venetian blinds and mirrors to create an atmosphere of dramatic intimacy, while Three Kinds in Transition features a poetic sequence of images of globes and origami. Cosponsored by Carnegie Mellon School of Art.

Storytelling: Playful Interactions and Spaces of Imagination in Contemporary Visual Culture
History of Art and Architecture Graduate Student Symposium
October 10-12, University of Pittsburgh
Tying in with the theme of Life on Mars, the 2008 Carnegie International, this event explores the rationale for which world contemporary art practices and screen media increasingly entail open-ended stories, fragmented narrative sequences, references to literary texts, as well as the design of fantasy environments that undermine contemplative viewing experience.

Find out more on the University of Pittsburgh's History of Art and Architecture website

Artist's Lecture: Mark Bradford
Sat., Oct. 11, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Carnegie Lecture Hall; Free
Mark Bradford's canvases incorporate the detritus and images of his Los Angeles neighborhood. Creating collages from foil, scraps of paper, and remnants of posters, he paints or sands away elements, giving the resulting works the character of map-like grids. University students and faculty are invited to stay afterward for Life on Mars University Night. Cosponsored by Carnegie Mellon School of Art.

Life on Mars University Night
Sat., Oct. 11, 5:00-8:30 p.m.
Museum of Art galleries
Free to university and college students, faculty, and staff
Life on Mars, the 2008 Carnegie International, swings open its doors for a free evening of art, music, food, and fun.

Film Screening: Bruce Conner
Fri., Oct. 17, 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 18, 8:00 p.m. (encore screening)
Melwood Screening Room
477 Melwood Ave.; Free
Carnegie Museum of Art and Pittsburgh Filmmakers team up to present a series of short films from the museum's collection by Life on Mars artist Bruce Conner.

Life on Mars Book Club
Each month, second Thurs., 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Meet in the Museum of Art lobby; Free
Space is limited; call 412.622.3288 to register. Sign up for one session, or all six!
Delve into six fascinating works of fiction that tackle the complexities of the human condition--the humorous, the perilous, the ironic, and the fantastic. Each session begins with a 15-minute gallery talk highlighting literary and visual art connections, then converse with fellow readers and library staff in the casual atmosphere of the Heinz Architectural Center. Books are available in the Museum store, at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh main branch in Oakland, and at Life on Mars book clubs in your neighborhood library.
June 12   Nicholson Baker: The Mezzanine
July 10    Haruki Murakami: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Aug. 14    Daniel Quinn: Ishmael
Sept. 11   Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: The Little Prince
Oct. 9      Vladimir Nabokov: Pale Fire
Nov. 13    Samuel Beckett: Waiting for Godot

American Shorts Reading Series: Reading on Mars
Thurs., Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m.
CMA Theater
$15; call 412.622.8866 for tickets.
Pittsburgh artists Bob Qualters and Vanessa German read selected works of fiction and poetry in response to Life on Mars, the 2008 Carnegie International.  Vicky Clark moderates. 
Immediately following the reading will be the Pittsburgh premiere screening of Life on Mars artist Ryan Gander's newest film, As it presents itself—Somewhere vague.

 Artist's Lecture: Barry McGee
Tues., Nov. 18, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Carnegie Mellon University, McConomy Auditorium; Free
Barry McGee's vivid  and playful installation in Life on Mars brings the San Francisco streets to Carnegie Museum of Art. Combining the iconography of urban youth culture with techniques of formal art-making, McGee's work employs discarded objects and motorized figures alongside portraits, paintings, and framed photographs. Cosponsored by Carnegie Mellon School of Art. Teachers receive 2 Act 48 credits for participation and reflection.

 Attack Theatre: Remainder, Phase Two
Thurs., Nov. 20, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 6, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Life on Mars exhibition galleries
Attack Theatre dancers return to the galleries for Phase Two of Remainder, a 10-month process/performance inspired by Life on Mars. Join in the creative conversation by sharing your reactions to the works of art and the dancers' interpretations. For the final installation of this compelling project, Attack Theatre transforms this work into a multimedia dance production for the world premiere of Remainder in February. For more information, visit www.attacktheatre.com.

Ground Control: Teen Event
Thurs., Nov. 20, 6:00-10:00 p.m.
Carnegie Cafe and Life on Mars exhibition galleries
Attention high school students: The Zero Gravity interns invite you to an evening of art, music, food, and fun! Connect with contemporary art in Life on Mars and create your own work in response. Enjoy video screenings, live bands, and a Life on Mars-inspired fashion show. For more details, visit the Zero Gravity Happenings page.