Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Announces Return to In-Person Programming with 62nd Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival

This morning, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced the music headliners, gallery exhibitions, and footprint of the 62nd Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival. The Festival runs June 4-14, 2021 in-person and virtually, creating a special hybrid Festival format that builds upon the digital opportunities of 2020 and an exciting return to live events. Especially after an extremely difficult year for the arts and culture scene, the Trust is immensely grateful to Dollar Bank for their loyalty and 20 years of support for city's largest artistic festival.

"For the last 20 years, Dollar Bank has supported the Three Rivers Arts Festival because of the way it builds up the members of our Pittsburgh neighborhood - a core value here at Dollar Bank. Being the largest independent mutual bank in the country, Dollar Bank's focus and accountability lies solely with our customers, and we use this focus to build communities in Pittsburgh, understand our customers' needs, and to treat every customer as a neighbor in our community," says Joe Smith, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Dollar Bank. "We cannot imagine summer in Pittsburgh without the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, and we are thrilled to see the work being done to return to in-person arts events and also build upon the accessibility of virtual experiences."

"The biggest change for the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival in 2021 is the layout and footprint," says Sarah Aziz, Director of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival and Director of Festival Management for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. "The 2021 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival showcases our beloved Cultural District. The Cultural Trust's galleries, theaters, and arts venues will have their doors open for the first time in more than a year. We could not be more excited!"

PROGRAMS

The 2021 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival in its hybrid format can be divided into in-person and virtual attractions. Virtual offerings build upon the foundation built in 2020 and the in-person activities proceed with the utmost of caution, with health and safety at the forefront of all efforts.

Artist Market

In-person and virtual

The 2021 Artist Market features 100 independent artists in an open-air setting, selling handmade fine art and fine crafts from 12-8 p.m. each day of the Festival. The artists are split into two sessions with 50 artists appearing June 4-8 and another 50 artists appearing June 9-13.

A map and schedule will be available at TrustArts.org/TRAF.

Free ticket reservations are required for the Artist Market, which provides access for a two-hour window. Guests may enter and exit three capacity-controlled Artist Market zones (the Benedum Center Street Level Parking Lot, Trust Oasis, and Allegheny Overlook Pop-Up Park) during this time. See map attachment for noted Artist Market locations.

In addition to the 100 artists on-site, more than 350 artists from around the country are participating simultaneously in the virtual Artist Market at TrustArts.org/TRAF. Artist previews will be available prior to the Festival so that guests can mark their 'favorites' to shop during the run of the in-person and virtual Artist Markets. For the virtual market, purchases will take place between the artist's preferred website and the guest.

Dollar Bank Main Stage at the Byham Theater

In-person and virtual

Each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the Festival - June 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, and 13 at 7:30 p.m. - featured music concerts will take place on the Dollar Bank Main Stage inside of the Byham Theater at 101 6th Street in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.

Each show will welcome a limited-capacity, in-person "studio audience" of approximately 350 guests, safely filling the 1,300-seat theater according to social distancing protocols. Free tickets are required for a visit to the Dollar Bank Main Stage at the Byham Theater and will be in high demand. Tickets to these featured music concerts will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. Ticket reservations open on May 20 at 12 p.m. at TrustArts.org/TRAF (May 18 for Festival Member Early-Bird Access).

Audience members throughout the Pittsburgh region and beyond who are unable to secure a free ticket (first-come, first-served) or who prefer to experience the concerts remotely can still enjoy these concerts either via multi-camera video and soundboard-quality audio feed on Pittsburgh Cultural Trust social media channels or live, over the airwaves on 91.3 WYEP-FM, a longtime partner of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival.

The lineup includes:

Celisse, June 4

Bassel and the Supernaturals, June 5

Rayland Baxter, June 6

Shemekia Copeland, June 11

Caroline Rose, June 12

Son Little, June 13

Riverside Stage at Allegheny Overlook Pop-Up Park

In-person

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's Riverside Stage at Allegheny Overlook Pop-up Park is positioned on a partially-closed Fort Duquesne Boulevard between Stanwix and 7th Streets. The region's top music and dance talent will perform on this stage throughout each day of the Festival.

Free ticket reservations are required for a visit to the Riverside Stage at Allegheny Overlook Pop-Up Park. Free tickets provide first-come, first-served seating and standing room access. Reservations open on May 20 at 12 p.m. at TrustArts.org/TRAF (May 18 for Festival Member Early-Bird Access).

Performances on the Riverside Stage are in-person only and will not be livestreamed (only Dollar Bank Main Stage performances are livestreamed).

Visual Art Gallery Exhibitions

In-person

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust reopens its galleries in tandem with the 2021 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival. No reservations are required, and venues include Wood Street Galleries, SPACE, 820 Liberty, 937 Liberty, and 707 Penn with open hours between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. Please see attachment for exhibition descriptions.

During peak periods, a socially-distanced waiting line may be utilized in order to safely control capacity inside of each venue.

Outdoor Public Art Installations and Activities

In-person

Cultural District long-term public art pieces such as Magnolias for Pittsburgh, Cell Phone Disco, and FLOW will be on view during the Festival, along with public art pieces brought to Pittsburgh especially for the 10-day celebration. The latter will be announced in mid-May.

Other in-person activities include the return of the Giant Eagle Creativity Zone and Story Corners, neither of which requires advance registration or tickets.

Juried Visual Art Exhibition

In-person and virtual

Transverse, the Juried Visual Art Exhibition that was ready for installation in 2020 when the pandemic hit, takes place live and in-person in 2021 at 820 Liberty Avenue. Pieces will be on display throughout the duration of the Festival and the custom-built virtual exhibition from 2020 remains on display, replete with photos, videos, and even audio recordings from select artists. As always, this exhibition showcases exceptional new art by regional artists.

Anthropology of Motherhood: Culture of Care

Supported by Allegheny Health Network

In-person and virtual

Celebrating its sixth year as part of the Festival, the Anthropology of Motherhood features works of art and design that engage in the complex visual, material, emotional, corporeal, and lived experiences of motherhood, caregiving, parenting, nurturing, and maternal labor.

Installed in-person in the O'Reilly Theater's lobby at 621 Penn Avenue as an art space, interactive amenity, and place of respite for nursing mothers and families with young children, this year's exhibition has also been reimagined for virtual exploration at TrustArts.org/TRAF.

Harris @ Home

Virtual

Harris Theater @ Home, a virtual cinema accessible through this website, celebrates the diversity of cinematic artistry by providing the best of independent, international, and documentary films. All Harris @ Home presentations during the Festival will be free and announced, available for reservations in mid-May.

24/7 Virtual Stage

Virtual

Available during all hours and days of the 10-day Festival, the 24/7 Virtual Stage features brand new music, dance, and literary art performance videos. The full selection of videos will go live at TrustArts.org/TRAF when the Festival starts at 12 p.m. on June 4.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has implemented a number of layers of defense in is theaters and arts venues to protect guests, staff, volunteers, and artists from the spread of COVID-19. TrustArts.org/Health and TrustArts.org/Safety will be updated regularly with "Know Before You Go" information pertinent to guests before they visit the Cultural District.

Please review all of the following information carefully as you plan your visit to the Cultural District. In addition to learning about how they have made their venues and art spaces safe for you to visit, you will find important requirements of you in terms of health and safety as you enter the Byham Theater.

Tickets and Entry

They have implemented contactless ticketing. They encourage guests to purchase tickets online, which will allow for a more contactless in-theater experience. The Trust is implementing contactless scanners, meaning guests will be able to scan their own mobile, print at home, or physical ticket upon arriving on-site to gain admission to the performance.

They require all guests to wear facial masks over their mouth and nose when visiting a Trust facility, including queues outside the venue, lobbies, hallways, restrooms, and lounges. (Please note: Facial masks should be designed specifically for medical and/or protective use. Costume-type masks that cover more than the nose and mouth are not allowed).

They utilize the CLEAR Health Pass Mobile App. Every guest entering any Trust venue will be required to download the new CLEAR Health Pass app:

Prior to the event, attendees are asked to download the CLEAR mobile app and set up their account. Identity is verified by uploading an identifying document and snapping a quick selfie.

Before entering the venue, attendees open the app, verify their identity with a selfie, and answer a series of health survey questions.

Attendees approach a kiosk, and scan their QR code to share their health insights. Depending on their COVID-related health information, users are issued a red or green Health Pass on their app.

A Green Health Pass combined with event-specific ticket or credential, grants entrance into the event.

They offer ticket protection and flexible refunds. If a show cancels or reschedules, you will be provided a range of options including a full refund of your ticket purchase. Additionally, as the performance nears, if you or a member of your party exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19, you may request a refund - no questions asked. Ticket buyers requesting a refund should notify the box office prior to the scheduled performance by calling 412-456-6666.

Health

The Byham Theater and Benedum Center for the Performing Arts were the first performing arts venues in Pennsylvania to achieve the prestigious GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA - The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, to prevent and respond to outbreaks. Learn more about their efforts to enhance cleaning. Under the guidance of GBAC, the Trust has implemented the most stringent protocols for cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention in the facilities mentioned above. As the cleaning industry's only global outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation, GBAC STAR™ is the global gold star of cleaning and disinfection. GBAC STAR™ helps organizations establish protocols and procedures, offers expert-led training, and assesses a facility's readiness for biorisk situations. The program has verified that the Trust implements best practices to prepare for, respond to, and recover from outbreaks and pandemics.

They extensively disinfect restrooms prior to every event and will continue to sanitize throughout every performance, including door handles, toilets, handles, sinks, countertops, soap dispensers, faucets, and adult and baby-changing stations. They have installed new, touchless fixtures in many of their facilities.

They clean high-touch areas throughout their venues, including door handles, handrails, countertops, and elevator buttons prior to, during, and after all events.

They sanitize all seats between performances. For extra assurance, seat wipe dispensers are available for any guest who wishes to reclean their seat.

They provide an ample supply of hand sanitizer and seat wipes. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is proactively placing hand sanitizers at every front door and throughout each of their venues. Seat wipe dispensers have also been added at central locations in every venue.

They have improved overall air quality, expanded the use of high-efficiency filters, and added new HVAC technologies. The Trust has reviewed and improved air quality in all their venues. They have also equipped all HVAC systems with upgraded, Merv-16 rated filters, which have been identified to be much more effective in trapping microscopic particles, including COVID-19.

They mandate personal protective wear. All staff and volunteers are provided with facial masks and gloves to wear during their shifts. Frequent handwashing and changing of gloves are required.

They implement wellness check-ins. Pittsburgh Cultural Trust staff and volunteers now have the heightened responsibility of completing a check-in prior to their shift, in which the supervisor asks about their wellness, and reminds them of any protocol updates. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is also tracking employee interactions and out-of-state travel. Any staff member or volunteer who has a fever or feels ill will not be permitted to work. All employees are eligible for sick pay, as well as other benefits.

They have new, enhanced training for staff and volunteers. All venue staff members and volunteers are taking part in enhanced training on cleaning, sanitizing, and food handling. Additionally, staff members and volunteers are participating in mandatory meetings at the beginning of each shift to reiterate their cleaning and safety protocols.

They encourage physical distancing. Staff, volunteers, and guests are asked to practice physical distancing by maintaining at least six feet of space from other guests, employees, and volunteers whenever possible. Physical distancing markers have been placed on floors as a reminder and they will continually monitor overall traffic flow and adjust procedures as needed to alleviate congestion.

They have suspended food and drink programs. To reduce contact points and to minimize the need for mask removal, their food and drink programs are suspended.

They have COVID-19 Compliance Officers. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has designated a Chief COVID Compliance Officer to oversee their safety and sanitization measures. Additionally, each of their venues has a member of the COVID Compliance Team on duty during all operating hours to ensure the highest standards of safety, physical distancing, cleanliness, and sanitizing.

Safety

Prior to entry, all guests and permissible items may be subject to a physical screening and inspection. In 2021, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust updated all screening technology to EVOLV systems, which most notably provides comprehensive, contactless screening machines through which guests can seamlessly walk through with their bags, coats, and permissible items. Prohibited items discovered during their screening process will not be allowed inside of the theater or arts venue.

They recommend that guest refrain from bringing ANY bags into their venues. However, should a guest feel it is necessary to carry a bag, it must not exceed 16x16x8 inches in size. Exceptions to this rule include bags for childcare or medical use.

Prohibited items discovered during their screening process will not be allowed inside of the theater. Prohibited items include weapons of any kind, bags larger than 16x16x8 (with the exception of childcare and medically-needed bags), outside food and beverages, laptop computers/electronics tablets, glass, metal, or plastic containers of any kind. A full list of prohibited items can be found at TrustArts.org/Safety.

To post a comment, you must register and login.