Shirley McMarlin stories, Page 44

A Pittsburgh woman has combined her love of art, talent for organization and desire to do good to create a website that is equal parts artist marketplace and fundraising outlet. Desiree Canovic, a senior program manager for Highmark, realized a long-standing dream by creating LocalGood, which launched in October. “It...

A talking yellow sponge took the cartoon world by storm when “SpongeBob SquarePants” debuted in 1999. “It was on in my house ad nauseum in both of my kids’ lives,” said Tony Marino, co-founder of Stage Right performing arts school and professional theater company in Greensburg. Stage Right’s Student Company...

Greensburg’s singing florist Gary Pratt is celebrating two steps forward in his musical career. The owner of Le Jardin Florals and Home Accents has a new album and a new record label. With a March 26 release date, “Something Worth Remembering” will be the country singer’s third full-length album. The...

Before February is over, take in some more Black History Month-inspired programming. Then look ahead to March, for an upcoming St. Patrick’s Day bash or spring-themed art classes. Details on those and other arts and educational opportunities are here, in this week’s Big List. Art • Where are they?: Carnegie...

Two sets of actors will play a couple at different stages in their relationship in Greensburg Civic Theatre’s production of “I Do! I Do! I Do! I Do!”, which the group calls a portrait of “50 years of love, quarrels and marriage.” The musical will be staged Friday through Sunday...

Greensburg Garden Center will offer two ways for supporters to enjoy its annual spring tea on March 20. A “Tea-In” option includes a sit-down meal at Maplewood Presbyterian Church, while a “Tea-Out” option will allow people to pick up a box featuring the same meal to enjoy at home. “We...

There’s no need to dress up and head to downtown Greensburg to enjoy this year’s Party at The Palace. The Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s signature fundraising event, held in the historic Greensburg theater, will be virtual this year. The event will stream live at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27 from the theater...

A Carnegie Mellon University student’s combined interests in photography and data science led to creation of the Silver List, comprising 47 artists from Pittsburgh and points beyond whose work deserves attention. Presented by Silver Eye Center for Photography in partnership with Carnegie Mellon and the Black List, the list features...

Contemporary Craft is planning an exhibition focusing on women and girls affected by the global refugee crisis. “Searching for Home,” a solo exhibition by Seattle-based, Pakistan-born artist Humaira Abid, will open April 9 and run through Aug. 21 in the gallery at 5645 Butler St. in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. “This...

Quantum Theatre’s upcoming production is “a surreal portrait of a descent into a hyper-partisan future we hope will never come to pass, but which has disturbing echoes of the present day,” the theater company says. That production is “Far Away,” a 2000 work by British playwright Caryl Churchill, which Quantum...

Photographer John Howard is a familiar face around Jeannette, as he documents people, places and events for the local historical society and various publications. Now, Howard will pay tribute to some other familiar Jeannette residents in an exhibit opening Feb. 20 at You Are Here. “Portraits of Jeannette” will run...

The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and its Academy of Music will present its 2021 Young Artists Competition winners’ recital as a virtual event this year. The program will premiere at 3 p.m. Feb. 21 on the symphony’s YouTube channel. The young artist competition is open to students who reside or take...

The artwork in the annual “Artists of the 21st Century” student exhibition is always impressive, said Kristin Miller, site coordinator of the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art-Ligonier Valley, where the show opens on Friday. The circumstances under which it was created this year make it even more so. “I give...

The doldrums of February is a good time to hunker down at home and watch a movie. The Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival, Row House Cinema and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust have at-home streaming options, ranging from serious to silly. Also coming up are music livestreams, art and theater happenings and...

With most of the performing arts world shut down by the pandemic, Pittsburgh Opera went ahead with its October production of Mozart’s “Còsi fan tutte.” “Every time we would tell folks we were having the performance, they would ask, ‘How are you going to do it?’” said Chris Cox, the...

Kids and their families can celebrate Valentine’s Day early with free, socially distanced, outdoor fun at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in the North Side. Hearts in the Park, planned for 4-8 p.m. Feb. 13, will offer interactive outdoor exhibits and activities, along with drive-through elements. “While, sadly, our doors...

Pittsburgh Opera will offer two timely programs during February. Six resident artists will perform in “Songs from the Heart: A Valentine from Pittsburgh Opera,” streaming free at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 14 on the opera’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Making for an even sweeter experience, viewers can order a five-piece...

Prime Stage Theatre will return to its roots with a livestream performance of “Sojourner,” with Delana Flowers portraying the 19th-century women’s suffrage and abolition activist in a Black History Month production. The theater group’s inaugural production 25 years ago was another play about Sojourner Truth. ”Sojourner” is by Richard LaMonte...

Carnegie Museum of Art today is launching its first-ever podcast series, investigating the intersection of photography, surveillance and artificial intelligence. Each episode of the free, six-part series, “Mirror with a Memory,” will feature artists, writers and academics exploring a different facet of the conversation surrounding AI and photography. The host...