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WATER, WATER
EVERYWHERE DOZENS OF STREAMS FLOW UNDER PITTSBURGH. LOCALS SEE POTENTIAL IN BRINGING THEM BACK TO THE SURFACE. BY COLIN WILLIAMS // COLIN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: ENVIRONMENT 04 Pittsburgh’s underground streams pose challenges and opportunities to fight
climate change
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ENVIRONMENT 10 Could HVAC training be the key CP ILLUSTRATION: JEFF SCHRECKENGOST
FASHION 08 Flux Bene finds joy in reuse,
to greener jobs in Pittsburgh? Sunrise Movement thinks so. BY INDIA KRUG
slow fashion, and big pockets BY ALICE CROW
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 17 - 24, 2024
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ENVIRONMENT
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
John Stephen, the strategic coordinator for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Network, gives a tour of where Negley Run once flowed in East Liberty on Jan. 8, 2024
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
DOZENS OF STREAMS FLOW UNDER PITTSBURGH. LOCALS SEE POTENTIAL IN BRINGING THEM BACK TO THE SURFACE. BY COLIN WILLIAMS // COLIN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
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uch has been made of Pittsburgh’s mythical Fourth River. While this urban legend (and real aquifer) makes for interesting trivia, it also steals the show from the dozens of creeks and streams — “runs,” in local parlance — which flow beneath the feet of thousands of locals. The city’s hidden waterways range in size from seasonal trickles to continuously flowing brooks with their own small watersheds. Many of
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them now serve as part of the city’s stormwater and sewer network. In spite of that, environmentalists and some local officials see potential in these covert culverts. Beyond making for attractive greenspaces, they have the potential to absorb Pittsburgh’s expected increase in rainfall thanks to global climate change. “I don’t think a lot of people realize there are stream networks cutting beneath our streets and backyards,” Mike Hiller, executive director of UpstreamPgh, tells Pittsburgh City
Paper. UpstreamPgh, previously the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, is a nonprofit focused on “stormwater problem-solving” and restoration of local streams. Putting streams underground was an early approach to sanitation and flood control in a region with an abundance of water. “Streams created flooding, so there was an element of more safety by putting in pipes,” Hiller says. Burying streams was the “accepted methodology at time.” That’s changed — environmentalists
now see benefits to daylighting, or bringing buried streams back to the surface, as well as other, greener approaches to the city’s overabundance of water. Local projects, including UpstreamPgh’s lauded restoration of Nine Mile Run, show that there are environmental, recreational, and practical benefits to daylighting streams. However, most of Pittsburgh’s channelized creeks are directly beneath some of the city’s densest development and inextricably tied
into the sewer system, occasionally leading to combined sewer overflow (CSO) that dumps raw sewage into the three rivers. These issues have forced local environmentalists and policymakers to get creative with how they think about water as the city seeks a greener future.
WHAT RUNS BENEATH Pre-colonial Pittsburgh would have likely looked much like a state park. What’s now the Golden Triangle was a small slice of floodplain cut through by creeks and seasonally sculpted by the rivers’ cyclical ebbs and flows. The Monongahela and Ohio were shallower before locks and dams regulated water levels, and part of what’s beneath the infamous I-376 “Bathtub” would have been a small island separated from the riverbank by shallow water. Supporting some of the oldest Indigenous settlements on the continent, the area’s rivers and runs were lively fisheries for tribes such as the Osage and Seneca. Following brief French and British periods of occupation, the settlement around Fort Pitt formed the nucleus of contemporary Pittsburgh. George Washington’s map from the era shows a prominent creek flowing through the modern-day North Side. After growing into a small transportation hub for voyages west, Pittsburgh’s first major industry was boatbuilding. One must imagine the abundant fresh water was also a helpful resource in the area’s numerous distilling operations during the time of the Whiskey Rebellion.
PHOTO: PITTSBURGH CITY PHOTOGRAPHER COLLECTION, ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH LIBRARY SYSTEM
Construction of the Negley Run sewer. Dated 1911
Particularly in the late-19th and early20th centuries, the many small runs cutting through burgeoning neighborhoods were often buried to create more land for housing, as was the case for Heth’s Run (or Haight’s Run on older maps) in East Liberty and Highland Park. In the early-20th century, “the city filled Heth’s Run with millions and millions of cubic yards of incinera-
“IT’S ONE OF THOSE REPERCUSSIONS OF THE HAPHAZARD ADDRESSING OF STORMWATER RUNOFF … 100 YEARS LATER, WE ALL LIVE WITH THE RESULTS.” The discovery of iron and coal at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution catalyzed rapid growth. As the city grew, however, these waterways went from water sources to open sewers to topographical nuisances.
tor ash from an incinerator somebody operated over on Herr’s Island,” David Hance, president of the Highland Park Community Development Corporation, tells City Paper. “It’s one of those repercussions of the
haphazard addressing of stormwater runoff and sewer flows that were slapped together, and then, 100 years later, we all live with the results without understanding why they are the way they are.” He notes that the bridge carrying Route 8 between Baker St. and One Wild Place is a relic of an unrealized plan by Edward Manning Bigelow to connect the city’s parks and the scenic byway of Allegheny River Blvd. Instead of a grand entrance to Highland Park, however, the bridge now overlooks the vast, impermeable parking lot of the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. Hance has been working for “decades” to “address the many problems of the current Heth’s Run.” The upper portion of the stream now flows beneath Heths Ave. and a green space choked with invasive plants. Other Pittsburgh street names are clearer in indicating what lies beneath: Woods Run Ave., Negley Run Blvd., and Four
Mile Run Rd. all overlay their namesakes, which environmentalists say is precisely the problem.
PLAYGROUNDS, TRAILS, AND BIOSWALES John Stephen stands under a low overpass in a passageway filled with crushed cans, discarded condoms, and hardy weeds. The traffic of East Liberty Blvd. is audible above. Stephen is standing at roughly the spot where Negley Run, once one of the highervolume Pittsburgh tributaries of the Allegheny, once flowed. Its watershed drains much of the contemporary East End — and occasionally floods with deadly results, a result of putting the stream into a pipe that’s not big enough to handle heavy rains. Stephen says daylighting could help prevent further disasters. “We need to do a better job of managing stormwater. And part of that equation would be to let the stormwater flow on WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE CONTINUES ON PG. 6
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 17 - 24, 2024
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WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE CONTINUED FROM PG. 5
the surface like it once did,” he tells CP. Stephen is the strategic coordinator for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Network. Behind him is one of the projects he and others see as part of the solution to the heavy rain the city has experienced in recent years. In contrast to the trash-choked underpass, Liberty Green Park has a spacious playground, an interactive art component featuring a groundwater pump, and several bioswales, essentially wide areas of lower land planted with reeds where stormwater can collect and filter down through the surface soil back into the groundwater, or, in this case, Negley Run.
2023 U.S. Water Prize for Outstanding Public Official in part for her work on adding bioswales and an underground cistern, which collect rainwater, to what had previously been a soggy ballfield. The city also recently received national commendation for its proactive approach to stormwater. Strassburger says bioswales can stand in for daylighting where density makes that process difficult, and can be included in traffic-calming projects such as the curb bump-outs feeding Wightman Park’s cistern. She’s hopeful that PWSA’s recently released Stormwater Strategic Plan, which includes extensive commu-
“WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB OF MANAGING STORMWATER. AND PART OF THAT EQUATION WOULD BE TO LET THE STORMWATER FLOW ON THE SURFACE LIKE IT ONCE DID.”
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“One thing that I’ve kind of tried to encourage is, if there was a way we could identify this path of an urban stream, [we should] reflect that on the surface in some way [and] remind people of that connection,” Stephen says. He’s hopeful a bigger park project will see more of the stream daylighted alongside a park benefitting Larimer residents. Pittsburgh City Councilmember Erika Strassburger (D-8), who also serves as vice-chair of Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority’s (PWSA) board of directors, says she’s seen an “evolution” in thinking around these buried streams, which she notes are common to many industrial cities in the eastern U.S. “The approach [in the past] had been, let’s just build big tunnels, and then engineering grid infrastructure will solve everything,” she tells CP. Strassburger says Negley Run is one of the worst sources of CSO during heavy precipitation. Projects like the restoration of Squirrel Hill’s Wightman Park in Strassburger’s district represent a move back toward greener infrastructure. Strassburger won the
nity input, will bring more awareness around Pittsburgh’s efforts to manage heavy rains and flooding problems. “I think it’s incredibly important not to have … a top-down, bureaucratic approach to solutions,” she says.
FUTURE FLOWS Obstacles remain, the biggest being the sheer cost. Some buried runs flow beneath major business districts, as does Soho Run, which once flowed beneath the Centre Ave. corridor in the Hill District. One map by engineer Tom Batroney shows numerous smaller creeks underneath the streets of Lawrenceville, Hazelwood, and the South Side. Heth’s Run now flows mostly beneath the vast parking lot of the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium — the zoo recently covered a gravel overflow section of the lot with asphalt, creating an even larger impermeable surface in the old stream bed. Hance remains hopeful that s t a l l e d p l a n s t o d ay l i g h t t h e stream will move ahead. The challenge is getting the city, zoo, Parks Conservancy, and PWSA to agree on
CP ILLUSTRATION: JEFF SCHRECKENGOST
Map of underground waterways through the Pittsburgh area.
a solution, funding, and timeline. “It’s a mile-long valley from Hampton St. out to the waterfront, and so it’s a tremendous resource,” Hance says. “It could be so much better.” Other unrealized plans include the improvement of stormwater infrastructure in the Four Mile Run and Woods Run neighborhoods. City Councilmember Barb Warwick (D-5) says “difficulty with the railroad and underground utilities” has forced officials back to the drawing board on plans to deal with flooding in the low-lying neighborhood. PWSA has also rowed back earlier plans for daylighting the run — Rebecca Zito, senior manager of public a airs at , tells CP that “the current design for the Four Mile Run project focuses on the construction of a new stormwater-only pipe to convey stormwater from the upper project area through the Hazelwood Green redevelopment.” With layers of residential development, railbeds, a park, and a large highway overpass above, Four Mile Run is a case study in the difficulty of adding green infrastructure in an urban environment. Still, Zito says the water authority has completed, and is planning for smaller projects to chip away at issues like and flooding “ e ha e constructed 24 stormwater projects that
help to reduce combined sewer overflows and stormwater runo , she says. “These are smaller, neighborhood-scale projects that help manage stormwater at a local level.” PWSA and ALCOSAN are pushing forward on these and other projects such as lead abatement while negotiating consent decrees with the state DEP and federal EPA. With Nine Mile Run serving as an example of what’s possible, UpstreamPgh is likewise pivoting to initiatives like adding permeable pavement to surface parking lots in ilkinsburg he nonprofit is now convening a regional network of changemakers, including advocates in the Mon Valley. This mirrors how Strassburger has brought community members with fresh perspectives to PWSA’s planning processes and board of directors, and how advocates such as Hance and Stephen have gotten creative with collaborations among organizations with overlapping interest in revitalizing local waterways. All of them say more community involvement is a good thing. “There’s a lot of funding right now, and [there are] many opportunities for people to not just talk about projects, but actually get money to do them,” Hiller says. “It’s an exciting time.” •
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 17 - 24, 2024
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FASHION
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
Rebekah Joy, owner of Flux Bene, poses for a portrait at her studio in Fineview on Jan. 6, 2024.
BUSINESS IN FRONT, POCKETS IN THE BACK FLUX BENE’S REBEKAH JOY UPCYCLES OLD CLOTHES INTO GENDER-NEUTRAL WORKS OF ART. BY ALICE CROW // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
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ebekah Joy views Flux Bene more as an art project than a fashion brand. Founded by the textile artist in 2017, the gender-neutral, zero-waste clothing line aims to make a positive change by upcycling used garments and scrap fabric. “I think [Flux Bene] can loosely be translated to positive change, or change is good,” Joy tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “That’s what I see us doing. We are not making things from scratch; we’re making things better and, hopefully, contributing to a larger change societally in how we view clothes, sewing, and art.” You may have seen Joy’s work at Pittsburgh’s Handmade Arcade, the Three Rivers Arts Festival, or around
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town on fellow Pittsburghers. Flux Bene is easily recognized by its unique patterns and large pockets. “The pockets kind of started the whole thing, actually,” Joy says. Raised in a family of quilters, Joy began sewing seriously in college. Around that time, she was exclusively wearing secondhand and vintage clothes. A midcentury house dress was the piece that changed it all — The large pockets caught Joy’s eye and inspired her to make similar clothing. “I started adding pockets to all of my clothes, and people were like, ‘Whoa, love those pockets!’ It just became clear really quickly that everyone wanted and needed more pockets,” she says. “I think they are absolutely utilitarian, but also I generally, in my
body, feel more comfortable when I have a place to put my hands.” Joy, aided by two employed friends, crafts monthly collections of 25 to 30 unique pieces, each made with over 90% reused materials. The process to create a Flux Bene piece starts with sourcing used garments from thrift stores or online secondhand markets. Joy looks for clothes with small imperfections that are about to be discarded. She also sources fabric from many different places, such as Fab Scrap and the Salvation Army’s biannual fabric sales. The only new material she uses is American-made muslin for the garments’ hem tape and tags. After gathering her materials, she often gives them new life
by screenprinting or hand-dyeing them. She then sorts the raw materials into different styles and works with her team to sew each piece at her home studio. Though time-consuming, Joy has seen her efforts pay off time and time again. Flux Bene has many repeat customers who wear their pieces daily and receive numerous compliments. However, Joy knows that finding the perfect piece can take a long time for some customers. “I’ve seen it take years, and when that happens, I am just so grateful that someone hung in there, kept checking, and waited. I don’t ever want someone to make a rash decision about one of these,” she says. “I’ve seen it happen enough times
CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON
Rebekah Joy, owner of Flux Bene, holds one of her shirts at her studio in Fineview
now, someone puts one on and their posture changes a little bit and their face lights up.” Joy’s commitment to sustainable fashion extends beyond her own creations. She recently began releasing patterns of Flux Bene clothing, allowing people to make their own upcycled pieces at home. This new venture is part of her 10K Garment Project. Announced in 2021, the project challenges Flux Bene to facilitate the reuse of 10,000 garments by June 2025. At the time of the announcement, Joy estimated that Flux Bene had facilitated the reuse of roughly 1,300 garments. The Flux Bene website now counts 2,355 reused garments as of last October.
more as an artist than a businesswoman. She has consistently prioritized artistic integrity over financial stability, never paying herself an hourly wage throughout her years working on Flux Bene. “When I started this, I had no idea if it was going to work, and we’re finally at a point now where I feel confident that this is working,” she says. “Part of this as an art project is experimenting with different ways of doing business, having a business, and thinking about business. I want it to be as transparent and equitable as it can because it’s part of the project.” Joy wholeheartedly rejects the current fast-fashion landscape, instead embracing the simple joys of
“IT JUST BECAME CLEAR REALLY QUICKLY THAT EVERYONE WANTED AND NEEDED MORE POCKETS.” “I was looking for a way to quantify the environmental impact that Flux Bene is having,” Joy says. While Joy isn’t sure the brand will reach this goal by June 2025, she’s hoping they’ll come close with help from people downloading patterns. “It really is reliant on how many people are making their own because we are maxed out making about 25 pieces per month, and I don’t have any plans on growing beyond that number. We’re able to keep things creative and fresh doing that amount.” It’s obvious that Joy sees herself
slow fashion and textile art. “The thing that feeds me most is seeing people try them on. Nothing really beats that,” she says. “I think clothing is very personal and it feels like such an honor to be let into peoples’ lives in that way.” Locals can support Joy’s work by buying her clothes or patterns on Flux Bene’s website, visiting her booths at local markets, or participating in her frequent fundraisers for social issues. Alternatively, if anyone knows actor Amy Sedaris, Joy is dying to give her a custom Flux Bene piece. • PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 17 - 24, 2024
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ENVIRONMENT
PHOTO: KENNETH PAINTER FOR PITTSBURGH MEDIA PARTNERSHIP
Clairton Coke Works
CLEARING THE AIR
SUNRISE MOVEMENT PITTSBURGH IS BETTING ON HVAC TRAINING AS A PRACTICAL CLIMATE SOLUTION. WILL THE COUNTY BUY IN? BY INDIA KRUG// INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
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t’s a period of transition in Allegheny County, marked by New Year celebrations and swearing-in ceremonies. County Executive Sara Innamorato took office on an following ich Fitzgerald’s decade-long tenure. Her administration will spend the next few months determining its priorities for the county. Transition is also on the minds of organizers at Sunrise Movement Pittsburgh — they want Innamorato to help residents switch to clean HVAC systems. Sunrise Movement Pittsburgh is a prominent collective of volunteers and part of the region’s broader environmental justice network. They mobilize Allegheny’s communities to elect pro-climate candidates (such as Innamorato) and advocate for sustainability. One focus of the group is carbon emissions, including from fossil
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fuels — an industry that has long had its teeth in estern a n late , climate acti ists and nonprofits across the county successfully blocked the construction of a new power plant in Elizabeth Township.
only a ects outdoor air uality, but indoor air uality as well “ hen we look at why asthma is so prevalent in this region, it’s partly because of the air that people breathe outside, and partly because of the air they
“TALK TO PEOPLE WHO CURRENTLY WORK IN HVAC, AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO INCORPORATE MODERN ZERO EMISSIONS HVAC PROGRAMS INTO THE COURSES THAT ARE ALREADY BEING TAUGHT.” This year, however, Sunrise is concentrating on a di erent source of carbon emissions — our homes. According to the most recent iteration of Pittsburgh’s climate action plan, gas heating and cooling in residences make up of the city s emissions “ o e en if we were ust looking at carbon emissions, that would be substantial,” Tom Pike, a volunteer with the organization, tells Pittsburgh City Paper. Studies show that gas heating not
breathe inside,” Pike says. But there’s another problem “ hen you ha e a gas system, you’re driving up demand for fracking,” he adds. Over the past few years, Pike has been working on making his house emissions-free. That includes ripping out his gas line “ n my e perience, trying to make my home zero emissions, contractors will recommend the systems they’re most familiar with, he shares “ hen was going for my heat pump, got uotes from
three di erent companies, and two of them still tried to sell me gas, even after I told them I was building a zero-emissions building.” Pike’s challenges point to a larger problem in the HVAC industry — building generational knowledge of climate-conscious options. He believes the solution lies at Allegheny ounty ommunity ollege “ is a huge untapped resource here,” he says. Sunrise is encouraging County Executive Innamorato to open a discussion with the college’s board about their curriculum “ alk to people who currently work in and figure out how to incorporate modern zero emissions HVAC programs into the courses that are already being taught. The goal is that when folks graduate, they know how to install these things,” Pike explains. ut doing this would re uire money “ he county has an obligation to fund CCAC to a certain
PHOTO: COURTESY OF TOM PIKE
Tom Pike's fossil fuel-free home
extent,” Pike says. “By law, they have not been doing this.” Last month, after CCAC’s requests for more funding, Allegheny County Council amended Fitzgerald’s 2024 budget to include approximately $35 million for the college. Still, it’s less than the board and organizers, hoped for. “I expect, and I think it’s the bare minimum to expect, frankly, that future budgets that Innamorato puts together will include the appropriate amount of funding for CCAC, because it’s supposed to be something that is a public service,” Pike says. If this happens, Sunrise believes that funds should go to environmentally sustainable vocational curriculum and, eventually, free tuition for county residents. “So if we imagine a that is, first of all, free to attend and properly funded by the county, and teaching people how to install clean HVAC systems, then you’re looking at a county that is giving residents a real promising future,” Pike shares. This would mean more and more availability of electric heating, cooling and ventilation systems, so that if Pike asked again in 10 years, all three companies could o er him gas-free options. But many individuals don’t get to make decisions about how their home is heated. In fact, according to the U.S. Census, only about 47% of households in Pittsburgh are owner-occupied.
Renters are at a disadvantage, with landlords often choosing the cheapest or most convenient HVAC systems. When considering how to incentivize the installation of clean HVACs, organizers point to Innamorato’s own legislation. As a state representative, she introduced the Whole-Home Repairs Program, which passed with Pennsylvania’s 2022-2023 budget. The program, which provides grants for homeowners and forgivable loans for landlords, has a budget of $125 million state wide, with $13 million allocated for Allegheny County. Pike argues that a similar program, or the program itself, could help individuals cover the cost of installing clean HVAC systems. “It would make available a lot of money going towards clean HVAC, which would then be the demand side for these jobs,” he says. In addition, organizers are urging not just the county, but the country, to think about security for green jobs. “We need to work on unionizing those industries because right now solar and wind are unionized at a much lower rate than fossil fuels — and, correspondingly, their pay is worse,” Pike shares. “Not just their pay, but their long term job security.” Sunrise still supports sweeping policies like the proposed Green New Deal. But Pike says scalable solutions like this one are just as important. The best chance for success? “If you’re creative about it,” he says. • PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JANUARY 17 - 24, 2024
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NEIGHBORHOOD
21. 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $45, $120 for a festival pass. awaacc.org
SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH
MUSIC • MILLVALE
Feralcat and the Wild with Space Weather and Lysandra. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls Theatre. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. mrsmalls.com
COMEDY • MUNHALL
Charlie Berens: Good Old Fashioned Tour. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall. 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. $29.5054.50. librarymusichall.com
BY CP STAFF
MUSIC • LAWRENCEVILLE
Dethlehem with Isenmor and Greywalker. 8 p.m. Spirit. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $10. spiritpgh.com
SAT., JAN. 20 MARKET • MONROEVILLE
Totally Rad Vintage Fest. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monroeville Convention and Events Center. 209 Mall Blvd., Monroeville. $8, $25 for early bird admission. monroevilleconventioncenter.com
, THU. 8 1 . JAN
TALK • POINT BREEZE PHOTO: OLIVIER BRAJON
Cirque du Soleil: Crystal at PPG Paints Arena
By Any Means Speaker Series: Michael Findlay. 4-6 p.m. The Frick Art Museum. 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze. Free. Registration required. thefrickpittsburgh.org
ART • GARFIELD
THU., JAN. 18 ART/WORKSHOP • NORTH SIDE
ART & Meditation: Shohei Katayama. 6 p.m. Mattress Factory. 509 Jacksonia St., North Side. $5-10. Registration required. mattress.org
LIT • OAKLAND
Alex Michaelides has thrilled readers with his best-selling books — his debut novel, The Silent Patient, was hailed by Entertainment Weekly as a “mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy.” The British Cypriot author and screenwriter visits the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall to discuss his latest work, The Fury, as part of the Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures Series. Hear about his tale of murder and intrigue set on a private Greek island. 6 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $39. pittsburghlectures.org
CIRCUS • UPTOWN
Cirque du Soleil: Crystal. 7 p.m. Continues through Sun., Jan. 21. PPG Paints Arena. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. Tickets start at $45. ppgpaintsarena.com
MUSIC • STRIP DISTRICT
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presents Discovery & Drinks: Shakespeare Reimagined. 7 p.m. Kingfly Spirits. 2613 Smallman St., Strip District. $40. pittsburghsymphony.org
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FILM • DOWNTOWN
Silver Eye Center for Photography presents ᏓᏗᏬᏂᏏ (We Will Speak) Film Screening and Discussion. 7 p.m. Point Park University-GRW Theater. 201 Wood St., Downtown. Free. silvereye.org
FRI., JAN. 19 ART • POINT BREEZE
Opening Reception City Limits: Process, Observations & Explorations by Marcè Nixon Washington. 6-8 p.m. Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media. 1047 Shady Ave., Point Breeze. Free. pghartsmedia.org
LIT • DOWNTOWN
Be there when the August Wilson African American Cultural Center launches it Hooks & Phonics Festival, an entire weekend dedicated to the many facets of hip-hop culture. The event kicks off with Poetry Unplugged, a spoken word celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., followed by burgeoning emcees taking the stage for an evening that also includes a performance by Grammy-nominated artist Rapsody. And don’t miss Urban Art Orchestra’s tribute to the late, great J Dilla. 8 p.m. Continues through Sun., Jan.
GOOD MORNING PENN AVE HOW ARE YOU. (The Making of Vaultart’s Mural & the Artists Who Made it). 6-9 p.m. Continues through Sat., Jan. 27. Irma Freeman Center for Imagination. 5006 Penn Ave., Garfield. Free. irmafreeman.org
OPERA • DOWNTOWN
Become immersed in a world of magic and mythology when the Pittsburgh Opera presents Iphigénie en Tauride. Staging at the Pittsburgh CAPA School Theater, the production of French composer Christoph Willibald Gluck’s adaptation of Euripides’ Greek drama follows a priestess who reunites
OPEN MIC • NORTH SIDE
Band Together Autism Open Mic. 6-9 p.m. The Andy Warhol Museum. 117 Sandusky St., North Side. Free. Registration required. warhol.org
MUSIC • OAKLAND
Winter Jam with Crowder, Lucrae, and Cain Date. 7 p.m. Doors at 6 p.m. Petersen Events Center. 3719 Terrace St., Oakland. $15 suggested donation. peterseneventscenter.com
CONVENTION • HIGHLAND PARK
Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit. 7-9 p.m. Continues through Sat., Jan. 20. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. 616 North Highland Ave., Highland Park. Pay what you will, general admission $20, pay it forward $40. prjs.org
WED., 4 JAN. 2 PHOTO: JIMMY FONTAINE
Beartooth at Roxian Theatre
, FRI. 19 . JAN
PHOTO: GAGE VOTA
Feralcat And The Wild at Mr. Smalls
with her long-lost brother while protectin the shores of Scythia. Expect shipwrecks, family drama, and a little deus ex machina. 8 p.m. Continues through Sun., Jan. 28. 111 Ninth St., Downtown. $26-52. pittsburghopera.org
MUSIC • STRIP DISTRICT
THEATER • DOWNTOWN
WED., JAN. 24
Vigilance Theater Group Cabaret. 7:30 p.m. Continues through Sun., Jan. 21. Arcade Comedy Theater. 943 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $25. facebook.com/VigilanceTheater
SUN., JAN. 21 OUTDOORS • SQUIRREL HILL
Chanté Moore. 8 p.m. Doors at 6:30 p.m. Continues on Wed., Jan. 24. City Winery. 1627 Smallman St., Strip District. $54-62. citywinery.com
LIT • OAKLAND
Male Bodies Unmade: Jongwoo Jeremy Kim Book Talk with Bruce Hainley. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative InquiryCarnegie Mellon University. 4919 Frew St., Oakland. Free. studioforcreativeinquiry.org
EveryBody Outdoors: Frick Park Hot Cocoa Hike. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Frick Environmental Center. 2005 Beechwood Blvd., Squirrel Hill. $10. Registration required. ventureoutdoors.org
MUSIC • MCKEES ROCKS
TUE., JAN. 23
LIT • DOWNTOWN
MUSIC • NORTH SIDE
Tall Juan, Weird Era, and Bat Radar. 7:30 p.m. The Government Center. 715 East St., North Side. $12 in advance, $15 at the door. thegovernmentcenter.com
Beartooth. 6 p.m. Roxian Theatre. 425 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks. Tickets start at $47. roxiantheatre.com Pittsburgh Poetry Collective Poetry Slam. 6:30 p.m. Sign-ups at 6 p.m. Greer Cabaret Theater. 655 Penn Ave., Downtown. $5 donation. facebook.com/steelcityslam
FILM • ALLENTOWN
Alternate Histories presents a disastrous movie for disastrous times as part of the first Atomic Cinema at Bottlerocket Social Hall. See Tokyo smashed under the monstrous feet of a now-famous kaiju during a screening of the 1954 Japanese hit Godzilla. The event will also include games, giveaways, and “secret fun stuff,” all in the appropriately retro vibes of Bottlerocket’s bar and event space. Atomic Cinema will take place every other month, pairing film screenings with special guests, DJs, and more. 7:30 p.m. 1226 Arlington Ave., Allentown. Free. bottlerocketpgh.com
, TUE. 3 2 JAN.
MUSIC • SOUTH SIDE
Winter Sun Tour with Lauren Calve, Cat Ridgeway, and Catterina. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Club Cafe. 56-58 South 12th St., South Side. $12. opusoneproductions.com
PHOTO: COURTESY OF JANUS FILMS
Atomic Cinema: Godzilla at Bottlerocket Social Hall
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