'Yinz Play': It's just a 'Burgh thing
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Pittsburgh-based multimedia artist, Amanda Long demonstrates her "Silly Faces" installation of the Children's Museum's exhibit,"PITTSBURGH: Yinz Play!"
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Children run up and down the Roberto Clemente Bridge, build their own virtual fireworks display and make the silliest faces they can imagine.
This is the hope for "PITTSBURGH: Yinz Play," an exhibit that debuts tomorrow on the first floor of the Children's Museum.
"We feel that our museum is for everyone. So whether you're 6 or 60, come on down and there will be something fun for you here," said Penny Lodge, director of exhibits at the North Side museum.
The exhibit will be in place through June 6. It's possible that some of the exhibit's most popular features will be brought back at a later time.
"The exhibit begins with this piece called 'Silly Faces,' " Ms. Lodge said. "The idea is that you go over to the kiosk and you bend down, push the button and then video your face for five seconds ... the idea is to be fun and silly and happy."
Amanda Long, a video artist from Carnegie Mellon University, created this part of the exhibit.
" 'Silly Faces' is a video mural," Ms. Long said. "The wall holds 96 videos [at a time] ... My hope is that everyone gets five seconds of stardom."
After posting their own five-second clip on the "Silly Faces" mural, visitors can stroll down to the next part of the exhibit to do word play with Pittsburghese. Here, kids can place Pittsburghese phrases and famous quotes in the mouths of such images as Troy Polamalu and Mister Rogers. For example, Andy Warhol might ask to go "dahntahn," with Mr. Rogers responding "Nuh, uh!"
"This project [is] an interactive mural on the theme of Pittsburgh," said Cara Lynn Kleid, an artist and illustrator at the Children's Museum, who illustrated "Pittsburghese Illustrated Word Play." "In the mural are lots of Pittsburgh celebrities ... and lots of animals and creatures, and they all have talk bubbles."
Other elements of the exhibit allow visitors to create their own version of a Primanti Brothers' sandwich, pretend to paddle a kayak, and do much more.
"I think sometimes when you grow up somewhere you take things for granted a bit," Ms. Lodge said. "I hope that you come away with a new appreciation for the place you grew up in."
This weekend, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club and the Steel City Harmonizers barbershop quartet will entertain visitors trying out the new exhibit.
And for all the Steelers' fans, Steelers Appreciation weekend will be held at the museum Feb. 6-7, highlighted by a visit by Steely McBeam, the Steelers mascot, and by a performance by the Pop Rocks, a local middle school band made famous by their Steelers' fight song.
"Yinz Play" is covered in the regular admission price. For more information, check the website at www.pittsburghkids.org or call 412-322-5058.
First Published January 29, 2010 12:00 am
