Benedum - Trees Gallery

The Confluence Stronger than Steel:  Art, Sport & Industry. 

PROGRAMMING: Tuesday, April 21st, from 5-7 pm
SPORT, ARTS & INDUSTRY - Southwest Pennsylvania’s Confluence
A Bagpiper starts us off in Market Square at 4:45 pm, then
a march to the Gallery.
At the Confluence of SPORT, ARTS & INDUSTRY: A Unique Perspective on Southwest Pennsylvania. Patterns of Meaning Artists, Rivers of Steel,
Steel industry Experts with sports league history/storytellers.

223 Fourth Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh 15222
(Next to Market Square,
PPG Plaza, and fountain)

‍
Regular: DAYS AND HOURS
March 12th - June 7th, 2026
Thursdays and Fridays 4-7pm and
Saturdays 10-4pm
By Appointment: 412.512.3125 text or call

Exhibit Overview
The Confluence Stronger than Steel:
Art, Sport & Industry

At the meeting of Pittsburgh’s three rivers, generations of workers built a region defined by strength, labor, creativity, and community. This exhibit explores how regional identity evolves through myth, the arts, industry, and shared traditions.
How might art, sports, and our newest industry together continue to redefine the cultural ethos of Southwestern Pennsylvania?‍ ‍

IMAGE CREDITS: ‘Pour’ painting by Mia Tarducci,
Bessemer Reflection: Steel Your Face” Painting by Cory Bonnet
Gallery photo images E. O’Neill, Steel worker photo, and Joe Magarac poster from Rivers of Steel

Exhibition Partnerships:
Patterns of Meaning, Rivers of Steel, and Point Park University

Co-Exhibit Curators: Richard Kelly and Erin O’Neill

The Confluence
Stronger than Steel: Art, Sport & Industry

At the meeting of Pittsburgh’s three rivers, generations of workers built a region defined by strength, labor, and community. This exhibition explores how that identity evolves through myth, the arts, industry, and shared cultural traditions. 

At the center of the story is Joe Magarac, a legendary steelworker said to possess superhuman strength. Born from stories of immigrant laborers who fueled the steel mills, Magarac became a symbol of endurance, sacrifice, and pride. His myth reflects the spirit of the workers whose labor shaped western Pennsylvania.

As heavy industry declined in the late twentieth century, Pittsburgh’s identity transformed rather than disappeared. Professional sports, especially Steelers football, became a new civic ritual. The spinning of Myron Cope’s Terrible Towel came to symbolize resilience and collective pride, connecting generations of Pittsburghers at home and across a far-reaching diaspora.

Today, the region continues to reinvent itself through education, medicine, space exploration, and technological innovation. Through sculpture, painting, photography, and historical artifacts, The Confluence: Stronger than Steel invites visitors to reflect on how strength, once defined by industrial labor, continues to shape Pittsburgh's spirit.

By Richard Kelly

Pencil to Performance

A THEATRE PRODUCTION EXHIBIT

In partnership with the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University

Oct. 15th - Feb. 14th 2026
(details in Exhibits and Events tab)

Program event:
PPU Senior Theatre Production
Portfolio Showcase
Dec. 1st - Dec. 13th

A Pencil to Performance exhibit program (Dec. 1- Dec.13)

Point Park University Conservatory of Performing Arts

Graduating seniors - Theatre Production Portfolio Showcase

PPU Graduating Portfolio's

Antique Skyscrapers

 of Fourth Avenue Pittsburgh 

Last day Sat. 10.25.25

An art gallery displaying large paintings and a model of a building, with a bright room, large windows, and a carpeted floor.
People viewing artwork and photographs of tall historic buildings with ornate facades in an art gallery with large windows and natural light.
Gallery wall displaying multiple photographs of historic city buildings, along with a large vertical display of a building facade.
People gathered outside the Benedum-Trees Gallery on a city sidewalk, with a sign advertising a free exhibit and a storefront window reflecting some of the pedestrians.
People viewing artwork in an art gallery with colorful depictions of buildings on the wall.

Pivoting to the People

The untold story of Planning in Pittsburgh under Pete Flaherty - A Presentation on 10.23.25

People socializing in a hallway at a networking event, with a sign showing the room number 223 hanging above.
Audience attending a conference in a spacious room, seated in rows facing a speaker at a podium, with presentation screen displaying a slide. The room has artwork of buildings on the walls and a camera on a tripod recording the event.
Architectural floor plan of the Benedict Trees Gallery, a 950 square foot art gallery with entrances, walls, and interior spaces marked.
A detailed floor plan of a conference room or auditorium showing rows of chairs facing a stage or presentation area, with multiple doors and entry points, and structural elements like walls and columns.

Lecture Layout (75)

TYPICAL GALLERY LAYOUTS

Floor plan of a room with eight round tables, each surrounded by six chairs, and two doorways on the top side.

Reception Layout (50-60)

Architectural floor plan of the Benedict Trees Gallery, a 950-square-foot art gallery with multiple doors and structural columns.

Gallery Layout

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