SETTING THE
STANDARD FOR
SUCCESSFUL
ARTS
PITTSBURGH
CULTURAL
TRUST
COLLABORATION “ Collaboration is paramount for sustaining arts organizations and contributes to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s success in developing and promoting the downtown Cultural District. Our Cultural District is a national model of urban transformation and revitalization through the arts—and it tells a great Pittsburgh success story.” J. Kevin McMahon President and CEO, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
NOT LONG AGO, a teeming “red light” district littered with noxious enterprises and criminal activity stood where the Cultural District stands today. Pittsburgh visionary H.J. “Jack” Heinz II and his “Band of Dreamers” were determined to turn this seedy, downtrodden section of downtown into a world-class destination for arts and entertainment. Heinz took a critical first step towards realizing this noble vision by establishing the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in 1984 as the catalyst behind the Cultural District’s creation, development and promotion. Building upon a foundation strengthened by strategic arts alliances, the Cultural District continues to take shape in exciting, creative ways through the dedicated work and curatorial eye of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The Cultural Trust is: • a performing arts presenter • an owner/operator of theater/galleries • a catalyst for Cultural District development • a visual arts exhibitor • an arts collaborator
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Photo: Laurent Ziegler
Roberto Clemente Bridge
WHAT IS THE CULTURAL DISTRICT? Pittsburgh’s Cultural District welcomes more than 2,000,000 visitors annually to attend 3,000+ performances and events. Encompassing 14 square blocks,
Sign of Light
SIXTH STREET
seven world-class theaters, four
• Benedum Center for the Performing Arts • Byham Theater • Cabaret at Theater Square
STANW IX STRE ET
• August Wilson Center
CLO Academy
Fi fth Av e . Ex te ns i o n
spaces, the Cultural District includes:
Aca de my Wa y
visual art galleries and multiple art
• Harris Theater • Heinz Hall • O’Reilly Theater
PNC Legacy Project 600 Liberty Ave.
• 707 Penn Gallery
t. tS
e M
ar
ke
m ae Gr
e.
2
Av
• Wood Street Galleries
fth
• SPACE
Fi
St
.
• 709 Penn Gallery
Ra che l Ca rso n Bri dge
Allegheny Riverfront Park
UL EV AR D FO RT DU QU ES NE BO
THEATER SQUARE
119 6th Street
Box Office Garage O’REILLY THEATER
Cabaret Theater
Century Building Agnes R. Katz Plaza
Backstage Bar
PE N N AVE N UE
NINTH ST RE ET
Renaissance Hotel by Marriott
Ei g hth Stree t
SE VENTH STREET
Encore on 7th
CAPA Creative & Performing Arts High School
7th and Penn 707-709 Public Art Penn Galleries BENEDUM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
HEINZ HALL
Future Tenant Cell Phone Disco Tito Way
BYHAM THEATER
. St
SPACE
937 Liberty
943
945 947 ToonSeum
VE
y
N
rr
e.
be
Av
AUGUST WILSON CENTER FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE
SE
d
Bricolage Pittsburgh Playwrights Art Gallery 822 Liberty
w
h
oo
930 Penn
HARRIS THEATER
ra
xt
W
900 Penn
Ex change Way 801-811 Liberty Ave.
St
Si
WOOD ST. GALLERIES
F rench Street
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Offices
Trust Arts Education Center
L IBE RT Y AVEN UE
Da v i d L . L a w r e n c e Co n v e n ti o n Ce n te r
T E N T H ST REET
And y War hol Brid ge
AL LE GHE N Y RIVER
ay
TH
W
AV E.
T r Affiliate rust-Own
Trust-Owned Galleries/ Art Spaces
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Owned /Operated
Additional Cultural District Destinations
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SAVING MONEY BY WORKING TOGETHER At the core of the Cultural District’s success is a strategic consortium of arts organizations that collectively reduces overhead in an effort to redirect financial resources for artistic endeavors. In 2000, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust pioneered Shared Services, which includes: August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Pittsburgh Ballet
PITTSBURGH
Theatre, Pittsburgh Civic Light
CULTURAL
Opera, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
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TRUST
A model for successful arts
initiatives, Shared Services provides
collaboration, the Shared Services
a structured platform for the Cultural
organizations reduce costs and
District community to collectively
increase operating efficiencies
address challenges, leverage
through the collective sourcing of:
opportunities and market the
• Office supplies
Cultural District’s diverse offerings.
• Credit card processing • Health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance • Wellness programs • Program book advertising and administration • Program printing • Human resources training
Cumulative savings and cost avoidance for the Cultural District community has exceeded
• Database management
$10 million Originally funded through generous support from the foundation
since Shared
community, Shared Services is independently sustained through modest patron-paid Cultural District
Services’ inception in 2000.
ticket fees and annual participant dues. In addition to cost saving
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CULTIVATING THE LOCAL ARTS SCENE The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust sets the stage for resident performing arts companies, small arts organizations and individual performance and visual artists by providing Cultural District theaters, galleries and arts
print mediums. The Cultural Trust website, TrustArts.org, and the Cultural District collaborative website, CulturalDistrict.org, have mobile applications, allowing patrons to conveniently purchase tickets and access information through smartphones and tablets.
spaces at highly subsidized rates,
In addition to traditional advertising
offering more than $3 million in
mediums, the Cultural Trust prints
support annually. The Cultural Trust
a quarterly Cultural District calendar
further supports more than 1,000
and three different monthly printed
area artists and arts organizations
publications, which are circulated
by creating awareness of the
throughout the western Pennsylvania
local arts community and building
region. The Cultural Trust operates
audiences.
an electronic billboard that continually promotes Cultural
PROMOTING THE CULTURAL DISTRICT
combined value-added exposure,
Each year, the Cultural District is
worth millions of dollars, is provided
home to more than 3,000
by the Cultural Trust at no additional
performances, events and exhibits.
cost to the Cultural District arts
To create awareness of Cultural
community.
District activity, the Cultural Trust utilizes a range of web, mobile and 6
District events 365 days a year. The
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COMPREHENSIVE CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust deploys and manages a fully-integrated customer relationship management system through the utilization of the Tessitura software system. One of the world’s largest multiorganization users of Tessitura, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust manages an aggregate $90 million in annual ticketing and fundraising activity. Tessitura supports the Cultural District’s collaborative efforts, providing a platform that enhances customer service, provides an enhanced web presence and raises organizational productivity within the structure of a unique nonprofit cooperative business model.
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MAKING THE CULTURAL DISTRICT ACCESSIBLE movement, the Pittsburgh Cultural
CREATING A CRITICAL PATH FOR REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CULTURAL DISTRICT
Trust continually explores and
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
A leader in Pittsburgh’s accessibility
implements enhancements to improve
manages more than one million
the Cultural District experience for
square feet of real estate in the
all visitors. The Cultural Trust’s
Cultural District, and is one of
theaters make available to patrons
downtown Pittsburgh’s leading
braille programs, open captioning
land owners. Guided by a holistic,
devices, audio descriptions and
transformative vision, the Cultural
large-print program books. The John
Trust acquired and restored historic
F. Kennedy Center for the Performing
theaters, purchased commercial
Arts Leadership Exchange in Arts
and residential properties and
and Disability Award for Emerging
built new facilities. The Cultural
Leaders recently recognized the
Trust’s pioneering success in the
Cultural Trust for its efforts in
Cultural District paved the way for
shaping cultural arts opportunities
private developers to leverage
that are inclusive of all Cultural
opportunities, leading a resurgence
District visitors.
of commercial and residential real estate developments in downtown Pittsburgh.
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MAKING THE ARTS ACCESSIBLE
STRENGTHENED BY COMMUNITY PARTNERS
By reaching and serving more than
Without the generous, collective
110,000 students, educators and
support of thousands of people,
community members annually, the
businesses, foundations, legislators
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust provides
and community leaders, the Cultural
diverse programs for people of all
District would not be possible.
ages and interests to explore the
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is
arts. From student matinees and
recognized for its success in building
master classes with visiting artists to
lasting strategic partnerships to
performing arts and visual arts
sustain a world-class destination for
workshops, the Cultural Trust creates
arts and entertainment.
a variety of opportunities for the artist in everyone.
Visit Arts activity in the Cultural District led by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has an estimated annual economic impact exceeding
$250 million.
TrustArts.org for more information about the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
PITTSBURGH
CULTURAL
TRUST 803 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222 412-471-6070 TrustArts.org