Photo: Kelly Perkovich
Don Quixote by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, part of Open Air: A Series in Celebration of the Performing Arts The arts are roaring back after a year of being dormant or stuck online. Even more exciting, local organizations are taking their festivities outside so audiences can enjoy dance, art, music, and more in some of Pittsburgh s most notable outdoor spaces.
Pittsburgh City Paper compiled a list of happenings to check out as the temperatures rise and people venture out of lockdown looking for something to do. So dig out your sunscreen and picnic blanket and get ready for some outdoor, socially distanced fun.
James “Yaya” Hough,
Untitled, 2014, paper, ink, pencil, watercolor, 8 1/2 x 11 .
AT THE AGE OF SEVENTEEN, James “Yaya” Hough was sentenced to life without parole in Pennsylvania, a state responsible for sentencing more Black youth to life than almost any other. Told that he would never be released from prison, he turned that death sentence into a rigorous reading and art practice, spending hours a day with his sketchbooks drawing, painting watercolors, and working on communal murals inside the facility. He describes his daily routine as taking on a spiritual character, a “discipline,” but not in any punitive sense. He was known and admired inside prison for his pen drawings and watercolors on the back of pink prison documents, carbon paper, and other carceral forms. He became a mentor to other incarcerated artists, including Russell Craig, who first told me about Hough in 2017. Hough told Craig “to be undeniable,” a phrase he and Craig repeat often.
What to do this week, from LitFest to the Elly Awards
Know of a cool event? Email us.
Monday, May 10: National Nurse’s Week
Various times
It’s more important than ever to honor and thank our region’s courageous and compassionate nurses who are working selflessly on the front lines of the pandemic. Join YaJagoff and local businesses for a week of social media contests and giveaways coinciding with the birthday of the trailblazing founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale.
Monday, May 10: Monday Night Magic Live Online
8 p.m.
NYC’s longest-running Off-Broadway magic show continues its celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with tonight’s event co-presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Taking the virtual stage will be “master manipulator” Curtis Kam and global card magic sensation Patrick Kun. Buy tickets.