Senior Outreach Programs

The Frick offers a wide variety of programs for senior citizens.

Art and History Travels

This is a series of themed programs presented at retirement centers, senior care facilities and community groups.

Each program takes place at your site and encourages discussion through the use of slides and touchable artifacts. If you’d like, you may combine your program with a custom-designed tour of Clayton, the Car and Carriage Museum and/or The Frick Art Museum.

To schedule, contact Laura Ainsley, assistant curator of education, adult programs, at least three weeks prior to your preferred date, at 412-371-0600, ext. 540, or at lainsley@TheFrickPittsburgh.org.

Topics

Victorian Pastimes in Pittsburgh Life in the Gilded Age has been described as opulent and genteel. Take part in a discussion about what life was really like whether you were millionaire or maid in Pittsburgh’s Victorian era. The Homestead Steel Strike A seminal event of the era, the Homestead Steel Strike of 1892 changed the face of labor for decades. Explore the main characters of this drama of American industrial history: Henry Clay Frick, Andrew Carnegie and the union laborers of the Carnegie Steel Company. From Horse and Carriage to Horseless Carriage In the early years of the 20th century, carriages and cars shared the road in Pittsburgh. Images from the Frick’s Car and Carriage Museum provide a look at changes in transportation from that era. Upstairs/Downstairs: In Service in the Gilded Age Fourteen-hour days and one half-day off a week was the lot of the domestic worker during the Gilded Age. Join us for a lively look at those behind the scenes personalities in the lavish mansions of wealthy American Industrialists. Do Clothes Make the Man/Woman? This discussion and illustrated talk centers on the transition of clothing styles following the Civil War. A slide discussion, combined with hands-on examples of turn-of -the-century clothing, provides a fascinating illustration of how clothing styles reflect the philosophies of a culture. Amazing Automobile Innovations Are you proud of your new car’s hybrid engine and self-parking feature? These and other automotive innovations that we think of as current-from power locks to adjustable steering columns-first appeared in automobiles decades ago. Learn about such surprisingly modern features of cars from the 1890s to the 1950s.

Victorian Holiday Traditions Do you know when the first Christmas card was sent or why many people keep a bucket of water handy when they lit their Christmas trees? Explore the origins of these and many other Victorian holiday traditions. Mysteries of the Art World Art mysteries come in many forms. With the popularity of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, questions arise about what lies above and below the surface of the world’s great art. Take a look at some of the art world’s recent discoveries and conundrums and discuss why art tempts thieves and looters as well as connoisseurs. Stunners and Dreamers Inspired by the literature of Shakespeare, Chaucer and Keats; classic mythology; the Bible; and legends of King Arthur; the Pre-Raphaelite artists in 19th century Britain created amazing works of art. Discuss dazzling paintings, William Morris designs, furniture, jewelry, silver, pewter and glass that were influenced by these fascinating personalities. Off the Pedestal Following the Civil War, women pursued greater personal freedom and professional opportunities. American masters Winslow Homer, William Merritt Chase, and John Singer Sargent provide the images of these "New Women" of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. View these radical images in art, literature and popular culture that shocked America. The Powerful Hand of George Bellows Capturing the spirit and character of life in the early twentieth century, the drawings of George Bellows are intimate studies of his friends and family, social gatherings and sporting events. Give your views on these candid snapshots of American life that were created as assignments for popular magazines such as Harper’s Weekly and The Masses.

Fee: $75 for a one-hour lecture and discussion

Art and History Travels

Visit the Frick for a Customized Themed Tour

Fees: $8 per person for a tour of Clayton; $5 per person for a tour of The Frick Art Museum or the Car and Carriage Museum

Frick Tour & Program Combination

Combine a Program at Your Location with a Frick Tour

Fees: $60 for a speaker at your site, plus $7 per person for a tour of Clayton and/or $4 per person for a tour of The Frick Art Museum or Car and Carriage Museum

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