4,000 events were canceled. Here’s how you can help the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to arts and culture in Pittsburgh.

Since mid-March, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has been forced to cancel more than 4,000 events, leaving a cultural void in our community. Not only have more than one million patrons missed out on the opportunity to gather together to share wonderful arts experiences, but Downtown restaurants, bars, hotels and retailers have suffered great losses as well.

As Pittsburghers, we love our neighborhoods. And we know that they need to be protected and nurtured. Pittsburgh’s Cultural District is no different. The Cultural District is made up of many spaces, not just the grand, prominent ones like theaters, but also plazas, parks, alleyways, storefronts, sidewalks, even blank walls.

Unique outdoor media, public art, artistic lighting, dynamic signage and installations, and whimsical bike racks enliven the District and allow everyone to experience art from one end of the neighborhood to the other. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust proudly serves as a steward for the Cultural District — ensuring each of these spaces is maintained for the community to enjoy.

If you have ever enjoyed your time in the Cultural District, then you know firsthand just how vital it is to our region and way of life.

If you miss us like we miss you, please support Art Connects Us: A Critical Fund for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust as we work to preserve and, when we are able, reopen our Cultural District. Learn more and make your contribution at TrustArts.org/CriticalFund.

The Trust will emerge from this pandemic and we look forward to welcoming you back to the Cultural District. We cannot wait to host performances like PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Dance Council, Children’s and Bridge Theater Series’, and Liberty Magic, plus festivals like the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, Gallery Crawls and more.

To overcome these unprecedented circumstances, to make our streets and spaces vibrant once again, to share in the emotions and energy that live entertainment brings to our community, we need the help of our community — your help.

Your gift to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Critical Fund ensures that the Trust and all the arts groups that call the Cultural District home will remain vibrant members of Pittsburgh’s cultural scene.

This Giving Tuesday, December 1, your gift will go even further by helping to unlock a $25,000 challenge gift from a generous donor. With your help, we will reconnect for shared arts experiences that we have grown to love and that have become the fabric of our arts community.

Plus, your gift will continue high-quality virtual presentations like Jazz Live @ Home, Harris Theater @ Home, the EQT Children’s Theater Festival @ Home, and Live from the West Side: Vanessa Williams on December 5.