May 24, 2013 3 min read

Symbolizing Pittsburgh’s 30-year transformation into a global city with a thriving quality of life, The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Art Festival will connect the community to the arts June 7-16.

The 10-day festival is free and open to the public and promises to present “high quality and diverse visual and performing art attractions” to the community. The events will take place in Point State Park, Gateway Center and into the Cultural District.

“We are proud of the continued development of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, and excited to celebrate its 54th year,” said Kevin McMahon, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “This year, we are even more proud of the collaborative spirit of community partnership that has prevailed throughout planning and programming.”

Among the highlights include Riverlights at the Point, the grand reopening of the Point State Park fountain, to be presented by Riverlife, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources of Pennsylvania, and the festival, and Point Made!, which will celebrate the opening of the Homestead section of the Great Allegheny Passage and terminus marker in Point State Park. PRIDEFest, the Americans for the Arts Conference and the Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival are also being high points of the festival.

For the third consecutive year, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will be featured, in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Opera. The Orchestra will be featuring two resident artists of the Pittsburgh Opera that will help kick off the Opera’s 75th anniversary.

All headline concerts on the Dollar Bank stage begin at 7:30 p.m. in Point State Park. In addition to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on June 10, the show will include performances by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros on June 7, Ralph Stanley on June 8, Cello Fury, with special guests Joy Ike and Scott Blasey of The Clarks on June 9, Grupo Fantasma on June 11, Glen Hansard on June 12, Lucius on June 13, Red Baraat on June 14, The Airborne Toxic Event on June 15 and The Blind Boys of Alabama on June 16.

Public art highlights will include “American Hero #4” by Hugh Hayden on the Gateway Center Lawn, “Floating Echo” by Chang-Jin Lee on Point State Park, and “Art House,” also at Point State Park. There will also be the “Juried Visual Art Exhibition” at 805-807 Liberty Avenue and “Flight School Showcase” on the third floor of the Trust Arts Education Center.

“We believe that art matters, and we envision the Festival as a safe place for the open exchange of creativity and dialogue, ideas and participation,” said Veronica Corpuz, festival director. “Through the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, we seek to present a full spectrum of programming that collectively creates vibrancy throughout Downtown Pittsburgh, provides respite and fun, and evokes a sense of awe and wonder.”

Throughout the years, the festival has featured the work of more than 12,000 artists and has gathered an annual crowd of 400,000.