“Nothing could exceed the brilliancy and gaiety of the scene by day. But it was at night that the carnival was at its merriest. For the frost continued unbroken; the nights were of perfect stillness; the moon and stars blazed with the hard fixity of diamonds, and to the fine music of flute and trumpet the courtiers danced.” — The Great Frost from “Orlando” by Virginia Woolf
All through December Pittsburgh’s visual artists will transform the city into a sprawling winter carnival, starting with holiday markets and arcades and progressing to a profusion of gallery exhibits, Neapolitan nativity scenes, emergent realities, divine appointments and an epic art battle in Sharpsburg.
Each month NEXTpittsburgh features new openings and special art events in our series, NEXT in the Gallery. Keep us posted on what’s new in your neighborhood and email lemccullough@mac.com.
“Sharmistha Ray: Emergent Realities” on view Dec. 12, 2025-July 5, 2026.
“Emergent Realities” is a three-channel animation by Sharmistha Ray, assistant professor of Art at Carnegie Mellon University, that blends painting, cosmic imagery and original and found film footage into a layered visual odyssey spanning terrestrial, solar and cosmic realms. Grammy Award-winning composer Arooj Aftab adds a commissioned soundtrack (“Kinship”) drawing from her background in jazz, Hindustani classical and indie pop.
On Dec. 3 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wood Street Galleries partners with Visual AIDS for Day With(out) Art 2025 to present a program of six videos by Camilo Tapia Flores, Camila Flores-Fernández, Hoàng Thái Anh, Kenneth Idongesit Usoro, José Luis Cortés and Gustavo Vinagre and Vinicius Couto exploring the experiences of drug users and harm reduction practices as they intersect with the ongoing world HIV crisis.
“Needling the Regime: Opinion” and “Needling the Regime: Shut Up” by Mary Mazziotti (BE Galleries). Photos by Mary Mazziotti.
“Mary Mazziotti: Thank You for Your Attention to This Matter – Social & Political Observations of the Regime” on view Dec. 6, 2025-Jan. 31, 2026, opening reception Dec. 6, 1-4 p.m.
Mary Mazziotti’s expansive artistic output has embraced painting, murals, jewelry, installations, full-sized billboards and, most notably, a wave of fiercely satirical reimaginings of the medieval “memento mori” genre with present-day advertising and consumer items, from Elvis pillowcases and Americana frontier quilts to newspaper photographs and portraits spanning centuries.
Her be Galleries show features recent textile pieces employing hand-embroidery and pigment on printed and recycled textiles to express trenchant and timely social commentary. The “Needling the Regime” series combines 20th-century Fascist, Nazi and Soviet Communist propaganda images with current political statements by Donald Trump. “Notwithstanding the seriousness of the subject,” says Mazziotti, “I try to infuse the message with more wit than morbidity.”
“Look at Me” by Lelaina Scott; “Eyes on the Capital” by Lyra Hunt (Studio 4 Gallery). Photos courtesy of Offroute Art.
“Crisis of Empathy // Limit of Empathy” on view Dec. 5-7, opening reception Dec. 5, 6-9 p.m.
Offroute Art’s Fall 2025 Fellowships debut new work by eight artists ages 18-24 reflecting on the theme of transforming conflict into connection. Tyler Belizaire, Katrina Evankovich, Lyra Hunt, Amelia Lazzini, Tristan Mukherjee, James Richardson, Lalaina Scott and Logan Scott offer personal perspectives addressing social dimensions of personal empathy.
From left, new work by Andrea Savinda and Eric Shantz from “Whispers of the Artful Traveler” (The Manos Gallery). Photos courtesy of The Manos Gallery
“Whispers of the Artful Traveler” on view Dec. 6-31, opening reception Dec. 6, noon-4 p.m.
The first Manos Gallery show held in the just-opened Aluminum City Arts center in downtown New Kensington features new work by Sarah Emminger, Mandy Hobel, Mary Beth Hodil, David Howard, Sarah Hunter, Alexis Kovalovsky, Chloe Lysiak, Giuseppe Mammano, Monica Mathews, James Miller, Riley Pella, Rafi and Klee Perez, Amanda Preston, Katherine Salvi, Andrea Savinda, Debra Tobin, James Tobin, Francine Vandenberg, Lily VanDyk, Darieus Veltri and Bernie Wilke.
The center is taking shape in a well-preserved two-story brick building designed in 1915 by Beaux-Arts stylists Benno Janssen and Franklin Abbott, whose 12-year collaboration produced architectural landmarks like the William Penn Hotel, Mellon Institute, 40th Street Bridge and numerous private residences in Brookline, Schenley Farms Terrace, Oakland and Shadyside.
The 20,000 square feet of available space let gallery owners Ernesto Camacho and Brian DeFelice envision Aluminum City Arts as a vibrant cultural hub serving the Alle-Kiski Valley with artist studios, theater and dance rooms, a bookstore and a wide range of arts education programming.
“N Negley Ave & Margaretta St” by Lewis V. Pell (Spinning Plate Gallery). Photo courtesy of artist.
“The Lew V Collection: A Real Heist” on view Dec. 5-28, opening reception Dec. 5, 6-8 p.m.
New works by painter Lewis V. Pell created en plein air and in studio provide commentary by a committed environmentalist on connections between climates and landscapes around the world.
Installation view of Neapolitan presepio (Carnegie Museum of Art). Photo by Zachary Riggleman.
“The Neapolitan Presepio” on view to Jan. 11, 2026.
A CMOA holiday tradition since 1957, Neapolitan presepio installation is an elaborate nativity scene re-created with miniature figures arranged in a panorama of 18th-century life in Naples, Italy. Handcrafted by artists in the Royal Court of Naples in the 1700s, the presepio celebrates a rare form of European folk art.
“Kayla, Alexi, and their dogs. Hopi Reservation, Second Mesa, AZ” by Jacob Pesci (Tomayko Foundation). Photo by Jacob Pesci.
“Jacob Pesci: Divine Appointments” on view Dec. 5, 2025-Jan. 16, 2026, opening reception Dec. 5, 6-8 p.m.
Photographer Jacob Pesci’s latest exhibit (accompanied by a musical score from fellow photographer Nathan Cephas) spotlights his recent 10,000-mile solo road trip across the U.S. that took him to small towns, Native American reservations, desert canyons, oil refineries, military bases and the El Paso border wall. It was a journey, says Pesci, that resulted in spiritually significant encounters he calls “divine appointments” imbued with personal and political transformation.
A limited edition hardcover photo book of the exhibition is available and includes notes and meditations Pesci recorded on the road.
From left: “Mr. Darwin’s Finches Love Coffee” by Stu Chandler, “Hanging Out With My Best Buds” by Caedan Gordon, “Tiki-Java” by Debra Tobin in “Coffee Table Art Book.” Photos courtesy of artists.
More art book stocking stuffers:
• For those seeking inspiration via caffeination, Café Culture Press offers “Coffee Table Art Book” featuring 65 coffee-themed works by artists from around the world including three from Western Pennsylvania – Stu Chandler (Valencia), Debra Tobin (Ambridge), Caedan Gordon (Evans City).
• On Dec. 14 from 6-9 p.m., Irma Freeman Center for Imagination celebrates what would have been the 122nd birthday of Pittsburgh artist Irma Freeman with a Holiday Soirée & Book Signing Pop-Up showcasing the Center’s “Pittsburgh’s Avant-Garde: 60 Years Inside the Underground Art Scene” book along with live music by Three Legged Dog. 5006 Penn Ave., Friendship.
Check these art happenings, too:
• Art Battle Pittsburgh returns to Atithi Studios Dec. 5, with doors at 7 p.m., painting at 7:30 p.m. Founded in 2001 in New York City’s Soho Arts District and now flourishing in 50 cities on five continents, Art Battle gives contestants 20 minutes to paint a masterpiece, with the audience voting on the winner. Already confirmed for the competition are Bernie Lukacs, Suzanne Werder, Bob Freyer, DRVLE, Christopher Patrick, Rae Ovesney, MacKayla Smirga with openings still available. 1020 N. Canal St., Sharpsburg.
• Pittsburgh’s longest-running visual art stroll, Unblurred: First Fridays on Penn Avenue, returns Dec. 5, 4-10 p.m., with a lively evening of art openings, live performances, sidewalk markets and innumerable diverse food and beverage offerings along the 4800–5500 blocks of Penn Avenue in Bloomfield/Garfield/Friendship.
• Frick Museum & Gardens flavors its “Scandinavian Home: Landscape and Lore” exhibit with “Saint Nicholas to Father Christmas to Santa Claus: The Artistic Evolution of a Christmas Icon,” a lecture by art historian Dr. Kahren Jones Arbitman (Dec. 7, 2-3:30 p.m.) and a Woven Holiday Ornaments Workshop by artist Traycee Bosle (Dec. 13, 1-4 p.m.). 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze.
More December openings:
New Kensington Camera Club: “Light in the Darkness” (Dec. 5, Alle-Kiski Valley Historical Society/Heritage Museum)
Octopus Art by Rachel Lange (Dec. 5, Bantha Tea Bar)
“Beyond What You See: Jonelle Summerfield, Jolene Joyner, Manjushree Roy” (Fréchard Gallery, Dec. 5)
Elizabeth Deasy Ceramics (Springboard Design, Dec. 5)
“Clearing Trees: Drawings by Sophia DiRenna” (Bottom Feeder Books, Dec. 6)
Drip Art by Carolina Tapia-Urzua (Tazza D’Oro, Dec. 6)
Estate of Toto Fisher + Modern Art, Photography, Western Art, Jewelry (Concept Art Gallery, Dec. 6); includes noted Pittsburgh artists Ed Eberle, Mark Perrott, Bob Qualters, Tony Naponic, Anna Marie Schnur, Maggie Milano, George and Lila Hetzel.
End of Year Exhibition (Artists Image Resource, Dec. 12)
Pop-Up Exhibition: SiO₂ Youth Glass Art Program (Pittsburgh Glass Center, Dec. 17)
Markets, arcades and pop-ups:
The region’s largest holiday market convenes Dec. 5-6 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh as Handmade Arcade showcases the artisanry of nearly 300 makers. There’s a special preview party Friday, Dec. 5, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. that offers early bird shopping.
Through Dec. 24, the Peoples Gas Holiday Market features a European-style holiday market with over 40 local artists and crafters (plus seasonal food and drink) at Katz Plaza (Penn Avenue & Seventh Street), the Trust Oasis (139 Seventh St.) and the parking lot across from Benedum Center.
Dec. 1-23: Italian Holiday Market. Istituto Mondo Italiano, 7604 Charleston Ave., Regent Square.
Dec. 2-31: Bottlebrush Gallery & Center for the Arts $100 Holiday Art Market. ShuBrew, 205 S. Main St., Zelienople.
Dec. 4-6: Holiday Mart at the Museum Shop. Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main St., Greensburg.
Dec. 4-6: Phipps Gifts & Greens. Phipps Garden Center, 1059 Shady Ave., Shadyside.
Dec. 4-23: Annual Holiday Artist Market. Latrobe Art Center, 819 Ligonier St., Latrobe.
Dec. 5: “Collective Gestures” Holiday Party. Mark Rengers Gallery, 549 Beaver St., Sewickley.
Dec. 5, 12, 19: Holiday Marketplace. Steel Goat Marketplace, 200 Jefferson Road, Penn Hills.
Dec. 6: Wrap It Up!. Steel City Craft Emporium, 826 Brookline Blvd., Brookline.
Dec. 6: South Side Holiday Market. Bedford Square & Esser Plaza, South Side.
Dec. 6: Art Social. ICON Fine Art Gallery, 101 N. Main St., Zelienople.
Dec. 6: Community Cake Party. Irma Freeman Center for Imagination, 5006 Penn Ave., Friendship.
Dec. 6: Holiday Art Market. KLVN Coffee Lab, 6600 Hamilton Ave., Larimer.
Dec. 6 & 20: Bloomfield Winter Market. 5050 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield.
Dec. 7: Bazaar Bazaar. Spirit, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville.
Dec. 11: Maker’s Market. Castle Consortia, 700 Seventh St., McKees Rocks.
Dec. 11-12: Open House. Johno’s ART Studio, Maria’s Ideas Art, Moon Heart Studios. 1705 Arlington Ave., South Side Slopes.
Dec. 13: Under the Lights Night Market. Armful of Flowers, 608 Virginia Ave., Mount Washington.
Dec. 13: I Made It! Merry & Bright Holiday Market. SouthSide Works, 424 S. 27th St., South Side.
Dec. 13: Radiant Hall Cookie Mall + Pop-Up Market. Boys & Girls Club, 4600 Butler St., Lawrenceville.
Dec. 13: Alternate Histories Crafts & Drafts. East End Brewing, 147 Julius St., Larimer.
Dec. 13: Winter Pottery Pop-Up. Union Project, 801 N. Negley Ave., Morningside.
Dec. 13: Winter Artists’ Market. Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media, 1047 Shady Ave., Shadyside.
Dec. 13: Vintage Mart Holiday Special. Construction Junction, 214 N. Lexington St., Point Breeze.
Dec. 13: Holiday Pup-Up. Double Dog Studios, 317 Second Ave., Carnegie.
Dec. 13-14: Lawrenceville Cookie Tour. Butler Street from 35th Street to 57th Street, Lawrenceville.
Dec. 14: Wilkinsburg Handmade Holiday Show. Wilkinsburg Train Station, 901 Hay St. and WorkshopPGH, 321 Pennwood Ave., Wilkinsburg.
Dec. 14: Cinder Bell Rock. Cinderlands Warehouse, 2601 Smallman St., Strip District.