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The Art Commission has voted to remove the Christopher Columbus statue in Schenley Park. They voted 3-0 in favor of removing the Columbus statue, which was vandalized twice this summer. It follows emotional debates between members of the Italian American community and Native Americans. The statue has stood in Oakland for more than 60 years, a symbo...

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Wednesday, Sept. 23 will prove to be a pivotal moment in Pittsburgh’s history, as the city’s Art Commission will decide the fate of the 50-foot Christopher Columbus monument, which has overlooked Oakland since 1958. Click here and vote “NO ACTION” to make your voice heard, before it’s too late. The Schenley Park statue, sculpted by Italian-born Pit...

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The fate of a 62-year-old statue of Christopher Columbus that towers over Schenley Drive near Phipps Conservatory in Oakland will be decided Sept. 23 by the Pittsburgh Art Commission. Before the commission meets, it is working to gauge public sentiment about the statue, one of Pittsburgh-based Italian artist Frank Vittor’s most visible works. A vir...

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Greetings from the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame! The decision to cancel the 34th annual NIASHF banquet was a difficult one, but the safety of our friends and awardees was our top priority. One of our primary goals of the event is to raise funds to award scholarships to deserving Pittsburgh area youth of all backgrounds, who demonst...

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Pittsburgh’s Art Commission will hold a special hearing this month on the controversial Christopher Columbus statue in Schenley Park before deciding its fate in the coming weeks. Members of the public will be able to join a virtual hearing at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 during which they can provide comment, as well as view a presentation on the history...

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More than 300 Pittsburgh residents reached out to the Art Commission at or before a virtual meeting Wednesday to discuss the controversial Christopher Columbus statue in Schenley Park and calls for its removal. And, after three hours and disagreement over whether the six-member commission or Mayor Bill Peduto had the final call on the statue’s fate...

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Dozens of Italian immigrants were rounded up without just cause in 1890 following the murder of New Orleans Police Chief David Hennessy. Nineteen immigrants were indicted and nine went to trial, resulting in six acquittals and three mistrials. About 10,000 people, enraged by the judicial outcome, gathered outside of Parish Prison where the immigran...

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Organizers of a popular festival in Pittsburgh are still hoping to stage their event this year despite the coronavirus. Every August, Bloomfield hosts four days of ethnic food, music and fun. But this year’s Little Italy Days have been put on hold because of the coronavirus. Organizer Sal Richetti says the event is now tentatively planned for Octob...

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You can find Pittsburgh-based muralist and graphic designer Brian Gonnella’s artwork on walls as far away as New Zealand. His work is colorful, fun, and even Rick Sebak-approved. When he painted a sweet mural of the local icon holding up a sandwich and posed in a yoga position above floating pierogies and a banner reading "Zen of Yinz" a few years...

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It’s been two years since the bronze statue of Pittsburgh-born composer Stephen Foster and a barefoot black man playing a banjo was removed from Schenley Plaza. The statue was denounced for decades, but the criticism gained steam in the aftermath of a deadly protest in Charlottesville, Va. over the removal of Confederate monuments. The city held pu...

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