In cities across the United States, public schools are under pressure. Pittsburgh is one such city and it’s against this backdrop that the Heinz Architectural Center at the Carnegie Museum of Art is putting on an exhibition with a title that suggests the existential nature of the crisis (23 August–11 January 2026). Bringing together work by artists, architects and schoolteachers, the show explores alternative ways of learning. It celebrates the ability of schools to foster creativity and a sense of discovery but acknowledges their capacity to alienate and divide. The art on display includes architectural drawings, a colourful sculptural work by the architect Leah Wulfman and photographs that convey the collective power of student bodies. But the exhibition goes beyond the visual: archival materials place Pittsburgh’s current school system in historical context, while workshops encourage visitors to think hard about how the system might be reformed.
Find out more from the Carnegie Museum of Art’s website.
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