The start of this month marked two profound disruptions in how news moves through Pittsburgh.

First, Pittsburgh City Paper announced it will close after 34 years of publication. Then, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced it will cease operations roughly 240 years after first publishing. These announcements represent far more than the loss of two media outlets, they signal a critical shift in how information, culture, and community stories will circulate across the Greater Pittsburgh region.

For artists and arts organizations, this raises urgent questions. Who will document creative work? Who will offer thoughtful criticism, contextual reporting, or sustained coverage of the cultural sector? How will community issues, especially those that don’t fit neatly into viral headlines, be surfaced, debated, and understood?

There are also growing concerns about accuracy and trust. As traditional newsrooms disappear, more information is shared through unverified or anonymous accounts, often without editorial oversight, fact-checking, or accountability. The erosion of local journalism makes it harder for communities to distinguish between informed reporting and noise, and that has real consequences for civic life.

Local journalism has long played a vital role in connecting people to one another, amplifying underrepresented voices, and helping communities understand themselves. Its decline leaves a gap that will not be easily or quickly filled.

As a region, we need to grapple with what comes next: how we support credible storytelling, invest in local voices, and ensure that arts, culture, and community issues remain visible, contextualized, and responsibly reported. The future of local news is not just a media issue, it’s a community issue.

» Further reading: For a closer look at how these shifts are affecting arts coverage — and why that matters for artists, audiences, and the broader community — read former City Paper editor Lisa Cunningham’s essay on the future of arts journalism in Pittsburgh.

Arts Leaders Engage Senator Fontana Ahead of 2026 Budget and Arts Advocacy Day

On January 8, Senator Wayne Fontana, who serves the 42nd Senatorial District and has a seat on Pennsylvania’s Arts and Culture Caucus, joined a group of executive leaders from across the cultural sector for a breakfast conversation focused on state-level funding and policy issues impacting the field. The discussion provided an opportunity to share current realities facing arts and humanities organizations, learn more about the state’s budgeting process for the upcoming fiscal year, and underscore the importance of sustained public investment in the arts.

Looking ahead, March 24 is being targeted for this year’s Arts Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. We encourage you to mark your calendars now and begin thinking about how you might join colleagues from across the Commonwealth in Harrisburg. In our February newsletter, we’ll share more details, including unified talking points being developed by Creative Pennsylvania to help ensure our field shows up with a clear, coordinated message when meeting with legislators.

Launching Policy and Action Roundtables to Deepen Arts Advocacy in 2026

As part of an expanded approach to advocacy, we’re excited to share that we’re launching Policy and Action Roundtables, with a preliminary plan to host two each year. These roundtables are designed to create focused, high-impact opportunities for dialogue between the cultural sector and public leaders around policy, planning, and shared priorities.

» Save the Date: Our first Policy and Action Roundtable will take place on March 5, 2026 and will feature Mayor Corey O’Connor and County Executive Sara Innamorato.

Mayor O’Connor has been invited to share his vision for Pittsburgh and discuss the role the arts can play in advancing that vision, respond to the nine priorities that have been shared with him on behalf of the field, and engage in conversation around policy issues that are creating barriers or unnecessary pain points for artists and organizations. 

County Executive Innamorato has been asked to reflect on her time in office as she marks the halfway point of her first term, discuss steps toward designing and adopting a county-level cultural plan, and elaborate on the $13m that will be reintroduced to RAD's grantmaking pool in 2030.

Advance invitations will be extended to Arts Council members, followed by open registration for additional stakeholders across the region.

Fair Deal Checklist Initiative Takes Next Steps with Arts Sector Focus Groups

Before the holiday break, the Arts Council and The Equity | Impact Center hosted three arts sector focus groups to launch our partnership on the Fair Deal Checklist, an initiative focused on advancing equitable practices for freelance and contracted creative work. Designed and facilitated by Leigh Solomon Pugliano, Founder, President & CEO at The Equity | Impact Center, focus groups convened artists and arts leaders to share insights, reflect on lived experiences, and engage in thoughtful dialogue, while also creating space for connection and relationship-building across the sector.

The perspectives gathered through these conversations will directly inform the design and framework of the Fair Deal Checklist. The initiative aims to:

We extend our sincere thanks to the Tremaine Foundation and the Center for Artistic Activism for their support of this initiative.

Hullett Properties Moves Forward with Affordable Housing Opportunity

Last year, we invited artists to share their interest in an opportunity for affordable housing in Downtown Pittsburgh. 

Thanks to the strong response from artists like you, Hullett Properties has officially opened its waitlist for affordable housing at 800 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. Applications opened on January 12 and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please review the list of required documents before applying. Thanks to our feedback, Hullett Properties is also lowering the required application fee to $20 per applicant and will cover the rest of the fee.

What Does Pittsburgh's Arts Sector Look Like in 2026?

In early January, TABLE magazine convened a roundtable dinner, co-hosted and convened with artist Shikeith, that brought together artists, curators, and cultural leaders to imagine what Pittsburgh’s arts sector could look like in 2026. 

The conversation explored how artists can build sustainable lives amid rising costs, shrinking “middle space” infrastructure, and uneven support. Participants included Leo Hsu (Silver Eye Center for Photography), Kilolo Luckett (ALMA | LEWIS), Mario Rossero (The Andy Warhol Museum), Anastasia James (Pittsburgh Cultural Trust), Jasmin C. DeForrest (Heinz Endowments), Nicole Henninger (The Pittsburgh Foundation), and artists London Pierre Williams and Alisha Wormsley.

Other News of Interest:

Masha Vereshchenko and Matthew Buchholz

Pittsburgh-based artists Masha Vereshchenko (Electric Cat) and Matthew Buchholz (Alternate Histories) sounded the alarm on Amazon’s new “Shop Other Stores Directly” program, and why it’s a net negative for artists and the maker community. 

Through their social media platforms, they helped unpack how Amazon is using AI to scrape independent artists’ products, create listings without permission, and insert itself as an intermediary, diverting customer relationships, exploiting artists’ intellectual property, and collecting consumer data without consent. They encouraged artists and makers to opt out and refuse ghost orders, while also urging consumers to purchase directly from artists and makers. Read more on Alternate Histories’ blog post: Amazon is coming for small businesses.

Do you know a person or organization worth a spotlight? We'd love to learn more! Use this form to send us their info for consideration in a future newsletter.

Allegheny Forward

Allegheny County’s Comprehensive Plan is underway. Through early March, the County is focusing on broad community engagement and listening. You can provide preliminary input through the county’s public survey below. Additionally, if you are involved with an organization that will be hosting an event during the first quarter of 2026, you can invite the county to send a team member to be present and engage your stakeholders or audiences around the comp plan.
 

Percent for Art - University Line

The City of Pittsburgh is seeking feedback to help shape a new public art project along Pittsburgh Regional Transit's University Line. Those with connections to Downtown Pittsburgh, Hill District, Oakland, and Uptown are encouraged to send their thoughts using the survey below.
 

Thanks for helping shape Pittsburgh's future through advocacy and action,

Patrick Fisher
CEO, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council

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