Pittsburgh Welcomes the World With Art and Light

PITTSBURGH -

- Duquesne Light and The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Showcase Region’s Transformation with the ‘Pittsburgh Festival of Lights’

Duquesne Light and The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust proudly present the Pittsburgh Festival of Lights, September 17-27, 2009. As part of the Trust’s 25th anniversary events, the Festival of Lights will launch the week prior to the historic G-20 Pittsburgh Summit, welcoming world leaders, delegates and international media.

Launched in 2007 and funded by Duquesne Light, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Festival of Lights is produced through efforts of an international design team including: Lucette de Rugy, executive director of ARTLUMIERE; German design team CASA MAGICA (Friedrich Foerster and Sabine Weissinger); Ross Ashton of ETC UK; and Pittsburgh-based Clear Story Creative, led by lighting designer and technical producer Rob Long. The main lighting locations will be concentrated at the Penn Avenue and 10th St. intersection, and include installations, produced by ARTLUMIERE and designed by CASA MAGICA, on:

- David L. Lawrence Convention Center - The Courtyard Marriott - The Westin Convention Center

“We’re proud to help welcome our guests from around the world to the G-20 Summit by launching our Festival of Lights with our partner The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust,” said Morgan O’Brien, CEO of Duquesne Light. “The Duquesne Light partnership with the Cultural Trust is a natural fit, given that the arts serve as a tremendous catalyst for Downtown Pittsburgh’s revitalization and growth.”

“In conjunction with the Trust’s 25th anniversary transforming downtown from a blighted neighborhood into an international model of urban revitalization through the arts, this is an opportune time to highlight sites in the Cultural District,” said J. Kevin McMahon, president and CEO of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Festival of Lights will kick-off Downtown on Thursday evening, September 17th at the corner of 10th Street and Penn Avenue at approximately 8:45 p.m. Free to the public The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Festival of Lights is funded by Duquesne Light and made possible through generous support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

For the complete list of Festival of Lights locations, events and activities, please visit pgharts.org or call +1-412-456-6666.

Source: Duquesne Light Company

Veronica Corpuz of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, +1-412-471-6082, corpuz at pgharts.org; or Joseph Vallarian of Duquesne Light Company, +1-412-232-6848, jvallarian at duqlight.com