Broken Ground

In Western Pennsylvania and beyond, images of workers taming the earth were among the most powerful symbols of human achievement. Contemporary concerns over the ecological and social impacts of extractive industries, however, now cast scenes of mining, farming and steel production in a very different light. This exhibition brings together works from the UAG collection with loans from local partners and contemporary artists to reconsider these once seemingly heroic images of land and labor. 

This exhibition includes works from the UAG’s permanent collection, loans from the Senator John Heinz History Center, Rivers of Steel and the University Library System, and works by local artists Jamie Walters Kessler, Chris McGinnis, and Clayton Merrell.

Presented by the University Art Gallery with generous support from the Marstine Family Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, Pitt Momentum Funds, and the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation.

For associated events and programming click here.