Forty Years Later: Revisiting the 1984 Three Rivers Arts Festival

Experience the nostalgia of the summer of 1984 at Forty Years Later: Revisiting the 1984 Three Rivers Arts Festival. Against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions and societal transformations, the 1984 Three Rivers Arts Festival stood as a beacon of cultural celebration in Pittsburgh. Over seventeen days, the festival welcomed over half a million visitors and showcased the work of 570 artists working in painting, design, sculpture, public art, photography, film, and video. That summer marked the festival’s 25th anniversary and was commemorated with the commission of five nationally renowned photographers (William Eggleston, Mark Cohen, Len Jenshel, Lynn Johnson, and Joel Meyerowitz) to document the event. This exhibition presents this commissioned portfolio of photographs in its totality alongside material from the Three Rivers Arts Festival archive.