Decorated Trees On Display At Carnegie Museum Of Art

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Towering evergreens fill the Hall of Architecture at Carnegie Museum of Art. It's the 59th annual Festival of Trees.

"Five trees are decorated by the Women's Committee," said Carnegie Museums President and CEO Jo Ellen Parker. "We have one that's decorated by the folks at the library."

She says they reflect the museums' traditions.

"The one behind me is decorated in honor of our Natural History Museum," she said. "So you'll notice it has various woodland creatures, birds, things like that. But also some forest monsters, made out of papier-mache."

She adds that the library tree features cartoons by Andrew Carnegie's niece.

"They've taken prints of some of the cartoons she drew, framed them, and hung them on the tree this year, in honor of our founder, Andrew Carnegie," she said.

Since Carnegie was from Scotland, she says, "They're all in a Scottish theme this year."

One tree is wrapped in a rainbow-colored "Loch Ness Monster," while another is covered with Scottish "coats of arms." There's even a tartan chair, coupled with clubs from a Scottish invention called "golf."

Media relations manager Jonathan Gaugler says figures in the museum's Italian nativity scene, or "presepio," were made between 1700 and 1830.

"This is one of the best collections in the United States. It is massive," he said. "It is a nativity area for the birth of Christ, plus an entire Neapolitan village scene. People going about their everyday lives, in the 1700s and 1800s in Naples."

Hundreds of rare pieces are set up each year. And each year, they hide a tiny bird's nest, somewhere in the exhibit. "Townspeople" seem unaware that a big event has just occurred. But with "angels" approaching, the scene, Gaugler says, "They'll know soon."

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