Rivers of Steel

Rivers of Steel Rivers of Steel is heritage nonprofit in southwestern PA. Attractions include the Carrie Blast Furnaces, Bost Building and more.
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WE’RE STILL HIRING!What if your job was bringing metal arts education directly to students and communities?Rivers of Ste...
09/03/2026

WE’RE STILL HIRING!

What if your job was bringing metal arts education directly to students and communities?

Rivers of Steel is looking for a full-time Mobile Metals Program Technician to help take hands-on experiences in aluminum casting, blacksmithing, machining, and STEAM education on the road throughout the Pittsburgh region.

You’ll operate and maintain our mobile metals unit, travel to schools and community sites, and work directly with K–12 students, educators, and the public.

Think you’ve got the technical skills and the enthusiasm to share them? We want to hear from you.

- Full-time | $45–50K
- Grant-funded through December 2028
- Pittsburgh region + occasional travel
- Hands-on K–12 education

Applications are still being accepted until the position is filled. Link's in the comments.

Meet the artist behind the workshop: Alison ZapataIf you’ve spent any time around Pittsburgh’s vibrant mural scene, chan...
09/01/2026

Meet the artist behind the workshop: Alison Zapata

If you’ve spent any time around Pittsburgh’s vibrant mural scene, chances are you’ve seen the work of Alison Zapata. A muralist, painter, teaching artist, and all-around force in Pittsburgh’s creative community, Alison has a knack for making art feel welcoming, joyful, and meant to be shared.

On Thursday, September 10, she’s bringing that spirit to the Rivers of Steel Pump House for a very special hands-on workshop inspired by the traditional Mexican folk art of cartonería.

Alison will guide participants in painting a hand-sculpted mask created by Oaxacan artisan Jesús “Chucho” Lopez, using traditional designs and the colorful imagery associated with Día de los Mu***os. Alison has apprenticed with Lopez herself, making this a chance to learn directly from an artist who has built a bridge between his Oaxacan traditions and Pittsburgh’s creative community.

No painting experience necessary.

Just come ready to make something beautiful, learn something new, and spend two hours with Alison exploring a centuries-old folk-art tradition through a distinctly Pittsburgh connection.

✨ Thursday, September 10 | Rivers of Steel Pump House
🎨 Beginner-friendly | All materials provided
💀 Paint your own Chucho Lopez mask and take it home

Come meet Alison. Make some art. And maybe discover a new favorite Pittsburgh artist while you’re at it.

Tickets are available now. https://riversofsteel.com/event/sugar-mask/

08/31/2026

Labor Day is a good excuse to celebrate work, and the satisfaction of making something with your own two hands.

This Thursday, join Rivers of Steel for Blacksmithing Basics: Hooks & Hairpins and the Carrie Blast Furnaces. You’ll learn the fundamentals of working hot iron and make your own functional pieces to take home.

No blacksmithing experience necessary. Just bring yourself, a willingness to get a little dirty, and maybe a newfound appreciation for the people who made Pittsburgh’s industrial history possible.

Thursday, September 3 | 6pm
Carrie Blast Furnaces
Tickets: https://riversofsteel.com/event/blacksmithing-basics-hooks-hairpins-10/

Hit something productive.

“Beauty Bars” in War Plants Help Protect Skin of Women WorkersThat’s the headline from a 1942 Pittsburgh Press newspaper...
08/17/2026

“Beauty Bars” in War Plants Help Protect Skin of Women Workers

That’s the headline from a 1942 Pittsburgh Press newspaper clipping in the Rivers of Steel collection—and yes, that is a woman receiving a skin treatment on the job.

It’s a small, fascinating window into a much bigger story: what happened when thousands of women entered industrial workplaces during World War II.

Women were welding, machining, inspecting, assembling, and doing other essential work in war plants across the region. And as they entered jobs traditionally held by men, employers, workers, and communities were figuring out what this new industrial workforce would look like, including, apparently, how to care for a woman’s skin on the factory floor.

The details can be surprising. The bigger story is even more so.

On the Iron Women Tour, we’ll explore the many ways women shaped the industrial history of southwestern Pennsylvania: from the work they did inside the plants to the families, neighborhoods, and communities they sustained beyond the mill gates.

Join us for the Iron Women Tour at Carrie Blast Furnaces. Fridays and Saturdays through the end of August.

🎟️ Tickets available now. Link in bio.

For more than a decade, our Graffiti Arts Program has created space for artists to respond to this extraordinary industr...
08/14/2026

For more than a decade, our Graffiti Arts Program has created space for artists to respond to this extraordinary industrial landscape, adding new layers of creativity to a place already rich with history.

Now, there's a new piece to discover: a mural by Rivers of Steel Graffiti Arts Instructor and artist Scott Brozovich, inspired by Quantum Theatre's The Tempest and created with a little leftover paint and a lot of imagination.

It's one more reminder that while the furnaces no longer produce iron, Carrie continues to produce inspiration.

Visiting Carrie for The Tempest, a tour, or another event? Keep your eyes open and see if you can find it.

Feeling inspired to learn more about Graffiti Arts? Scott teaches regular classes at the Carrie Blast Furnaces.

And The Tempest closes August 23, so there's still time to experience the performance, and find Carrie's newest Easter egg.

Read the story behind the mural. Link in comments.

But, like… why?Why do we host Festival of Combustion?Because there’s a lot going on at Carrie Blast Furnaces.We’re prese...
08/13/2026

But, like… why?

Why do we host Festival of Combustion?

Because there’s a lot going on at Carrie Blast Furnaces.

We’re preserving the history of an industry that built a region.
We’re exploring the stories of the people who powered it.
We’re keeping traditional metalworking skills alive.
And we’re creating space for artists, makers, musicians, performers, and curious humans to imagine what all of that means today.

Festival of Combustion is a little bit of all of it: a one-day taste of the community that is still inspired by the towering stacks.

So yes, there will be fire.
There will be metal.
The story of steel didn’t end when the furnaces went cold.

But there will also be music, art, food, demonstrations, making, storytelling, and a whole lot of Pittsburgh industrial heritage.

We’re still finding ways to keep it burning.

Festival of Combustion
Saturday, October 3
Carrie Blast Furnaces

Come get fired up. Tickets are on sale now.

Link in comments.

We've all heard stories about the men who worked the furnaces.The Iron Women Tour introduces the women who built the nei...
08/12/2026

We've all heard stories about the men who worked the furnaces.

The Iron Women Tour introduces the women who built the neighborhoods, sustained the families, organized their communities, and, in many cases, worked in the mills themselves.

The history of steel has always been bigger than the mill floor.

Book your tickets now. Fridays and Saturdays in August. Link in bio.

Earn the beer.Some people go to happy hour. You could make the bottle opener first.Join us Saturday at the Carrie Blast ...
08/11/2026

Earn the beer.

Some people go to happy hour. You could make the bottle opener first.

Join us Saturday at the Carrie Blast Furnaces to forge your own custom bottle opener using traditional blacksmithing techniques.

When you're finished, crack open your favorite bottled beverage (BYOB) and celebrate with something you made with your own two hands.

🔥 Limited to just 8 participants. Reserve your spot today.

Link's in the comments.

Paint a piece of living tradition.Join us on September 10 at the Rivers of Steel Pump House for a hands-on workshop insp...
08/10/2026

Paint a piece of living tradition.

Join us on September 10 at the Rivers of Steel Pump House for a hands-on workshop inspired by the vibrant folk art of Oaxaca, Mexico. Guided by Pittsburgh muralist Alison Zapata, you'll paint a hand-sculpted cartonería mask created by artisan Jesús "Chucho" Lopez and explore the traditions behind Día de los Mu***os.

✨ Beginner friendly.
🎭 Take your finished mask home.
📅 Registration is now open.

Celebrate the start of Hispanic Heritage Month through art, culture, and creativity.

🔗 to book in bio.

Women weren't just waiting at home.When the mill whistle blew, she went to work.When layoffs came, she organized neighbo...
08/09/2026

Women weren't just waiting at home.

When the mill whistle blew, she went to work.
When layoffs came, she organized neighbors.
When history forgot her, her family remembered.

And they helped build Pittsburgh, and the world.

Hear stories like hers on the Iron Women Tour.

Fridays and Saturdays in August. Book your tickets today. Link in bio.

Address

623 E 8th Avenue
Homestead, PA
15120

Telephone

+14124644020

Website

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