Abstract
A focus of the museum’s permanent collection is documentation of the industrial history of the region. We have objects and archives related to historic trades such as coal mining, glass making, and st teeeel andl and aluminum production, all of which generated industrialists, laborers, unions, and, of course, the commodities they produced. As our collection grows and the economy changes, we review the shifts in industry and production in Western Pennsylvania and adjust our just collecting accordingly. In the last few years, the curators (myself included) have pursued material culture related to films made in the Pittsburgh area. We’ve become familiar with the century-long relationship between Western Pennsylvania and the film industry in Los Angeles, and are learning about the myriad of individuals in our community that work behind the scenes to make movie magic, as well as the unions that represent their intererests.