The way the author's experiences of the city of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) shaped her visual literacy are explored. Along with the imagery of the steel mills, she experienced some artistic opportunities that helped shape the foundation of her life in art. Although no American city was as extensively industrialized as Pittsburgh, it was the artistic life of the city that influenced her most. Among the cultural institutions she notes are the Carnegie Library and the Carnegie Museum, the Nationality Rooms of the University of Pittsburgh, the Young Men and Women's Hebrew Association, the Syria Mosque, Schenley Park, and the Squirrel Hill Area. As a city, Pittsburgh benefited from the philanthropy of its patrons through the quality of life they enhanced and the creative energies the institutions attracted. (Contains 8 references.) (SLD)