Cat Burton, Creative Director, Create Art Together, Creative Producer, Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (U.S.A)

Cat Burton is a creative director, curator, and producer working at the confluence of media, fashion, and art-focused experiences. Cat’s exposure to curation, style, and production began in childhood, with a full view of the theater stage’s inner and outer workings. The importance of access to the arts and the strength of community were instilled in her at a young age, and these ideals and lived experiences later manifested in Create Art Together. Comfortably at the helm, Cat produces innovative concepts, visuals, events, and shows for clients. Guided by her belief in the power of collaboration as a driving force, she builds teams of creatives to bring projects to life. Her work reflects what she hopes to see more of in mainstream media and in the future of the fashion industry. Cat currently serves as Creative Producer at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, is a 30 Under 30 mentee in the 2024 Communicating the Arts cohort, and is a member of the Pittsburgh International Airport Arts Advisory Committee.

Funding the Vision: Developing Finance for Art at the Intersection of Culture and Community

Cat Burton is a creative producer whose practice spans two interconnected worlds. As Creative Producer at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh and founder of Create Art Together, she has spent years building relationships with artists, cultural institutions, and community organizations across Pittsburgh and beyond — including Pittsburgh International Airport, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, and others.

These two roles have run adjacent to one another, each informing and expanding the other. The network of trust and collaboration built across both efforts forms the foundation of how her work is made and funded. This case study explores how this relational infrastructure translates into a financing strategy — one built on grants, sponsorships, institutional partnerships, and creative co-production — and what other arts professionals can learn from it.

Cathy Trostle-Olivar, Fashion Designer (Pittsburgh, U.S.A.)

Cathy Trostle-Olivar is a first-generation Latina American fashion designer based in Pittsburgh, PA. With a strong focus on sustainability, Cathy’s designs aim to promote and advocate for slow fashion. Using materials such as bamboo knit, deadstock fabric, and secondhand fabrics or garments to upcycle, she creates pieces that offer an alternative to fast fashion.

Cathy draws inspiration from nature and exploration and has a particular affinity for flowers. Her work ranges from her everyday clothing line, Earth is Groovy, to The Sun God installation at Phipps Conservatory’s 2023 Summer Flower Show, inspired by Billy Porter.

PERFORMANCE - Cadence: Exploring the Creative Process through Fashion

"Cadence" is a fashion collection and immersive exhibition produced by Cat Burton, exploring the emotional rhythms of transition, growth, and self-reflection, and will be presented in the form of a catwalk at CTA 2026. Presented at Pittsburgh International Airport with a live runway showing, the collection was inspired by the musical concept of a cadence — marking the end of a phrase and the beginning of something new. Each garment embodies a distinct emotion tied to personal evolution as one closes a chapter and enters another. Created in collaboration with designer Cathy Trostle-Olivar, the collection fuses storytelling with textiles, using color, texture, and silhouette to narrate a journey of change. "Cadence" invites viewers and wearers alike to connect with the beauty of transformation and the art of embracing what comes next.