Well, I still have to make it over to the museum again to really take a look at the exhibit myself. Now that the Bright and Shiny and small works shows are installed at the gallery, I have a breather so I will try to make it over next week. In the meantime, Mary Thomas at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette has reviewed the show. Mary Thomas has been a staunch supporter of Associated Artists for years.
Although Associated Artists does not see itself as one of the many guilds in the area, its structure is very similar. The guilds, and there are dozens of them in Pittsburgh, have been in place for decades. Many of the mid- and late- career artists in Pittsburgh have multiple memberships but it is unusual for the younger artists to participate in the guild system. The guilds have tried to interest younger artists in membership, at least since I have been here, which is several years now.
Associated Artists has been operating as a group for nearly a hundred years, the last forty-five or so as a non-profit. The guild's home is the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, which has seen some rough weather over the last couple years. Recently, PCA merged with Pittsburgh Filmmakers to the advantage of both organizations. PCA's campus is charming, set at the edge of Frick Park in Shadyside.
I plan to go to CMOA next week, after the holiday. Time has gotten away from me this month, with one thing or another. Stay tuned!
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2 comments:
That's really interesting about the young artists not joining the guilds. Was it always that way? i.e. did the mid career artists in the guild join after, say 30?
If there are dues, that could explain the problem, too.
There are a lot of reasons, I think. There are dues, but only about $30/year, which gives you membership in the individual guild as well as the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.
Most of the younger folks don't seem to be aware of the guilds. Also, the Center is perceived as a Sunday-painter refuge, irrelevant to the youth scene. It's weird, isn't it? When I got out of college in 1980, young artists couldn't sell a thing and the art scene was closed to them. Wisdom was that you had to pay your dues and get some experience before you could even hope to get shown. Now, anyone over thirty may as well store all of their materials in the attic, because there is no avenue open to them.
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