Artist Made Books @Tom Museum

This Saturday December 8th from 7pm to 10pm is the opening of the Artist Made Books exhibit AND....MIMA an installation of miniature art pieces by Alberto Almarza. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Stop on over and enjoy some HOT and cold beverages, snacks, music, and the latest developments of the Tom Museum.

The Tom Museum
410 Sampsonia Way
North Side of Pittsburgh

Saturday, December 8th from 7pm to 10pm

Artists exhibiting in the book show include Alexis Covato, etta cetera, Rose Clancy, Becky Spevack, Scott Andrew, Jessica Scott, Chris Kardambikis, Morgan Cahn, Susan Constanse, Claudia Giannini, Alberto Almarza, and Sheila Ali.

Saturday, December 8th Add to Calendar

Artist reception @Digging Pitt Too

Continuing with The Blogger Show, I am pleased to announce the artist reception at Digging Pitt Too. I will be showing my work along side the work of Bill Gusky, a fellow blogger. Below is an installation shot from the gallery. Additional images are available. Panza Gallery, where my work is also on display, has an artist reception on December 15. I hope to see you there.

In November, Digging Pitt (Pittsburgh PA) will begin a joint effort with Agni Gallery (New York, NY) and Panza Gallery (Millvale, PA) to present The Blogger Show. The exhibits showcase the work of over thirty artists whose common interest is in clarifying artistic discourse through their blogs. All of the exhibits will take place between November 3, 2007 and January 12, 2008.

The Blogger Show @Digging Pitt Too - November 10, 2007 - January 12, 2008
Public reception December 8, 6-9PM
Digging Pitt Too - 45th & Plummer Streets - Pittsburgh PA 15201
SA 12 – 5 and by appointment - 412-605-0450
Susan Constanse and Bill Gusky will be sharing Digging Pitt Too. Read more

Appearing @Digging Pitt Too (Pittsburgh PA)
Susan Constanse (Pittsburgh, PA) - Oranje
Bill Gusky (Canton, CT) - Artblog Comments

Also coming up is the artist reception at Panza Gallery

The Blogger Show @Panza Gallery - November 10, 2007 - January 12, 2008
Public reception December 15, 6-9PM
Panza Gallery - 115 Sedgwick Street - Millvale PA 15209
WE/Th/FR 10-5 SA 10-3 and by appointment - 412-821-0959
Panza Gallery will have a regional focus, showcasing Pittsburgh's local bloggers. There will also be a presentation of work created by artist journaling. Read more

Appearing @Panza Gallery (Millvale PA)

Kevin Clancy (Boston MA and Pittsburgh PA) - soft soft pink pulls through the ivory void
Susan Constanse (Pittsburgh, PA) - Oranje
Christiane D (Pittsburgh PA) - Christiane D
David Grim (Pittsburgh, PA) - Serendipity
Sophie Klahr (Pittsburgh PA) - the story of how it is
John Morris (Pittsburgh, PA) - Digging Pittsburgh Arts
David Pohl (Pittsburgh, PA) - find the time to rhyme
Amy Wilson New York, NY) - working

An unmistakable sense of connection

I went to New York for the opening reception of The Blogger Show, my first trip there in several years. AMTRAK rocks; what a great way to travel. You wouldn't believe how much carry-on luggage they allow! The trip up was amazing, with the fire of autumn colors razing the hills against a crystal blue that you could lose yourself in.

I got off the train at Penn Station at 5PM, in the middle of rush hour. It struck me as eerie, that with all of those people the only thing you hear is the sound of feet hammering the concrete. Hardly a single voice could be heard, not even a murmur to ground the beat of those thundering feet.

I stayed with my good friend Jean McClung at the Larchmont Hotel on W 11h St., which is a really handy place to stay, let me tell you. (And thank you, Jean. I don't know how we could have pulled this show off without you.) It was close to all of the places I wanted to visit and needed to be while I was there (well, this was a business trip) and there were places that I had to be. One of the places that I made a specific point of going to was New York Central Art Supply. Interesting place; it was recommended by couple of people when I mentioned that I was searching for unusual papers.

The Blogger Show reception was packed, as I have already mentioned. It was a pleasure to finally meet some of the people that I have worked with over the last several months in the ether. Stephanie Lee Jackson and Bill Gusky in particular. I will be sharing Digging Pitt Too with Bill for one of the Blogger Shows. And watch this space for further developments with Stephanie.

I took an installation shot --

Okay, so here's where it gets interesting. Stephanie, whose piece is on the upper right, laid out and installed the exhibit. She is someone that I was beginning to feel an affinity for during the run-up to this exhibit, which was confirmed when I met her, JT Kirkland, whose piece is on the upper left, brokered a trade of my work in his Barter project. That's my work under his on the lower left. And on the lower right? That is only the work of my BFF Chris, who I met when I first moved to Pittsburgh nearly ten years ago. How cool is that?

So, you would think it would be over with my getting up on Sunday morning for the trip back to da 'burgh, right? Huh-uh, it just got cooler. I got to Penn Station a little early, so I went to Borders to pick up some reading material. I checked under E to see if one of my favorite authors had published anything new. Lucky me! he had! So, I happily picked up a copy of Zeroville by Steve Erickson to read on the train on the way home.

Wait, it gets better--

Okay, so I smoke. (Shut up, I know it's a bad habit that will most likely kill me, yadayada.) So, I got off the train and in my wild desire to inhale two nicotine packages, I watch as all of the cabs and jitneys were taken. The last jitney driver said he'd be back shortly; his fare was only going to a downtown hotel. (I did try to call for a cab. You know what the operator said? There weren't any cabs available.)

I'm waiting for the jitney driver to come back when I notice all of these flashing lights and I think, great, the driver is probably stuck behind whatever is going on. It didn't look like an accident, no ambulance. At first, I thought it was some dignitary being escorted through da 'burgh. You'll never guess.

It was elephants.

I am not joking. 8:30pm, dark as pitch, and there was a line of eight elephants, followed by zebras and horses, being escorted through the outer edges of downtown. And my camera was packed.

Women of Vision @August Wilson

Women of Vision puts together pretty consistent shows. It is a small group, with members that have been showing together for years. It is always worthwhile to see old favorites and the variations that make for such a satisfying exhibit.

A few really stood out for me at the latest Women of Vision exhibit, Soulscapes, which is showing at the August Wilson Center (details are at the end of the post)The seated figure by Dee Currin is lovely. Christine Bethea's construction is actually a wind instrument. I would love to hear her play it some time. I kinda got lost in Christiane's Love Scar piece. And Marica Jackson's sculpture is a lovely mystery.

If you're downtown, drop in

Delores Currin
Christine Bethea
Christiane D

Marica Jackson

SoulScapes by Women of Visions, Inc
August Wilson Center for African American Culture
October 5, 2007 through February 16, 2008
Gallery 209/9, 209 Ninth St., Downtown

The Blogger Show @Agni Gallery

Agni Gallery
170 East 2nd Street, Storefront #3
New York, NY 10009
November 3- 30, 2007 - Public Reception: November 3, 6 - 9pm

The Blogger Show is a multi-venue, cross platform exhibit. To date, the exhibit will include the work of thirty-four artists at four galleries in two cities. In addition, there is an online exhibit where you can view the works from this poly-talented group of artists.

The Blogger Show, in all of its many facets, was conceived by John Morris at Digging Pitt. John, who is an extraordinary artist, began talking about this exhibit over a year ago. The exhibits have taken on momentum, growing to encompass all of the many facets of the internet. There are online projects and a gallery of the artists' works. And everywhere, there are links to the community of artist bloggers.

The art bloggers at Agni -

Nancy Baker (Raleigh, NC) - Tire Shop
Martin Bromirski – (Richmond VA) Anaba
Sharon Butler (Mystic, CT) – Two Coats of Paint
Lisa Call (Parker, CO) - New Work and Inspiration
F. Lennox Campello (Washington DC) Mid Atlantic Art News
Rose Clancy (Pittsburgh, PA) – paperWorks
Kevin Clancy (Boston MA and Pittsburgh PA) - soft soft pink pulls through the ivory void
Susan Constanse (Pittsburgh, PA) - Oranje
Warren Craghead - drawer
Mark Creegan (Jacksonville Florida) - JaxCal.org
Christiane D (Pittsburgh PA) - Christiane D
Roberta Fallon (Philadelphia PA) Fallon and Rosof’s Artblog
Ann Gordon (Detroit MI) - Detroitarts
Cable Griffith (Seattle WA) - Cable Griffith
David Grim (Pittsburgh, PA) - Serendipity
Bill Gusky (Canton, CT) - Artblog Comments
Tracy Helgeson - Works by Tracy Helgeson
Stephanie Lee Jackson (Brooklyn NY) - Pretty Lady
JT Kirkland (Washington, D.C.) - Thinking About Art
Mary Klein (Minneapolis, MN) - stillifes
Eva Lake (Portland, OR) -Eva Lake
Steven LaRose - (Ashland OR) Steven LaRose
Michael Lease (Richmond VA) - Annabelle’s Aspirin
Joanne Mattera (New York NY) Joanne Mattera Art Blog
Rob Matthews (Philadelphia PA) - Matthews The Younger
Jean McClung (Pittsburgh PA) Urban Bytes
John Morris (Pittsburgh, PA) - Digging Pittsburgh Arts
Loren Munk (Brooklyn NY) - James Kalm
Elizabeth Perry (Pittsburgh, PA) - Woolgathering
David Pohl (Pittsburgh, PA) - find the time to rhyme
Libby Rosof (Philadelphia PA) Fallon and Rosof’s Artblog
Chris Rywalt - (Wood Ridge NJ) NYC Art
Marc Snyder (Pittsburgh, PA) - Fiji Island Mermaid Press

The Blogger Show

The Blogger Show is a multi-venue, cross platform exhibit. To date, the exhibit will include the work of thirty-four artists at four galleries in two cities. In addition, there is an online exhibit where you can view the works from this poly-talented group of artists.

The Blogger Show, in all of its many facets, was conceived by John Morris at Digging Pitt. John, who is an extraordinary artist, began talking about this exhibit over a year ago. The exhibits have taken on momentum, growing to encompass all of the many facets of the internet. There are online projects and a gallery of the artists' works. And everywhere, there are links to the community of artist bloggers.

I count myself fortunate to be involved in this project. My work will be seen in all of the venues that the exhibits encompass. The exhibit at Agni Gallery opens on November 3 and runs through the end of the month. Following is Untitled (Stream series), which is included in the exhibit -

The shows in Pittsburgh open on November 10. I will be sharing Digging Pitt Too with Bill Gusky. I am looking forward to finally meeting Bill. I have been reading his blog longer than I have had my own. I find his discourse to be well-reasoned and honest. Did I mention that I like his work? I do, very much.

Following are some of the works that will be appearing at Digging Pitt Too. breathe/sing (48" x 60") is the single image. The slide show is smaller works on canvas and panel. Most of these works are from the Unreal Spaces series, which seems to be evolving in some unexpected ways.

Panza Gallery is also opening on November 10. I will be presenting a selection of journal drawings from the Stream series at Panza. All of these works are small format, works on paper. Following is an excerpt from the artist statement for the series -

The works comprising the Stream series are a non-verbal journal, recording the evolution of a visual language. Each piece is produced over several days and is completed in succession. This process presents a time portrait that is a combination of the process and mark-making. Movement is a key component in the process of creating these works, depicting rhythms that range from staccato to adagissimo. The progression from all ink, with marks reminiscent of stitching, to the recent drawings that use hard graphite pencils to create subtle shades indicates an evolution of a visual vocabulary.

I'll be making announcements about receptions and other events at Digging Pitt, Agni and Panza as the exhibits and online presence expands. I do have a MySpace page if you would like to join me there. Join the artists at The Blogger Show or on MySpace.

POWERful opening

Friday was monumental. The opening was packed! The weather was beautiful, which is great because all of us would not have fit in Future Tenant's new space. If you missed the opening reception, make sure to put the following dates on your calendar. See you there.

POWER - The Definition of Feminine Power
Curated by Christiane D.
September 28 - October 20
SPECIAL POWER EVENTS
Future Tenant
819 Penn Avenue, Cultural District

ALL LIT UP - A POWER-ful evening of Words and Women October 12 - 7:00 pm
Featuring the literary and poetic works of Ellen Smith, Jan Beatty, Lori Jakiela, Carrie Smith, Megan Tutulo, and Stephanie Brea
Tickets are $3.00 at the door

Downtown Gallery Crawl
October 19, 2007 - 6-9PM

Following are a few images from the exhibit. I was lucky enough to get there early, so I could, with some patience, get some pretty clear shots --


Susan Constanse

Suz Pisano

Vanessa German

Staycee Pearl

Pamela Jennings

Maritza Mosquera

POWER
September 28 - October 20
Future Tenant
Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

POWER will present the work of the following artists: Susan Constanse, Suz Pisano, Veronica Corpuz, Rise Nagin, Alexis S. Covato, Patricia Villalobos Echeverría, Cara Erskine, Carolina Loyola-Garcia, Vanessa German, Stacy Rae Gross, Pamela Jennings, Monique Luck, Maritza Mosquera, Renee Ruth Ickes, Staycee Pearl, Rebecca Rose, Sam Thorp, and Two Girls Working (Renee Piechocki and Tiffany Ludwig)



Amy Kerlin -- I just love her dress!

Metamorphose

Metamorphose is operated by two very lovely ladies - Marci Gehring and Monica Phillips. The venue, which opens its doors to artists for the Unblurred event every first Friday, always features live entertainment and the delightful creations of the proprietors. On October 5, Metamorphose has MUNCHES, MUSIC, ART, FUN

Start the night off with light munchies and an art exhibit at 7:00 with our October feature artist, painter Susan Constanse. Matt Dearboff will display his his artful interpretations of Frank Loyd Wright's architecture. Marci Ghering and Monica Phillips will have their cozy new fall looks ready to wrap yourself in! The band, Hail and Farewell, featuring Barrett Black and David Harris, will rock out in our courtyard around 8:00pm. Plus, henna tattoos by Kate.

October Unblurred @ Metamorphose
10/5/2007 - 7-11PM
4922 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh PA 15222
724-538-5268
412-277-1238

POWER @Future Tenant

POWER
September 28 - October 20
Future Tenant
Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Opening reception - September 28, 6PM

FUTURE TENANT PRESENTS: POWER - The Definition of Feminine Power Curated by Christiane D. September 28 - October 20 www.futuretenant.org

This group exhibit will collectively express the definition of feminine power through the eyes, heart and souls of twenty women. Each participating artist will have one piece on display. Why one piece? Because more often than not, that is all one gets. One chance to make an impression. One chance to express their power.

POWER will present the work of the following artists: Susan Constanse, Suz Pisano, Veronica Corpuz, Rise Nagin, Alexis S. Covato, Patricia Villalobos Echeverría, Cara Erskine, Carolina Loyola-Garcia, Vanessa German, Stacy Rae Gross, Pamela Jennings, Monique Luck, Maritza Mosquera, Renee Ruth Ickes, Staycee Pearl, Rebecca Rose, Sam Thorp, and Two Girls Working (Renee Piechocki and Tiffany Ludwig)

SPECIAL POWER EVENTS
at our NEW location! -
819 Penn Avenue, Cultural District
Opening Reception - September 28, 6-9 pm
Featuring:
Speaker Linda Babcock,
James M. Walton Professor of Economics and author of the book,Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide

DJ Shorty Rock
and
Cocktail creations from the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC)

ALL LIT UP - A POWER-ful evening of Words and Women October 12 - 7:00 pm
Featuring the literary and poetic works of Ellen Smith, Jan Beatty, Lori Jakiela, Carrie Smith, Megan Tutulo, and Stephanie Brea
Tickets are $3.00 at the door

FOR MORE INFO visit us at www.futuretenant.org

SNOWBLIND @SPACE

There's a really amazing collaborative work included in the SNOWBLIND exhibit at SPACE in downtown. If you can make it down to see the exhiibit, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

With the exception of some large works on paper, most of the works were small scale. The installation was pretty good, especially the large number of panels that comprise change of address.

July 27 - September 15,2007
SPACE
812 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
phone 412.325.7723
SNOWBLIND
Guest-curated by Thad Kellstadt

Work by Heidi Anderson, Corey Antis, Chad Gordon, Christopher Herron and Josh Tonies.


A collaborative work by Chad Gordon, Christopher Herron and Josh Tonies - change of address

The following three images are detail panels from change of address




Christopher Herren - zectar 87 an akapoo (detail of dyptych)

Heidi Anderson - Tattoo Face

The Sacred Art opening reception @BoxHeart

The Sacred Art opening reception was wonderful. It is so nice to see new faces on the walls of the galleries here and since this is an international show, there were several opportunities. There was a nice range of expressions, but I do tend to favor the less traditional pieces, so that is what I concentrated on here. There were several iconogrphic and traditional works on display, so don't let my slanted view keep you from going and enjoying the exhibit.

July 24 - August 18
The Sacred Art Exhibition
BoxHeart Gallery
4523 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
P. 412 687 8858
F. 412 687 6338

George Kollar
Thad Ricker
Elin Waterson
Marian Siepian
Cory Bonnet
Susan Constanse
Susan Constanse

Sacred Art @BoxHeart in Pittsburgh

July 24 - August 18
The Sacred Art Exhibition
BoxHeart Gallery
4523 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
P. 412 687 8858
F. 412 687 6338

Exhibition exploring "the sacred."

Public Reception: Saturday, July 28th: 6 PM - 9 PM, free and open to the public.

The Sacred Art Exhibition is an Annual Event in the Bloomfield Community. The arts enable contact with The Sacred on an intimate level. By creating, The Sacred is manifested by the hands and a new life is brought into existence. Selection for this exhibition required that artists submit pieces that explore their personal interpretation of The Sacred. All interpretations, both traditional and nontraditional, are considered. The Sacred Art Exhibition is looking forward to a successful 11th year. Come to our community and explore this intriguing cultural event! More information

Juried Participants:
Bonnet, Cory - Painting - United States (PA)
Broderick, Donna - Textile - United States (PA)
Catale, Sharon - Textile, Mixed Media - United States (PA)
Chaison, Emily - Painting - United States (OR)
Clancy, Rose - Sculpture - United States (PA)
Constanse, Susan - Mixed Media- United States (PA)
Donnelly, Carol - Painting - United States (PA)
DiFalco, Gerard - Mixed Media - United States (PA)
Fleisch-Hughes, Diane - Painting - United States (OH)
Grant, Tatiana - Iconography - United States (CA)
Hughes-Saurina, Donna - Painting - United States (PA)
Kukic, Jasmine - Collage - Canada
Lawrence, Dhira - Painting - United States (OR)
Magalhaes, Nzuji de- Textile, Mixed Media - United States (CA)
Marze, Fran - Painting - United States (PA)
Montanaro, Marina - Drawing - Switzerland
Neapolitan, Cella - Photography - United States (TN)
Noe, Rita - Digital Photography- United States (IA)
O'Brien, Lynn - Painting - United States (OH)
Petrea, Rick - Sculpture - United States (GA)
Redmond, Jamie - Photography - United States (CA)
Ricker, Thad - Digital Painting - United States (OH)
Slepian, Marian - Sculpture - United States (NJ)
Sobye, Reinhardt - Film - Norway
Staub, Cassie - Photography - United States (PA)
Voegtle, Petra - Textile - Germany
Waterston, Elin - Textile - United States (NY)
Zinicola, Jr, Tony - Mosaic - United States (OR)

Susan Constanse
Oranje
MySpace

Addendum: Read Kurt Shaw's review here.

Road Trip at La Vie

Road Trip at La Vie
3609 Butler Street
Pittsburgh PA 15201
Paul Roden - The History of the World II: Confluence
An installation of Jennifer Howison's puppens.
Jennifer Howison
Deborah Hosking - Telephone Wires
Deborah Hosking's Road trip from LA - Pittsburgh (Spoiler: the snow scenes are Pittsburgh)
Josh Bonnett - White Out

Tuning up is one of the members of F*ck Telecorps Lite

Larryville Artist Studio Tour

The Lawrenceville Artists’ Studio Tour kicks off this Saturday, July 7, as eight artists open up their space for a behind-the-scenes look into the creative process that leads to a finished artwork. This self-guided walking tour is free and open to the public. Maps of participating studios can be found at coffee shops on Butler Street (Perk Me Up, Coca Café, Crazy Mocha), or downloaded from their site.

Alexandra Etschmaier, Sculpture • 218 39th Street
Ron Donoughe, Paintings of Our Region, 208 Main Street
Tugboat Printshop, Art Woodcut Prints and Etchings • 298 Main Street
Mary Coleman, Weaving • 187 43rd Street
Tracie Yorke Dance, Performing Arts: Dance • 100 43rd Street
Margaret Meinzer/Ben Gregory, Painting/Metalsmithing • 179 43½ Street
Digging Pitt Gallery, Various Artists • 4417 Butler Street
Jay Design Soaps and Gifts, Soapmaking • 4603 Butler Street

George Bellows

It's been a season of last minutes. I got to the Frick on Sunday, the very last possible day to see the George Bellows exhibit.

It was a striking exhibit, three rooms of beautiful drawings and prints. Very active compositions, great observations. The materials he used in his drawings were of special note. He combined two or three drawing materials to achieve the effects. I am sorry that I didn't get over sooner. I would have made at least one more trip.

Besides, I like the Frick. It's a beautiful campus.

Three Rivers Arts Festival

At the last possible minute, I took a trip downtown to visit the Three Rivers Arts festival: the festival ends on Sunday. Controversy surrounds this year's festival, from the reduced footprint of the exhibition to the censoring of one of the works.

The Best of Pittsburgh exhibit is held in PPG's Wintergarden this year. The giant atrium lends itself more to installation than to the plastic arts, and there was plenty. The Post Gazette review is a good overview of the exhibit. My stand-outs were Rise Nagin's installation and Josh Tonies' mixed medium works.

The art community is alarmed by the trend of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Recently, the curator for the Best of Pittsburgh exhibit, who also coordinates the juried art exhibit as well as other visual arts components to the exhibit, was eliminated from the festival staff. Katherine Talcott did her best to bring more of the visual arts into the festival by expanding the festival's footprint to other venues in the downtown area. However, this tactic was not very successful because the core of the festival had migrated to food and entertainment years ago.

Let me step into my time machine....

I lived in Portland OR for many years. When I first arrived, they had an arts festival in downtown. The streets were closed to traffic, huge tents were installed, and a range of artists and artisans presented a a diverse selection of art. Entertainment was generally provided by buskers and a few local restaurants had booths to feed the hungry masses. As the years rolled along, the arts component diminished to be replaced by more and more food vendors. Within five years of my arrival, the festival had been moved to Waterfront Park and had been re-named Food-Fest. Seriously.

So, it could be worse. Instead of the death knell of visual arts and the rise of performance-based art, TRAF could become some gargantuan food festival. At least there is some art involved in the festival. At least the artists and artisans of the artist market still have a place.

BARE III @ SPACE 101

The opening reception for BARE III was on Friday. The show looks absolutely wonderful. Thanks to the installation team for all of your hard work --

Pat Barefoot
Laura Conkle
Steve Dines
Kristen Divers
Kim Freithaler
Helen Song
Heidi Wettlaufer

This exhibit is pretty rare for a community show. The work has only the common theme of being created from the inspiration of working from a live model. Barely Brunch has been operating for several years now at the Brew House. We have been very lucky to have the space for the sessions and for having such a lovely facility for exhibiting.

Stop by SPACE 101 to check out the exhibit. We will be having an artist talk on --

Saturday, June 22 @1PM
Pat Barefoot
Rich Brown
Steve Dines
... and others

Images from the reception --
Fran Frederick and Jim McManus

Images from the exhibit--
Pat Barefoot
Ruth Renee Ickes
Rich Brown
Kristen Divers
Olwyn Best
Susan Constanse (above: Scroll II, below: Detail of Scroll II)
SPACE 101 Gallery
The Brew House Association
2100 Mary Street
Pittsburgh PA 15203
412-381-7767