Heppenstall

I happened to have my camera with me on my way up Hatfield Street last weekend. Just another defunct steel mill, on the Allegheny in Pittsburgh.

In this case, they are tearing down the remains of the buildings.

Now showing @Trinity Gallery

Microcosmonaut/Cityscapes & Escapes
Kevin Clancy and Marty Ressler.
Trinity Gallery

I'm glad I made an effort to get into Trinity Gallery today. The current exhibits are worth the effort. Kevin Clancy, the Microcosmonaut exhibit, had some stunning work on display. Meditation on a line was intriguing, with its layers of cut paper. Keep an eye open for him in the upcoming Blogger Show.

In contrast to the internal dialog that Kevin Clancy shows in his work, Marty Ressler had these timeless Pittsburgh cityscapes. The paintings capture the unchanging character of some of Pittsburgh's older neighborhoods, with the row houses and the brick work.

Trinity Gallery has expanded its gallery space, adding a graceful room. Dan Gaser's photographs are featured in this new space. I got a fairy nice long-shot of his installed works, but the cyanatypes that are on the far right wall are among my favorite works by this artist. Well, at least I can provide a link to his other photographic works.


Kevin Clancy - Meditation on a line
Kevin Clancy - Bifurcation of the indivisible ego
Marty Ressler - Morning on Holmes Street
Photographs by Dan Gaser
Microcosmonaut/Cityscapes & Escapes
Kevin Clancy and Marty Ressler.
Trinity Gallery
8/5/2007 through 9/15/2007
4747 Hatfield Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Phone: (412) 687-2458
Thursday, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
By appointment

On Tap @ the Brew House

On Tap: Brew House Cabaret
The Brew House is bringing together diverse performing artists from New York City and the Pittsburgh area in an exciting and eclectic evening of dance, music, and theatre. Featuring --

Smokifantastic

Rage of the Stage Players

Zafira Dance Company

July 20 and 21, 2007 at 8 pm both nights. Admission is $10.
The Brew House
2100 Mary Street
Pittsburgh PA 15201
412-381-7767

Zombie Town, USA

What's happening in the 'burgh?
check out the vid --



And then this MySpace and the It's Alive Show

Addendum:
The MySpce for the movie is linked here. Thanks, Chris Ivey, for the update.

TELOMERE

I went to Soma Mestizo's CD release party last night. It was a gripping performance. Christiane D. is an extraordinary vocalist, Soy Sos was incredible. Okay, the entire band deserves kudos and roses for their show last night. Lucky you, there are still two more shows. Want a preview? Check out Soma's MySpace page. Details about the shows are below

There is a great article on the Tribune Review that gives some history about the band. It's hard to believe that it's ten years. This band has grown in so many unexpected directions. Check out this little video sample --



Details --

TELOMERE

Presented by the 4th River, a Project of the Three Rivers Arts Festival

Telomere cd release June 8th, 9th, 10th

121 7th Street, (above bossa nova) Pittsburgh, PA 15222

$ 5

Soma Mestizo is a band that defies classification or categorization, if forced to name it we say it is: deep, dark, sexy global genre busting, booty-shaking, head-filling magic music. This year’s 4th River Project introduces Soma Mestizo’s Telomere to Pittsburgh and the world.

The 4thRiver Project/Telomere release event will be a multi-media, multi-disciplined: music, art and dance experience featuring special guests, directed by Staycee Pearl. Lighting and Sound design by Douglas Duerring. The evening features, dancers: Amanda Schneider and Brandon Jones; video artistry by MEXED Missages, poet/mc: Jack Wilson; musician, Ketan Bakrania from Chai Ba Ba; Christiane's dress created by Kari Kramer of Ironiece. Dancer costumes provided by Suz Pisano.

June 8th through June 10th

Friday and Saturday, 2 shows, 7:30 pm, 10:00 pm - Sunday, one show 7:30 pm.

* 6.8: Friday Night: special guest, Ketan Bakrania and poet/mc Jack Wilson
* 6.9: Saturday Night: special guest Ketan Bakrania. 11:30 pm After party featuring Anthony Fugate and Jack Wilson. BYOB.
* 6.10: Sunday Night: special guest Ketan Bakrania.

BoxHeart in Bloomfield

It's a good exhibit. BoxHeart has work from all of their gallery artists up for this annual show. If you have a minute to swing by and check it out, do.

BoxHeart
7th Annual Anniversary Exhibition
Exhibition Dates: May 29 - June 23
4523 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
P. 412 687 8858


Brenda Stumpf
Kim Curinga
Tracy Helgeson

A brief digression--
About a week ago, I read a post on Tracy's blog that she was sending new work to BoxHeart for this exhibit. Below, Tracy's box, unpacked and repacked for the Three Rivers Arts Festival.

Pavement in Larryville

I was walking up Butler Street on Saturday evening when I heard the unmistakable sound of Motown tunes. Pavement, which is a really terrific shoe store, was having a sidewalk barbecue. As I walked up, Midnight Train to Georgia was playing and the owner was dancing in the aisles with a willing partner.

Did I go in? Well, of course I did.

Smoky music for smoky work.

Jason J Thomas

Iconicity @ La Vie

It was my pleasure to attend the opening for Iconicity on May 26. The work was really amazing. I could probably have loaded this blog wit a ton of images, but I kept it to just a few representative and extraordinary examples.

Contact information for La Vie is at the bottom of this post.

Eric Stern - Untitled (Ecstasy, Rapture, Euphoria)
Eric Stern - Untitled (Cloud Fill)
Eric Stern - Untitled (Occurrence)
Tommy Bones - white cloud minnow
Tommy Bones - Installation image
Alex Alessi - Old Mirror
Clare Parry - Construction of Arcology
La Vie

3609 Butler Street
North of 36th
Tuesday-Saturday, 12:00-6:00p.m.

412-253-7365

BARE III @ SPACE 101

SPACE 101 Gallery
The Brew House Association
2100 Mary Street
Pittsburgh PA 15203
412-381-7767

BARE III


SPACE 101 Gallery will be exhibiting BARE III. The exhibit takes place from June 8, 2007 – June 30, 2007. A free opening reception will take place from 7:00-10:00pm on June 8.

With a strong desire for better realism, the artists of the Renaissance began an intense study of the human body. Adopted by academies throughout Europe, using models became the traditional path taken by artists throughout the ages. Drawing from the figure continues to be at the center of visual art study.

In fact, figure drawing sessions are increasing in numbers in Pittsburgh and other cities. The sessions provide a community for professional artists and dedicated enthusiasts to come together and share vision and technique. Drop in model sessions, like Barely Brunch, are an opportunity to hone sight as well as drawing.

Once each month, for several years here at The Brew House, a group of people of all ages, from all walks of life have been coming together (in rain, snow, sleet, and sunny picnic weather) to draw the figure. A retired secretary, a practicing physician, college instructors, students in transition, graphic designers, illustrators, arts administrators, and even an attorney draw, paint, and even sculpt together. Using various techniques and methods, they indulge in an age-old tradition in an attempt to hone their skills, to capture the essence of the human form, to relax, and just to enjoy themselves.

Each one has selected a few special pieces done in these sessions over the years, as well as some successful gesture drawings, shown informally in the small gallery. The Brew House Association will be exhibiting work produced during the Barely Brunch open model sessions in June 2007. The model sessions are held in various sites throughout the Brew House and are open to all ages, mediums (except photography) and skill levels. The exhibit will take place in the SPACE 101 Gallery located on Pittsburgh’s Southside.

Artists
Pat Barefoot
Olwyn Best
Rich Brown
Susan Constanse
Steve Dines
Kristen Divers
Jon Fesz
Jill Fisher
Fran Fredrick
Kim Freithaler
Karen Hartman
Silvia McGavin
Seth Rich
Nancy Schuster
Paula Simon
Jenine Smith
David L. Smith
Heidi Wettlaufer
…and others

Graffitiburgh

Graffiti shot at Heppenstall, a defunct steel mill located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh

I was flipping through the Post Gazette and ran across this article about a tagger that was arrested and fined for his graffiti at $560,764.50 in property damages. Two points in the article are very interesting. Daniel Montano has a home here and in San Francisco. The other? To quote --

Only 50 percent of graffiti is reported in Pittsburgh. For years, the city was considered a blank slate for many in U.S. graffiti community. Enforcement was considered weak and the abundance of vacant warehouses and cramped hidden alleyways -- many of them in the Strip District -- offered a canvas for many miscreants wielding a spray can.

The Heppenstall complex and the Armstrong Cork buildings are both within walking distance of my home. I have visited both on several occasions. The Armstrong Cork building has been renovated and is now a loft and business complex. It has been getting more and more difficult to get into the Heppenstall complex. Recently, I noticed bulldozers on the site and there has been talk about turning the five or six block strip into a mixed usage complex. Both sites have been well-documented from deterioration to the proliferatrion of graffiti.

There is a huge divide of perception of grafitti, even among those that follow and create it. Most taggers seem to find havens, like these abandoned buildings, to express their creative energy. Some use whatever blank wall is available. I am of the former philosophy, believing that there are enough abandoned buildings to provide blank canvases that taggers can utilize without intruding on vital and operating properties.

Articulate; PCN

GET EXPOSED! (Calling All Pittsburgh Artists) Deadline: April 5th

Apply now! Win 4-months free membership on Pittsburgh's premiere Art web site, Articulate; Pittsburgh Creative Network. With your free membership, receive recognition as one of Articulate; PCN's Top 50 Pittsburgh Artists.

Free membership includes: posting of 25 of your images for sale (directly thru Articulate; PCN's e-commerce web site), artist statement & bio, your own log, and many artist networking opportunities. Articulate; PCN will select 50 artists to represent Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania through a juried process. Become one of Articulate; PCN's Top 50 Pittsburgh Artists! The best of local art submissions will be accepted in the following
categories:

3D, 2D, Installation, & Craft

To be considered, artist must submit:

- CD of digital images (10-15)
- An artist statement regarding the submitted work
- A resume and exhibition list.
- Submitting artist must be a resident of Southwestern PA (minimum of 6 months).
Download the Application Now! At . Fill out the application and send it to

Questions? contact
Allison S. Hoge
Executive Director
Articulate
Pittsburgh Creative Network
5314 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
724.575.6330

In Full Bloom @SPACE

In Full Bloom
March 23 - May 12, 2007
Opening on March 23, 6-9PM
Gallery Crawl on April 20
SPACE
812 Liberty Ave
Pittsburgh PA 15222

In Full Bloom was curated by Bob Ziller. I found images of some of the work that is in the exhibit. I wish I could include more. Some of the artists in the exhibit--

Laura Jean McLaughlin
Marci Gehring
Maggie Aston
Karl Mullen
Masha Vereschenka
Biko

Hope you can join us in celebrating on March 23.

Kate Bazis
Susan Constanse
Christiane D

Saint Patrick, patron saint of the inebriated

Saint Patrick's day in da 'burgh.

How could I have forgotten? Why didn't I just stay home last night?

I went to a fundraiser for the Hill House after work yesterday, Sugar and Soul at the Carnegie Music Hall. Good food, great auction, fabulous music. A beautiful and enjoyable evening.

I should have known when I bussed over to Oakland from Lawrenceville to make the evening short. I don't drive (a whole other story) so I am completely at the mercy of the public transportation system. I had to transfer in downtown, usually dead on Saturday evenings. Well, the bus to Oakland was packed with student revelers. Standing room only on a Saturday night. I did mention Saint Patrick's day, right? Well, nearly everybody on the bus was wearing green, the Irish and the honorary Irish.

Got off the bus at the museum, had a wonderful time at the fundraiser, went to the bus stop to head on home.

That's where things got a lot weird.

The bus was late. I waited for over forty minutes. Wearing a white coat. When the 54C finally came around the corner, I was so ready. And if the people on the bus hadn't shouted at the driver, I probably would have ended up waiting another forty minutes. That's right, she nearly passed me by. Did I mention I was wearing A WHITE COAT?

So it's 11pm, and the bus is packed. Oh yeah, Saint Patrick's day. There was a crowd of inebriated students in the back of the bus. revelry was high, people were laughing and talking. Some kind man made room for me and I settled in for the twenty minute bus ride. On Centre, a man gets on the bus, swaying as he showed his pass. His face lit up when he saw all the kids in green. He shouted down the entire length of the bus Hey! Happy Saint Patrick's day, mutha fuckas, and off he went, to the welcome shouts of the students in the back of the bus. You could here him trying to score with one of the young women, clearly trying to put the make on her.

Hey, you know my wife left me, hey, why don't you come to my house and we'll party all night, c'mon baby.

I mean, endless. But at least he was funny.

Not like the dude who spilled his bag of toiletries around his seat. Who in the process of gathering them just before his stop ended up with his head in my lap, reaching around my feet.

I have never been so happy to be on foot in my life as when I got off the 54C on Penn Avenue.

Next year, I'm either staying home or I'm gonna get totally tanked and join the party. I haven't decided.

Wild Turkeys

There was a flock of these beasties hanging out around Pittsburgh Center for the Arts a couple weeks ago. Man, they were big birds.

Free fall

The Rand Corporation recently published a report, Arts and Culture in the Metropolis - Strategies for Sustainability, which is available online. The report, which compared Philadelphia with ten other urban areas comparable in size, includes Pittsurgh as part of the study. The report analyzes the systems of support for the arts.

There are a large number of foundations in Pittsburgh as well as Philadelphia, many of which support the arts in some form. Some support only education initiatives, some support public programs. The public progrms encompass visual, performing and literary arts.

Unfortunately, foundation support is declining. Many of these organizations are in a position of having to develop new arenas of support for their endeavors. Pittsburgh, with its low median income, lacks indigenous support. You can see this when you go to gallery exhibits. Direct support of artists, through the purchase of artwork, is sadly lacking. A red dot is an occasion to celebrate because of its so-rare occurence.

The current exhibit at SPACE gallery, Home Away, expresses this in a very indirect way. The curator and artists in the exhibit have not posted a pice list. And if you ask the gallery attendant for a price, your inquiry will be met with a flurry of embarassed activity as the attendant makes a number of phone calls tracking down the answer to your question.

The Post Gazette has an article about the Rand report with responses from Mr. McMahon, the President of the Cultural Trust. Some of the statistics quoted in the article give a very clear snapshot of the reasons for the lack of support. Like the highest per capita number of organizations per resident and the decided lack of cooperation among the organizations.

The solution for this dilemma is an elusive one. The Rand Corporation's conclusion that the arts would be well served if there was a strong central agency is a sound one. However, that conclusion is not neccessarily a solution. It would certainly help the arts organizations to have a strong central leadership and to coordinate their activites and promotions more closely. Individual support for the arts is what needs to be nurtured.

women's work

The opening reception for women's work was on March 2. It was a great night. Janis Burley-Wilson selected the work for the show. The work she chose for the exhibit showed a lot of diversity. So often, these group shos tend to be the same people showing with the same people. It was nice to shake up the mix a bit.

The exhibit:

women's work
March 2 - April 20, 2007
709 Gallery
709 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh PA 15222

The show closes on April 20, which is the next Downtown Gallery Crawl. It's a great time to see all of the visual arts venues in the cultural district.


I love galleries that provide seating. It makes it so much easier to stick around...
Susan Constanse -- A Venial Journey
Christiane D
Vanessa German

Margaret Burley

Monique Luck
Sarah Beitler

Works of Newfangled Whimsey

If you haven't had a chance to stop by La Vie, try to get it into your schedule. Actually, take an afternoon off and visit all of the small shops that have sprung up between 36th and 39th on Butler Street in Larryville. You'll find delight neighboring with the cynical in the shops.

La Vie is a concept, lifestyle shop. Each of the partners specializes. Bronwyn Lughren works with paper products. Jennifer DiSilvio creates garments. Thommy Conroy does display and floral arrangements. He is also the curator for Works of Newfangled Whimsey, on display through March 2007.

La Vie is located at:

3601 Butler Street
Pittsburgh PA 15201
call for hours -- 412-253-7365
One of the half-dozen prints by Valerie Smith
I don't think these were part of the show. Some of the many surprises at La Vie.
Renee Ruth Ickes. This is an absolutely phenomenal work.
Elina Malkin
Travis Hito -- I think. The font used on the catalog list is decidedly elaborate...

TAIE event

Please join us this Monday. Ben Sota of the Zany Umbrella Circus will give a special presentation on his experiences in Kabul, Afghanistan working with at risk youth. Very inspirational, his story relates to the type of work many of us do. Please join us at the Teaching Artists Idea Exchange at the Blackbird Studios on Butler Street in Lawrenceville for a very special evening of conversation, refreshments, and networking with fellow artisans, teaching artists, and arts organizations. This event is an artist based initiative and free of charge to the arts community.

--
Alison Zapata
www.zapatastudios.com
Portraits of Pets and the People who own them
412-656-1114

Flow @Pittsburgh Filmmakers

installation image: Pittsburgh Filmmakers Gallery

Flow
Josh Tonies
@Pittsburgh Filmmakers Gallery
477 Melwood Avenue -- 412.681.5449

This isn't much notice: the exhibit ends on Saturday, February 25. But if you haven't made it over, do try. The gallery is small and you may have to get the staff to turn on the lights.

The images in Josh Tonies' Flow series are a combination of landscapes and patterns generated from those patterns found in security envelopes.

Below is Lake Effect. The image doesn't come close to expressing the eerie glow of the work. The surface is cystalline, with patterns and landscape layered in an other-wordly manner.

Lake Effect -- Josh Tonies