Art All Night Tomorrow!
This Saturday (tomorrow) brings us the tenth edition of Lawrenceville's Art All Night. Started in 1997, the very first event drew 100 artists and 200 attendees. Over the years it has grown tremendously. Last year there were 883 artists dropped off work and 10,000 people showed up. It has evolved from a neighborhood highlight into a major attraction for folks from all over the city and beyond. The allure of the spectacle is that anybody from anywhere is invited to submit one work of art to be displayed at the event.
There's no submission fee and no censorship. Individual creators can choose to put a price tag on their work (or not). It's a very democratic approach for including artists of all skill-levels. Art All Night is open at 5PM and runs continuously until 2PM on Sunday. There's always plenty to engage the visitor (besides what's on the walls), including public radio station WYEP's live broadcast of music, bands, performance art, beer and food. The accessibility and promotion of this party make for a very eclectic crowd. This year it is going to be held in the Catalyst Building, which is located on 41st and Foster Streets. It's a former schoolhouse.
I first started attending Art All Night in the late 90's. I appreciated the fact that it gave me a late night option that didn't necessarily include drinking large amounts of alcohol. The fact that it was in the part of Pittsburgh where I lived was a bonus. M. and I would have a group of our friends meet us at our house, and we'd all walk down together. I remember seeing local favorites (now sadly dispersed) Boxstep play one of their early gigs at Art All Night (was it at the Icehouse?). Back then you could see everything in about an hour. Year after year, I paid attention to make sure I didn't miss the event.
In 2004, I finally decided to submit a piece of art for hanging. This was the very first time I exhibited my work for public viewing. That year the event was held in a newer warehouse in the 50's, down toward the Allegheny River. I dropped off a photo that I snapped through the front corner window of the South Side Beehive- two girls walking hand-in-hand down the street. I was excited by seeing the shot hanging on a composite panel of corrugated wood, along with the work of so many other local artists. I hung out in the passage that led by my photo, obsessedly watching the reactions of passersby. Through some kind of strange post-modern, self-referential urge, I actually took photographs of people looking at my art.
By the time 2005 rolled around, I had experience with showing my work, so I was a bit matter-of-fact. That time Art All Night was housed in the old abandoned Heppenstall factory building, right down the street (Hatfield) from where M. and I had lived for more than four years. I enjoyed being back in my old neighborhood. I entered a piece from my upcoming solo, which would be located at the Beehive. It was a close-up shot of a mannequin that represented Jesus in a deteriorating outdoor Bible walk in West Virginia. I enjoyed collaring my friends as they stopped by in little groups.
Last year the event was held in a former plastic plant factory up on Penn Avenue. The night was steamy, and the ventilation was minimal. For most of the night, I enjoyed the open air and easy accesibility to the port-a-potties out back in the weedy lot. Groups of folks mingled and sipped their refreshments out in the night air. I submitted a photo of a hallway located in an abandoned prison reformatory in Mansfield, OH. It was part of a series that I'm fond of, but I haven't yet seized the opportunity to show those images together. Despite the closed and cramped conditions, I had a lot of fun running into peole I rarely see around town. I even made several new friends. I employed my annual strategy of returning at 4AM so I could take my time and absorb the art in comfort (and at the same time regroup for my drive home).
I'm looking forward to Saturday. It will be interesting to get a good look at a building that I have passed countless times on my way over the 40th Street Bridge. And it looks like it will accomodate the anticipated crowds more effectively than last year's facility. This year I am bringing a preview for a solo show that I'm having at Filmmakers in July.
There's no submission fee and no censorship. Individual creators can choose to put a price tag on their work (or not). It's a very democratic approach for including artists of all skill-levels. Art All Night is open at 5PM and runs continuously until 2PM on Sunday. There's always plenty to engage the visitor (besides what's on the walls), including public radio station WYEP's live broadcast of music, bands, performance art, beer and food. The accessibility and promotion of this party make for a very eclectic crowd. This year it is going to be held in the Catalyst Building, which is located on 41st and Foster Streets. It's a former schoolhouse.
I first started attending Art All Night in the late 90's. I appreciated the fact that it gave me a late night option that didn't necessarily include drinking large amounts of alcohol. The fact that it was in the part of Pittsburgh where I lived was a bonus. M. and I would have a group of our friends meet us at our house, and we'd all walk down together. I remember seeing local favorites (now sadly dispersed) Boxstep play one of their early gigs at Art All Night (was it at the Icehouse?). Back then you could see everything in about an hour. Year after year, I paid attention to make sure I didn't miss the event.
In 2004, I finally decided to submit a piece of art for hanging. This was the very first time I exhibited my work for public viewing. That year the event was held in a newer warehouse in the 50's, down toward the Allegheny River. I dropped off a photo that I snapped through the front corner window of the South Side Beehive- two girls walking hand-in-hand down the street. I was excited by seeing the shot hanging on a composite panel of corrugated wood, along with the work of so many other local artists. I hung out in the passage that led by my photo, obsessedly watching the reactions of passersby. Through some kind of strange post-modern, self-referential urge, I actually took photographs of people looking at my art.
By the time 2005 rolled around, I had experience with showing my work, so I was a bit matter-of-fact. That time Art All Night was housed in the old abandoned Heppenstall factory building, right down the street (Hatfield) from where M. and I had lived for more than four years. I enjoyed being back in my old neighborhood. I entered a piece from my upcoming solo, which would be located at the Beehive. It was a close-up shot of a mannequin that represented Jesus in a deteriorating outdoor Bible walk in West Virginia. I enjoyed collaring my friends as they stopped by in little groups.
Last year the event was held in a former plastic plant factory up on Penn Avenue. The night was steamy, and the ventilation was minimal. For most of the night, I enjoyed the open air and easy accesibility to the port-a-potties out back in the weedy lot. Groups of folks mingled and sipped their refreshments out in the night air. I submitted a photo of a hallway located in an abandoned prison reformatory in Mansfield, OH. It was part of a series that I'm fond of, but I haven't yet seized the opportunity to show those images together. Despite the closed and cramped conditions, I had a lot of fun running into peole I rarely see around town. I even made several new friends. I employed my annual strategy of returning at 4AM so I could take my time and absorb the art in comfort (and at the same time regroup for my drive home).
I'm looking forward to Saturday. It will be interesting to get a good look at a building that I have passed countless times on my way over the 40th Street Bridge. And it looks like it will accomodate the anticipated crowds more effectively than last year's facility. This year I am bringing a preview for a solo show that I'm having at Filmmakers in July.
posted by Merge Divide at 6:24 PM
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