June 2008 Unblurred and other miscellany.

Not long after midday on Friday the temperature is going to hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm going to be making an effort to keep Baby E. and I cool. The heat is expected to linger throughout the day, and its projected staying power is daunting. Weather.com says that it's still going to be 84°F by 9PM at night. You might as well just plan on being outside. In fact there's a lot to do this weekend to keep you distracted. Surprisingly it looks like several East End neighborhoods have coordinated their promotional efforts. They are advertising Art Cubed- with art, music, and cultural events through Saturday night. It looks a bit patchwork, but it's a good start. It will be interesting to see if it gets any traction.

June Unblurred is tomorrow. The event is the 'official kick-off' for this ART3 thing, but whoever put together the website didn't think to link directly to the Unblurred site. Anyway... there should be enough there to keep you busy. The Pittsburgh Glass Center (5472 Penn) has an open house, and Attack Theater (4805 Penn) is continuing their Game Night and 7-minute Dance Series. Carolyn Wenning re-opens her space (4823 Penn) to show a series of photo portraits taken by kids (age 5-15) who live and hang out along the Penn Avenue Corridor. Meanwhile there will be music and 'utilitarian' art (including Frank Knezevich's collection of cigar box guitars) down at Jason Sauer's Most Wanted Gallery (5015 Penn).

The Sprout Fund is having an open house (5423 Penn) featuring "snacks, drinks and live entertainment". If you missed the proposal unveiling at Concept Gallery last month, make sure to stop by for a taste of murals-to-be. There should be one or two board members and some staff strolling around, and you can accost and pepper them with questions. I guarantee they'd love to have the opportunity to justify their tastes. And when you are done there, make sure to drop in on the MOXBOX Fine Art Party (5014 Penn). The Boxheart and Moxie Dada Galleries used to be across the street from each other on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield. They may have separated physically but they still occasionally pal around together.

At the center of Unblurred, the staple galleries are all featuring new work by artists I'm mostly unfamiliar with. Modern Formations (4919 Penn) has "Basements, Attics, and Closets", with Mike Tamburo, Darren Myers and Ange Gagnon. Garfield Artworks (4931 Penn) has Laurie Trock, Laura Phillips and Kristen McLain. The International Children's Gallery (located at 5020 Penn, and most assuredly not recommended for kids) presents work by Jessica Lotman and Laura Koposko. Metamorphose (4922 Penn) is advertising a "Variety Show" chock full of stuff by twenty artists working in all types of mediums. And finally... my friend Joab Naylor is exhibiting his paintings at Imagebox (4933 Penn). He says they are "new works", but I'll believe it when I see it.

Now here's the thing- maybe none of this sounds appealing to you. Perhaps you are more interested in a smoothie and a hand-tooled leather handbag down at the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Yes, it opens tomorrow night as well. But (for god's sake) it'll still be there after this weekend. So avoid the crowds and do something cool instead. Zombo (4900 Hatfield Street in Lawrenceville) is showing the painted designs of Bill Cousins in a double shot- Friday under incandescence and Saturday under black light. The Waco Brothers (including Jon Langford and other folks from the Mekons) is at the Warhol with the Working Poor (it starts at 8PM- $12).

And Pittsburgh Filmmakers (477 Melwood Avenue on North Oakland) has their 3rd annual Media Tonic event. That costs $15, includes performances by Chuck Prophet and Paper Rad, and runs from 8 PM until midnight. But I definitely won't be going. They are having a special "V.I.P Reception" beforehand, and I wasn't invited. Snobs. No way I'm getting stuck with the leftovers.