Pittsburgh Art Events 7/11-12.

Rick Byerly ain't just shuckin' and jivin' (over on his Pittsburgh Gallery Blog) when he says that this weekend is a "hot spot" for art in the 'burgh. There's no possible way that you can see everything there is to see over the next couple of days. You're going to have to pick-and-choose just like the rest of us. Frankly I'm not even going to mention everything that's happening, but rather the things that I'm considering attending. So without further ado, here's the breakdown...

The biggest concentration of receptions tomorrow evening are part of the Downtown Gallery Crawl (5:30-9:00PM). I have to admit being underwhelmed by the last couple of these, but I have reason to believe that this one will be an improvement. It's not just personal bias that drives me to recommend a stop down at 709 Penn Avenue for the Sylvania show. You'll get to see a preview of some of the artists who will be appearing in the next Unicorn Mountain publication (tentatively entitled Black Forest). I'm going to be in it, I have a photo in the exhibition, and there is a good amount of strong work to peruse. Plus all the hipsters will be there. Yum! If you do show up, ask me where the "after-party" is that Curt's been talking about for a month (if he's not just blowing smoke, of course).

Of course you're going to want to plan to hit SPACE Gallery for curator Robert Raczka's You Are Here. It's a group show including 11 artists riffing on the concept of place. Meanwhile Wood Street Galleries, Inc. is always worth a quick run-through. OK... I meant to say "seldom", but what the hell? The image posted for this exhibition is actually intriguing. And Jairan Sadeghi has a SOLO at 707 Penn. I dig her illustrative musings enough to own a piece. If you are into high-falutin' chamber music, you can see Chatham Baroque at Future Tenant.

If you don't want to mess with the "Golden Triangle", you should definitely head over to Millvale for 91-year old artist Sid Kweller's opening at Panza Gallery (6-9PM). Apparently it's the Merry Green Dog creator's birthday, so stop by and say "Hi". While you're at it, you should have a refreshing draft beer with the estimable Mark Panza, owner and operator of the gallery. For the first time in awhile he's scheduled a reception that's not on his band practice night. He won't be distracted.

Then there's your opportunity to see Eric White's display of 'monoprints' over at Modern Formations in Garfield (7-10PM). With all the other stuff going on, you'd think the artist could come up with a more compelling tagline for his show than "An Exploration of Technique". That work is usually done in the studio well before showing its results in public. But I have confidence in proprietor Jen Q.'s tastes, so it's likely to be worth a visit. While you are at it, why don't you check out her fancy new website.

Finally we have the 11th installment of the Gestures series over at the Mattress Factory. It's called Meet the Made and the opening reception is 6-8PM tomorrow night. Not only will the participating artists be displaying their creations, but they will be working on them too- in real time. Appearing will be my buddy Christopher Lisowski, along with Kim Beck, Adam Schreckhise and 13 others. This is tied in with the whole Robot250 initiative. Meet your future masters!


Take a pause for the cause overnight, because Saturday has its own enticements. I've already mentioned Urbanic: Sightlines and Microcosms over at Moxie Dada. I mentioned a "soft opening" last week that never happened (thanks, Kyle!). Anyway the official reception is definitely two evenings hence, from 7-10PM. I'm tempted to boycott it, but I expect it to be too good to miss.

And I'll be doing my damnedest to get over to the Zombo Gallery's first anniversary celebration (Stubble and Smoke) featuring the illustrations of noted cartoonist Wayno. My presence is still up-in-the-air though, as this happens to occur simultaneous to my gay friend's annual outdoor summer tiki party- and after all... how could I possibly miss that?! And while we are on the subject of private affairs... Saturday night also offers Jason D.'s bash complete with Spelling Bee- but if you don't know what I'm talking about, I guess you aren't invited.

If none of this appeals to you, you can try Doodah Days in the Allegheny Cemetery. Or brave the weekend carnage of SouthSide Exposed (Rick will be there). Or go crosstown to the monthly Bellevue Art Crawl. Have fun.

Another Art-packed Weekend.

If you didn't get your fill of art events last weekend, there are several things going on during the next couple of days that may satisfy your longings. In fact, the opportunities coming our way may actually be more substantial than last Friday's downtown art crawl. Everything kicks off with another round of Unblurred along Penn Avenue in Garfield/Friendship. It seems almost unbelievable that an entire month has passed since the last 'First Friday'.

Pittsburgh Glass Center (5472 Penn Avenue) features an opening for an exhibition of 31 artists from southwestern Pennsylvania. Each of the works displayed incorporates both glass and steel- the two manufactured substances that have been at the heart of the Pittsburgh industrial economy for the last 150 years. Of course they will have demonstrations throughout the evening, and they will be open from 6 to 9PM. And while you are on that end of the street, stop by the Tunnel Gallery (5515 Penn) to see some sculptures from the Boston-based Anne Lilly. She makes kinetic pieces out of metal. (Check out her website).

As regulars know, the heart of Unblurred is located on the 49th and 50th street blocks, so get back in your car and find a space in that general vicinity. Down that way you'll find newcomer Matt Susko at the Garfield Artworks (4931 Penn). Meanwhile, next door at Image Box (4933 Penn), you can see the paintings of Brant Dykstra. What should you expect from these artists? I have no idea. I've never heard of them. That's what makes this so fun. I could come away pleasantly surprised, disappointed, or indifferent. What better way to spend a Friday?

Anyway, I'll make it a point to linger at Modern Formations (4919 Penn). Brett Davis is one of a trio of artists being shown there. Apparently Davis has been quite active recently, as he has just wrapped up participation in a group show over at the Brew House. He will be joined by Rob Katkowski and Jamie Adams (is this the Jamie Adams that had a show at Jack the Pelican Presents?). It seems like the curators are emphasizing the dark nature of these creators- the exhibition is called A Space of Resignation, and the press release contains descriptors such as "malevolence", "strange" and "discordance". Sounds yummy, I guess.

Don't stay out too late drinking your fancy drinks at the Brillo Box. You're going to want to save some energy for Saturday night.

I'm going to assume that you don't have the money to go to the "Gala Preview" of the Carnegie International on Friday night. After all, you haven't received your tax rebate in the mail, and you likely don't have $350 to spend on fancy cheese and sparkling wine. In fact, you probably aren't even going to the $75-per-guest three-hour late night event. But for a mere $16, you can jam your way through the crowds on Saturday afternoon, as thousands of art-lovers clamor to be the first of the hoi polloi to view Life on Mars. That's right. This year curator Doug Fogle decided that this world-acclaimed art exhibition needed a catchy little title. Something kind of "Glam Rock" perhaps...

Or indeed you could save your money and (for a third of the price) attend the non-gala opening reception for the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Biennial. This event is being held in two locations- the main galleries on 6300 Fifth Avenue and at Pittsburgh Filmmakers (477) Melwood) in Oakland. Among the artists included this year are Paper Rad, Kim Beck, Christopher Lisowsky, Adam Welch, Bob LaBobgah, Juliana Morris, and Tom Sarver. That's a pretty goddamned great start to a stellar line-up. The parties get underway at 5:30 PM.

Three Rivers Arts Festival- 2007.

As an artist, I completely appreciate that efforts need to be made to expose a wider audience to the world of art. There should be opportunities for people to engage artwork that don't require an MFA to understand and enjoy. It's true that there is an insular quality to much of the stuff that gets exhibited at local galleries and even museums. But at the same time, the integrity of art and artists needs to be preserved. This is a timely topic for me as I have spent the last two days attending public spaces involved with the dissemination of art.

June has always been the time for the Three Rivers Arts Festival. For almost as long as I've been in Pittsburgh, I have made it a point to check out the event. I'm not sure whether it's my own evolving perspective, or if it is objective reality- but it sure seems like every year TRAF becomes less and less about the "art". Years ago they used to have a juried show outside, protected by mini-pavilions. It's true that there was always plenty of room to meander through those works. Even then it attracted mostly serious art fans. But it was my absolute favorite thing about the festival. Then they moved the juried show into the 937 Gallery, and space considerations limited the number of pieces they could include. This year they had their "Best of Pittsburgh" show in the PPG Wintergarden. I don't know how many people even realize it's there.

I enjoyed the "Best of..." exhibition, but it was the leanest offering I've seen yet. There were quite a few artists I know personally, and I did enjoy seeing what they submitted. Pieces by Adam Welch and Chris Lisowski were among the standouts. But there were only 48 total works, and they were labeled in the most confusing way possible. They had xerox copies of floor plans, completely unadorned with sufficient information to locate the individual pieces. The only way I could figure out that puzzle was by identifying the works of the artists I knew by sight, and working backwards from there. God help the visitor that isn't familiar with the Pittsburgh art scene.

And then I checked out the "Artist's Market", which is always held around Gateway Center. I think calling the vendors "artists" is generally a bit misleading. By and large the tents contain crafts and such. If you enjoy that sort of thing, more power to you. The people making those products are certainly artisans. There are many fine pieces of handcrafted jewelry, wind chimes, homemade wooden instruments and lots of stock photography. I know I risk sounding like an elitist snob.... but that's not representative of Pittsburgh "arts". Of course, there are always a handful of vendors selling paintings that you couldn't find at every other such event in the country.

I had a short conversation with Kentucky-born transplant and fine artist Mark Traughber. We were both puzzling over the lack of quality artists. Perhaps it has something to do with the jurying process- maybe the organizers don't want to include "challenging" artwork. Or maybe not many local artists take the market seriously enough to consider setting up downtown. I do know that Unicorn Mountain and some local galleries had booths this year, but they only set up for the first session and I missed out on them.

Anyway, it didn't help matters much that the TRAF this year was hampered by the construction going on down at the Point. Usually there is some interesting outdoor sculpture down by the performance stages. This year,the city has decided to fill in the trench that exposed the last surviving wall of Fort Pitt. That's right... on the eve of our 250th anniversary, our leaders are burying our history. Construction is underway, and so the stage and the food booths are jammed in tight with everything else going on. I'm sure there were a few people this year who wondered why they even bothered to fight the traffic. At least there will be more lawn for people to trample while watching the crappy Jimmy Buffet cover bands they always bring in for the Regatta.

Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh. On Saturday night they are having a Flux event (#15) in conjunction with TRAF, and it might redeem my opinion of the festival. There are a lot of good people involved with making that night a success, and I don't want to invalidate the energy they put into it. So show up on Saturday... see what there is to see of the "art" downtown... and then come to the tri-annual celebration of local artists at 610 Smithfield Street. There's free bike parking for the environmentally-conscious.