Pittsburgh Art Events: 9/18-19/09.

Friday

Zombo gallery (4900 Hatfield St.) upholds its status as the most active art space in the city with its reception for Catfish & Such (7-11PM). TJ Reddick likes animals and bright colors. See what I mean?

It's not too late to buy a $50 ticket to the Unicorn Mountain Fundraiser @ Remedy. The event is called The Esoteric Order of the Illustrious Owl Bear, and includes live entertainment, a Bavarian dinner served family-style, an art auction, the new issue of UM (called Black Forest, to be released later this month), and a T-shirt advertising Pittsburgh's hippest art collective. For $35 you can attend the dinner without the material goodies, and for a mere $5 you can participate in the dance party. For details, check out the link.

Future Tenant (819 Penn Avenue, downtown) features a show curated by Jeff Schreckengost and Lisa Toboz called 'Dividing the Goose". The title apparently refers to the themes of folklore and fairy tales that underpin this multimedia exhibition.

Saturday

Cleveland-based Arabella Proffer is unleashing "Splendor and Safety Pins", which highlights her "faux portrait paintings" at Boxheart (4523 Liberty Avenue, Bloomfield) from 6-9PM. She creates mythical European countries and populates them with the characters she envisions. Her work is flat, cartoon-like, and vibrantly colored... and thus perfectly appealing to my aesthetic sensibilities. I believe I'll make a point of attending this one.

When was the last time you made it over to Braddock? See what Fetterman and Co. have been up to by attending the Obscurae Art Lottery over at UnSmoke Systems (1137 Braddock Avenue). For $45 ($55 at the door) you can buy a ticket to purchase a fine art photograph documenting the community. Depending upon when that ticket is drawn, you may get to select your favorite piece, from first to last. It is free to attend this event, but they are trying to raise money to revitalize their neighborhood, so donations are accepted. Eat some fresh bread cooked nearby while you are at it.

Imagebox (4933 Penn Avenue) is opening their doors for "The Red Tag Studio Sale" to benefit the Persad Center. It's rare to see the gallery welcome guests on a day other than First Friday, so it's probably worth a stop (6PM) to see the work of local and national artists.

Pittsburgh Weekend Art Events: 7/17-19/09.

Once again I have to apologize for being largely absent here at the blog this summer. Things are hectic, but I'm trying to keep up.

There is A LOT to do around town this weekend, and I'm sure to miss a lot. Here are some highlights:

Friday

If you have a functioning heart, you may want to consider stopping by Imagebox (4933 Penn, 7-10:30 PM) for a benefit for artist David Flynn. A pittance of 5 lousy bucks gets you beer, cookies, vegan pasta salad, and the chance to say that you are not wholly without compassion. Apparently Mr. Flynn has lots of hospital bills to pay, and is in desperate need of a replacement used laptop to replace one that was stolen. Bring your checkbook, as you wil have the opportunity to purchase some of his art as well.

The seasonal downtown gallery crawl is also happening Friday starting at 5:30PM. If you really want to find out what most of the folks in the region consider the "Cultural District" of the city, head for the smells and the traffic tie-ups of the Golden Triangle.

Meanwhile, at 8PM there will be hundreds of people walking around like zombies. But unlike every other weekend in the South Side, these will be in even scarier make-up. Celebrate the tradition of local legend Romero and shamble down Carson St. It's high satire, and there's supposed to be some party after the mass hike. Tell the entire drinking population of South Hills I said "Hi", and ensure that they continue to revel on the other side of town.

Saturday

Here's a shout-out to one of the 'Burgh's most unusual couples- whether considered separately or (most appropriately) together... Phat Mandee and Tommy Amoeba's Traveling Variety Show is jumping off at the New Hazlett Theater at 10:30 PM. I can only guess about the strange and wonderful sights they have for the lucky ones that show up for this event.

Saturday and Sunday

The SPF EXPO, for Pittsburgh's pre-eminent small press festival, is happening this weekend. There are two floors of vendors, workshops, panels, entertainment, and food. It's $5 for a weekend pass. If you just want to walk around aimlessly without participating in any cool stuff, there is no cover. Venture forth to the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery at CMU's Purnell Center for the Arts (5000 Penn Avenue). Best of all, you can watch me making a fool out of myself on Sunday afternoon, trying to moderate my first panel. What do I know about "art books"?! Here's the detailed schedule for the Expo.

Sunday

Head up Polish Hill (to the crossing of Brereton and Dobson Streets) for the 2nd Annual Art What You Got (Noon-8PM). Along with an artist and handicrafter's marketplace, you'll find ethnic grub like kielbasa and pierogies. Plus you can see some local bands, including one of my favorites- Timbeleza, a Brazillian drumming and samba outfit that got me moving one night over at Your Inner Vagabond. The organizers are convinced that they can avoid the hurricane winds that blew tents over at last year's gig. Go find out if they are prescient or merely plagued by hubris.

Artist Statement for "Vanishings"

For those that either can't or won't be at my show tonight, here is my artist statement. If you would like to come to the reception, it is at Imagebox (4933 Penn Avenue in Garfield), from 7-10PM.

"About 'Vanishings':

I had the idea to visit Eastern Penitentiary last summer, in the midst of a particularly acrimonious national election. Originally I meant the series to be a commentary on the direction of our nation, and the political and social climate of our society. I believe that this original purpose would have been consistent with the spirit of Alexis de Tocqueville, the Parisian who came to the US in 1831 to study this specific institution (modeled on Quaker philosophies and beliefs), as well as the American prison system in general.

In the intervening year since I booked the show, the content has taken on a host of additional personal meanings. While the specifics of the events that have lent additional heft to my feelings about the show are best left unexplained at this point, I will say that the symbolic weight of “prisons” has made its mark on my spirit. I would suggest that we are all limited by walls, whether literal or figurative, self-constructed or imposed, and our challenge is to identify them and assess their true utility for our existence.


About my process:

All my shots are taken in the field, and there is absolutely no intentional post-production on my part. I make every effort to ensure that the final print looks as close as possible to the image I saw on my LCD screen when I took each photograph. My efforts are not intended to express a negative commentary about editing software, but they are essential to the immediacy of my work.


About purchasing the artwork:

Framed prints are $100. If you are especially economically-minded, you can purchase a naked one for $66. Please keep in mind that the frames in this show were hand-made by local artisans, and each image is limited to an edition of ten. The inks and papers used in the print process are meant to ensure lasting quality over a lifetime.


Thank you for your considered support,

My Name
My Phone Number
My E-Mail

I wish to extend my gratitude to the following individuals who helped make this show possible: John Mahood, Paul Roden, Valerie Leuth, Jeffry Grim, J. Cleo Zell, Jeanne Zell, and Katie Zell."

Pittsburgh Art Events: Weekend of 6/5-6/2009.

This weekend arts summary is going to be a rush job, as I still have too much to do to prepare for my own obligations. Speaking of which- there is some unavoidable self-promotion about to happen, so bear with me...

Friday

Go to Unblurred (of course). For some reason, the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative schedule page is down and has been all day... so I suggest you juat show up somewhere along Penn (between Garfield and Friendship) and grab yourself a schedule. Make sure to stop at the Sprout Fund headquarters (5423 Penn, 5:30PM) for their annual social, visit ARTica (5110 Penn, where my friend Susan Constance is displaying some of her fine work). and come say "Hi!" to me at Imagebox (4933 Penn). Other highlights include Benedict Oddi at Modern Formations and Joey Kennedy at 5427 Penn.

Or alternatively, go on down to the opening of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. It will be jam-packed with sweaty cornballs eating fried foods and screaming kids with ice cream dripping down their chins. Seriously though- The Black Keys are playing for free, and (believe me) you'll have plenty of fun finding a place to park. If you do venture forth, you must see Tom Sarver's new installation, entitled "Bait & Tackle". It's great to have him back in the 'Burgh for the summer, while he's got a break from his fancy NY MFA program. Also, pop in at 937 Liberty for an AAP group show, and dig some pieces by my buddies Rick Byerly and Mia Tarducci Henry.

Saturday

Moxie Dada (1416 Arch Street, the North Side) has an opening reception for artist Connie Cantor's "Scribbling for Dummies", starting at 6PM. I don't know what crazy stuff she has planned, but Cantor has been laboring on the local arts scene for decades, and I'm certain that whatever she puts up will be worth looking at.

You should also plan on spending some time at the Zombo Gallery to see Eric Luden's latest batch of illustrative gems. Personally, I haven't missed one of his shows at the gallery yet, and I don't intend to start now. Busty chicks, gritty lizard-like con men, etc... who wouldn't want to take a gaze at that sort of thing? It's called "Chicks and Beer", and the opening runs from 6-10PM. There's also photography by Laura Petrilla, which I find fascinatingly odd, since our good ol' Michael D. insists that shutter-buggery isn't "real art". Perhaps he's had an epiphany?

If you need something to do during the day, check out the new thrift stores along Butler in Lawrenceville. Don't let the new crop of would-be hipsters get all the good stuff.

Pittsburgh Art Events: 4/3-4/09

So what’s it going to be like this weekend? Will this Thursday foretaste of the weekend reflect its flavors? Hell if I know. But I do know this… there are plenty of options tomorrow and Saturday. Take a minute or two to scan this post and you just might find something to make your mouth moist.

Friday

I could almost be forgiven for believing the Pittsburgh Arts scene was in hibernation for virtually the entire winter (with a few notable exceptions, of course). So this First Friday represents a wake-up call for those of you who stayed tucked in through the long, cold season.

Unblurred features the return of the Modern Formations Spring Salon Annual Juried Exhibition. This is often a highlight on Penn Avenue (4919 PENN AVE), and through the years I’ve been exposed to more than a few exciting young artists there- Andy and Ben Kehoe, Katherine Young, Gabe Felice, and Jairan Sadeghi among them. Naturally there are no guarantees, but you could certainly find more futile ways to spend your time. Have at it.

Elsewhere you might run into some throat singers from the steppes of Central Asia (Garfield Artworks- 10 PM, $10 @ 4931 PENN AVE), or be offered an opportunity to take a free hour-long Argentine Tango crash course (5020 PENN AVE 3RD FLOOR,7-8PM, Free). If that ain’t your bag, you can check out the MOXBOX Fine Art Party (5014 PENN AVE) or see an opening for a mosaic down the street at the Pittsburgh Glass Center (5472 PENN AVE, 6-9PM). Carol Speranza has her hand-cut paintings at the International Children’s Art Gallery (5020 PENN AVE) and Dawn Hartman is displaying photos from Ghana at ImageBox (4933 PENN AVE).

After you’ve rambled along the Penn Avenue Corridor, make at least a quick digression to the Zombo Gallery for a look at the Folk Art of Tim Kerr. Apparently dude plays in a band… which wouldn’t ordinarily impress me, but I saw the image on the hot card, and it does look good. I sure do like to look at drawings. See ‘em here.

Likewise there is at least one opening downtown (@SPACE), and of course the competing first Friday over on Ellsworth in Shadyside. Maybe that’s where you belong instead?

Saturday

Moxie Dada (1416 Arch Street on the North Side) returns this month with a show of sculptures curated by Shannon Kuhns. Participating artists include the aforementioned Kuhns, Thomas Brunger, and Elizabeth Ashe Douglas. I find it hard to believe that despite the longstanding efforts of the proprietors, there are still a lot of otherwise savvy scenesters that have yet to visit the old firehouse that the gallery now inhabits. Perhaps you ought to do something about that…

Ok, so I guess I can quit scolding you. I’ll just drop one more suggestion before I leave off. The David Lawrence Convention Center (downtown PGH) is hosting Tekkoshocon- a celebration of Anime and Japanese Culture. It runs from Friday until Sunday, and they seem to have a full schedule planned. I don’t know if I can slip in for a couple of hours or not, but I sure do feel like trying. Cosplay, vendors, fan art… who wouldn’t want to go?

December 2008 Unblurred.

The first Friday of the month is just about here, and you know what that means... free drinks! Actually, there are quite a lot of folks that exert great effort to put together local art events, and they deserve more than for you to just show up and cadge their alcohol. Remember- someone had to pay for it. Take the time and enjoy the work while you're stuffing your face.

Friday:

December Unblurred is upon us, and it looks like just about every available venue is planning something. As always I'm just going to hit upon the highlights as I see them, but I encourage you to check out everything. Personal aesthetics differ wildly, and you may find a favorite that I don't even mention.

I'm personally excited to see that Laura Jean McLaughlin is returning with a group show at Clay Penn (5111 PENN AVE). She's been busy the last several months, and I've missed using her gallery/work space as a home base for these events. I'm not sure who will be involved (besides the very talented painter Victoria Cessna), but I like a lot of the artists she shows. At the other side of the street Carolyn Wenning is opening her SPACE (4823 PENN AVE) after a stint of public inactivity. She's billing the evening as an "open studio", and promising "music, food, and fun".

Garfield Artworks (4931 PENN AVE) is featuring two old hands- figurative painter Evan Knauer, and post-hippie photographer David Harris. To say that these vets are seasoned is an understatement. This is a must-see exhibit for the night. Together these artists represent decades of experience in the local arts scene. As they are both rather "old school", neither of them have much of an internet presence, so you have to come and see the work in person.

Meanwhile Modern Formations (4919 PENN AVE) is offering up Kathryn Cole's “Bits and Pieces of a Place”. Cole was the winner of the gallery's annual juried salon show, during which scenesters got to choose a contributor that should be offered a solo. Over the years a lot of quality artists have been introduced through these exhibitions, and I have no reason to suspect this will be any exception. Cole uses found scraps of metal to construct unique assemblages.

Finally I want to highlight this excerpt from Grace Morrow and Ronn Akins' joint statement about their show at Imagebox (4933 PENN AVE) : "Through various mediums, simple and complex patterning, they search for that connection, that spark that holds us one to another and tells us: we are not alone; we are part of each other; we are part of everything that is; WE ARE!" Can you really afford to miss that?

Saturday:

You can get a jump on your holiday shopping by making a visit to Moxie Dada on the North Side (1416 Arch Street). The Firehouse Studios (the group of artists who do their work above the gallery itself) have a wide assortment of ceramics and jewelry for sale. The reception for "We've been Good" runs from 6-9PM.

Pittsburgh Art Events: 9/5-6/08.

We've officially entered into the election season, and people all over the nation are amped up about their favorite candidates. I can definitely be accused of being a bit obsessed myself, but I'm finally starting to run out of steam. So this weeekend should be a good opportunity for me to relax and take in some decent art and conversation with friends. Sorry this is coming a bit late; I just couldn't keep myself from being distracted.

Friday:

September Unblurred is here. The leaves on the few trees along Penn Avenue will begin to carpet the sidewalks, and it should be comfortable both inside and out. This month sees the re-opening of the Clay Penn (5111 Penn Avenue) after an extended hiatus. Laura Jean will be presenting Mish Mash A Go Go, with the work of various artists including ceramics by Tom Binger and Louise Radochonski. Modern Formations (4919 Penn Ave.) will also be featuring several creators in a show called Of Beasts. "Jason Rosemeyer, Christian Breitkreutz, Bethany Chiarizio, and Michael Ninehouser collectively convey a sense of warning while maintaining a subtle sense of wit as they visually dictate the daunting pleasures and splendid anxieties of modern day living. " Hey, who doesn't have a penchant for modern beasts?

IMAGEBOX (4933 Penn Ave.) is exhibiting the work of a group of emerging photographers from Pittsburgh Filmmakers (Sally Bozzuto, Matthew Robison, and Vanna Weaver) and Jason Sauer is celebrating the one-year anniversary of his Most Wanted Fine Art Gallery with help from Jon Howe from the United Kingdom. Howe is inspired by Picasso's Cubist period, and Sauer calls his assemblages "Neo Classical appropriation with Rauschenberg assemblage".

Unblurred events generally run from 7-10PM.

Friday and Saturday

If you find the time to break away from Penn Avenue between 6 and 11 PM on Friday, you'll be able to see a performance by Andrew the Impaled at the Zombo Gallery (4900 Hatfield Street) in Lawrenceville. I've known him long before his days in real estate, and I can assure you that he is well worth seeing. Have you ever seen a man sew his own mouth shut? This trick would have been especially appropriate for some of the speakers in Minneapolis last night, but they are much more adept at putting their collective foot in their mouth. We'll just have to leave it for the expert. Andrew's appearing in conjunction with Nat the Signgrrrl's exhibition of paintings. Zombo himself promises "Tikis! HotRods! Pinups! and handpainted car hoods!"

In the event that you can't make it, the show will be up for viewing on Saturday as well (sans Andrew, I'm afraid). Michael Devine (aka Zombo) is filling out his monthly schedule with a series of two-night shows on the first weekend of every month. Apparently there are just that many folks around town who would like to show their "lowbrow" work. That's what I'll be doing in December, as it's a nice oportrunity to try and sell art without any commission. And that means that stuff is priced cheap!

Saturday

Moxie Dada (1416 Arch Street in the North Side) has a reception (6-9PM) for Philadelphia-born painter Maria Napoli. Pieces of the Puzzle draws on the artist's "emotional journey and allows us to see glimpses of her spiritual awakenings and understandings." But I'll probably go anyway. I like the gallery and its curators.

Back in Lawrenceville, The Framery (4735 Butler) offers up There are No Birthdays in Hell (5-8PM), by Satan's Camaro (apparently a collaboration between Justin Strom and Lenore Thomas). The artists themselves claim that their nom de plume represents "the lovechild of eighties rocker Nikki Sixx and teen pop star Tiffany." You can hold them responsible for this at their blog. And while you're at it, drop by the Trinity Gallery (4747 Hatfield St.- right down the block from Zombo) for Anne Lee's paintings of the neighborhood (reception starts at 7PM).

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.

Reflections On Local Art Chaos. Part 2.

Without a doubt I was more impressed with the quality of the art this weekend than I was last week. It started well with an impromptu stop at the Zombo Gallery for a look at Ian Green's new work. Michael and Julie (the gallery owners) are dedicated to presenting good 'lowbrow' art at affordable prices. Green is not known for selling cheap- he puts a tremendous amount of time and craftsmanship into everything he does, and he rightfully expects to be compensated appropriately for it. They were able to strike a very nice balance with a mix of tags ranging from 60 to several thousand dollars. There was truly something for everyone. Green's dystopian aesthetic was on full display, with Gandhi fighting asteroids, and baby-binky vitual reality implants. If you didn't get a chance to see it, be sure to make the closing on May 23rd.

Unblurred had a number of pleasant surprises for the discriminating viewer. Metamorphose continued a recent string of excellent shows with the paintings of Joana Ricou. In 2000 Ricou moved from Portugal to attend CMU. The 'Burgh is exceedingly lucky to have her. I first became aware of her work (which she describes as the intersection of biology and art) when she had a show with Stacy Gross at ModernFormations last March. She has been exhibiting lush depictions of the nude female form soaked in brash temptation. Her fiery color palette and sinewy brush-strokes collaborate in a body of work that is both reminiscent of the classical tradition and altogether fuckin' hot.

Across the street at ImageBox was another unexpected series of treasures. Brant Dykstra has been focusing on making rap music since his graduation from art school several years ago. He had actually taken an indefinite leave from painting until quite recently. His re-emergence caught more than a few eyes at his first solo last Friday. There is something vaguely 'day of the dead' about his imagery. His figures populate barren landscapes of muted color. They are stark, but exceptionally contemporary. He was present and accessible at his reception, and was gracious in representing his work. It seems that painting is in his blood. His older sibling Joren showed at the sadly-defunct Digging Pitt in February of 2007, as part of the excellent "Visual Grammar" exhibition of abstraction. I would be very surprised if we didn't see a lot more of both Dykstras in the future.

My post-Unblurred plans were stymied by the Brillo Box's decsion to hold an invitation-only party for the elite after the Carnegie International, and so I found myself with some other local artist schmucks down at Remedy. My sources tell me that things got a bit wild late night at the Brillo, despite the imposing velvet ropes guarding the esteemed entranceway. I guess those San Francisco graffiti guys can get a little out-of-hand. Any short-termed feelings of displacement melted away as I resumed my customary back-booth station on Saturday night. It was surprisingly slow- I guess everyone was at the fancy Piet Mondrian party at the Warhol.

The party for the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Biennial was relatively sedate. But I have to give props to co-curators George Davis and Laura Domencic for their shared vision- the entire exhibition was well-planned and engaging. I particularly enjoyed an installation by Adam Welch- a full library of 'books' painted powder blue, periodically jarred from the shelves by a mysteriously ambulatory power-drill vibration. Also outstanding were a series of ornate paper cutouts of mayhem by Bovey Lee, a battlefield landscape featuring a Sasquatch Army by personal favorite Jen Cooney, and an otherworldly topographical installation at Pittsburgh Filmmakers by Keith Tassick. There were elements of fancy and fantasy to a lot of the pieces that added a factor of delight notably missing from most group efforts. I was hard-pressed to find anything disappointing at the show, and will refrain from identifying the exceptions. You have to see it for yourself.

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.