Pittsburgh Art Events: 5/1-2/09

This weekend the art is jammed-packed into the evening hours of Friday. Apparently May 1st is such an auspicious date for openings that the galleries around town all seized the same moment to unveil their offerings. My advice to you? Pick-and-choose carefully, because you are bound to (once again) miss a lot of what there is to see.

Friday

I’ll get the vanity out of the way with the announcement that I will have a piece in a group show at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. It’s part of “SALIGLIA: A Seven Deadly Sins Exhibition”- which is juried and curated by Steven R. Mendelson, and presented by Pittsburgh Society of Artists. This is the first work that I’ve ever shown at this institution, so suffice it to say I am rather excited. Maybe I’ll even be nervous. Who knows? Meanwhile, there are seven additional exhibitions opening on Friday at PCA, including those featuring Christopher Kardambikis (of Encyclopedia Destructica fame) and Aasta Deth. This is an opportunity to see lots of diverse artwork while making just one stop. Come by 6300 Fifth Avenue, between 5:30 and 8PM.

While you’re in that part of town (from 6-8PM), you can jump into the Miller Gallery at CMU (5000 Forbes Avenue) for “From the Vault”- a selection of pieces by the 2009 BFA class, including Olga Brindar. These students are billing themselves as “panpsychists, selcouthists, paralogists, and strikhedonists.” Crack that code how and when you so choose.

Of course… since this happens to be First Friday, we have a full bill over in the Penn Avenue Corridor for the May Unblurred, Here’s the schedule. The presence of several unfamiliar venues is particularly conspicuous this month. There’s a new clothing store called Tweek (4913 Penn), tree photography at the storefront office of Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest (5427 Penn), and three shutterbugs (including my friend Allison Pochapin) at 5131 Penn. There’s also a display of post-apocalyptic architecture down at EDGE studio (5411 Penn, drive there if you have the option) and shots from Route 66 by Scott Roller at Imagebox (4933 Penn). Be sure to visit the anchors as well- Garfield Artworks, Modern Formations, and Most Wanted Fine Art. Most of the stuff happens between the hours of 6 and 10PM. Can you handle all that?

And we’re not done yet, boys and girls. Because some local film industry people have collected some stuff for display at Mendelson Gallery (5874 Ellsworth Avenue) in Shadyside. Jolene Elyse Drylie, Mark L. Gualtieri, Smith Harper Hutchings, Shawn Watrous & Kevin Wenner are included in “The Scenics”, opening 6-9PM. Good stuff indeed.

At the risk of sounding like Ron Popeil, I feel some obligation to mention the fact that there’s EVEN MORE to see. Because the Society for Contemporary Craft is hosting their first reception (5:30-8PM) in more than half a year- “Beyond Shared Language: Contemporary Art & the Latin American Experience”. Don’t let the swanky atmosphere of this Strip District location (2100 Smallman Street) put you off- you are welcome to browse, and I have enjoyed my previous visits there. If they let a scumbag like me in… well…

Finally, Zombo Gallery (4900 Hatfield St.) is once again rolling out the art. This go ‘round they have works by Kill Taupe. The show is called “Imaginary Friends Club”. I have no idea what that’s all about. But the reception lasts from 6-11PM, making this a possible last stop for your meanderings on what should be a very busy night.


Saturday

We’ve got slim pickings after the whirlwind of activity on Friday. But Boxheart (on Liberty Ave. in Blooomfield) has the opening for Kim Curinga’s “Legacy: Digital Paintings Reception”. Check it after 5PM. Have fun.

Pittsburgh Art Happenings: 11/14-15/08.

It's been several weeks since I gave a shout-out to the local scene, so I feel an entry is overdue. It doesn't hurt that there are a number of compelling events happening around town over the next couple of days. If you are anything like me, you could probably use a break from the national scene. Out-of-town readers... don't despair, as the blog's focus will remain broader than this post may suggest.

Friday:

Five new exhibitions are opening at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. The one I'm most excited by is Altered States, because it features work by Romanian transplant and friend, Tibi Chelcea. Unfortunately he won't be present at the reception. Chelcea is currently in South America, no doubt having the time of his life. Before he left we exchanged several pieces of art, as we are fans of each other's images. His are mostly byzantine woodcuts evocative of the Kafkaesque existence so many of us find ourselves stumbling through. Despite his absence, I'm sure this will be a lively affair. By all means arrive in person at the PCA to see what other print-makers might be in town for this group show.

Robert Qualters and Charlee Brodsky are luminaries of the Pittsburgh scene, and I'll be looking forward to taking a close look at their collaboration, Autumn. I'm unfamiliar with the remaining stuff listed for the night, but I expect I'll find at least one more pleasant surprise. It can all be seen for a mere $5 (+ cash for the bar), between 5:30 and 8PM.

On the lowbrow tip, Zombo Gallery is having its first show in partnership with the new ToonSeum, This "show and sell" includes Mike Peters ("Mother Goose and Grimm"), Terri Liebenson ("Pajama Diaries"), Rob Rogers (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Wayno, Joe Wos, Lee Moder ("Painkiller Jane" and "Wonder Woman"),Tom Richmond (Mad Magazine), and many more. The reception runs from 6-11PM. It's altogether fitting that a collection of cartoonists be gathered here at Zombo's place in Lawrenceville.

If you aren't doing anything right after work, you can check out an appearance by The Yes Men, "activist-artists" who delight in taking on the bureaucratic and corporate interests that keep us down. KEEP IT SLICK: Infiltrating Capitalism with The Yes Men opens at CMU's Regina Gouger Miller Gallery this Friday, from 5-8PM. The event includes the "How To Be A Yes Man Workshop" and a "Business Casual Reception". If you haven't seen these guys, you need to know that they are both hilarious and thought-provoking. Some of their stunts have included a presentation at a prestigious American business school dedicated to explaining the benefits of "recycled meat", and an address to the World Trade Organization that included a tear-away suit hiding a giant inflatable phallus with a surveillance camera on its head.

Saturday:

I've not yet taken the opportunity to visit Lawrenceville's newest art space, the LUKE and ELOY Gallery (5169 Butler Street) - mostly because they hold their opening receptions during Saturday afternoons (11AM-5PM). But this month's show, Laughingstock: Humor in Art & Craft, sounds compelling enough to warrant a look-see. The curators ask, "Can humor and satire stimulate laughter as well as serve as a vehicle to explore serious subjects, such as feminism, the natural environment, the excesses of consumer culture, religion, sexuality, social injustice, and war ?" I guess we'll have to show up to know for sure.

Meanwhile Boxheart Gallery in Bloomfield is featuring the grand-daughter of German Expressionist Hans Groh. Irmaly Brackin employs a loose, colorful style that channels the Cuban and Latin American imagery of her childhood home of Miami. Make the trek to 4523 Liberty Avenue and find out how far the apple falls from the tree.


NOTE: For a comprehensive guide to area art events, please visit the Pittsburgh art and gallery info site. Go there often. Rick puts a lot of effort into collecting all of the relevant information, and he could use your support.

Pittsburgh Art Happenings: 9/12/08

Today is obviously a day that's been mothballed, and thus both sides in the presidential race have decided to suspend political activities. I figure that if a break in the action is acceptable for them, then it's ok for me as well. It just so happens that this particular date falls on a Thursday, so it's easy for me to simply follow my routine of posting about art events. So here is what this weekend has in store for the art fanatic:

Friday

After months of preparation which included a grant proposal, a jury process, an inordinate amount of convoluted communication, the layout and printing of a full-color 250-page catalog, and the actual physical setup of the exhibition... In the Making: 250 Years/250 Artists is finally opening at Fe Gallery in Lawrenceville (4102 Butler St.), tomorrow night at 7PM. Well over 400 local artists submitted pieces for consideration in the show. Those who were eventually accepted each got to include one image to be displayed in the catalog, and one piece to be hung on the wall. The latter were selected by curator Jill Larson- former owner and proprietor of the Fe Gallery before it received its non-profit status.

The exhibition started with the awarding of a Sprout Fund Grant coinciding with the Pittsburgh 250 Community Connections Initiative. The idea was to organize a survey of the best local art currently being produced around town. In addition a print production would accompany the exhibition, and serve as a permanent testament to the project. A general cattle call was put out, and word spread quickly throughout the local scene. Because of limited resources and busy judges, there were several delays before official invitations were sent out to the artists who had been chosen. While not everyone was pleased by the process, few had a realistic idea of the logistical nightmares that a show of this scale entailed.

But now the work is on the wall, and a mock-up of the catalog is available for perusal. The show itself will be available for viewing until January 10, 2009. Catalogs can be pre-ordered the night of the opening, and there will be a reception for its official release on some as yet unspecified date in October. While all of your favorites aren't likely represented, I'm certain that at least a few of them are. Keep in mind that just because someone is not in the show does not mean that they were turned down. Many artists I know didn't even submit work. Still, having scanned the list, I have confidence that this will be a high-quality sampling of what the 'Burgh has to offer the rest of the world.

The "250 Show" just so happens to fall on the same night as Pittsburgh Center for the Art's reception for "Artist of the Year" Susanne Slavick. To be honest, I've never heard of her before*... but her work looks good online. As the PCA staff notes Slavick's latest series is concerned with "digitally and manually transforming photographic images of wreckage, she 'recognizes, rues or reconstitutes' what has been decimated." I'm sure it's nowhere near as cute as it sounds. Alongside Slavick, the work of "Emerging Artist Award"-winner Adam Welch will be presented. Welch is an installation artist who had a particularly memorable piece in the 2008 PCA Biennial. Things get underway at 5:30PM and run until 8PM. Admission is $10 ($5 after 6:30).

I also want to give a quick shout-out to the Wizard of Oddities (4314 Butler St.). This idiosyncratic art space is also having a reception this Friday, from 7-11PM. It's for a retrospective of paintings from the "Voyeur" series by Sam Thorp. Stop in before or after you visit the Fe Gallery.

* Likely due to the fact that she is part of the CMU arts faculty- the majority of whom do not seem all that well-integrated into the local Pittsburgh arts scene. I suspect this is largely intentional.

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.