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.

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.