Art Events For Friday, June 13th.

Just as expected (given the amount of art events and other things happening around town last weekend) we are about to enter a rather slow weekend. Perhaps everybody really does need to wind down from the rash of frenzied activity of the Spring season. But before you decide to stay in with a glass or two of chilled white wine and the complete run of Freaks and Geeks on DVD, let me tell you about a thing or two that IS going on.

The Mattress Factory is having its annual "Urban Garden Party". Since this year's event falls on a very special day, the organizers have decided to run with a likewise special theme. As their website explains- "To honor Friday the 13’s superstitious origin in 18th century France, this year’s fête will feature guillotines, powdered wigs, bustiers and extravagant, over-the-top decor. Let them eat cake!" That last part is ironically appropriate as none of the peasants that I know can afford the $85 'ticket-for-the-masses-fee', let alone the $200 VIP ticket for the hour-long pre-party with a special performance by local chanteuse Phat Man Dee. Keep in mind that this is a fund-raiser, and so the high admission fees are understandable and vital to the operation of this first class institution. Oh, to be a true supporter of the arts!

On the exact opposite end of the spectrum is the Tattoo Artist's Freak Show over at Zombo Gallery on 49th and Hatfield Streets in Lawrenceville. Michael Devine (co-owner, namesake, and curator) has adopted the mission of bringing art to ordinary folks who are often intimidated by the prospect of high-falutin' art receptions. Over the last year he has shared his version of what he refers to as "lowbrow art". The stuff he shows is consistently accessible and fun. And the best thing is that most of it is priced under $200, as Zombo himself would love to see you actually buy a piece of it to hang on your wall. The 'Burgh is chock full of quality skin artists, and this Friday night will be a great opportunity to get a look at some of their work.

If you are looking for something in between the aforementioned events, I'd heartily recommend your presence Friday evening at the official opening reception of Sylvania at the 709 Penn Gallery (6-8PM). The title indicates the theme, and reflects the woodsy nature of the art. This show features the work of a bunch of artists involved in the loose arts collective called Unicorn Mountain. The group has published a number of art/comics-based books over the last several years. Their next publication is (tentatively) called Black Forest and is said to be forthcoming this Fall. It will feature a great lineup of local artists, some of which have gone on to national acclaim, and will be accompanied by a CD containing music by local bands.

At the risk of seeming personally biased (I am involved with the collective, have a piece in this show, and will be included in Black Forest), I have to say that there are a number of excellent artists contributing to this themed-project. You should really come to the "soft opening" tomorrow night, but if you can't make it- it will be available for viewing through July 12th. That includes Friday, July 11th, which is the date of the Summer Downtown Gallery Crawl. Artists exhibiting work include Matthew Thurber, Austin English, Ally Reeves, Katherine Young, Ian Finch, Thad Kellstadt, Beano, Tom Hall, Elina Malkin, David Grim, Thee Coyote, Michael Budai, Ben Hernstrom, Amy Conroy, Chris Cornwell, Kathleen Lolley, and Tugboat Printshop.

The Show is Hung... the Wait Continues.

My show at Pittsburgh Filmmakers is finally up on the wall. This is a bit of a strange situation for me, as I haven't even been in to look at the finished product. Of course it is a bit unconventional to have the artwork exposed to public view for a full week before the opening reception. It makes my promotional hot card a bit misleading. Originally the opening was scheduled for tonight, but it had to be pushed back by a week because of scheduling conflicts. Now it's going to happen a week from today, on "First Friday". I'll admit to having mixed feelings about that.

I've made my frustration about Pittsburgh event-planning pretty well-known on this blog. Weeks will go by without anything much of interest, and then there will be a flood of options packed into a single night. This weekend, for example, there is very little happening in the 'Burgh. Earlier this evening I attended the single thing I had identified as wanting to see- a multi-artist opening curated by Thad Kellstadt, downtown at the Space Gallery. Actually, considering the lack of entertainment opportunities, this event was sparsely attended. It was good to see Thad on the eve of his big move to Chicago. I'm sure he'll do well there. But while he's settling in there next weekend, there will be plenty of things to see here in Pittsburgh.

I anticipate that many of the folks who would ordinarily show up at my opening will be occupied with Unblurred on Penn. Hell... if I wasn't unveiling my own work that night, I'd be right there with them. Some of my friends have tried to mollify me by saying that the art walks in the summer are weak, but that wouldn't have kept me at home otherwise. The only thing that could work in my benefit is that everyone will already be out, and perhaps they'll jump around a bit. Either way I'm sure I'll enjoy next Friday with whomever shows up. If you've never been to an opening at the Melwood Screening Room, you'll be pleased to discover how great the spreads are at their receptions. If no one else comes, that just means more beer and food for me. I'll be the one laying in my own vomit in the lobby.

Actually the entire experience with Filmmakers has been wonderful so far. It certainly didn't hurt that I contracted the very competent Paul Roden and Valerie Lueth of Tugboat Printing (Lawrenceville) to frame my work this time around. They did an excellent job at an extremely affordable price. Between them and Panza Frame and Gallery, Pittsburgh artists and collectors are spoiled. You can't go wrong with either of these excellent shops.

George Davis and the entire crew at Filmmakers have also made the preparation for this show extremely pleasant. Despite the fact that they usually don't print cards for the outer gallery, they were tremendously accommodating in granting my request for them. They made them in-house and (thanks, Gern) they came out looking great. When I delivered the work on Wednesday morning, George and I organized the work through a smooth collaborative process. We laid the photos along the walls, and agreed on a meaningful presentation. I couldn't believe how smooth a process it was. After we were done with the layout, I was able to leave immediately. I felt completely indulged, knowing that competent professionals would hang and light the work. An artist could get used to showing at the institutional level.

While the inner gallery is considered a more prestigious space to show, the lobby of the Melwood Screening Room has some extraordinary benefits. It is impossible to go to see one of the many fine quality foreign or independent films without being exposed to the work in the outer gallery. Unlike a private gallery, this theater attracts a whole population of folks who otherwise wouldn't make a point of looking at art. While there is really no sales orientation in the facility, showing at Pittsburgh Filmmakers is a great way to broaden your appeal. I'm definitely looking forward to the reception, and I hope you will join me (if at all possible).


The opening reception for We Will Dance Again runs from 7-9PM on Friday, August 3rd. The gallery/screening room is located at 477 Melwood Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Contact Pittsburgh Filmmakers for further information at 412-681-5449. My work will be available for viewing through September 2, 2007.

Thwarted?!

I had every intention or writing about my visit to the Heinz History Center today. I also planned to prepare for my road trip to Chicago tomorrow morning. Unfortunately events have conspired against me. Instead I'm sitting at a booth at the Brillobox, using a friend's laptop and the bar's WiFi connection. It's not that I'm lazy or a derelict drunk, but rather an act of "god" that has brought me here tonight.

Only a couple of hours ago I thought that I had the luxury of sitting down to one or two episodes of OZ- Season 4, and indeed I was in the midst of a fascinating shift in the narrative arc when my neighborhood got hit with a micro-burst. Sheets of rain were hitting the aluminum siding of the house, and I could hear my empty garbage cans falling down and sliding along the sidewalk. The screen door opened and slammed shut a few times in quick succession and the plastic furniture was scraping along the surface of the front porch. I knew it was a fairly severe storm, but I sunk further into the couch in the coziness of shelter and confidence. And then the power went out.

Just a couple of weeks ago I remember cruising down an inner-city thoroughfare thinking about the poor bastards sitting in the dark of their houses as a result of a rash of summer storms. It's easy to get smugly self-satisfied if you haven't experienced an extended blackout in years. In all the time I've spent in Sharpsburg, I've never been inconvenienced by loss of electricity for any length of time- even when the worst flood in seventy years hit town. So it was with an unpleasant shock of memory that I settled into the rapidly darkening household, wondering when whatever damaged infrastructure would be repaired.

There's not much to do without light. In those conditions, it's not hard to imagine why our forebears were early-risers. No television. No internet. Just sitting in the twilight with a trio of slightly anxious cats. M. went to sleep, but I had things I wanted to get done. It's an effective object lesson in the risks of procrastination. So what do I do now? Getting into my car and looking for food, I noticed that streets a block or two away have electricity. Unless you are a civil engineer, patterns of power loss seem awfully random and arbitrary. Why me? It's another example of American tragedy. Oh my God, what do I do? Meanwhile people are starving in the Sudan. People in Iraq enjoy a couple of unreliable hours of electricity a day. And I have to go to the bar and grab a booth to update my blog.

Actually, I did benefit from my forced change in plans. When I got to the Brillo I caught the tail-end of a reading upstairs. Thad Kellstadt, a talented and amiable artist who is himself migrating to Chicago at the end of the month, was sharing some of his poems. While I own several of his paintings, I had no idea that he wrote. In short bursts of slacker haiku, he delivered the goods. I especially enjoyed a quote from the cult-classic, teenage rebellion movie, Over the Edge- "A kid who tells on another kid is a dead kid."

Don't tell anyone I was bitching about a blackout.