The Blogger Show Opening @ Panza Frame and Gallery, Millvale.

There will be a slight hint of sadness to my activities this weekend. That's because Saturday marks the last Pittsburgh opening reception that the Digging Pitt Gallery will be involved in. The ironic thing is that the show doesn't even take place in Lawrenceville. Instead it's in Millvale at the Panza Gallery (115 Sedgwick Street) between the hours of 6 and 9PM. It's the last installment of The Blogger Show, which ran concurrently in NYC and Pittsburgh last month. I have a fair amount of work displayed for this exhibition. The binding commonality among the artists included is their involvement in blogs with art-related themes. By this definition Serendipity is a bit of an exception. Although I occasionally write conceptually about art products and process, my site isn't anywhere near as centered on these subjects as the others represented in the show. I suppose my sporadic participation in The Diggging Pitt blog worked to my favor.

If it weren't for John Morris (Digging Pitt's owner/curator), I wouldn't have established Serendipity when I did. It was through his prodding that I started writing for blogs- first for the gallery, and then for myself. I became affiliated with the Digging Pitt when local art star Bob Ziller included me in a group show that John had asked him to put together. I had expected to get a few photographs accepted for display, but it turned out that John happened to be (atypically) free of distraction when I brought my stuff in. He decided almost immmediately that he liked my work, and asked if I'd be willing to keep some of it in the flat files at the gallery. Thus started a multi-year interaction that kick-started my entry into the local arts scene. It wasn't long after that fateful day that I was planning to co-curate a themed group show at the Digging Pitt (Carnivalesque- A Grim Guignol- 2006). We had a lot of fun putting that together, and I'd have to say it was a reasonable success.

Earlier this year I had my first gallery solo at Digging Pitt Too. It included 40 photographs from a conceptual series called Regenesis. My experience with hanging (thanks, Susan C.!) and selling that show was invaluable. As time progressed I started forming a friendship with John that I hope continues when he goes back to NYC. We even tramped around Chelsea, Brooklyn, and Queens together this past summer. I have to say that I learned an inordinate amount about art from John, who was already a well-established artist before he ever showed up in the 'Burgh. Unfortunately I also had to sit through a series of lectures about urban planning, as that is another one of his obsessions. It's incredibly rare to meet people so well-versed in their passions, and so willing to share information, as John Morris.

So that's why my enjoyment of The Blogger Show has been tinged with a hint of sorrow. Soon after the show wraps up, Pittsburgh will lose a valuable asset. I guess that it's ultimately fitting that the pieces I'm showing this Saturday are from my bodies of work that John likes the best. There is a series of shots I took of an outdoor bible walk behind a Franciscan Friary in West Virgina. And there is an enigmatic collection of raw and emotional drawings I made over ten years ago. These are incredibly personal creations, and John was the first (besides myself) to see something valuable in them. In fact, he's one of the few people that has heard the full story behind the creation of this work. Despite getting to know me primarily as a photographer, John has been consistently encouraging of my return to drawing. For this I owe him a debt of gratitude.

I don't think I'm the only person in Pittsburgh who has benefited from Digging Pitt's presence these last few years. John's commitment to art and artists has always outstripped whatever negative feelings he might have had about this city. Through my participation in the gallery's activities, I have met many artists and collectors that I expect to stay in touch with. A sense of community is built from the accumulation of individual energy that people put into their passions. John Morris certainly became a part of the community, and he'll be missed when he leaves. Take the opportunity to stop by Panza Gallery tomorrow night, and wish John well in his future endeavors. Also introduce yourself to Mark Panza who remains in the area, maintainig a decades-long commitment to the Pittsburgh art scene.

Artist talk @ Agni Gallery, NYC this Saturday.

So I've decided (somewhat belatedly) to take a trip up to Agni Gallery to see The Blogger Show. You might remember that I mentioned considering going for the opening reception a couple of weeks ago. After all, this is the first time that I've had a piece in a show in a NY gallery. I didn't go, and ended up second guessing myself during most of that weekend. Still there were multiple reasons that I decided to skip it. My car needed a heck of a lot of repair work. There were several things that I wanted to see in town. Most convincingly, I had no one to travel with. I didn't relish the idea of driving into the big city by myself. I had asked my father if he was interested in going with me, but it turned out that he had other plans for the weekend. I could have crashed at his house that Friday night, and took a bus into Manhattan- but this seemed like more trouble than it was worth. After all, it wasn't like it was a solo exhibition.

But things have changed dramatically over the last week or so. I discovered that I would have this Friday off. I had already decided that I would go this upcoming weekend, but this fortuitous development makes the travel plans much more convenient. My father is going to be around, and he has generously offered his house as a way station, and suggested that he would accompany me on Saturday. I have also gotten my car fixed. M. had no problem with me going, so it was pretty much a no-brainer. I called John M. and let him know that I would be coming. I even said I'd do a gallery talk if he had any interest in planning one. He seemed excited because he had envisioned having other events during November at Agni, and he decided that he would do the talk with me.

I've given this type of talk before, and indeed the first time was at the Digging Pitt in Pittsburgh. I had co-curated a carnival-themed show, and was happy to speak about the way the concept had developed. Incredibly there were about 50 people in attendance. I provided a lot of historical context into the traveling carnival and sideshow phenomena in mid 20th century America. I explained why I felt personally connected to that aesthetic. Not surprisingly (for people that know him) John had a lot to say as well. It turned into a lively discussion, and a bunch of folks joined in. While I may have been a bit anxious when I started talking, by the end of the event I was rolling along pretty smoothly. The only disruption occurred when one of my more colorful friends interrupted me mid-sentence so he could get my car keys. Somehow that seemed to be in keeping with the carnival spirit I was attempting to convey.

I have no expectations that this Saturday will be anywhere near as successful as that previous event. This is Manhattan, USA for god's sake- the center of the western art world. And here's this little gallery in the Lower East Side, miles away from the centrifugal force of Chelsea. Is anyone likely to care about a completely anonymous artist from Pittsburgh, PA appearing at Agni? Not really. Even if we had any level of advertising and publicity, there is just too much else to do on the island (like taking an extra long shower, or getting a haircut). If you can make it, I guarantee there will be plenty of elbow room despite the gallery's modest size. Furthermore I'm not exactly sure what to say. I had supposed that I would speak about blogging, as that is the theme of the show. I could make quite a fool out of myself oin that topic.

Apparently I'm going to talk about my ongoing project- The Book of Life. At least that's what it says on the Digging Pitt blog. Yes, I have a blasphemer's audacity that allows me to form the conceit that I am actually re-creating that holy tome of judgment. Still I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't point out that I haven't done this with any direct spirit of irony. I've been living with the creation of this piece for about a year-and-a-half, and the joke would wear thin quickly if I wasn't serious about it. The new work certainly relates to the piece I submitted for the Agni show. It's a bit odd to trace the evolution of my thinking since I completed the component drawings of Separation of Sinner and Saint over ten years ago. We lose sight of the long view so easily while we are obsessed with being "in the present". Even so, I'll probably make shit up as I go along.

The talk is this Saturday, November 24th at 5PM. Agni Gallery is located @ 170 East 2nd Street - New York NY 10009 - 412-389-0288.

"The Blogger Show" @ Agni, NYC.

If you are in the NYC area this weekend (or anytime during November), stop by the Agni Gallery at 170 East 2nd street (between Avenue A and Avenue B), on the lower east side of Manhattan. I'm going to be showing my first piece ever in the Big Apple. John Morris from the Digging Pitt has put together a show of artists who write blogs that (in some way or another) have to do with the art world. The opening reception is this Saturday, November 4th, from 6-8PM. There will be 30 artists included in the exhibition at Agni representing such far flung locales as Seattle, Minneapolis, Richmond, Raleigh, Detroit, DC, Portland, Philadelphia, Boston, Jacksonville, Brooklyn and (of course) Pittsburgh. Technically it would be more appropriate to say that these folks represent virtual space, as they have all contributed to what is being referred to as The Blogger Show.

If you are stuck in Western PA- don't fret because there will be two local receptions held at Digging Pitt/DP Too (December 8th, 6-9PM) and the Panza Gallery in Millvale (December 15th, 6-9PM). Many of the same artists with work @ Agni will be displaying additional work at these galleries. Besides the piece in NYC (a drawing diptych entitled Separation of Sinner and Saint), I will be displaying photos and additional drawings at Panza. Much of this stuff has only been shown on a very limited basis in past shows. As the Blogger Show marks what is likely to be some of the last curatorial efforts of the Digging Pitt within the Burg, it only seemed right to choose examples of my work that rank among John's favorites.

The idea for The Blogger Show germinated shortly after John Morris began his own gallery blog. For a few months I limited my online activity to contributing to that site. After awhile John convinced me that I should start my own blog. It was originally conceived as a forum to post images of my work, but it evolved into something altogether different. I ended up experiencing difficulty uploading picture files (mostly because I was limited to a dial-up internet connection), and so I concentrated on my writings. Serendipity has since transformed into a mishmash of collected observations on all sorts of topics. In that respect, it is quite different than the majority of efforts undertaken by other artists included in this show. But I would argue that much of the conception that has seeped into my artwork over the last year and a half has either been reflected or stimulated by material posted here. If you would like to compare and contrast styles, both in terms of product and genesis, you can explore each individual artist's site from this page.

I'm both surprised and encouraged that my efforts have led to my participation in The Blogger Show. While publicity may have been among my original intentions when I started this project, I have ended up undermining that purpose by deciding to write under a pseudonym. That decision was made to dissociate my 'real world' persona from an assumed identity. Despite the fact that I display my work under my given name, it's true that my thought process is expressed more freely within this blog than anywhere else with public access. That reality has contributed to a strange dichotomy that I have expounded upon in a previous entry (read it here). It's perhaps ironic then that this exhibition has done more than anything else to once again connect my actual name to this blog.

The disconnect between my virtual and external lives is going to be (once again) reinforced by my choice not to attend the opening reception at Agni in person. I've put a lot of thought into traveling to NYC for the weekend, but logistical concerns have made the prospect of such a journey impractical. That's a sad situation because I don't know if I'll ever get such an opportunity again. Still my absence seems strangely appropriate given the nature of the theme of the show. I am arguably far more revealed by your computer monitor than I would be otherwise. This Saturday and this month will pass, but the show will go on in cyberspace. See you there.