Pittsburgh Art Events: 4/24-27/09.

This weekend there’s a time management workshop on offer down at Duquesne. I’m not going to offer you the details, but I will have you know that this talk would have been useful for fitting in all of the great events happening over the next several days. There’s so much to do that you probably won’t have time to listen to a lecture about scheduling. But if you find yourself amenable to the suggestion, have a quick scan over my picks…

Friday

To be honest, I have no idea whether or not the seasonal Downtown Gallery Crawl has morphed into this thing called “One Night Stand”… but it sure seems like the Cultural Trust is in the mood for a makeover. Several galleries in the Golden Triangle are hosting receptions with live entertainment on Friday, and it might be an efficient use of your time to drive around for 45 minutes or so and look for a proper parking spot. Mary Mack will be spinning to a backdrop of Czech photos at SPACE, Netherlands-based Telcosystems will appear to support the “at times visually violent, sonically extreme and physically intimidating” art displayed at Wood Street, and there will be spoken word by Brian Francis at Future Tenant. Apparently there’s an after party at Remedy in Larryville. It all (and more) gets underway at 7:30PM.

Perhaps you missed Tim Kerr’s opening at Zombo Gallery (4900 Hatfield Street) a few weeks ago? The closing is Friday from 6PM to around 10PM (or so). Take your time and read the words on his paintings. It seems like a bit of a risky choice to write directly on your visual work. But in this case, I found it rather inspiring.

The Brew House Distillery program annually offers emerging artists six-month residencies at their facility on 2100 Mary Street in the South Side. Stop by at Space 101 (from 7-11PM) for the opening reception starring the latest batch of home-grown creators. Just get out of that hood before the suburban tools start to flood in with their cheap beer piss and whiskey-muscles.

Friday/Saturday

My buddy Tom Henry is performing his wryly wacky form of comedy at the Improv in Homestead for a three night stretch (starting Thursday @ 8PM, with shows @ 8PM and 10PM on Fri and 7PM and 9PM on Sat), opening for national comic T.J. Miller. It’s $15 per show, plus money enough for the two drink minimum. Drop in and show support for the local jokester. If you don’t laugh at least once, then… well, um… then you’re a douchebag?!

Saturday

Ok, I haven’t really ridden a bike in years. But I do appreciate it when I see others doing so. That’s why I’m mentioning the pancake breakfast at the East Liberty Whole Foods on Saturday morning (8 AM). It’s $7, sponsored by the Community Design Center, and offers guests a chance to register for Pedal Pittsburgh. I can only speculate, but I imagine there’s nothing more pleasant than having a stomach full of griddle cakes expanding in your belly as you two-wheel up-and-down the hills of the ‘Burgh.

If you need to sit after your ride, stop by (11AM) at Fe Gallery in the L-Ville and find out “how art stuff happens” @ the Workshop for the Working Artist. It’s $5 (which should give you an essential clue in solving the thematic problem posed herein), and features local scenesters including Jennifer Baron, Susan Blackman, Eric Shiner, and T Foley. Then at 2PM you can check out the Ralph Munn Creative Writing Workshop, led by photo-essayist and memoirist Sandra Gould Ford, @ the Carnegie Library in Oakland. That one’s free.

Permit me to say that one of the major highlights this weekend should be the reception for the one-week run of CMU –grad Olga Brindar’s “Sketchbook Release: Moments and Minutiae” at the Panza gallery in Millvale (115 Sedgwick Street). I’ve been checking out her drawings for a few years now, and I’m excited for her first solo exhibition. Olga is a young artist who’s not afraid to put herself on display, and we are all the better off for it. It is imperative that you fit this into your Saturday agenda (6-9PM).

The aforementioned Remedy (5121 Butler St) is hosting an opening/reception (from 11PM-1AM) for their in-house muralist Emmeric Konrad. The theme is “Drawings Done in Bars & the Paintings They've Inspired”. Make sure to visit the dining room and learn what his art does for your appetite(s). Have their fine cooks make you somethin’ good while you are at it. I recommend most everything.

Saturday/Sunday

Art all Night, Pittsburgh’s premiere non-juried visual and auditory extravaganza starts at 6PM on Saturday night and runs until Sunday @ 2PM. It’s a Lawrenceville annual tradition, and takes place at the Red Warehouse (3510 Smallman Street) this year. According to the “official” numbers, last year saw 810 participating artists and attracted over 10,000 guests. Get there early for parking and refreshments. And if you want to display your work, drop off is Saturday afternoon (Noon-4PM). See the website for all the details you need. And yes… it’s all free.

Underground Comedy Night @ The Brillobox

On Tuesday night I did something that I rarely ever do- I went to see live stand-up comedy. The last time that I saw such a thing (in a formal context, of course) was several years ago when I went to see Neil Hamburger play the Rex Theater. Don't quote me, but I think I may have gotten in for free due to knowing the doorman and organizer of the event. I had mild fun, and seeing a national comic was an experience for me. If you're not familiar with the stylings of Hamburger, he affects a naïve and painfully shy demeanor while delivering a string of cringe-inducing jokes in a monotone voice. It's supposed to be uncomfortable to watch him work his way through his routine. Regardless I wasn't sad that I went.

What made me consider going to the Brillobox for Underground Comedy Night was the inclusion of a guy that I recently met through a friend. It's not something that I would typically patronize because I tend not to share prevailing attitudes regarding humor. In short, if I was trying to be funny on-stage, I would definitely not want to face myself in the audience. I'd be working extra hard trying to provoke a smile on my face, as I stared at myself with a mild look of disgust. Suffice it to say that I'm a tough crowd. But I got a good feeling from meeting this friend-of-a-friend (whose name, by the way, is Tom Henry), and resolved to break my pattern and spend my weeknight in an unconventional way. I even prepared to pay a cover.

I was frankly delighted to arrive on the second floor of the bar and notice that no one was collecting for the show. I had nothing to lose but time, which is at less of a premium now than it would be during my work year. I greeted Tom and could tell that he appreciated my presence. We grabbed a booth up front and settled in for the performances. Apparently the event is held semi-regularly on Tuesdays throughout the year at this venue, and is always hosted by local comic Gab Bonesso. As an MC she is garrulous but animated, and tries to set a tone of respectful attention for the performers. Actually she does so by haranguing anyone she notices talking during the individual sets. But that's understandable given the nature of the presentation.

There were an unusual number of comics signed up to take the stage this week, and so everyone got about ten to twelve minutes to strut their stuff. Much of it was about what I expected from a locally-produced free happening. I was mildly amused as folks ran through the typical material about blacks, gays, Asians and perverse sexuality. Naturally there were a few that stood out, and strangely enough a couple of them happened to be the fat white males. It seems that being socially marginalized adds an element of hilarity to our contemporary experience. Perhaps that's why the nerds, minorities and homosexuals get the best receptions. I realize that's a stereotype, but such assumptions seem to be particularly embraced within that circle.

I felt fortunate to be able to say that I truly enjoyed Tom Henry's jokes. He was the only comic that assumed an entirely manufactured persona. Oddly enough, he just happens to be heavily influenced by Neil Hamburger (and Steven Wright, for that matter). But Henry also manages to include absurdist elements that seem wildly creative as he delivers them. He even made me laugh out loud at one point, which I consider quite the achievement. I noticed that I wasn't alone as he drew some of the best audience reaction, along with a young dude named Tim Dimond. After all was over, I was glad I went. The only downside was having to sit through the "best political humor" in Pittsburgh, as delivered by local gadabout and radio host John McIntire*. The scene still has plenty of room to grow.


* Perhaps I am not being altogether fair in my assessment of McIntire's set. Maybe he just couldn't get it up on this particular night. Or otherwise, maybe he just had his "dumbing-down" meter set too high for this particular venue. If I had to confront the unsophisticated listeners of the local talk radio set, my approach might suffer as well.