Pittsburgh Art Happenings: Weekend of 10/3-4/08.

Is it possible that anything other than politics can hold my attention for more than a short period of time? It would be nice to have some distraction. Luckily there is plenty of art to see around town this weekend to clear the imagery and lingering words from last night's debate. And what makes it even better is that the shorter your attention span is- the more you'll get to see!!

Friday:

The tough decisions are going to have to be made tonight. Typically in Pittsburgh, a lot of art events fall on the same date. It's possible that you could skip around town and actually be in the physical presence of just about everything, but you aren't likely to enjoy yourself with such a strategy. For the purpose of simplification, I'm going to focus on what I'm interested in.

If I get the opportunity, I'm going to start the evening early... say 5:30 perhaps. That will give me enough time to get downtown and find a parking spot, once all the restricted ones become available at 6PM. As is my usual routine for these seasonal events, I wil start my exploration on Liberty Avenue. If the lines aren't long, I'll run through Wood Street Gallery (601 Wood Street). I don't expect to spend a lot of time there, because I haven't liked anything in that space for close to a year. This time around they've got "immersive environments" from Austrian-native Kurt Hentschlager. I'd suggest that his work appears compelling, but I've been wrong before with Wood Street. Have a look at his site, and decide for yourself.

Then I'll stop at Space Gallery (812 Liberty Avenue) for a group show called "Make, Shift, Home". I'm likely to enjoy looking through and picking a favorite or two out of the ten artists involved. It's co-curated by Mario Marzan and Sharmila Venkatasubban (who I'm unfamiliar with) and I don't recognize any of the artists' names. I do know that Venkatasubban has put together shows at this gallery before. After that I'll go to 707 Penn, where my friends Paul Roden and Valerie Leuth have an exhibition of their woodcut prints. They are an extremely talented couple and own Tugboat Printshop over in Larryville. I expect this to be a highlight of the evening.

I'll choose to leave for Unblurred on a high note. Hopefully I'll get there around 7:30 or so. Normally I'd make the Clay Penn my home base, but I don't think Laura Jean has anything planned there this month. So I'll probably get right to the juicy center of things. I'll make a quick pass through Garfield Artworks (4931 Penn Ave.), where on occasion I am pleasantly surprised. I don't know "Evil Twin" (I think Gina Favano is from Philly), and I couldn't find examples of her work online. But I did learn that she's into working on cars that run on vegetable oil.

ImageBox (4933 Penn) has Charles A. Smith II and Brian J. Olmstead. They are promising a "unique contemporary abstract event", but I bet the spread will be a draw as well, as the two are co-owners of a catering company. Modern Formations (4919 Penn Ave.) has Creation by Accident: Works by Aimee Manion and Sebastian Van Gorder. Just judging by their hot card, I'd have to say that this is promsing. After I hit my favorite spots, I'll wander around stopping in anywhere that catches my eye. This usually includes the International Children's Art Gallery (5020 Penn Ave.) and Most Wanted Fine Art (5015 Penn Ave). Of course the main attraction is seeing such a wide variety of people on one single night.

Saturday

Save a bit of energy for two openings on Saturday. The Panza Gallery (115 Sedgwick St. in Millvale) brings you the portrait and landscape paintings of Mark Mclaughlin. This painter has that flat and illiustrative style that many associate with "outsider art". It should be a lively reception (7PM-?). And Moxie Dada (1416 Arch St. in the North Side) is offering up (6-9PM) A Beholding: Prashna Paramita Parasher, a body of work to challenge the Western perspective.

Enjoy it while it lasts. The politics are returning soon.

Review: The 2007 Handmade Arcade @ Construction Junction.

Ya know, I probably should have written this post a couple of days ago. But I didn't even know for sure whether I was going to attend this year's Handmade Arcade. When I went there a couple of years ago, I was overwhelmed by the crowds of young women packed into the narrow aisles between tables. It would have been ideal if I was single, but as a married man I couldn't truly appreciate this aspect of the event. I mostly tagged behind M. as she looked at all the crafty wares. There were a couple of tables with men lurking sheepishly behind them, but overall it was a vast gathering of the hipster indie rock pink team. I felt a bit self-conscious as I attempted to avoid looking like the creepy husband with the wandering eyes. I spent a lot of the time staring at my feet, and resolved to suggest that M. attend with her "womyn" associates the next year.

It's kind of odd (if you think about it) that the Handmade Arcade is held at the Construction Junction in Point Breeze/Wilkinsburg. The business sells reclaimed and recycled building materials for virtually every home improvement need. I know I risk coming off as a stereotypical chauvinist here- but that is one "manly-man" place. It's raw, dirty and all business. I have to point out that according to my own definition, I am most assuredly not in that exclusive club. No one would mistake me for a handyman. In our little intimate dyad, M. is the one you'd be more likely to see with a hammer in hand. I may make and buy art, but she is in charge of hanging it around the house. While my incompetence in this realm could be more of a pose than an actual innate deficit, I certainly don't aspire to expertise. When I walk into the Home Depot, my blood runs cold and thin.

So suffice it to say that when I walked into this year's Handmade Arcade, I felt like a poser on several fronts. I had every expectation of being a disinterested and uninvolved bystander. Given my apprehension I was surprised to find myself put immediately at ease. I was quickly greeted by friends and acquaintances I know from around town. The same crowd that I'm used to interacting with at a gallery opening or the bar on Friday night was at Construction Junction today. Additionally, I saw plenty of men walking around making the scene... and some of them even left their rainbow pins at home. Overall I felt like I walked into a cross section of my very own marketing demographic. In fact I ended up lagging behind M., as I continually stopped to talk to one person or another.

It's a bit of a shame that so many folks still make arbitrary distinctions between artists and "crafters". There was as much artistry on display at this event as you will find at any gallery in the city. And to top it off, you can actually use these objects! Even if you are not in the market for "onesies" for your infant hipster, there are still a lot of shiny things to be enthralled with. There were several artists hocking their prints, including Ben Keyhoe, Andy Kehoe, Mike Budai, Paul Roden and Valerie Lueth (of Tugboat Printshop). Of course the ubiquitous Curt Gettman was in full force, wrapping up the last push for the 2nd edition of Unicorn Mountain. In addition, Jennifer Baron was selling her (now famous) hand-painted thimble people/photos, and my co-worker Kelly Del Greco had her punk rock "day-of-the-dead" merchandise out on display. There was even a guy doing unflattering caricatures.

Happily, this year's Handmade Arcade was held in a huge open space, rather than in the rather cramped upstairs gallery where people log-jammed previously. The only real critique that I had was that the bathrooms were set apart from the activities and there were long lines of folks waiting to vacate themselves. It was also a bit too cold for M., but I was alright with that in exchange for the breathing space. The two-day expanded format probably helped to alleviate the crowding. And I liked the hipsterish DJ who set the tone by spinning some of my all-time lo-fi favorites (including Slint). There were even multiple options for the stomach- veggie treats, cupcakes and the "Franktuary" for the meat eaters in the building. While it's too late now for you to go if you missed this weekend... remember that this is an annual event. If my description appeals to you, I recommend you keep your eyes pealed for next year's installment.

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.