Herb And Dorothy

HERB & DOROTHY Trailer from Herb & Dorothy on Vimeo.

A new doccumentary is out about the librarian and postal worker who amassed one of the most important collections of minimal and conceptual art back when few people or major institutions showed an active interest in the work. Mostly they bought from artists who were glad that someone was interested in their work.Nut jobs like them make the world go around.

The saddest aspect of the current art market is the revelation of just how thin and shallow the real interest of most buyers seems to have been, particularly in the contemporary art market.

Pittsburgh Small Press Festival Schedule

Thought I would just post the full schedule for The Pittsburgh Small Press Festival as it's posted on their website.

I guess I have two questions which may be out of line-

The first is why an event like this would be scheduled for the summer, a time when a lot of the college students and energy is missing?

The second is why at least a few regional small presses from places like Ohio and West Virginia are not included. Wouldn't it help gain a wider audience and buzz as well as wider opportunities for contacts?

I really love Encyclopedia Destructica's Tri-State Chap Book Contest. One almost never sees any attempts to link outside a narrow definition of the Pittsburgh Region.

SPF Expo 2009

The Expo is the crowning event of SPF. It will feature two floors tables of small presses and vendors, as well as a full day of workshops, panels and readings.

The Expo will run from 12-6pm on Saturday, July 18th and Sunday, July 19th. The calendar of events is listed below.

Entrance to the main Expo is free, and a weekend ticket for events can be purchased for only $5!
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SATURDAY, JULY 18th

1pm
Small Press, Big Impact?* (followed by Karen Lillis' presentation on the smallpresspittsburgh wiki)
Panelists: Adam Atkinson (Open Thread), Hattie Fletcher (Creative Nonfiction), Savannah Guz (author), Karen Lillis (LDP Distro, smallpresspittsburgh, Words Like Kudzu, author), and Scott Silsbe (The New Yinzer)

2pm
Starting a Small Press or Literary Organization
Panelists: Adam Atkinson (Open Thread), Kris Collins (The New Yinzer), Sue Rumbaugh (The Diner Divas), and Edward Simon (Thirty First Bird Review and Press)

3pm
Publication Design 101
Panelists: Scott Andrew (Open Thread), Stephen Knezovich (Creative Nonfiction), Deanna Mulye (LPPACS, BatCat Press), and a representative from Encyclopedia Destructica

4pm - 6pm
Bookmaking Workshop
Led by Deanna Mulye and her Bookbinding students from LPPACS


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SUNDAY, JULY 19th

1pm
Tri-State Chapbook Reading and Signing
The winners of Open Thread and Encyclopedia Destructica's Tri-State Chapbook Contest read from their chapbooks, launched at the expo: "Cloud Shaped Room" by Matt Anserello (WV), "Life as a Crossword Puzzle" by Noah Falck (OH), and "Aleph in the Cellar" by Colin C. Post

3pm
Art & Small Press
Panelists: Scott Andrew (Open Thread), Curt Gettman (Unicorn Mountain), Julia Stein (Juliacks), and a representative from Encyclopedia Destructica

4pm
Women in Publishing
Panelists: Nikki Allen (poet), Margaret Bashaar and Laura Davis (Weave Magazine), and Mary Biddinger (Barn Owl Review)

5pm
Weave Magazine Writing Workshop
During this workshop we will discuss poetry and flash fiction (under 1000 words). Participants are asked to bring at least 5 copies of their work for feedback from Weave editors and other workshop participants. If you have never been to a workshop before, we will review our workshop format and flow, as well as etiquette. This is a great way to meet other writers in Pittsburgh and get meaningful feedback in a safe setting.

Pittsburgh Weekend Art Events: 7/17-19/09.

Once again I have to apologize for being largely absent here at the blog this summer. Things are hectic, but I'm trying to keep up.

There is A LOT to do around town this weekend, and I'm sure to miss a lot. Here are some highlights:

Friday

If you have a functioning heart, you may want to consider stopping by Imagebox (4933 Penn, 7-10:30 PM) for a benefit for artist David Flynn. A pittance of 5 lousy bucks gets you beer, cookies, vegan pasta salad, and the chance to say that you are not wholly without compassion. Apparently Mr. Flynn has lots of hospital bills to pay, and is in desperate need of a replacement used laptop to replace one that was stolen. Bring your checkbook, as you wil have the opportunity to purchase some of his art as well.

The seasonal downtown gallery crawl is also happening Friday starting at 5:30PM. If you really want to find out what most of the folks in the region consider the "Cultural District" of the city, head for the smells and the traffic tie-ups of the Golden Triangle.

Meanwhile, at 8PM there will be hundreds of people walking around like zombies. But unlike every other weekend in the South Side, these will be in even scarier make-up. Celebrate the tradition of local legend Romero and shamble down Carson St. It's high satire, and there's supposed to be some party after the mass hike. Tell the entire drinking population of South Hills I said "Hi", and ensure that they continue to revel on the other side of town.

Saturday

Here's a shout-out to one of the 'Burgh's most unusual couples- whether considered separately or (most appropriately) together... Phat Mandee and Tommy Amoeba's Traveling Variety Show is jumping off at the New Hazlett Theater at 10:30 PM. I can only guess about the strange and wonderful sights they have for the lucky ones that show up for this event.

Saturday and Sunday

The SPF EXPO, for Pittsburgh's pre-eminent small press festival, is happening this weekend. There are two floors of vendors, workshops, panels, entertainment, and food. It's $5 for a weekend pass. If you just want to walk around aimlessly without participating in any cool stuff, there is no cover. Venture forth to the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery at CMU's Purnell Center for the Arts (5000 Penn Avenue). Best of all, you can watch me making a fool out of myself on Sunday afternoon, trying to moderate my first panel. What do I know about "art books"?! Here's the detailed schedule for the Expo.

Sunday

Head up Polish Hill (to the crossing of Brereton and Dobson Streets) for the 2nd Annual Art What You Got (Noon-8PM). Along with an artist and handicrafter's marketplace, you'll find ethnic grub like kielbasa and pierogies. Plus you can see some local bands, including one of my favorites- Timbeleza, a Brazillian drumming and samba outfit that got me moving one night over at Your Inner Vagabond. The organizers are convinced that they can avoid the hurricane winds that blew tents over at last year's gig. Go find out if they are prescient or merely plagued by hubris.

James Howard Kunstler On Suburbia

Rust Wire posted this extended rant about Suburbia by James Howard Kunstler. Our recent economic troubles, focused on our real estate markets have everything to do with the nature of the spaces we have been creating; places that stand very little chance of having any value over any extended period of time.

How can anyone looking at the very typical spaces he shows think that a city made up of them could be either socially or economically viable?

Chalkbot Robot Prints @ The Tour de France

Pittsburgher's love of cycling,robots and conceptual art have combined to print hopeful messages on the roads of France during this years tour.

"The idea behind Chalkbot is simple. Anyone in the world can send a text message to the robot, and it will spray the message in yellow on the course of the Tour de France. Since it’s part of Livestrong’s “It’s About You” awareness campaign, the messages are supposed to be for hope and inspiration to riders and survivors of cancer.

Nathan Martin, CEO of Deeplocal and proud Pittsburgher, never halts at promoting his hometown. Even Chalkbot’s euro license plate says “made in pittsburgh.”

Heads up thanks to Bittersweet Harvest.

Artist shared studio space available in the Strip District

This is an interesting proposition. A building owner in the Strip District is turning a first floor flex space over to a group of artists. The space is in the Guardian Storage building on Liberty Ave @ 28th Street, which is a great location.

Richard Wierzbowski is leading the effort. At this point, nothing is cut in stone, although some things came out of the first meeting that make sense. The artists at the first meeting voiced concerns about the need for stationary storage. Other issues that were brought up made it clear that the space would be best for related disciplines.

Richard is very open to input from artists that might want to be involved in the space, to the degree that he has held one meeting and plans to hold another to learn about needs and concerns that would make this a successful venture. The next meeting is --

Thursday, July 23 at 4:00 PM
Guardian Storage
2839 Liberty Avenue inside the ground floor unit.
A representative of the developer may be present.

To RSVP please email Richard Wierzbowski at rwierz@hotmail.com
A description of the space follows --

Available in the Strip District at 2839 Liberty Avenue near 28th Street.
Artists' studio and exhibition space for those working on paintings, mixed media , fiber, collages or sculptures of an intermediate scale. Commercial photography is not suited to this space because of space constraints. We will be in the space on August 1, 2009.

Newly renovated by the developer, Guardian Storage Warehouse, with freshly painted ceiling and three of the walls. The fourth wall is done in silver toned industrial metal. 12 feet high ceilings and free off street lighted parking with onsite security. Wooden floor and a new slate gray tiled bathroom with new fixtures. 2200 square foot with heat and air conditioning, exterior and interior lighting, electrical outlets, and a ventilation system for $50 per month, (utilities included in the rental fee) $100 security deposit with a 1 year lease. This offering is limited to 30 people. Indoor loading dock, ground floor space, great light and 24 hour security card access.

Art What You Got

July 19 marks the return of the Art What You Got festival in Polish Hill. This community festival is going to be a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, especially with the mild weather we are having this July.


The festival has something for everybody. Music, food, art to look at, food, music, food, art to do and did I mention food? That's right, folks, I travel on my stomach. This year the festival includes the usual fair food as well as it's own specialties, like pickles on a stick. Unlike last year, this year will include ice cream as well as vegan treats.

I'm not going to go over the full roster of visual artists that will be at the festival this year, the list is pretty extensive. You can find it on the festival MySpace page along with links to the artists works. Following is a short list of some of my favorites from the list.

Maura Doern Danko .:Link:.
painting/cutouts/small jewelry made from paintings
Joseph Holtz Jr./Hands of Holtz
mixed media on glass
Yelena Lamm/Yelena Lamm Design .:Link:.
original paintings and drawings, limited edition art prints and notecards
Garick Tai-Lee and Augustin Pionati
ceramics
Lauren Toohey .:Link:.
acrylic paintings and face painting

Art to do? Yep, there will definitely be some hands-on projects for all ages. The Andy Warhol Museum, The Mattress Factory, Project 53, Fossil Free Fuels and Carnegie Library will all be on hand with button-making, printing and all kinds of fun stuff to do. Carley Parrish will be doing a sign project too. One of the coolest projects in Polish Hill is the Harmar Garden. This lot was taken over by volunteers from the neighborhood and from the SCA. They will be having a couple of hands-on projects at the garden, ongoing throughout the day. Watch for the signs!

I did say music, didn't I? Following is the bands playing for the festival. The entertainment will be going all day. Links to the bands pages are provided on the Art What You Got MySpace page.

Joy Ike (singer/songwriter and band)
Ar Eigean Gael (tradiional Irish music)
Stan Szymanski (solo bass guitar praise and worship)
Chet Vincent and the Big Bend (rock, roots)
Joy Toujours (acoustic, kids)
Timbeleza (Brazilian drumming and samba)
The Incline (folk/rock)

Most important information --

Art What You Got
Sunday, July 19, 2009
12:00pm - 8:00pm
Polish Hill
3060 Brereton St
Pittsburgh, PA

4126811950
phcapgh@gmail.com

Claes Oldenburg @ The Whitney

Finally back in NYC for a week of gallery and museum visits.
One highlight has been the Claes Oldenburg show at The Whitney Museum, an artist who in my opinion gets only a fraction of the recognition he deserves for being not only influential but also really,really good.

The show had a number of original objects from "The Store" and a full room of projected videos of early "Happenings".



The large moving sculpture, Ice Bag- Scale C was also on view with several related drawings.

July Unblurred

Well, it was a holiday weekend. Some of the regular venues, like Imagebox and Modern Formations, were closed during the July Unblurred. Garfield Artworks was open, but they had this sign in their door that declared that Garfield Artworks was not a Shadyside Gallery. Huh, I thought. Penn Avenue? Check. First Friday? Check. Broken sidewalks and decapitated parking meters? Check and check. Well, I knew where I was. But, since I was dressed for work, I thought I'd better not stick my head in; I didn't want anybody to feel uncomfortable, right?

The good news was that Artica and Most Wanted Fine Art were open. Hot dog! Lots of people gravitated to Artica on Friday evening. Artica looked great, as always, with its eclectic mix of antiques, collectibles and fine art pieces.





LaVerne Kemp, one of the Less is More artists.



Jason Sauer and JR Holtz


Carolyn Wenning and Sam Thorpe were sharing the space at Most Wanted Fine Art. Below, Wennings Linger. I apologize for the glare. It obviously doesn't do the work any favors. This is such a nice evolution for Wennings work. Her palette has shifted into these blues. Also, I am struck by how much more narrative these two pieces are than the work I have previously seen.



Below, Sam Thorp's precious pieces. There is something oddly disturbing about these pieces. Also, thre is a lot of implied texture in the works.



Want to know more about Sam Thorp's work? Check out this short video --

Bob Ziller Blooms Birmingham Bridge

I was surprised early Sunday morning to get a call from my friend Bob Ziller, as virtually everyone I know would expect to hear back from me late in the afternoon rather than actually get me on the phone at that time. For some reason I was awake, and that was fortunate. I don't really enjoy documenting other folks' projects, but for Bob I'm usually willing to see what he's up to. So I pulled myself together and drove down to the Hive to find out what he had in mind. I quickly learned that it involved ladders, and secretly began to regret my decision. But when I found out what we were going to do, I got excited.

Bordering Fitzpatrick Street in the Hill District (a stone's throw from the house where Andy Warhol was born), there is this abandoned building that greets everyone at the end of the Birmingham Bridge. Bob decided to make some neighborhood improvements, and he wanted me along for the ride.

While I helped schlep some stuff back and forth (and manipulate some ridiculously unwieldy ladders), I discovered that Bob was perfectly capable of installing his work himself. That left me free to shoot a series of shots that ended up being pretty fun. Here I've included the before and after shots of the property. I can't imagine anyone would have any serious objection to this particular brand of public art. Bob plans to continue this activity, so please keep a look out for the next entry in the series.

In the meantime make it a point to travel northward over the Birmingham Bridge (from the South Side) sometime soon, because there is no guarantee this is going to last and it is really best experienced in person.

Photo Credit: David Grim 2009

A Very Furry Fourth

I think this was fourth year Pittsburgh has hosted the largest convention of people with an um interest in animals; animal cartoons, animal games, Sci fi animals, stuffed animals and even a lot of folks who like dressing up as animals.Why? Best not to know probably, but one has to admit that they make a very nice picture. A lot of these suits are very fine and I think many of these characters and costumes are personal inventions. Some for example had invented sports team logos.

I finally got to see a little of this in person and me and my girlfriend got these shots of A Furry outside the hotel, a big furry drinking party outside of Tonic and a Furry Bunny on the Convention Center Walkway. (I will post that when I can)

The NY Mets who have been struggling with injuries were and were in town to do a make up game with the Pirates on July 2nd had the misfortune of spending a long night in the Furry Hotel. Broadcaster and former Met star, Keith Hernandez had this exchange with his broadcast mate the next day.

Hernandez: What are they called..?

Cohen: …wolves…

Hernandez: Ferriers..? All’s I know is I got in the elevator with four of them and the odor was horrific. [Camera shows the Pirate Parrot again.]

Cohen: Not the Pirate Parrot. He’s a natural mascot.

Hernandez: I had to get off. I’m not lyin’. I was on the 17th floor, goin’ down. I had to jump off on the 10th floor. I almost passed out.

Cohen: Guess those costumes don’t breathe very well. But it was, it was something, we walked into the hotel last night, comin’ from Milwaukee, and there was a, a, person in a wolf’s costume. And another person in a dog costume.

Hernandez: I saw a guy with, with his pet beaver. He had his hand, he was stroking it, he was petting it. [Long pause.] I’m serious! It was a, like a stuffed animal, and he was comforting it. Very bizarre.

Cohen: It’s a different world.

For the record-- all the furries I saw seemed very clean, from a safe distance and were all very happy to be photographed.

Jean McClung took most of these shots.