Pittsburgh Art Events: 4/3-4/09

So what’s it going to be like this weekend? Will this Thursday foretaste of the weekend reflect its flavors? Hell if I know. But I do know this… there are plenty of options tomorrow and Saturday. Take a minute or two to scan this post and you just might find something to make your mouth moist.

Friday

I could almost be forgiven for believing the Pittsburgh Arts scene was in hibernation for virtually the entire winter (with a few notable exceptions, of course). So this First Friday represents a wake-up call for those of you who stayed tucked in through the long, cold season.

Unblurred features the return of the Modern Formations Spring Salon Annual Juried Exhibition. This is often a highlight on Penn Avenue (4919 PENN AVE), and through the years I’ve been exposed to more than a few exciting young artists there- Andy and Ben Kehoe, Katherine Young, Gabe Felice, and Jairan Sadeghi among them. Naturally there are no guarantees, but you could certainly find more futile ways to spend your time. Have at it.

Elsewhere you might run into some throat singers from the steppes of Central Asia (Garfield Artworks- 10 PM, $10 @ 4931 PENN AVE), or be offered an opportunity to take a free hour-long Argentine Tango crash course (5020 PENN AVE 3RD FLOOR,7-8PM, Free). If that ain’t your bag, you can check out the MOXBOX Fine Art Party (5014 PENN AVE) or see an opening for a mosaic down the street at the Pittsburgh Glass Center (5472 PENN AVE, 6-9PM). Carol Speranza has her hand-cut paintings at the International Children’s Art Gallery (5020 PENN AVE) and Dawn Hartman is displaying photos from Ghana at ImageBox (4933 PENN AVE).

After you’ve rambled along the Penn Avenue Corridor, make at least a quick digression to the Zombo Gallery for a look at the Folk Art of Tim Kerr. Apparently dude plays in a band… which wouldn’t ordinarily impress me, but I saw the image on the hot card, and it does look good. I sure do like to look at drawings. See ‘em here.

Likewise there is at least one opening downtown (@SPACE), and of course the competing first Friday over on Ellsworth in Shadyside. Maybe that’s where you belong instead?

Saturday

Moxie Dada (1416 Arch Street on the North Side) returns this month with a show of sculptures curated by Shannon Kuhns. Participating artists include the aforementioned Kuhns, Thomas Brunger, and Elizabeth Ashe Douglas. I find it hard to believe that despite the longstanding efforts of the proprietors, there are still a lot of otherwise savvy scenesters that have yet to visit the old firehouse that the gallery now inhabits. Perhaps you ought to do something about that…

Ok, so I guess I can quit scolding you. I’ll just drop one more suggestion before I leave off. The David Lawrence Convention Center (downtown PGH) is hosting Tekkoshocon- a celebration of Anime and Japanese Culture. It runs from Friday until Sunday, and they seem to have a full schedule planned. I don’t know if I can slip in for a couple of hours or not, but I sure do feel like trying. Cosplay, vendors, fan art… who wouldn’t want to go?