What I Learned On Artscan: Some Shows Of CMU Alumni In September

In spite of the current hype, the vibe I get from most Pittsburgh artists is one a general lack of opportunity and isolation from the global art world (and art market) in spite of living in a town with several college art programs. Pittsburgh is a nice place to live and work as an artist and also to get your legs with local show but it remains a tougher job to build a career here than need be.

CMU, has something called Artscan, which tries to list some of the shows and projects it's alumni and professors are in at any given time. I seriously doubt they list everything. One or two of these shows have just passed since they don't list in the summer and a few will open in October.

Here are some selections. One notices off the bat that almost everything current professors are doing gets exhaustive coverage. Mostly I will focus on some out of town shows people are in.

Kim Beck, Associate Professor of Art, was awarded the 2009 Prix Award of Distinction at Ars Electronica for her project with recent Visiting Faculty, Osman Khan, "when laughter trips at the threshold of the divine." She spoke in the Ars Electronica symposium and exhibits at the OK Center for Contemporary Arts in Linz Austria. Beck's work is also featured two shows in Baltimore, MD: a solo exhibition titled Ownership Society at the Julio Fine Arts Gallery at Loyola College, as well as in In Our Nature a group show at the Maryland Art Place. There will be an Artist Talk / Reception Thursday, September 24, 4-6pm at Loyola, and a reception at Maryland Art Place the same evening from 6-8pm. Her work is also on view in Reanimation Library: Center City Branch at Vox Populi in Philadelphia, PA. This summer she created an installation at Incident Report in Hudson, NY.

Bob Bingham, Professor of Art, Robin Hewlett (BFA '04), and Ally Reeves (MFA '08) are exhibiting the 'One Mile Garden' project at the Coleman Center for the Arts, in York, AL. The exhibit is a culmination of a two year project to catalyze a food production and distribution system in small town USA. The opening reception is September 25.

Susan Schwalb (BFA '65) exhibits her work in Re-Inventing Silverpoint: An Ancient Technique for the 21st Century at Kentler International Drawing Space, Brooklyn, NY,

Deborah Kass (BFA '74) participates in The Female Gaze: Women Look at Women, a group show at Cheim & Read, NYC, through September 19.

Charles Ritchie (MFA '80) presents a solo exhibit Charles Ritchie: Books and Pages, 2004-2009 at Bravin Lee programs in NYC, opening October 23 - November 28

Laura Sharp Wilson (BFA '87) presented a solo show, Spiritual Showgirls, at Friesen Gallery in Sun Valley, ID, July 29 - August 31.

Castaneda/Reiman (BFA '92) present Sculptures of Paintings of Places We've Never Been, a solo show at DCKT in NYC through October 11.

Carolina Loyola Garcia (MFA '00) is working in collaboration with several artists and curator Ima Picó on Transfer Lounge, a project that opens September 17 - October 23 at Forja Arte Contemporáneo in Valencia, Spain and on October 2 at SPACE in Pittsburgh

Mark Baugh-Sasaki (BFA '04) was awarded a residency to create a permanent installation at I-Park in Connecticut, September 2-16. There will be an opening reception on September 19 and a catalog produced at the end of the residency

Full list here. List is only of CMU alumn, staff or faculty.