Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Akron, Cleveland Arts And Livable City Blog

Nakama Becomes First Major Tenant of the North Side's Garden Theater Block

2012-01-28T12:45:00.007-05:00

Jean, was excited that the popular South Side, Japanese restaurant, Nakama would be opening up on the North Side. I was somewhat less, impressed since I assumed they would be locating in the semi dead zone around the stadiums that has hosted a revolving door of sports bars.

Wrong! Nakama, instead will be locating in a gorgeous historic building at the edge of the Mexican War Streets.

From The Tribune Review

"Nakama, the popular Japanese steakhouse and sushi bar on the South Side, will take 5,000 square feet in the Masonic Temple building at North and Reddour Street, said co-developer Craig Totino.

"They are viewed as an anchor for the Federal/North project," said Totino, co-owner of Collaborative Ventures in Mt. Lebanon. The firm and Zukin Development in Philadelphia formed Allegheny City Development Group, the joint venture that's developing the block."

"Our goal is to start construction this summer and take about nine to 12 months," Totino said. "So Nakama should occupy in summer 2013 -- possibly earlier, in the spring."

A delusional, Yinzer myth seems to be that the whole North Side was dragged down by the former porno theater next door.

More about the building.

"Built in 1895 in Romanesque Revival style, the Masonic Hall was originally used as a fraternal meeting house with four separate ground floor storefronts: three along West North Avenue and one along Reddour Street."

Fine--If the government wants to claim credit for the revival of the block, ignoring decades of efforts (see the post about Randyland) by local residents, perhaps they can take some responsibility for the highways and misguided projects like Allegheny Center which did so much harm to The North Side.

Randyland On The Today Show

2012-01-27T12:09:00.003-05:00

Sorry, I don't watch much TV aside from a few Steeler's games. This story on Today about the North Side legend is a few years old. I believe it's Randy Gilson's birthday and the Mattress Factory tweeted this.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The old Pittsburgh art blog has a good post with links to a long list of pieces about Randy and his ongoing creation.

Who Knew? It's Legal to Hail a Cab and Pittsburgh Transportation Group Wants to Promote it

2012-01-26T13:24:00.006-05:00

Why do discussions about increasing urban convenience, vitality and reducing the parking footprint so rarely mention taxis or any other non standard transport like shuttle buses or mini vans? It's driving, big transit (perhaps biking) or nothing.

One look at the Burg told me this had the makings of a great cab city since so many of the key areas of town, The North Shore, The Strip, Downtown and The South Side are so close together. The problem is that it's hard to boost residential and business density in these areas without cabs and it's hard to run cabs without that density. (It's a whole lot harder if the land is hogged by mostly empty stadiums)

A new program by the biggest city cab company, Pittsburgh Transportation Group aims to dedicate at least 15 cars to just these areas.

From The Pittsburgh Business Times

"So here's the solution: Come March, Yellow Cab will roll out a fleet of black and white, newer model cars dedicated exclusively to the greater Golden Triangle Area-Downtown. South Side, North Shore and parts of the Strip District."

An ad campaign promoting the service will use catchy phrases like "What the Hail" and "Hail Yes" to promote the still foreign concept of flagging down a cab on the street here.

Personally, I have a few doubts about the service if it doesn't extend to include a slightly wider area like Bloomfield, The War Streets, the whole Strip District and most of Lawrenceville. Still, I like the thinking here.

Creative Clash! How Can Pittsburgh Take It's Tech and Creative Industries to the Next Level? Talk @ Carnegie Museum

2012-01-25T18:46:00.005-05:00

This event, which costs $45 tomorrow night seems to be full, so I'm just passing it along.

Thursday, January 26, 2012
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: The Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh 15213-4080

Pittsburgh is a city rich with creativity and innovation. Now, how do we take our success to the next level? Heralding the Council’s new Creative Technology Network, and presented in partnership with the Carnegie Museum of Art, Creative Clash! will explore Pittsburgh’s history and future as a key innovator at the intersection of art and technology. Today, industries including design, gaming, filmmaking, advertising, education, fine-art, production, robotics, digital media – and much more – are coalescing to make Pittsburgh home to a thriving creative technology community. Join us, and join the conversation, as we examine what it takes to sustain and grow this exciting community!

Details here.

Gabe Felice Mural in Greensburg

2012-01-25T15:35:00.004-05:00

Still getting together my posts from my Greensburg trip. One unexpected highlight was coming across this mural by Greensburg/Pittsburgh artist Gabe Felice. Most of the other murals we came across were pretty tame and historical.

The size, is for a mural pretty small, but this piece is loaded with color and content. I like the way the design works with the structure of the brick surface in a creative, playful way.

It was Sunday, so almost everything was shut down, however the little block, the mural is on, is now home to a few stores, a hipster coffee shop/gallery and Seton Hill's new art studio building.

Gabe Felice Website

Documentary About Cleveland's Industrial Music Scene City/Ruins: Art in the Face of Industrial Decay

2012-01-24T20:30:00.004-05:00

"This is the trailer for the first full length feature by Petrus Filmwork. City/Ruins is a documentary about the Experimental Industrial movement in a city crushed by Industrial collapse. Examining the effects of the mired economy on this underground art community and the art that is produced in it's wake. The story is built around interviews and performance clips of those involved in the scene, intertwined with visual evidence of Industrial decay, via montage of decayed landscapes."

Anyone seen this or know a lot about the scene there? Please comment with more info.

Westmoreland Museum Of American Art Gets an $8 Million Grant From The Richard King Mellon Foundation

2012-01-24T14:57:00.004-05:00

Me and Jean drove over to Greensburg to catch the last day of The Tides of Provincetown show. The Westmoreland is really worth the trip and will be getting a whole lot better with a planned museum expansion.

Press Release From The Museum.

"The Westmoreland Museum of American Art has received an $8million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation in support of their capital and endowment campaign. The campaign includes plans for an architecturally significant new wing, renovation of the existing building and a complete re-design of the grounds. The gift is the largest contribution to-date received by the Museum. Of the $8 million, the Foundation indicated that $2 million is to be reserved to shape a challenge to other donors later in the campaign. The fundraising goal of $35 million includes $15 million for construction, $15 million for endowment and $5 million to support Museum operations during the life of the campaign.

Planning for the expansion/renovation was initiated in 2009 in response to the continued growth of the Museum's collections, educational programming, and critically acclaimed exhibitions program. The Museum's 50-plus year old building was also in need of reconfiguration to serve the needs of an art museum operating in the 21st century. The Westmoreland is currently in the design and programming phase of planning"

I will be back to post about the show and my recent trip around Greensburg. A bit of advice, if you can help it, visit on a Weekday or Saturday since the town really shuts down on Sunday. The town itself is a treasure, that only shows hints of what it could be.

Google Will Be Adding 70,000 SF of Space at It's Bakery Square Offices

2012-01-21T17:36:00.002-05:00

From The Pittsburgh Post Gazette

"The Mountain View, Calif.-based search company has reached a deal with developer Walnut Capital to lease another 70,000 square feet of space at Bakery Square, a $130 million development.

With the decision, Google will occupy about 115,000 square feet of the 250,000-square-foot building. It now has about 45,000 square feet on two floors.

It plans to occupy some of the space later this year and the rest next year. Officials also have been told that with the expansion, Google may have as many as 500people working at the site.

The company approached Bakery Square officials late last year about adding more room and had a lease signed by the end of December"

Yes, they are hiring. follow the link for details.

Cleveland News Station Turns Political Corruption Trial Into Puppet Theater

2012-01-20T21:37:00.004-05:00

Cleveland is having one of those, do you laugh, cry or shoot yourself moments with a sadly absurd public corruption trial.

With no cameras allowed in court, WOIO Action News has decided to put on little skits based on the day's court transcript.

From Cleveland.Com

"It's entertaining ... it's professionally done, but it's not news," said Randy Reeves, an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the executive producer of KOMU, the NBC affiliate in Columbia that is owned by the university. "This is a line I wouldn't cross. The visual distracts from some pretty serious stuff. Even at the end of the newscast, it's puppets. I can't get past that."

A second broadcast professor at Missouri, Barbara Cochran, called the segment "a comic way of dealing with the fact that in 2012, cameras are still barred from federal courtrooms, and the public is denied the opportunity to see for themselves what transpires at a public trial."

TEDx 1000Lakes - Chuck Marohn: Video Shows The Weird Unsustainable Nature Of American Infrastructure

2012-01-20T11:31:00.005-05:00

There's a lot of meat here in a fairly short video. Likely will be back with thoughts.

Ohio DOT Promised Billions in Road and Bridge Construction It Can't Pay For

2012-01-19T14:33:00.005-05:00

Anyone concerned about the 15 Trillion dollar reported Federal deficit should know that it's the tip of a much larger iceberg of looming costs most people don't know about.

Remember, the fight over pedestrian access to the brand new Inner Belt Bridge, Cleveland was gonna get? Surprise, it now looks like a new bridge may not be built till 2020 or later even though the current one may have serious structural issues!

Turns out the State transportation folks just wish listed important projects with little knowledge of how they might be paid for.

For years, the state has "over-programmed" for the money available, Wray said. Project commitments total $3.3 billion through 2017, but only $1.6 billion in revenues is projected for construction, he said.

Meanwhile, revenue from federal and state gas taxes has remained flat, while the costs of maintenance and construction have inflated, he said.

He expects disappointment not only in Cleveland but across the state with the draft list.

The West Shoreway project also doesn't fare well. It is not on the funding list, Wray said, despite a concerted appeal from the city of Cleveland for another $21 million.

Expect this to be an ever growing story. Ironically, in many cases, failing infrastructure offers a grand chance for cities to reinvent themselves in more sustainable ways.

Remember that The West Side Highway, in NY and Embarcadero Freeway in San Fransisco were only removed after partial collapses.

The Cleveland Browns Want More City Money For Immediate Stadium Repairs

2012-01-19T10:31:00.005-05:00

In most cases tax financed sports stadiums are the gift that keeps on taking.
Known in Cleveland, as the factory of sadness, Browns Stadium might take the cake.

From Cleveland.Com

"Under the complicated proposal, the Browns would get this year's $850,000 plus $5 million from the next six years of repair money drawn from the tax revenue collected countywide on alcohol and tobacco sales and administered by the city. In exchange, the city would not have to make its annual contributions from the tax money to a stadium repair fund for the next six years.

But what happens if additional needs arise during that time? Ken Silliman, Mayor Frank Jackson's chief of staff, said the city will consider dipping further into the so-called sin tax money."

The team contends they are fixing the effects of the harsh northern climate. (Hello, who chose to put it that location on the lake front?)

Pack up the truck and get lost, scumbags. IMHO, Cleveland is sort of a great town, it doesn't need this abuse and it could certainly put this piece of land to better use.

Amazing Site, RETROgrapher Maps Pittsburgh's Photographic History

2012-01-18T17:17:00.007-05:00

West Carson Street at Fernwood Street Southside

Hoffers Way, Hill District, 1924

Constructing The William Penn Hotel 1915

How did I not know about this amazing resource that posts the exact mapped locations of Historic Pittsburgh Photographs.

How it works?

All of the photographs on the site come from the City Photographer collection hosted and curated by the University of Pittsburgh's Archives Services Center

Retrographer uses Google Maps to make it easy for anybody to geotag these images. This geotag data is sent back to the Archives Services Center to become a permanent part of the archive.

About The Project

Retrographer was started in the Fall of 2010 as a project for the Senior studio Pieces taught by Dylan Vitone at Carnegie Mellon University. The project has evolved and lives on after the class has ended. So far over 5,300 photos have been tagged by people all over Pittsburgh

Retrographer continues to evolve. Check back soon on your smartphone, a mobile app is on the way.

If you have any feedback about Retrographer please email me at dpieri@gmail.com -Dane Pieri

You can really spend lots of time on this site.

RETROgrapher

All photos on the site seem to be in The Public Domain

The Internet As We Know It Is Threatened

2012-01-17T23:52:00.002-05:00

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

The following post is the opinion of John Morris and may not be shared by other contributors to this blog.

As with any other piece of pending legislation, it's hard to get a grasp of specifics. Let's just say, this doesn't look good. The above video gives what looks like the likely chilling effects of this open ended proposed law.

A good article from The NY Times about this.

Most scary is the very shrewd way it will use intimidation against search engines, social media and other websites to get them to censor content. Most people will not know it's happening.

Please learn about and act to stop this.

Good Conversation About Development and Consolidation On Urbanophile

2012-01-17T16:52:00.007-05:00

Sorry, I will try to get back to posting more.

Urbanophile has a post up, debating the common assumption that a large number of our regional problems would be solved by combining local and county governments. Insane fragmentation makes it hard to argue against some level of consolidation, but it might have a downside.

The blog's author lived in Indianapolis for many years and is very familiar with the two main examples of "big box", consolidation, Columbus and Indy. He notes that there are few examples of real failure in this model, but perhaps no shining example of success. Sooner or later, one runs out of land to consume and one has to face the work of good design and good government. There's always a county line to to flee across at some point.

But another thing occurs to me. Because Midtown is part of a much larger city, it suffers from the problem of a diffusion of responsibility. That is, it can assume the rest of the city will carry the load in some respects. This manifests itself in a strong anti-development NIMBY contingent that is opposed to urbanization. Any proposed development of any kind is greeted by wailing and teeth-gnashing by opponents, who’ve been known to do things like pull their kids out of school to serve as props at mid-day zoning hearings where commissioners are told neighborhood kids will literally die if new apartments are approved.

I don’t know what the sentiment is in Bexley, but they’ve certainly implemented more actual urbanization than Midtown. I suspect one reason is that Bexley knows it has only its own tax base to rely on. If its residents want to keep quality schools, they can either approve more commercial and intense development, or watch their residential property taxes go up significantly over time. That focuses the mind wonderfully.

So I also hypothesize that in addition to making redevelopment more difficult for reasons of the structure of government, big box government also inculcates an anti-development mindset to a greater degree than small box government.

Also, interesting is that many of the examples of urbanist innovation and success in these regions have come from independent suburbs like Carmel, Indiana and Bexley, Ohio.

The downside is this.

On the downside, it seems almost inevitable that many of these unconsolidated suburbs will turn into complete failed cities, often left ignored and forgotten. There are plenty of beyond dysfunctional suburbs in Chicago just like this. I presume it is similar in places like Pittsburgh. I think it is notable that consolidated cities like Indianapolis and Nashville don’t have any truly failed suburbs. Another benefit of the big box city.

Can Cheerleading Go Too Far? Debate On Rust Wire

2012-01-12T10:55:00.005-05:00

Seems a bunch of Cleveland area bloggers got together to talk about the pros and cons of civic boosterism. Things got heated and from what I can tell, a bit ugly.

From Rust Wire:

It's always a question, how much one should focus on the positive and ignore the often obvious problems out there?

A long quote from Cleveland blogger, Bridget Callahan:

"On one hand, the Boosters have understood this better than the rest of us. In their social media based world, it is important to stay on message, that’s how all good and effective propaganda works. You pick the message, in this case how awesome Cleveland is, and you pound it into people’s brains ad nauseum until it becomes unacceptable to believe anything else. The Boosters, by and large, are marketing people. They have a product, and they are pushing it. It’s not frank intellectual discussion, it’s not nuanced civic strategy. It is just straight up emotional reaction, and they want you to have it. The world has over and over again proved the effectiveness of propaganda. Most recently, let’s all think back to a certain recent Presidential election that had those Hope posters plastered on every rusty bridge and alley from coast to coast. Hope is not the way you run a government, but it is a way to get people emotionally involved. It breeds a feeling of us versus them, of camaraderie. It is true that lots of Clevelanders feel stupid telling people out of town where they are from. It can’t hurt to seed some civic pride. We’re a fucked up city, but lots of cities are, and the Boosters’ main mission is to convince other young people with expendable income to either move here or stay here because really it isn’t so bad. And for that particular population, it really isn’t so bad. Speaking from that class level, it’s pretty okay here.

( However, when you decide to bully people on their own blogs about their suspected lack of devotion to your message because they point out other people live here too, or when you yell at someone to leave town? That’s trolling. )"

My big problem with many boosters is what they are selling.

The real problem with professional boosters is that they are often promoting the wrong stuff. What their bosses say is good, whatever the latest new fad or project, the foundation and government crowd is chasing. Often, this turns out to be bad stuff. A good example is press stories about a corp or agency "investing" so many million dollars. In the short run, that's certainly great if you are a contractor working on the project (or a politician cutting a ribbon.) Rarely do stories look under the hood at what the long term positives or negatives are.

Cleveland needs boosters as long as they have their eyes open.

TEDxPittsburgh - Don Carter - 2.4 Million

2012-01-08T12:02:00.006-05:00

I will likely be back with some more to say about this thought provoking video. Although, he touches on some great points, I'm perhaps a little less sure, The Sun Belt will become the "Drought Belt". A huge amount of western water is used/wasted by agriculture. Even so, water is a huge asset here.

"Overall, agriculture accounts for 83 percent of all water used in California. It's true that California grows the majority of America's fruits and vegetables, so liberal use of water by its agricultural sector would not be unexpected. However, few people would suspect that growing feed for cattle is the predominant agricultural use of water in California. In 1997, 1.7 million acres of the state were planted to alfalfa alone. Irrigated pasture and hayfields consume more water than any other single crop in California - more than a third of all irrigation water. Together, alfalfa and hay and pasturage account for approximately half of all water used in the state.

The story is similar in other western states. In Colorado, some 25 percent of all water consumed goes to alfalfa crops. 2 In Montana, agriculture takes 97 percent of all water used in the state, and just about the only irrigated crop there is hay and pasture forage; more than 5 million acres in the state are irrigated hay meadows. 3 In Nevada - the most arid state in the country - domestic water use amounted to 9.8 million gallons a day in 1993. By contrast, agriculture used 2.8 billion gallons of water per day. 4 Altogether, agriculture uses 83 percent of Nevada's water 5 - and the major crop is hay for cattle fodder. In Nevada, while cow pastures are flood irrigated, wetlands at wildlife refuges and the state's rivers often go bone-dry."

Water, however is just one of a host of resources wasted in by current patterns in the Sun Belt. Most people also don't realise how vital access to water for manufacturers.

He downplays many of the other assets in the region like our colleges, which are not close to being fully exploited. The term "Tech Belt" seems limiting, but I wouldn't mind the term "Knowledge Belt".

Check it out and share your thoughts. All predictions should be taken with a huge grain of salt. How many people thought a few years ago there would be a natural gas energy boom around here now?

Pittsburgh Sprawl Map and Talk on Urbanophile

2012-01-06T12:34:00.005-05:00

Image from Urbanophile (Screen capture from TEDxPittsburgh - Don Carter - 2.4 Million)

Aaron Renn of The Urbanophile blog has a great post up, that includes a graphic display of sprawl in the Pittsburgh region. Also, included is the earlier and even more dramatic picture of sprawl in Buffalo, from a Chuck Banas post on the subject.

Read all the comments, which include many interesting links. Several people point out the map is a bit deceptive since it doesn't compare with the region's peak population of around 2.7-2.8 million reached in the 1960's. Even so, what one sees is a dramatic increase in land use for a population that stayed pretty close to the same.

A few people thought things didn't look that bad relative to sprawl in other regions.

My response:

I would love to see some kind of estimate of infrastructure costs per person. (LOL, since these are “public goods” nobody has likely tried to come up with that number)

My guess is that the Pittsburgh region has to have one of the highest costs. Whatever the relative level of sprawl here, one has to see every small bit of it as very, very expensive.

After, Venice, the Pittsburgh area has the largest number of bridges–over rivers, over hollows, over gorges and across valleys. These don’t come cheap. Add to that, a good number of tunnels.

Of course, that just scratches the surface of the massive environmental impact. Not surprisingly, the area is known for areas of very poor air quality and a flash flood risk from storm drainage problems.

The area also is pretty close to leading in the number of bridges considered substandard.

Washington Post Piece Says Pittsburgh is "in": Trashes Annoying Portland

2012-01-05T14:26:00.004-05:00

From The Washington Post:

As a born-and-raised Pittsburgher, I’ll go a step further. Portland, with its elaborate facial hair and abundance of strip clubs, represents irony. Pittsburgh, with its working-class pragmatism, is the opposite: earnest and straightforward. It’s a place where people drink cheap beer and wave their Terrible Towels without self-consciousness. Hipsters take faux working-class attributes —brusque beards, Pabst Blue Ribbon and occupations such as butchery — and integrate them into their lives with an ironic wink and a superiority complex. In Pittsburgh, you can find all of the above, only without the derision and affectation. The natural life span of the hipster has come to an end. What was a lifestyle adopted to make fun of the mainstream has now become the mainstream. There are no more [expletive] hipsters to be looked at (The blog “Look at this [expletive] Hipster” hasn’t been updated since September), and jokes about them — much like every skit on Portlandia — have started to feel a minute or a paragraph too long.

Right, Pittsburghers don't do irony very well. Love it or leave it, it's pretty real around here.

Burgh Diaspora digs deeper into comparing the two cities and points out that Pittsburgh has a large number of assets that are built to last. It dug up this quote about Portland.

Why Portland Sucks And Pittsburgh Does Not

“We’re a small town that does not have a major university, that does not have a major arts school,” Schiff says. “We’re off the map in a number of ways.”

Be back with more thoughts about this.

Don't go back to sleep

2012-01-04T18:45:00.000-05:00

Don't go back to sleep, Laurie Trok's solo exhibit, is a presentation of her collage work. The works are assembled from re-purposed materials, from manila folders to magazine pictures. Her approach to collage is complex, with multiple layers and dimension.

If you missed the opening in December, Laurie Trok's solo is having a last showing at 3634 Penn Ave this Friday.

Don't go back to sleep
Laurie Trok
January 6, 6-11PM
Closing Party
Morris Levy Gallery
3634 Penn Avenue

Cool Cleveland Seeking Northeast Ohio Musicians For Videos

2012-01-04T18:25:00.003-05:00

No, this is not exactly gonna be a high paying gig, but they do mention a small stipend and "big exposure". You know how this works, if your music stikes the right cord, you could be a viral star.

Wanted: Northeast Ohio Area Musicians

Cool Cleveland is putting together short videos on each of the cool neighborhoods in the region, from C-Town to Y-town, from the Football Hall of Fame to the Rock Hall, from Oberlin College to Lake Erie Wine Country, from Highland Square to the Erie Islands.

If you’re a musician or a band from Northeast Ohio and would like to have your music featured in one of our cool videos, we’re looking for you to help make these mini-movies relevant, energetic and enjoyable. All styles will be considered, especially uptempo. We’re not sure there’s a “Cleveland sound,” but we’re looking for it.

More details here.

On Screen/ In Person Tour Of Independent Filmmakers Accepting Submissions

2012-01-04T13:00:00.005-05:00

As you know, a personal peeve of mine is the relative lack of opportunities for local artists to show regionally or nationally. Pittsburghers can attend the Three Rivers Film festival and I'm sure Baltimore, Philly and DC have similar events. But, how many chances are there for someone in Baltimore to see a film by a Pittsburgh filmmaker? Thank god for YouTube!

On Screen/In Person is now accepting submissions for 2012-2013 tour of independent filmmakers!

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation is seeking the best in new independent American film to tour through its On Screen/In Person program.

Selected films will be screened in communities across the mid-Atlantic region accompanied by their respective filmmakers.

Filmmakers collaborate with host sites on the tour to develop community activities, such as Q&As, artist talks, or workshops, among other options, to further engage audiences in the screened work. The Foundation will pay selected filmmakers a stipend for each host site visit, cover all travel and accommodation expenses, and provide a per diem.

Film submissions, including animation, documentaries, experimental and narrative work, are accepted online via Withoutabox. To submit your work or view the filmmaker guidelines, please visit On Screen/In Person at Withoutabox.com.

Deadline for submission: January 20, 2012

See the details here.

Surprising Opposition To Historic Districts Grows In San Francisco

2012-01-03T19:44:00.003-05:00

Pittsburgh, has very little of the extreme historic zoning they have in San Francisco.

The Times had a great piece about the revolt by many of the people, working to restore classic houses, one might expect to be avid supporters of these laws.

But even compatible plans can be frustrated by burdensome regulations, some property owners said.

“I consider myself a preservationist, and I encourage preservation,” said Robin Levitt, an architect who lives in an 1890s false-front Victorian house in the Hayes Valley neighborhood. Mr. Levitt said he abandoned plans to replace rotted staircases on the front of his house because historic preservation requirements were too expensive and time-consuming.

“When regulations make it prohibitive economically to make improvements on your property,” Mr. Levitt said, “it’s over the top for me.”

People tend to assume that giving a building or district historic status, instantly preserves the property. The reality is far more complex. Yes, It will make it hard or impossible to tear down the building--right now. But, unless there is lots of money available, it does nothing to fix or restore it. Often, it places barriers or costs that lead to the ultimate death of the structure.

A personal story, from NY which I believe to be true.

Back in the early nineties, I was involved in a group that put together art exhibits and other performance nights in the upper floor of a old courthouse in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The area at the time was a mix of historic brownstones, but seeing an influx of many poor immigrants.

A few of the people helping with the music events had dreams of opening a non profit music school in a beautiful abandoned police station across the street. These people loved the building and wanted very much to preserve it. They also, didn't have much money, and needed it to function well as a school.

Here--I found a post with pictures and some history.

From what I heard, a big problem they faced was that landmark status made it impossible to make significant changes to the building. In this case--they needed to remove the jail cells-which didn't exactly fit their needs and made using a large part of the building difficult.

Sadly, in the time since, the building has further deteriorated and now is very likely to be torn down. Amazingly, I later heard about an old police station in the Bronx that went through a similar problem and was torn down.

One Town's Video Response To Being Listed as Dying

2012-01-01T16:01:00.003-05:00

Somehow, I missed this video which is being listed as one of the best marketing videos of the year--and by a few, the greatest music video of all time.

From Artsblog

On January 11, 2011, Newsweek magazine published a now infamous article titled “America’s Dying Cities.” It crunched U..S census data to list the top-10 cities with 100,000 residents or more that experienced the steepest population decline in the country.

Number 10 on that list was Grand Rapids, MI. But the residents of Grand Rapids were about to prove that the reports of their city’s death were greatly exaggerated.

The video is said to have cost $40,000, all of which came from the local business community but clearly the contributions of thousands of city residents are what make it powerful.

Street Art Project In Cleveland Plays On Local History

2011-12-30T22:02:00.004-05:00

From a distance, the main focus of the Art Collective, known as Cleveland SGS has been to document historic signs, and the unrecognised locals that make the city unique.

A recent project, took things a step further by covering a large building's windows with cryptic signs that reference a forgotten part of Cleveland's past.

From Vandalog: Cleveland SGS pays tribute to a neighborhood icon

The widely held belief is that this area, didn't have much of a past, or any prospects, until the Cleveland Foundation and The Cleveland Clinic, came along. The signs bring back the much more complex story of a highly successful local entrepreneur and a decades long fight to save his property.

From the Wikipedia

Winston Earl Willis (b. October 21, 1939) is a formerly successful American real estate developer who first came to local prominence in Cleveland, Ohio during the early 1960s. At the time, one of the most successful business owner/operators in the country, he created and controlled a corporation, University Circle Properties Development, Inc. (UCPD, Inc.) that owned one of the most strategic and valuable real estate parcels in Cleveland and was the largest employer of blacks in that part of the country. Under his solely-owned UCPD corporation at East 105th and Euclid, upwards of 23 successful businesses were running simultaneously and exhibiting tremendous success.

Winston was quick to see the opportunity to create businesses in the area near University Circle.

The acquired experience of having operated several successful small businesses led to a quick assessment of the local college community that would prove to have been very shrewd. After securing a lease on a building that was previously an automobile dealership showroom, 19-year-old Willis opened The Jazz Temple, a liquor-less coffeehouse/night club, to immediate success. Situated on a small triangular lot on Mayfield Road near Euclid Avenue and adjacent to the Western Reserve University campus, his institutional neighbors were the Cleveland Museum of Art, University Hospital, and Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Orchestra. The club also bordered the ethnic enclave known as Murray Hill/Little Italy.

Willis approached such legendary jazz artists as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzie Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Cannonball Adderley, The Ramsey Lewis Trio, and Dinah Washington and convinced them to come to Cleveland to appear at his club. Not only did they appear and perform before standing-room-only crowds, but such notable acts at the trendy establishment also attracted visits from Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael, and booked performances from other notables such as comedians Red Foxx, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor and Dick Gregory. The popular night spot, frequently referred to as “the Jazz Mecca”, was hugely successful and became a regular hang-out for college students from throughout and around the State of Ohio. But that success was short lived. As is typical of jazz establishments – there was much race-mixing and numerous interracial couples in attendance. This triggered community wide resentment in the racially polarized community, and after months of threats and intimidation, a vanguard of vengeful racists planted a bomb in the club, thereby ending the brief history of one of the most successful jazz spots of the region.

So anyway, as you might guess, the major power players like the universities, foundations and The Cleveland Clinic conspired to take his properties away.

Having found no support in the courts from a campaign of fines and other harassment. Winston turned desperately to putting up billboards.

I like the way, this project subtly brings up this injustice without being just angry and bombastic. It's a tribute to the man.

More about the project on Cleveland SGS

More

Blogging the Pittsburgh Literary Scene

2011-12-30T16:18:00.016-05:00

Zine writer Artnoose reads to a crowd at Belvedere's, July 2011.

Over at my literary blog, Karen the Small Press Librarian, I am posting year-end Best of the Small Press lists (as I have for the past few years) from small press authors, editors, reading series hosts, and other indie lit movers and shakers. This year I did something different and chose participants from the many small press folks who visited or read in Pittsburgh in 2011. This gives me a chance to highlight the Pittsburgh literary scene along the way (on my normally-not-Pittsburgh-focused small press blog).

I am sometimes surprised by how little is known (outside of the literary scene) about Pittsburgh readings. I get the impression that some people think the sum total of Pittsburgh's literature is a number of colleges bringing in national writers, and maybe a few local poets scribbling things in isolation, plus Michael Chabon. But the city has a flourishing, supportive scene of small presses, reading series, literary magazines, bookstores, homegrown poets, transplanted writers, and visiting authors, unconnected to/in addition to the universities.

So check out the December posts at my blog to see just a small fraction of what went on in Pittsburgh letters in 2011. I may extend a few days into January, too, so check back if it interests you.

Poet Nick Demske reads at Lili Coffee Shop in Polish Hill, September.

Poet Bob Pajich reads at ModernFormations with The New Yinzer Presents reading series, March.

Fiction author Gary Lutz reads at Awesome Books on Penn Avenue, August.

Writer Lori Jakiela (R) and teammate won the Literary Death Match at Brillobox in November.

Fleeting Pages pop-up bookstore brought small press books to a former Borders space in East Liberty, May 2011.

ArtPrize Still Sparking Debate On Twitter

2011-12-29T15:07:00.008-05:00

Sorry, I have a ton of posts I need to do.

Paddy Johnson of Art Fag city is getting feedback about listing ArtPrize as on her top shows list.

"Over at WNYC, Carolina Miranda takes issue with my naming of ArtPrize as one of the year’s best exhibitions. Frankly, I’m surprised it took this long for someone to say something. The contest doesn’t exactly meet the standard criteria us Chelsea folk use to evaluate art; experts (and collectors) do not determine the worth of a work but two rounds of public voting will. You can imagine the quality of these results. Plus, ArtPrize promotion is the hokiest of hokey. Using a formula that exalts the power of democracy by invoking both American-Idol and Internet 2.0 euphoria, the “radically open” contest rhetoric couldn’t be more grating."

Follow the talk on twitter by looking for the #Artprize hashtag. Likely that more than 80% of the commenters, including myself have never experienced the event.

Detritus - Tom Norulak solo at 709 Penn

2011-12-29T12:35:00.002-05:00

I love those unanticipated hours, where you aren't committed to being somewhere or doing something. Last week, I happened to have one of those little schedule gaps while I was downtown. Putting the time to good use, I swung by 709 Penn Gallery, and I'm so glad that I did.

I very much admire Tom Norulak's work, and his solo, Detritus, provides an overview of his etchings over the last several years. The images are predominantly of industrial and consumer waste, abandoned and overtaken by nature. Not just the softly decayed and greyed flotsam of paper wrappers, though. This series concentrates on larger pieces of waste, like old tires and abandoned oil rigs, and sawblades.

Without exception, the images are in black and white. While the works are grounded in objective imagery, the prints have abstract qualities that show a sense of exploration beyond the immediate. The lighter textures seem gritty and grainy, but on closer examination have an almost crystalline structure. The very deep blacks seem to come away from the surface, or in some instances appear calligraphic. The prints bear up to close examination, providing a complex experience of subject and aesthetics.

I think you can bring your own thoughts to this exhibit; Mr. Norulak has provided the viewer with the information to draw their own conclusions without the condescension of an arts-based "teaching moment" and without brazenly dictating an agenda.

Detritus
Etchings by Tom Norulak
November 25, 2011 - January 8, 2012
709 Penn Gallery
The Trust’s Education & Community Engagement department
412-456-6666

Back In Youngstown For The Holidays? Tour The Thriving Tech Incubators!

2011-12-24T10:00:00.004-05:00

The holidays can be a strange bittersweet time in cities in which so many have left.In both Cleveland and Pittsburgh,the diaspora swells The Warhol,Carnegie and Cleveland Museum after Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Recently, cities like Cleveland and Youngstown have made efforts to reach out, make connections and counter some of the negative opinions many who left may have had. Not an easy task, in a few short free days, most people are spending with their family.

Youngstown is providing tours of it's hot and rapidly growing, downtown technology incubators.

From I Will Shout Youngstown

Thursday, Dec 22
Tours from 9am to 5pm leave at the top of the hour, led by YBI Chief Evangelist Jim Cossler. RSVP needed.

Friday, Dec 23

Tours from 7am to 10am leave at the top of the hour, led by YBI Chief Evangelist Jim Cossler. RSVP needed.

Monday, Dec 26

Two tours at 11am and 1pm leave at the top of the hour, led by YBI staff.
Meet Dean Abraham of YSU's STEM College!
Check out the new OH WOW! Technology Museum!
Discounts for downtown eateries!

call 330-599-4583 to reserve a spot

City Of Asylum's Bookstore/Cultural Center Approved In Spite Of Insane Car Oriented Zoning

2011-12-23T18:31:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, I think all the posts I do about urbanism and design are a boring distraction on a blog originally started to cover the exciting cultural scene in Pittsburgh. But I'm constantly reminded how important they can be.

You may have been really excited to hear about plans to create a small bookstore/cultural center a few steps away from The Mattress Factory.

After years of complaints from residents about criminal behavior surrounding the bar, the Manteca closed voluntarily in April 2008 under threat of action by the Allegheny County district attorney a month after two patrons were shot, one fatally, upon leaving the bar.

At the time, Mr. Reese had an option to buy the bar as one of three adjacent parcels he wanted for an expansion of City of Asylum's presence and mission.

As Literary Ventures LLC, he bought a house two addresses from the bar in 2006. In October 2008, he bought the vacant lot beside it and the Manteca beside the lot. The two buildings will be razed to accommodate a nearly 4,000-square-foot building with an interior, glassed-in courtyard. The center will house a bookstore, a cafe, a public gathering space for readings, performances and other events, and two upstairs apartments.

What's not to love? A dangerous, poorly kept up bar and small empty lot in a still struggling but improving part the city is replaced by a small cultural center, run by a respected non profit. People can come and listen to poetry and music, thumb through a diverse selection of books, perhaps attend a workshop or class?

Oooops--wait--how many people? WHAT ABOUT PARKING??!!!

From today's Post Gazette

Zoning requirements for the integrated uses -- a cafe, bookstore and two apartments -- required eight spaces.

Thankfully, in this case of a popular project, in a very historic and walkable part of the city-an adjustment to these rules was made-after a study showing peak use would be unlikely to cause problems.

You have to wonder how zoning codes like this effect the rest of the city since the easy, default option is always to make more space for cars and less for people.

2012 Whitney Biennial List Released: Includes Former Braddock Native LaToya Ruby Frazier

2011-12-23T10:46:00.005-05:00

I still can never get, why this single show, in a moderately sized NY museum is still considered the standard survey of the new, cutting edge and important in what is now such a vast interconnected world.

"The Whitney Biennial is an exhibition held every two years in which the Museum gauges the current state of contemporary art in America." Fat chance. At best it' gives some insight into what the small clique of curators feel is hot.

Even so, here is the list of 2012 Biennial artists.

Kai Althoff
Thom Andersen
Charles Atlas
Lutz Bacher
Forrest Bess
(by Robert Gober)
Michael Clark
Dennis Cooper and
Gisèle Vienne
Cameron Crawford
Moyra Davey
Liz Deschenes
Nathaniel Dorsky
Nicole Eisenman
Kevin Jerome
Everson
Vincent Fecteau
Andrea Fraser
LaToya Ruby
Frazier
Vincent Gallo
K8 Hardy
Richard Hawkins
Werner Herzog
Jerome Hiler
Matt Hoyt
Dawn Kasper
Mike Kelley
John Kelsey
John Knight
Jutta Koether
George Kuchar
Laida Lertxundi
Kate Levant
Sam Lewitt
Joanna Malinowska
Andrew Masullo
Nick Mauss
Richard Maxwell
Sarah Michelson
Alicia Hall Moran and
Jason Moran
Laura Poitras
Matt Porterfield
Luther Price
Lucy Raven
The Red Krayola
Kelly Reichardt
Elaine Reichek
Michael Robinson
Georgia Sagri
Michael E. Smith
Tom Thayer
Wu Tsang
Oscar Tuazon
Frederick Wiseman

As usual, a few like Robert Gober, Mike Kelly and Nicole Eisenman are very established artists. The general flavor from what I have read and the few names, I recognize is a strong tilt towards work that blurs categories-lots of performance, film (Werner Herzog), photography, protest, etc...

LaToya Ruby Frazier, who for the last three years or so has lived in the NY area is on the list. It will be interesting to see what she does.

Nice Video About Creation Of Crop Bistro In A Classic Cleveland Building

2011-12-22T11:46:00.007-05:00

I'm not a historic preservation nut-there sometimes are good reasons for radically changing or demolishing historic buildings.

That being said, they just don't make places of dignity and elegance like this Cleveland Landmark every day. Here is a great video I came across about the transformation of the ground floor space into a highly rated restaurant.

United Bank Building

The 9-story, 1.5 million dollar United Bank Building opened in 1925 as the tallest and largest commercial building on Cleveland's west side. It was one of the last of a series of classical bank buildings constructed in Cleveland during the 1910s and 1920s, a golden age for the city's banking industry. The selection of Cleveland in 1914 as one of twelve cities to house a branch of the new Federal Reserve Bank helped fuel this growth, as did the city's emergence as a major industrial center around the turn of the 20th-century. Many of the city's banks, however, did not make it through the stock market crash of October 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression. The United Banking & Trust Company, founded on Cleveland's west side in the 1880s, was a victim of the crash, and it merged with Central National Bank just a month afterwards in November 1929

Crop is on Lorain Ave in Ohio City, a few steps away from the landmark, West Side Market.

Follow the link to learn more.

The Dark Knight Rises Official Batman Trailer #2...Some Familar Scenes Here

2011-12-22T09:06:00.004-05:00

Many cities in this trailer, I'm sure. But there are a lot of scenes of Pittsburgh. Fortunately, the atmosphere here in the Burgh isn't usually so dark and ominous. Unless, for example, the Steelers had a twenty point loss the night before and it is dark and rainy (like this past Tuesday).
Like so many others, I enjoyed seeing the movie being filmed here!!!! And I am looking forward to seeing it. For the trailer, go here

New to Cleveland: A Guide to Rediscovering the City: Review on Rustwire

2011-12-20T15:43:00.004-05:00

If Cleveland is to have a bright future, it will have to appeal to people who didn't share the same kindergarten class. Good guides to help those newcomers are pretty rare.

Rust Wire reviewed a new one.

"I like that Justin focuses on quality-of-life amenities that are important to the young professional crowd. The stuff that makes Cleveland neighborhoods livable, this book emphasizes, are walkability, transit access, cultural amenities, recreational opportunities (like yoga studios), and even (and I really like this one) diversity.

In my view Justin’s appraisal of city neighborhoods is much more honest and thoughtful that the usual appraisals we get in Cleveland, e.g. Cleveland Magazine’s “rating the suburbs” which encourages readers to adopt lifestyle choices that are liable to have their spending all their free time sitting on the driver’s seat of a car or on the couch (while “saving” a few precious dollars on taxes)."

The HillVille Looks At A Big Placemaking Trend: Downtown Skating Rinks

2011-12-20T10:34:00.007-05:00

The HillVille, is a new project aimed at creating dialog among Appalachian cities. I'm really digging it's positive vibes.

Cities On the Rink: Ice Skating Designed for Downtown.

"Greenville, S.C. and Lexington, Ky., opened rinks this November for the first time. Knoxville’s Holidays on Ice has been in Market Square since the mid-2000s, and a rink opened in Pittsburgh’s PPG Place in 2001.

While ice-skating is quintessential wintery fun, it also represents a movement by city leaders toward creating public spaces that are active, engaging destinations even in the coldest months.

Dana Souza, parks and recreation director for the city of Greenville, said Ice on Main, a 3,200 square foot rink surrounded by a hotel, city hall, offices and restaurants, is indicative of the city’s values."

Win Passes to Every 2012 Beachland Ballroom Show

2011-12-17T19:09:00.004-05:00

OK, if you live around Cleveland, this is a pretty great prize to go for.

Pretty much, just what it says. You enter on their Facebook page. Deadline December 29th

The Hillville, Online Journal Looks at Appalachia's Urban Side

2011-12-16T11:21:00.006-05:00

From The Hillville:

"Maybe it’s because we’re all attached to our region’s rural past, so imprinted are we with our grandparents stories, we can’t stop thinking or writing about it. Or, the issues that dominate conversation happen to be in our rural quarters, like mining, mountain top removal and ameliorating poverty."

A deeply flawed mythology, since Appalachia is increasingly an urban place, impacted by the role of cities in and around it.

"Almost 60 percent of the region’s 24.8 million people live in urbanized areas, and if current demographic trends hold, that number will increase. The feds define Appalachia as a 205,000-square-mile region that follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. Within that span, there are larger cities with more than a 100,000 people, like Birmingham, Huntsville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Asheville and Pittsburgh. And, there are dozens of medium-size cities like Greenville, S.C., Charleston, W.V., and Scranton, Pa."

Surprise, but a careful look shows that the emerging, giant of Atlanta, is at the edge of the region.

Even more surprising at least to those who carry the old stereotypes, is how popular and successful many cities like Chattanooga, Asheville and now Pittsburgh have started to become.

So far, I see a very high level of quality in the posts.

The Hillville

Buzz from the Atlantic.

Best Holiday Desserts and Pastries in Pittsburgh (Susan on CBS Local)

2011-12-15T20:19:00.005-05:00

I am sure this sugar plum mouse would be nibbling on these if she could.
A round up of the best sweet stuff for the holidays by Susan Constanse on CBS Local. For the round-up go here

Walking Tour of Johnstown's Amazing Architecture

2011-12-15T13:40:00.005-05:00

I have still never visited Johnstown but it always looks fascinating from the train, dramatic, Western PA landscape, old steel mills, churches and even an incline!

The Johnstown Area Heritage Association (JAHA), has a very in depth walking tour of some of downtown's historic and diverse buildings.

Once again, I will plug the idea of hosting a single day or weekend of tours so people can really discover these buildings from the inside.

A Walking Tour of Johnstown

Organizations Plan to Give Cleveland Area Homes To Immigrants

2011-12-14T14:23:00.005-05:00

I gotta admit to not knowing many details about this but I have a few thoughts, both positive and negative.

The solution is The Discovering Home Program, which is a joint effort by the Cuyahoga Land Bank and the International Services Center.

Together, they want to turn neighborhoods around by offering struggling immigrants housing. The refugees will have to agree to fix them up. The hope is that families will take great pride in their homes and help stabilize neighborhoods. Many believe it is a win-win situation

.

Right off the bat, I'm impressed by any efforts in the Cleveland area to not just obsess over everyone leaving, but attract new residents. Any thinking in that direction is a big plus.

I also, see that ownership is to be gained by fixing up the homes. Here, I have some pretty strong doubts. If no cash investment of any kind is made, one is likely to repeat the same kind of easy come-easy go buyers with no equity that helped create the housing mess. Remember that in many cases, you will be asking people to move into shaky and damaged communities in a region with abundant low cost housing.

I have doubts that incentives like this will draw people who find the homes and neighborhoods of real value since price alone is the main draw.

Contrast that, for example with efforts to attract artists who see the benefits of living in a place with lots of other creatives.

That being said, many larger immigrant families would fit well with single family housing stock.

Beautiful Letter From George Romero in Support of Chapel Restoration

2011-12-11T09:53:00.003-05:00

Earlier, I posted about efforts to save the Evan's City Cemetery Chapel, one of the last remaining major artifacts featured in George Romero's iconic, low budget masterpiece, Night of The Living Dead.

$50,000 is needed in less than a year.

From The Post Gazette:

"They welcomed us, in some cases fed us, and occasionally even agreed to play small roles in the film. They gave us all their support and then some. In this way they became the first people to not only approve but endorse what we were attempting to do.

"It was as if, in accepting us, they were willing to accept the far-fetched idea that a film made by what could only be called 'amateurs' might just possibly have a chance at success. The people of Evans City in effect 'teamed up' with us, subscribed to our hopes and dreams as if they were their own.

"The film, 'Night of the Living Dead,' was, as its title suggests, a horror film, which further prejudiced its chance at any sort of lasting attention, but the people of Evans City knew nothing about box-office shares or audience-response polls.

"We believed, so they believed. And, in a hundred ways, they enabled us to complete the film."

A long article. Apparently, Romero had tried to contact the people behind the efforts and after some bounced emails, had to send..a letter.

http://www.fixthechapel.com/

ArtPrize Boosts It's Juried Prize: Is That a Good Thing?

2011-12-09T14:06:00.005-05:00

Michigan's ArtPrize is an event that right off the bat combined creative placemaking, art, economic development and public interaction in ways that excited me.

Likewise, in spite of it's success,(and the fact it's not in NY or LA) the art establishment has mostly ignored or tried to look down on it. "Oh My God, they really voted a non ironic religious piece the top award!"

For better or worse, Artprize is tipping the scale away from public voting and more towards "expert jurors".

From Hyperallergic

The top public vote award will be a little smaller next year, $200,000 instead of the $250,000 offered this year, but the organization is adding a brand new juried award of $100,000, which puts it in the same monetary league at the Hugo Boss Prize (also $100,000) and considerably more than the Turner Prize with its £25,000 award (roughly $39,000).

Some facts about ArtPrize 2011:

-1,582 artists from 39 countries and 43 US states took part

-The participating artists installed their work at 164 venues in a three-square-mile district in Grand Rapids

-38,000 registered voters submitted 383,000 total votes for the public prize

-Smartphones increased voting 62%

Artprize 2011 Timelapse from Michael Cook on Vimeo.

In New York Region: Retailers Design More Around Transit

2011-12-08T17:15:00.007-05:00

Urban Retailers Call For More Transit, Less Parking

Obviously the trend is stronger in the greater NY region, but a lot of talk at International Council of Shopping Centers conference in Manhattan seemed to be about adpting retail better to transit and denser urban design. Speakers included reps from Burlington Coat Factory, Sports Authority, BJ's Wholesale Club and a number of major real estate developers.

As retailers continue to weave suburban concepts into the urban fabric, more brands—and big-boxes—are going vertical. But as the pendulum swings in favor of transit-oriented development, the nation’s top retailers agreed that the need for mass transportation is beginning to outweigh the need for traditional parking design, according to speakers during day two of the International Council of Shopping Centers’ 2011 New York National Conference & Deal Making event. The convention closed out at the Sheraton New York and Hilton New York Hotels on Tuesday afternoon, where total attendance exceeded 6,000 each day.

During the general session, much of the discussion revolved around the challenges retailers face, running the gamut from site selection, obtaining local approvals, expansion concerns and store formats. The panelists also addressed the paradigm shift of retailers like wholesale clubs and supermarkets—two concepts borne out of the suburbs—that are finding equal strength in cities, especially near subway and bus lines.

An earlier post I did on urban retail formats in NYC

Pittsburgh Biennial @ Miller Gallery Reviewed in Hyperallergic

2011-12-08T14:28:00.006-05:00

It's a bit strange that the awesome online art magazine, Hyperallergic only reviewed this one part of the multi venue Biennial. However, in some ways it's not that surprising since this show of artist collectives and collaborative projects might have the greatest relevance outside of Pittsburgh.

"The exhibition at Miller Gallery, curated by gallery director Astria Suparak, features five artist-teams, all with some connection to Pittsburgh. Although the Biennial’s publicity describes the show as an exploration of the art of collaboration, I found concern about space, place and the planet to be another significant thread weaving the works together.

Each collaborative asks the viewer to re-picture the interconnections that make up our experience of the world — to borrow Smith’s terminology. For Smith, this impulse involves the representation of cultural and economic networks on a global scale. The artists at Miller Gallery, however, focus on a wider range of intertwining relationships, spanning not only the global but also ecological, local, urban, public and domestic spaces."

An excellent, long review with a number of images.

The show ends, Sunday, Dec 12

Pittsburgh Holiday Shopping Tips In Pop City and CBS Local

2011-12-07T12:34:00.003-05:00

The other day, CBS Local posted some Pittsburgh area unique shopping ideas, which alone didn't seem long or interesting enough to pass along.

Now Pop City also has a nice list of ideas. Check out all the suggestions.

Pop City: Your all-local guide to great holiday shopping

CBS Local: Guide To Buying Last-Minute Local Gifts

Run Down Of Cleveland's Holiday Pop Up Shops In Freshwater

2011-12-06T22:34:00.005-05:00

Freshwater Cleveland posted a big list of amazing looking pop up stores and holiday festivals to buy unique gifts around Cleveland.

A high percentage of these seem to be on the West Side. Ohio City, Gordon Square etc, but there are some in other places, Downtown and Midtown.

Once again, places like The 78th Street Studios and Tower Press buildings are the focus of energy.

L Magazine's Story On Ex-Patriot Networks, Detroit Nation, Pittsburgh Nation Etc..

2011-12-06T14:05:00.005-05:00

L Magazine has a good post about urban diaspora networks, which not surprisingly involves groups from all the major cities in the Rust Belt like Detroit, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. Most of the usual blogging suspects are quoted, like Aaron Renn (Urbanophile) and Jim Russell (Burgh Diaspora)

Amazingly, active interest in building and exploiting these extended networks is very recent.

My personal views are somewhat mixed in that all levels of engagement need to be fostered, not just with people who left but with all kinds of other people.

It seems like most Rust Belt cities are in a learning curve, moving from Border Guard Bob type efforts to get everyone to stay, to reluctant efforts to get people to comeback to their hometown.

The best ones, acknowledge the natural movement of people while keeping them in touch and involved.

Jacobs acknowledges that networking opportunities and tangible engagement, not just economic redevelopment prospects, should be an important focus for diaspora groups. For people who hope to one day return to their hometowns, social networking is essential in order to replace lost groups of hometown friends who have also left the area. Detroit Nation often organizes road trips back to Detroit where members can socialize with each other, in addition to connecting with Detroit business leaders and experience innovation initiatives first hand.

Detroit Nation isn't the only expat group whose members currently call New York City home. Manhattanite Frits Abell founded the Buffalo Expat Network at the beginning of 2010, after 20 years in NYC. Buffalo Expat Network started out as a Facebook group but has since become an active expat network, connecting former Buffalo residents from all over the world in order to harness talent for Buffalo-based initiatives. Unlike Detroit Nation, Buffalo Expat Network engages their membership more through online communities, although in-person events have been held in New York City. "At the beginning of this year, we decided to focus much more on projects, so we have different expats leading different projects," he says.

IMHO, there needs to be a much broader interest in information and people flow all around. People in Ann Arbor should know Detroit better; folks in Columbus should know Pittsburgh and Cleveland and Indianapolis. It's like looking at a menu and just knowing what's available.

The article does point out that New York City itself benefits from a vast diaspora network.

December Unblurred

2011-12-05T10:42:00.002-05:00

The theme for Unblurred in December is large group shows; it seemed like the larger venues on Penn were all doing some variation of this. It was interesting to see the different takes on that idea, and it made for a very active evening. I am sure I missed as much as I got to during December's Unblurred.

Winter in Frames at ModernFormations

A fun exhibit of small format works, Winter in Frames invited artists to submit works for public voting. The top three voted artists get a group exhibit. While the gallery typically follows a monthly show rotation, Winter in Frames will remain in place through January 14, when the winners will be announced. If you missed the exhibit opening on December 2, you can always swing by during regular gallery hours, or for first Friday (January 6).

There are several images from the exhibit in the slideshow. And no, I'm not going to say who I voted for. I will say that it was a nice balance of work. Survey shows like this, with no stated theme and no over-arching juror, can be difficult to present. ModernFormation's Director, Jennifer Quinio Hedges, did a phenomenal job with organizing the installation.

Exhibiting artists include --
Ron Copeland, Julie Urban, Dafna Rehavia Hanauer, Jake Reinhart, Lauren Toohey, Donnie Toomer, Steven M. Yeager, Lizzee Solomon, Katie Sussman, Stephen Tuomala, Stephen Knezovich, Nancy Schuster, L.J. Swiech, Carol Skinger, Ruthanne F. Bauerle, Stephen Haynes, Chris Humphrey, Joel Brown, Mark Zets, Jeff Zets, Eric White, Lindy Hazel LaDue, Rebecca Rose, Kristin Turcsanyi, Susan Contanse, Jes LaVecchia, Mark Mangini, Ryan Emmett, Jay DelGreco, Aimee Manion, and Joseph Materkowski.

Modernformations

Lascaux to Garfield at IRMA FREEMAN CENTER FOR IMAGINATION

A special off-the-wall presentation of local artists work, Lascaux to Garfield was a very short exhibit. There were many familiar names, and the exhibit was a joint venture between the Irma Freeman Center and The Puppet Happening.

There were several pieces that stood out for me. Renee Ickes, whose work is pictured above, creates some very cheeky pierced and cut paper pieces. Laurie Trok, who does very intricately layered paper-cut collages, had a couple small pieces in the show. More of her work is available for viewing at her solo show at Morris Levy Gallery, opening December 10.

Puppet Happening is a venture of Tom Sarver's, who has been producing puppet shows in Pittsburgh for years. He had a mini-festival at the Irma Freeman Center over the weekend, and will be doing more in the future.

Exhibiting artists include: Sheila Ali, Alberto Almarza, Ashley Pixelle Andrews, Tommy Bones, Dean Cercone, Victoria Cessna, Matthew Conboy, Thommy Conroy, Murphi Cook, LEX Covato, Mike Cuccaro, George Davis, Tirzah DeCaria, The Dirty Poet, Sam Ditch, Zach Dorn, Kirsten Ervin, Gabe Felice, Irma Freeman, Claudia Giannini, Karen Hartman, Doug Hill, Jennifer Howison, Renee Ickes, Carolyn Kelly, Jessica Langley, Chris Lisowski, Maria Mangano, Jean McClung, Anna Mikolay, David Luis Montano, John Morris, Lindsay O’Leary, Organza Orgazmica (Scott Andrew, Elin Lennox and Michael McParlane collaboration), Larry Rippel, MJ Sadeghi, Nicole Sarver, Tom Sarver, Jessica Scott, Kate Sherman, Moshe Sherman, Kara Skylling, Steve Smith, Oliver Southgate, Jim Storch, Laurie Trok, Robert Zehmisch & Bob Ziller.

Irma Freeman Center for Imagination. 5006 Penn Avenue. Images from the exhibit are available in the slideshow.

Image Box: Robert Pell

Robert Pell's low-relief pieces are very fun and beautifully presented. The works, a combination of drawing and cut-outs, are a tribute to his school notebook doodles.

Study Hall Series, Imagebox, 4933 Penn Ave

Notes of interest
Assemble went hyper local for its December exhibit, with an open call to artists living within ten blocks of the space. Lots of fun stuff, images in the slideshow.

The CottonFactory had their last Tee Rex event of the year. They won't be opening for first Fridays again until March 2012. Note to my artist friends: The CottonFactory has guest vendors for their Tee Rex events. Contact ink[at]cottonfactory.com for details. 5440 Penn Ave.

Jes LaVecchia has her work at the Mr. Roboto Project. These sweetly-colored, illustrative works are very fun, especially on these dreary winter days. Mr. Roboto is open for several special events in December when you can view the exhibit.

Sad Surprise: Forgery May Be Alive And Well

2011-12-04T17:02:00.006-05:00

A lot of people got a shock when a few days ago the very prominent, Knoedler Gallery, suddenly shut it's doors after 165 years in business.

Even more shocking was news, the next day of a major and most likely related investigation.

"In several cases, Ms. Rosales sold the works through an art-world luminary, Ann Freedman, until 2009 the president of the prestigious gallery Knoedler & Company on the Upper East Side. Other works were sold by Julian Weissman, an independent dealer who had worked for Knoedler in the 1980s and had represented Motherwell when he was alive.

Ms. Freedman and Mr. Weissman said through their lawyers that they continued to believe that the works they sold were authentic and that authorities had told them they were not under investigation. But a lawyer for Ms. Rosales, Anastasios Sarikas, acknowledged that she was a target of the inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Sarikas said that his client had “never intentionally or knowingly sold artwork she knew to be forged.”

A few years back, it was discovered that the highly respected
founding director of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art had played an active role in misrepresenting the provenance of a large group of Warhol Brillo Boxes.

Del's of Bloomfield To Get A Major Makover On The Food Network's Restaurant Impossible

2011-12-02T11:43:00.003-05:00

Well, I ate at Del's once and while it wasn't one of the worst experiences ever, the food was pretty bad and I never went back.

The concept is to see what can be done in two days, with only 10,000 dollars. While the show is a bit dramatic, there seems to be a sincere empathy with the struggles of local businesses.

Check out I Heart Pittsburgh's post about it.

An Urbanist's View of The Penn State Scandal

2011-12-01T13:02:00.008-05:00

The following opinion is my own and may not be shared by other posters to this blog.

Most likely you have heard of this.

From Sports Illustrated

"For a prominent university, Penn State is remarkably isolated, nestled in the hinterlands of Pennsylvania, six hours from the nearest conference rival and three hours from a major city. (As many learned last week, the impenetrability is heightened by a status that exempts PSU from meaningful state open-records laws. Many documents related to the Sandusky case, such as e-mails between university officials, are not subject to public disclosure.) Like Russian nesting dolls, there are levels of isolation within Penn State, the innermost of which is the football team, which has separate facilities from the rest of the athletic programs and a lavish training facility all its own."

Here, the co-writer, talks more about the impact of isolation on Penn State.

Further on in the same article.

Healing will be far less swift an hour down the Nittany Valley in State College. While the crisis was unprecedented in its severity, the Penn State management was -- again, evidence of the school's insularity -- staggeringly clumsy. Press conferences were scheduled and then abruptly canceled. Remarks were tone-deaf. Spanier all but ordered his own firing when he declared his "unconditional" support for Curley and Schultz. When various administrators expressed shock at last week's revelations, even though Sandusky had been suspected multiple times and The Patriot-News had reported in March on the grand jury investigation, it came across as more than a little disingenuous.

From a side article in the same issue: "A place apart".

"The idyllic physical setting and the familial spirit of Penn State cut another way: It is a deeply insular place with concentrated power. Every character in the tragedy seemed to be a longtime Penn Stater. Paterno was there 61 years; Sandusky's association with the school began in 1963; Curley grew up in State College and has served 18 years as AD; vice president Gary Schultz served the school for 40 years; Mike McQueary grew up in State College and has been on staff for 11 years; Bradley has been on staff for 33 years; Jay Paterno, Joe's son, has been on staff for 17 years; Spanier taught at Penn State as far back as 1973. Sandusky, Bradley, Curley, Schultz, McQueary and Jay Paterno all attended Penn State as undergraduates. That people returned to or stayed so long at Penn State spoke to its appeal and its small-town values."

Another article, quotes former sportscaster and writer Myron Cope, who made this comment about Penn State in his biography.

"I particularly irritated Penn Staters by accusing Joe [Paterno] of excessive piety. You see, for many years he seemed bent upon casting Penn State as an academic facsimile of Harvard and his football players as model citizens (when in fact some of them told me they received the benefits of rural isolation—no major newspaper there to snoop—and a friendly police force)".

Tragically, another legendary coach and sports program is implicated in a very similar situation and cover up in Syracuse. While Syracuse, was once a fairly major manufacturing center, it now seems as if the university is the major force in town.

By way of extreme contrast, let's look back at a huge scandal in college basketball in the early 1950's.

The earthshaking scandals of 1951, which eventually reached to seven schools and 32 players around the country, actually erupted on Jan. 17, 1951 when Henry Poppe and Jack Byrnes of the previous year's Manhattan team plus three fixers: Cornelious Kelleher and brothers Benjamin and Irving Schwartzberg, who were bookmakers and convicted felons, were booked on bribery and conspiracy charges. All were in violation of section 382 of the penal code, the bill passed by the New York State legislature in 1945, which established as illegal an attempt to bribe a participant in any sporting event, amateur or professional. Poppe and Byrnes actually "had done business" with Kelleher in the 1949-50 season and received $50 a week during the off season of that year plus $3,000 to insure Manhattan lost games by the point margin to Siena, Santa Clara and Bradley in Madison Square Garden.

Byrnes and Poppe also received an additional $2,000 each to go over the point margin in games with St. Francis College of Brooklyn and New York University.

Ever even heard of this- corruption case involving masses of players and fixed games? One reason it's forgotten is that college basketball at the time was far from the big time sport of today. The other reason is it centered around colleges in NYC, where life did not revolve around these schools.

All of the CCNY schools de-emphasised sports and dropped into division III. Life went on. Could something like that even be considered in a place like State College?

Without, going into too much detail, I do think that there's something very unhealthy about major universities being so far removed from the world and I do think this was a major factor in both instances.

Penn State cannot shrink and or cut off it's major sports programs because there just isn't much else to do in State College. Incredibly, many students who were not athletes named it as the main reason for attending the school. Not surprisingly this put the program beyond critical review.

Liberty on The Border Exhibit in Cincinnati, Reviewed in Wall Street Journal

2011-12-01T11:06:00.004-05:00

As online coverage of local history and culture has gotten better, I feel a greater obligation to keep one connected to a wider region. Cincinnati isn't exactly close, but it's not that far. Also, Pittsburgh's position in the Civil War's border region makes this show seem relevant.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The museum is well-positioned not only intellectually but physically to tell this complicated story, and it does it well. For the museum sits on the north shore of the Ohio River, the dividing line set forth by the Northwest Ordinance in 1787, which attempted to balance the entry of free and slave-holding states into the union. It was on this border separating Ohio from Indiana and Kentucky that the racial politics and policies of early America met reality.

The main theme of "Liberty's Trials" is Kentucky's efforts to remain neutral during the war. It is often thought of as a Southern state, but slavery was not widespread there. Lexington was an important slave-trading market because of the nearby horse farms and plantations. But much of the rest of Kentucky was against slavery and strongly pro-Union at the start of the war. We see this through maps, biographies and plaques retelling some of the key events that pushed Kentucky from a largely pro-union state at the start of the Civil War to one that was mostly pro-Confederacy toward the end of the war."

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Through Jan. 6

Michigan Focuses Economic Policy Around "Placemaking"

2011-11-30T12:59:00.005-05:00

Rust Wire writes about the new broad consensus, developing in Michigan towards what urban planners now call, placemaking.

After reading a number of stories and blog posts about this, it's still not exactly certain what the term means-beyond respect for place and quality of life. Looking at Michigan's previous policies makes the change clear.

The earlier attitude, could be summed up as, anything for jobs. In 1981, The city of Detroit, evicted thousands of residents, destroyed the bulk of a neighborhood and handed the land over to GM for construction of a new car plant.

"At first glance the project seemed brilliant. In 1979, the old Dodge Main plant in Hamtramck had closed and that city lost $1.7 million in tax revenue. Hamtramck was happy to join in the deal. But there were obstacles in Detroit -- 1,300 homes, 140 businesses, six churches and one hospital lay in the path of the proposed plant.

The neighborhood adjacent to Hamtramck's southern border was, like Hamtramck, home to Poles as well as Albanians, Yugoslavs, Blacks, Yemenis and Filipinos. But some families had been there for generations, since the influx of Polish workers to the auto plants in the 1920s and '30s, and even before. Some of the first Polish settlements in the city in the 1870s had been in this area. It was the home of the original St. Mary's College and Polish Seminary at the corner of St. Aubin and Forest. It was the original location for the International Institute. St John the Evangelist Catholic Parish had been founded there in the 1890s, Immaculate Conception Parish in 1918."

The same attitude went for highway construction, where few power players cried when eggs needed to be cracked in the name of progress. People moving and endless new construction always was sold as growth, even though the state's population was in a long steady decline. The people who found where they lived, unpleasant would stay cause they had jobs-and the fancy pants, over educated, complainers could just leave.

The huge car companies these policies were built around proved less stable than expected and the new dynamic firms needed the over educated, creative types who found Michigan so gross. A depleted tax base, also meant that growth at any cost was no longer a financial option.

From Model D

The state of Michigan, for example, is focusing on placemaking initiatives as part of its economic development strategy. "Economic development and community development are two sides of the same coin," said Gov. Rick Snyder in a special message to the Michigan Legislature last winter. "A community without place amenities will have a difficult time attracting and retaining talented workers and entrepreneurs, or being attractive to business."

Kent’s son, PPS Vice President Ethan Kent, said placemaking is striking a chord in the current economy because it’s resourceful and builds on a city’s existing assets. And the placemaking philosophy requires extensive public buy-in upfront, so officials can stand on safer ground politically. "Building convention centers and using tax incentives to attract big corporations or new business isn’t working," Ethan said.

Instead, placemaking emphasizes smaller, inexpensive improvements: Adirondack chairs to watch the sunset on the Buffalo waterfront, or temporary incubator retailers with lower overhead costs. At Gabriel’s Wharf in London, for example, a set design company created colorful facades on concrete garages, and then worked with artists to convert them into studios where they could sell their work. The fast-working set designers finished the job in three months. Rather than developers spending money on a costly master design, the tenants themselves provided the vibrancy to make the area compelling for visitors. The scheme was designed to pay for itself in four years.

Strangely, the new embrace of the small, incremental improvements and livable, walkable neighborhoods has attracted strong support from across the political spectrum, columnists, The Department of Transportation, Michigan State University and Michigan's Governor.

This widespread attitude is new, and pretty rare across the country. It will be interesting to see if it lasts and how things start to play out.

Article on The Project For Public Spaces Website

Wired Magazine Analyses A Call in The Bengals/Browns Game

2011-11-30T09:57:00.006-05:00

Wired took a questionable penalty call in the Cleveland/ Cincinnati game and put it under some pretty in depth review.

Sorry, I just had to post this.

Night Of The Living Dead Fans Try To Rescue Cemetery Chapel Featured In The Film

2011-11-29T17:22:00.005-05:00

The New York Times blog has a short piece about efforts to save the decaying chapel at the Evans City Cemetery. $50,000 is needed by next year, a very steep amount for a Butler county town with around 2000 residents. So far $7000 has been raised.

Ron Volz, the president of the cemetery association, praised the efforts of Gary Streiner and other like-minded “Living Dead” fans to keep the chapel standing.

“He’s come up with great ideas to raise money, but 50 grand is going to be tough to raise, I think,” Mr. Volz said. “But if he gets zombies from all over the United States to contribute … he can raise it.”

.

The Post has a more in depth article.

Mr. Streiner said that he hopes to restore the chapel just as it always was -- no running water, no electricity, no gas hookup, just a potbellied stove. He hopes that it can be rented out for use at events such as zombie-themed weddings or graduation parties and maybe even function as a mini-museum.

Mr. Streiner considers himself blown away by the response from fans and the fundraising success thus far. Fundraising efforts on the group's website, www.fixthechapel.com, are just getting under way.

Posters designed by one Facebook group member are already for sale online and Mr. Streiner expects T-shirts to be available soon -- in time for the holiday season. A movie screening and benefit will be held in San Francisco in early December; there will be appearances on Internet radio shows.

To help visit, Fixthechapel.com

Facebook Group

Open Studios, Holiday Concert and Many Other Events, December 9 @ CMU

2011-11-29T12:30:00.005-05:00

Tour the Pittsburgh Biennial at the Miller Gallery in the Purnell Center for the Arts: Noon – 6 p.m., free admission

Attend the School of Music’s Annual Holiday Concert: Noon, Rangos Hall, University Center (free admission); 8 p.m., Carnegie Music Hall, Oakland ($5 in advance, $7 at the door)

See student projects in the School of Architecture: 1:30 – 6:30 p.m., Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall (MMCH) and College of Fine Arts (CFA) building, free admission

Tour the School of Art Open Studio Day, “IDK, SRY”: 5 - 9 p.m., CFA third and fourth floors, free admission

The Open Studio features more than 40 senior artist studios with works in progress spanning sculpture, video and 2D, plus a Holiday Art Sale with everything from DIY fashion, paintings and prints to performances and predictions for mankind in 2012. A reception from 7 – 9 p.m. features WRCT 88.3FM DJs, food, drink and entertainment. For more information, call the School of Art at 412-268-2409.

The STUDIO for Creative Inquiry hosts “Envisioning High Point Pittsburgh”: 5 – 7 p.m., CFA 111, free admission, RSVP appreciated by email: studio-info@cmu.edu

STUDIO Fellow David Bear and a team of CMU architecture and civil and environmental engineering students will present the possibilities for transforming the rooftop of the 64-story U. S. Steel Tower into a publicly-accessible green roof park — a “pinnacle of perspective.” For more, go to www.studioforcreativeinquiry.org

School of Drama presents “Mad Forest” by Caryl Churchill: 8 p.m. through Dec. 10, Philip Chosky Theater, Purnell Center for the Arts ($15 adults/general, $10 students, at the door or in advance)

Check out all the details here.

The Post Gazette Looks at Pittsburgh's Dirty Dozen Bike Race

2011-11-28T10:24:00.006-05:00

I want to see this in person next year. For better or worse, I'm not alone jumping on the bandwagon. WQED filmmaker, Rick Sebak filmed last years race, which drew more than 300 racers.

While, Pittsburgh has fewer casual bikers than some other places, many who do ride take it very seriously. This is the best known of of a large number of unsanctioned races and events.

From the Post Gazette

"Many of those people who have helped support the race and spread the word of its insane beauty over the years believe that popularity means it will soon have to change. The hills they race up are narrow streets designed two centuries ago, and it was already getting tight with 185 racers. And with 300 cyclists, the peloton is that much longer and unwieldy on even the main roads.

"It's getting to the point where now it really needs a title sponsor and some formal organization," said Mr. Gottlieb, who owns a scrap metal plant on Neville Island. "Because, eventually, something is going to happen as it gets bigger."

Glenn Pawlak, owner of Big Bank Bikes in West Mifflin and a sponsor of the race for the last two years, agreed that having 300-plus cyclists in one race could be a tipping point "or a breaking point."

The Geography Of Stuck in The Atlantic: The Rust Belt's Unrecocognized Weakness Is Mobility

2011-11-27T13:07:00.005-05:00

I've mostly given up on trying to counter all the myths that pass for truth in these parts-many of which have to do with losing people, brain drain etc...

Richard Florida has a good post and map at The Atlantic showing the percent of people living in the state they were born in. Surprise, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia and several other "rust belt" states lead the nation.

Is that a good thing? 70% or more of the people in these states were born in state, yet this is mostly a list of the nation's economic laggards. What should be pretty obvious, is that fairly high numbers of people moving both in and out, correlates pretty strongly with economic growth, with most of the states with healthy economies falling closer to the middle in this category.

Florida guesses that the recent dramatic declines in mobility, don't bode well for the economy. What's so disturbing is that in 80% of the region this isn't even widely recognised as a problem.

Several good reads on this subject.

The Geography of Stuck

America The Stuck

Burgh Diaspora is a blog that mostly focuses on the general subject.

The Tides of Provincetown: Pivotal Years in America's Oldest Continuous Art Colony (1899-2011) @ Westmoreland Museum

2011-11-25T16:22:00.000-05:00

If you live anywhere in the main region this blog covers and have never been to The Westmoreland, you are really missing out; if you don't it's just one reason to swing by. I myself miss way to many shows there.

Put together, by New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut, this is the first major museum survey of the most important single artist colony in America. Included in the show are works by Milton Avery, Adolph Gottlieb, Hans Hofmann, and Charles Hawthorne, Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, Edward Hopper, Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Lee Krasner, William Zorach, Michael Mazur, Robert DeNiro, Sr., and no doubt many other artists spanning the entire life of the colony up till today.

"The Provincetown Art Colony was largely established by Charles Hawthorne and quickly rose in importance as a major haven for the arts in the early 20th century. Hawthorne and the early students of Provincetown made significant contributions to American art through their exploration of movement and light. These small departures heralded the beginning of a new and modern approach to art. Later, the art colony, particularly under the direction of Hans Hofmann, broke from traditional European formats of study to create a system of learning that was uniquely American. The symbiotic relationship between Hofmann and Provincetown resulted in what is considered the best work of his career and the development of Provincetown as a world-class center for modern art. An esteemed string of abstract artists followed in his footsteps, finding inspiration in the famous "light" and environment of Provincetown. To this day, Provincetown remains a thriving arts colony with an impressive legacy of abstract artists. Contemporary artists still flock to this small seaside town for inspiration from the masters who worked there long ago as well as the indescribable energy that Provincetown exudes."

The Tides of Provincetown: Pivotal Years in America's Oldest Continuous Art Colony (1899-2011)

Saturday October 29, 2011 - Sunday January 22, 2012

A pop up tour

2011-11-24T14:13:00.002-05:00

Project Pop Up had a soft launch of several spaces during Pittsburgh's Light Up celebration on November 18. I took a little time on Saturday to tour the spaces, which are all in different stages of readiness. It appears that the Pop Ups cover a lot of ground, from retail to art projects.

I was not able to get into most of the locations, but did make it a point to get at least outdoors images. There is a map available for download, along with a brief description of each of the projects. Below are links to each of the projects, along with address and some descriptions.

The Sweet Lounge
They are billing themselves as a "sober bar" on their website, which is under heavy construction. I got an outdoors shot, but the lounge won't be open until mid December. The pictures on the site look scrumptious.
901 Penn Ave.

Robot Repairs
Falling under the category of art project, the Robot Repairs shop is an installation work by artist Toby Atticus Fraley. You can read more about it on the project's website. There are no open hours, what you see is what you get.
210 Sixth St.

Burgheoisie (Listed as Steel Town Craft Co-Lab)
There are several Artist/Designer/Crafter represented at Burgheoisie, with home and personal accessories in abundance. By Suz hats and accessories, beautiful ceramic wares by Robyn's Nest Pottery, and crafty adornments by Spyral Eyed Studios and Dollz-n-Skullz are sharing the space.
208 Sixth St.

Summer Sky Eternal
The idea of perpetual summer is rather nice. I gather that this project will be offering respite from Pittsburgh's gloomy weather. It wasn't up and running when I went by the space.
604 Liberty Ave.

Society for the Advancement of Miniature Curiosa
Aside from the map's description, I can't find a single thing on the intertubes about this project. From the map: "A gallery, toy theater parlor, performance space, & workshop that seeks to spark the resurgence of curiosity and wonderment in Downtown Pittsburgh."
929 Liberty Ave.
2nd Floor

Awesome Books
Awesome Books, headquartered in Garfield, has taken over a space on Liberty Avenue. Bob Ziller was there, greeting the curious, on Saturday. He has a lot of plans for his space. His selection includes small and independent press, collectibles, and memorabilia. Watch for readings and other special events.
929 Liberty Ave.
1st Floor

Community
As with the Society for the Advancement of Miniature Curiosa, the only thing I can find on this project is the description from the map, although it appears that the monitor display is pretty much the project. From the map: "A photographic installation comprised of morphing photographic portraiture, analog televisions, and a wall of personalities and identities, representing the importance of community."
422 Wood St.

The Pop Up projects is evenly divided into retail and installation concepts. I've included a slideshow of the spaces, each carefully captioned. Enjoy! You can read more about the Pop Up project on their site and blog.

Great Shots Of Braddock Benefit Concerts in Rolling Stone

2011-11-23T15:51:00.004-05:00

Still kickin myself for missing Titus Andronicus and The Hold Steady play at the Carnegie Library. I stayed in NYC, to catch the Transformazium folks do a talk at The Queens Museum--and then somehow got the date wrong, missing both events!

Anyway, here are some nice shots from the three nights of concerts from Rolling Stone.

Jean, went and loved the show. Sadly and amazingly, she saw some empty seats.

Shots From This Year's NY Halloween Parade: Why Doesn't Pittsburgh Do This?

2011-11-23T09:54:00.006-05:00

Sorry this post is so late, I'm still getting stuff off my camera from more than a month ago.

The Halloween Parade, now is close to being one of it's biggest single, one day events in NYC. The Parade itself must draw about 2-3 million onlookers and perhaps 50-100 thousand participants. This alone, might not make it that unusual in a very dense, transit oriented city where several parades draw huge crowds, but it's only part of a vast night of reveling and madness that overtakes almost all of downtown Manhattan. My guess is that 5 million people or so may be partaking in some way.

I stopped taking pictures pretty early and many are blurry, but I think they capture the spirit. We also didn't stay out late, when some of the more extreme insanity happens.

Unlike most, this parade lacks single large sponsors or much of a formal organizing committee. Started sometime in the late 70's or early 80's, it originally went through the narrow streets of The West Village, graduating to 6th ave around 1989.

As near as we can tell, anyone in a costume can march, but procession is semi organised in a staging area, and the major floats, large scale puppets and dance groups have an assigned sequence.

I wonder, why Pittsburgh has never gotten together a free form Halloween Parade like this? Bloomfield's does look like something just for small kids.

Bill Radawec Retrospective @ Shaheen Modern and Contemporary in Cleveland

2011-11-22T15:01:00.007-05:00

I've come across the late Cleveland artist, Bill Radawec's work a few times in Pittsburgh, most memorably as part of a four person show at FE Gallery where he showed his strange little boxes.

From The Cleveland Plain Dealer

A collection of small, wooden boxes mounted on the walls at oddly differing levels might escape notice entirely. But if you get close and peek inside, you’ll be treated to bizarre miniature tableaux, including one in which a woman strips naked at what appears to be an open-air tea party, while a construction worker stands nearby with a coil of cable in his hands and another fellow guzzles a bottle of wine.

The show is an eclectic mix of objects and images resembling the visual equivalents of Zen Buddhist koans, or riddles, that could produce effervescent moments of intellectual bliss if understood properly. Taken as a whole, the show is a fitting introduction, and tribute, to an artist known for having an odd, quirky and eccentric sensibility, liberally spiced with a well-developed sense of whimsy.

Seems like it was a very sad day for Cleveland when he died, since he played an active role in creating and running alternative art spaces in both LA and promoting artists in both LA and Cleveland.

The show at Shaheen, assembled and installed with the assistance of his widow and friends, is characteristically oddball, with works hung high or low on walls or stuck in corners, as if to require extra effort and to encourage the viewer to take nothing for granted.

The cumulative effect is that of a quiet sense of joy and delight. Radawec never swings for the fences in any individual work but seeks instead to prick the conscience and tickle the funny bone.

Bill Radewec: A Retrospective
November 12, 2011 - January 20, 2012

Shaheen Modern and Contemporary Art
740 West Superior Avenue, Suite 101
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Phone: (216) 830-8888

Harvey Pekar Tribute Drive on Kickstarter Blows Past $30,000 Goal

2011-11-22T11:47:00.004-05:00

Looks like the amount needed to install a desk and statue memorial to Harvey Pekar at the Cleveland Height-University Heights Public Library will be well funded. It proves that projects with large amounts of latent support and good will can raise fairly large amounts of money on Kickstarter.

"Joyce Brabner, Pekar's widow, said in early November that $30,000 had to be raised by Dec. 5, for his tribute.

The campaign, started online at Kickstarter, had already raised $30,787 through Monday with 669 backers, according to Carole Wallencheck, a reference associate with the library.

With 13 days to go before the deadline, Wallencheck said any surplus donations will be given to the library to buy graphic novels."

Harvey spent a lot of time at that library.

"The desk and statue will be mounted next to the library's Harvey & Friends Used Bookstore and face the library's ever-growing comic shelves."

Who did this Work, Outside The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh?

2011-11-22T10:54:00.005-05:00

It's not my favorite thing ever, but I like this satellite made of welded auto parts. I suppose I could find this out by googling but I'd like to get the answer on here.

Art @ The Pittsburgh Children's Museum: Tim Kaulen, One Great Blue

2011-11-21T14:52:00.003-05:00

Since I don't have kids, I feel a little weird going to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum. Don't let that stop you, the museum is filled with all kinds art and large scale creative projects that might appeal to all ages.

We finally got there for the Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire and didn't scope the whole place out.

You may have seen this large Tim Kaulen work at Space Gallery a number of years ago. It's found a permanent home in the Museum's entrance lobby.

Magic Trip at Hollywood Theater in Dormont Tonight....The Merry Pranksters Landmark Trip Across Country

2011-11-19T12:56:00.005-05:00

I am very happy that I can go to this movie and "experience" the wild LSD fueled trip that is a landmark in American socio-cultural history...........without having to actually go on such a wild ride. This movie is pieced together from footage someone shot during the trip of Ken Kesey (author of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Neil Cassaday and the Pranksters trip across the U.S. in 1964. It has had great reviews!
The Post Gazette notes: "At 29, Ken Kesey, "one of America's greatest writers," led a scruffy band on "a bus trip across America that changed everything," declares narrator Stanley Tucci. Their search for themselves and America was largely conducted on LSD."
To read more go here
NOTE The movie is at the Hollywood Cinema in Dormont tonight at 7 NOT at the Melwood Cinema. The latter is an error in the Post Gazette story.

Pittsburgh's Mac Miller Boosts Into Big Time with Free Music and Internet buzz

2011-11-19T09:03:00.005-05:00

Caveat--I have never listened to Mac Miller's music and know very little about this.

The Times has a good article about new artists breaking into the scene without the help of major record labels as Mac Miller joins Wiz Khalifa as a recent chart topping artist from Pittsburgh.

First, the good news: A new generation of rappers is actively trying to build a new business model in which releasing oodles of free material online builds a fan base that paves the way for revenue streams: touring, merchandise, even something as old-fashioned as a record deal.

“Blue Slide Park” (Rostrum) is the first independently released album to top the chart since Tha Dogg Pound’s “Dogg Food” (Death Row), in 1995. But Tha Dogg Pound was affiliated with Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg, the heavy hitters of the day.

Later, the article, points out the importance conventional radio play still holds in giving careers staying power.

But once the loyalists have spent their money, then what? Be mindful of the drop in sales from Week 1 to Week 2 — these artists have so far had only moderate success on radio, which is where albums go to not die. In their second week on sale, Wale and Mr. Cole’s albums each sold just a quarter of their first-week numbers. Without the singles to guarantee them consistent exposure and, by extension, consistent sales, these first-week figures will be a historical blip, a trivia question 20 years from now.

Good read. Please share your thoughts.

Children's Science Center in Youngstown gets 1 Million Dollar Anonymous Gift

2011-11-18T16:35:00.003-05:00

While Youngstown is showing some progress, money is still pretty hard to come by.
This sure sounds like great news for a new kids science center there.

Teenie Harris @ Carnegie Museum of Art

2011-11-18T11:55:00.006-05:00

My first impression of the Carnegie's Teenie Harris show was anger, over the tiny number of 12 framed prints. Slowly, I've spent more time with the show and am gathering in the wisdom of what was done.

More than most photographers, Harris's work has a dual identity as both potentially fine art and clear journalistic, documentation. Harris himself, never considered himself an artist. When late in life, he said he felt his pictures belonged at the Carnegie, my guess is that he was making more of a statement about his subject matter than anything else. Clearly, he felt that Pittsburgh's African American community and the Hill District was deeply worthy of recognition and he was proud of doing that. We now largely know this community through his work.

I think, the curator said the museum has about 80,000 Harris negatives, of which only about 30,000 have been well researched. The format, built around a large room of projected images and a larger one showing small postcard sized photos in a huge grid, makes one aware of the huge output, and the immense richness of his subject. Of course, the high consistent quality reveals that Harris rarely took a bad photo.

Be back with more thoughts about this show, which requires and rewards spending time looking.

Where to Buy Handmade in Cleveland: Great Rundown In The Plain Dealer

2011-11-17T15:51:00.004-05:00

An in depth article with lots of tips on buying handmade crafts in the Cleveland area was published in the style section. Choices include not just stores but indie craft fairs and lots of pop up shops.

Wall Street Journal Looks at Single Artist Museums Like The Warhol

2011-11-17T11:31:00.004-05:00

Institutions dedicated to works by a single artist are growing in number with the new Clyfford Still Museum opening tomorrow. The WSJ, looks at some of the practical problems of keeping them interesting, fresh and continually relevant. Obviously, the Warhol stands out as one of the more successful.

"When the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh opened in 1994, it showed only the artist's work, largely in chronological fashion. However, "pretty early on," said Eric Shiner, the museum's current director, "people realized that they didn't want this museum to be a mausoleum but, rather, a vibrant place that is connected to what else is going on in contemporary art. You don't want visitors to say, 'Now, I can check that off the list. I don't need to go back.'"

Material Witness: Hannelore Baron, Donna Sharrett and Vanessa German @ Pavel Zoubok Gallery in NY

2011-11-16T18:42:00.008-05:00

Wow, Pittsburgh artist, Vanessa German will sharing space in a big NY gallery with some pretty amazing and iconic artists. Hannelore Baron is an artist, whose work had a very visceral impact when I first saw it. Vanessa's does very much the same thing.

Link To Exhibit Page

"I surrender myself to the objects that call up to me. there are stories in the air and in the objects & materials I am building with, there is something about possession- in going into the place where the building can be done. I love to build. I love to troll my neighborhood for secret on-the-ground, or buried just-under-the-ground treasures that have to be, a word, in the sentence, of the stories that come insisting through my hands, through my blood."

Not to lay it on too thick but, Vanessa might be an authentic genius. Yes, she has had some success here in Pittsburgh, but I'm so glad she is being recognised in the wider world also.

Material Witness
November 17 - December 17, 2011

PAVEL ZOUBOK GALLERY
533 West 23rd street
New York, NY 10011

Several Great NY Shows Explore Artist's Collections

2011-11-16T16:12:00.007-05:00

One pretty dominant trend in museums right now is toward subtle and often smart explorations of their own holdings. The Real/Surreal show at the Whitney was purely from it's collection, and The Brooklyn Museum's Youth and Beauty show leaned heavily towards things they owned.

The Metropolitan has two utterly amazing shows looking at some of the works left to the museum by pioneering photographer and art dealer, Alfred Stieglitz.

Stieglitz and His Artists: Matisse to O'Keeffe October 13, 2011–January 2, 2012

The exhibition features some two hundred major works with hefty helpings of Georgia O'Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove, John Marin, Charles Demuth, Vasily Kandinsky Constantin Brancusi and other more unknown artists.

Smaller but at least as interesting is a related show of Stieglitz's photography collection.

Photographic Treasures from the Collection of Alfred Stieglitz October 11, 2011–February 26, 2012

I actually didn't know about much of this work from a group of photographers dedicated to pushing the creative and spiritual range of photography as a real art form.

Anne Brigman, Alvin Langdon Coburn, F. Holland Day, Gertrude Käsebier, Joseph Keiley, Heinrich Kühn, Edward Steichen, Clarence White are all in this show.

The Museum of Modern Art, also has a good ehibit, looking at some of the personal drawing collections that helped form the museum. Many of the people were not artists, but a few are. Hanging selections next to a profile of each collector helps one see the personal vision and taste of each.

Gifted: Collectors and Drawings at MoMA, 1929–1983 October 19, 2011–February 13, 2012

One important part was the collection of Kay Sage.

Another major show was at Gagosian Gallery, uptown.

The Private Collection of Robert Rauschenberg November 3 - December 23, 2011

Assemble - Call for artists

2011-11-14T11:26:00.000-05:00

Nov 22-28th Call for Artists/Makers/Technologists- Opening this December 3rd, join us for the first annual HyperLocal Show + Art Bazaar at Assemble, a community space for arts + technology.

For this show- we are inviting makers/artists/technologists who live in a 5 to 10 block radius from Assemble to submit one work that they have made. Size is not an issue. Work includes everything but food or edible material. New media art, robots, sculpture are encouraged and so are crafts.

This is open to ALL AGES.

Please drop off your work at Assemble between 4-9pm from Nov22- 28th

With your submission include your NAME/ Address/ AGE/ PRICE / WHY YOU LIKE TO MAKE THINGS. We request that the artists kindly donate 20% sales back to Assemble. Come buy your neighbors art! For more information:: email assemblepgh[at]gmail.com

Assemble
5125 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15224-1636

A Wealth of Exhibits on the Upper East Side (Pun Intended)

2011-11-14T09:12:00.012-05:00

Image above "The Starecase" by Thomas Rowlandson isctually part of an exhibit at the Met (Infinite Jest Caricature and Satire from Leonardo to Levine)but fits this post.
The Upper East Side, land of many 1 percenters, is home to a number of outstanding exhibits this fall. John Morris and I saw several of these on a recent trip to NYC.
The Braque exhibit at Aquavella Gallery is an stunning exhibit in an exquisite 19th or early 20th century townhouse space. Actually the elegant townhouse is reminiscent of the Rowlandson drawing above, without the huge crowds. Though if you go on a weekend, you may well have to wait outside for awhile. The exhibit a wonderful survey of Braque's work.
To quote the NY Times on the subject of blue chip gallery exhibits and the Aquavella exhibit:

other blue-chip galleries including Acquavella and Pace have been presenting them on and off for decades. “I’ll never forget in the early ’70s when we had a Matisse show,” William Acquavella recalled. “We had people waiting on line in the pouring rain.”
His gallery, just two blocks north of Gagosian’s Madison Avenue headquarters, is attracting crowds right now with “Georges Braque: Pioneer of Modernism,” which opened on Oct. 12. The show, which was organized by Dieter Buchhart, an Austrian curator, includes 42 paintings, many on loan from museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Tate in London. “It’s good advertising,” Mr. Acquavella said. “Braque is an amazing artist and hasn’t really gotten his due.”

A review of the exhibit can be found here
The Gagosian Gallery on Madison has a very large exhibit of the private collection of Robert Rauschenberg. Again to quote the Times, " [the exhibit]will give visitors an inside peek at the art that Rauschenberg lived with, both in Manhattan and at his home and studio on Captiva Island in Florida. There will be examples of work by some of his old friends, including John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns and Cy Twombly as well as others he collected over the decades by Magritte, Robert Mapplethorpe and Brice Marden. " This is a very large exhibit and fascinating. For more information go here
An article in the NY Times discusses these, and other exhibits at very high-end galleries this fall here They include the reminder that these exhibits are free, as opposed to the ever
increasing museum entrance charges (be they suggested or required) in Manhattan these days.
John and I also went to some other exhibits in the area....and it proved yet again that the degrees of separation in the artworld are not too far apart. A visit to Sheperd and Derom Gallery to see a group exhibit including work by George Nama (John's old teacher at Pratt) led to the gallery director's query, "He's here! Would you like to see him?". An added bonus for an afternoon of gallery going. For information on this gallery (which actually deals mostly in 19th century work, go here
For more information on the Rowlandson drawing of gallery goers taking a tumble at a Royal Academy exhibit circa 1800, see here

Handmade Arcade

2011-11-12T17:24:00.003-05:00

Oh, I have been looking forward to this. It seems like, for the last several years, I have been occupied during the single day that Handmade Arcade is on. This year, I was free to attend. Although many of the vendors are local, and I have seen their work in other settings, it was really great to see everyone in one place.

The huge hall, filled with vendors and shoppers, was noisy with conversation and music. There were tons of hands on activities to keep little hands occupied. It was my first visit to the David L Lawrence Convention Center. I didn't stick around to explore, and don't know if it's possible to do that, but it warrants its own visit.

There were over 150 vendors at Handmade Arcade, I'm sure everyone has their favorites. Here's a few of mine --

I love hats. I have a beautiful old fedora, my dad's favorite hat, a variety of watch caps, and several By Suz originals. She makes some really funky accessories, as well as her hats. A selection is available for viewing at the Pittsburgh Artist Registry.

Grace Napoleon up-cycles clothing, making clothes out of clothes. She calls her dresses "party dresses for big girls". And so they are. There was a great variety of beautiful and quirky dresses and sweaters.

You can see more of the great designs on Folk Couture's Facebook page.

Great little stuffed toys. I loved these great clear colors, and the variety of toys from Phil Barbato. Especially the octopuses! More on his Etsy site.

Toys for grown ups. Or at least sort of grown up. Paper Robot Army,A paper doll disguised as a robot. Fully non-functioning and incapable of any minor computations.

These great little paper cuts were created by Renee Ruth. She had some beautiful prints available, based on these images. Watch for her Etsy store!

Loved the Cotton Factory sign! If you missed them at Handmade Arcade, catch them at Unblurred in December.

All kinds of fun little things, made from fun colors, from The Littlest Bean. above are pincussions, more in the slideshow.

Super great colors. Amber Coppings started out with a line of handwarming fingerless mittens, and expanded to year round accessories. More on her site.

More pretty colors! Yes, there were traditional jewelers, and vendors with beaded and assembled earrings. I was really drawn to the fiber pieces, though. These headbands were from Get Felt Up, more in the slideshow.

Gnome Enterprises had some very fun tee shirts. I'm not real big on team shirts, so these kind of fun images are a great alternative.

Although it is too late to attend the Handmade for the Holidays fair, the lovely folks at Handmade Arcade, and the vendors that brought their wares in today, do other events throughout the year. Keep up with them here. There were too many vendors to list here, and too many images! The post would be miles long, instead of just feet! Check out the slideshow.

Post Gazette Music Review of Built To Spill, Benefit Concert In Braddock

2011-11-12T17:04:00.004-05:00

Tonight, Titus Andronicus and The Hold Steady take the stage in the last of three benefits at the Braddock Library. Seriously doubt it's not sold out.

Here's a nice review of Built to Spill's show in the Post Gazette with the critic honestly admitting he had never been in the town.

"The show I had to see was Built to Spill, because I love that band and somehow I've always missed them. I dig the Hold Steady too, but have seen them a bunch of times already.

What I realized getting there Friday night is that I thought Rankin was Braddock, so I drove around aimlessly for a while, not wanting to stop and ask the guys on the streetcorners, "Um, where is the library?" When I finally stumbled upon Braddock, I realized I hadn't been there before. Obviously, it's not the healthiest looking town and, other than the people going to the show, the streets were pretty deserted on a cold Saturday night."

Citizen Architect: Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of the Rural Studio: Film Screening @ Carnegie Museum of Art Tomorrow

2011-11-11T19:35:00.004-05:00

I came across an exhibit of Mockbee's and his student's several years ago at Max Protetch Gallery in NYC. Many of the structures are planned to be easily built with materials easily available to the rural poor, like cut tin, spare tires and earth.

Even so, the resulting homes are filled with invention whimsy and dignity.

I would love to see this film and definitely would try if I was in Pittsburgh.

Saturday, November 12 · 2:30pm - 4:30pm
CMA Theater

Double Feature: New Pop Up Gallery in Cleveland's Gordon Square Art District

2011-11-11T15:59:00.000-05:00

Who knows how long this will last, so check it out!

opening tonight from 8 p.m. to midnight.
1392 W 65th St

View Larger Map

Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties @ Brooklyn Museum

2011-11-11T10:30:00.009-05:00

Malvina Hoffman: Martinique Woman

Florine Stetheimer: Natorium Undine

Spending a bit of time in NYC again, hoping very much that others will keep one up on shows in Pittsburgh.

The Brooklyn Museum has an awesome permanent collection, heavy on great American art, strong Egyptian and African holdings and lots of contemporary work. Sadly, much of this is marred by ugly and hugely distracting, educational labels and giant signs. Even worse are the loud video displays that make it very hard to spend time or think about what one is seeing. Even so, this is a must see place.

The Youth and Beauty show currently up has none of these problems and is wonderfully, curated and displayed.

George Bellows: Two Women

It's hard for any one show of a modest 64 or so works to fully represent an artistic era, but this seemed to. I was struck by the contrast between so much of the American Art from this period with what was happening in Europe. The twenties in Germany and Eastern Europe was a time of turmoil and political chaos. While, beauty, gaiety, and infatuation with technical inventions is evident, it tends to be tempered by the scars, anger and questions left by the great war.

Much of American Art, in contrast is just very happy, sincere and optimistic. Our time of doubt comes in the 30's

Artists of the period dealt with the impact of European modernism; migration to cities, mass production, photography and the emerging role of women's liberation. The show reflects all of this. Several great works from the Harlem Renaissance are included.

Aaron Douglas: Charleston

An insanely great show, with works by Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, Stuart Davis, Peter Blume, Joseph Stella, Thomas Hart Benton and many more. See it if you can.

Cleveland Institute of Art, Highlights Three Alumni, Mangold, Mieczkowski and Stanczak

2011-11-10T12:34:00.003-05:00

Who knew Cleveland's CIA had such a long list of alumni who impacted modern and contemporary art? The list starts with Charles Burchfield and ends with artists like April Gornik and Dana Schutz.

A current exhibit at the school's galleries focuses on three abstract artists who are each becoming more relevant.

Julian Stanczak and Ed Mieczkowski, formed the backbone of what was in the mid sixties considered the important Op art school. Both taught at the CIA for decades. Ed was from Pittsburgh and later recieved an MFA from Carnegie Mellon.

CIA exhibit website.

Story on Cleveland.Com

Red, A Drama Based on Mark Rothko Comes to Pittsburgh's Public Theater

2011-11-10T11:23:00.003-05:00

Seems like the Abstract Expressionists are really in vogue, a major de Kooning retrospective at MOMA; a whole museum dedicated to Clifford Still and shows dedicated to lesser know artist's like Richard Pousette-Dart.

Rothko's more minimal and lyrical work is not always put in this box, but he very much shared their sincere belief in the power and spiritual nature of art.

Seems like this a major subject of the play.

Rothko, who flourished during the abstract expressionist movement, found himself rejecting the arrival of Pop Art in the late 1950s, particularly one of its practitioners.

"You really think Andy Warhol will be hanging in museums in a hundred years?" Rothko asks Ken dismissively.

"Andy Warhol's like the 'great' third [human] character in the play," said Mr. Logan. "He represented a lot of the things Rothko rejected. He felt that artists needed to know where they belonged in the continuum of artists.

Great Post On Rust Wire On how Surface Parking Kills Cleveland's Downtown

2011-11-09T17:55:00.007-05:00

Something like this seems so obvious to me since I don't drive thus tend to see cities on a slower, more intimate level. Rust Wire has a speculation that the core problem with Cleveland's downtown comes from the vast area dedicated to surface parking lots. (As well as atractive but large, "keep off the grass" parks.)

Comparing aerial views of Cleveland and much more successful downtown like Toronto shows just how much space is dedicated to cars.

I'll be really honest, when I visited Cleveland, we pretty much drove everywhere in the downtown. It just wasn't nice to walk.

If this theory is sound, it means that the huge single use venues like football stadiums not only deplete tax dollars, but create masses of parking that subtract life from the city when (95%of the time) they are not used.

Two Great Henry Koerner Paintings in Real/Surreal @ Whitney Museum

2011-11-09T10:35:00.004-05:00

The Whitney has a series of six consecutive shows curated from their collection. Real/Surreal highlights works that can be loosely be grouped this way. Henry Koerner's work fits right in, drawing small crowds of avid viewers.

Surrealism was not born in America but by the late 30's a large group of artists here were exploring the various poetic and dreamlike possibilities it opened up. One feels that many were already strongly inclined in this direction.

Several highlights in this show, include works by Rockwell Kent, Paul Cadmus, George Tooker, Charles Sheeler, Joseph Cornell, Charles Burchfield and Kay Sage.

REAL/SURREAL
OCTOBER 6, 2011–FEBRUARY 12, 2012
Whitney Museum of American Art

Handmade Arcade

2011-11-09T10:11:00.001-05:00

by Suz

Lots and lots and lots of really cool stuff, all in one place. Handmade Arcade has everything, from accessories to music. A lot of local artists try their hand at creating gift items for this spectacular show, so the wares should be really varied. Also, some of the artists will be doing hands on tables, so bonus for making some stuff!

Some of my favorite DIY creators are going to be presenting for the day. Amber Coppings with her XMittens and Suz Pisano with all of her quirky accessories. Here's the complete vendor list. I plan to have images this Saturday from my visit.

HANDMADE ARCADE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown
SATURDAY, NOV. 12, 2011
11 AM - 7 PM
EARLY BIRDIE ENTRANCE AT 10 AM
Free admission

The Small Benefits Of Density: New York Suburbs Spend Over A Week Without Power

2011-11-07T17:37:00.002-05:00

Visiting my mom in NYC, I notice an urban benefit that's common in NY, but actually pretty rare, not stadiums, but buried power lines that make outages extremely unlikely.

Ever since 1888, when a blizzard knocked out the power on Wall Street, the vast bulk of NYC invested in buried power lines, a cost pretty easily offset by the intense level of development in the city.

A recent storm brought home once again the almost third world nature of suburban overhead power lines. Several inches of heavy wet snow, brought down close to 1000 trees in Central Park alone, but by a day or two later, most of the trouble was forgotten and the city lost barely a beat.

Not so in the surrounding area, where in many cases, very similar conditions created an catastrophic loss of power leaving many wealthy and smug suburbanites rushing to book warm cozy, New York hotels to escape days in the cold and dark.

In New Jersey, repair crews recieved physical threats from angry customers. Power is still out after almost ten days for some in Connecticut!

"Connecticut Light & Power, the state's largest utility, announced Sunday night that it would miss its goal of restoring power to 99 percent of its 1.2 million customers by midnight. Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey apologized, saying that power might not be restored to everyone until Wednesday. About 6,000 of the outages were new and unrelated to the snowstorm, he said.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has called the delays unacceptable and said the state is keeping its legal options open in case there are grounds for recourse in the courts once the circumstances are examined."

More than a few are finally seeing how great reliable, underground utilities are. The problem is that at low density levels, there is just no way to offset the massive expense.

Just a thought, but cities looking into attracting residents and businesses might consider doing something New York did in 1888.

Green Building Deconstruction Workshop With The Transformazium @ The Queens Museum

2011-11-07T13:47:00.004-05:00

Oh the irony, I booked my trip back from NYC to see the Hold Steady play a benefit at The Braddock Library, only to find that the folks from North Braddock's Transformazium, Caledonia Curry,(AKA, Swoon) Leslie Stem, Dana Bishop Root, Ruthie Stringer will be talking at the Queens Museum the same day.

"Initially attracted to North Braddock because of the radically different set of resources it offered (in the form of abundant space and cheap real estate as well as a moody landscape of aesthetic decay), Transformazium rapidly realized a need to pause and examine the realities of their post-industrial neighborhood and build relationships with their new neighbors.

After doing a personalized tour of Detroit Disassembled, Transformazium will bring their experience living and working in a neighborhood that in many ways parallels neighborhoods in Detroit to QMA’s Detroit Project Room, and will use their Deconstruction activity book as a framework for generating questions, discussion, and reflection on the appeal of the post-industrial landscape, the challenges of relocation, the potential social and economic impact of Deconstruction on areas struggling with abandonment, and the possibilities for communication and exchange that can exist in a neighborhood."

Deconstruction: Coloring and Conversation with Transformazium
Saturday, November 12, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, 2011
The Queens Museum

Unblurred November

2011-11-07T11:46:00.000-05:00

My tour of Unblurred started out at Dance Alloy, with an open rehearsal of the Staycee Pearl dance company production of Octavia. Open rehearsals offer a great opportunity to get a glimpse into the process of creation, and the communication between choreographer and dancer as they work to balance the vision of the piece. This was such a great way to start the evening. The dancers flowed across the stage, trading phrases in groups and speaking alone. Watching the rehearsal doesn't tell the whole story, though, and I am looking forward to seeing the entire production.

The narrative was just outside of my reach at the rehearsal. The dancers were like ideagrams, building these complex characters that implied a story. From a visual standpoint only, the scene was varied, with a lot of levels engaged. Also, I really admire the effortless athleticism of dance.

Octavia will be presented at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in December. Tickets, etc. Also, Facebook event page.

Lizzy De Vita (at Assemble)

Assemble is a really changing space. The first time I went in, it had been turned into a warren of rooms. Each time, the configuration of the space changes, sometimes through he simple expedience of hanging a tarp, sometimes through judicious installation, which is the case with their current exhibit.

Lizzy De Vita has a solo at Assemble. The works cover several mediums, including site specific installation. There are also two multimedia pieces installed in the gallery, as well as a participation piece where the general public was invited to paint one of the gallery walls.

Assemble
Lizzy De Vita

LaVerne Kemp was a special guest at Artica for November Unblurred, and her work will be available through at least the end of the year. Special shopping tip: Artica is a great place to go for collectibles and quirky little gifts. Tucked in among the tea sets you'll find work from many local artists, including Christine Bethea's masks, assembled from found objects.

Artica
LaVerne Kemp

Mike Budai at Mr. Roboto Project

The Mr. Roboto Project took over a space on Penn Ave. A few months ago. The space is a combination of music venue, gallery and meeting space, so there's always something happening there. Currently, Mike Budai has installed dozens of small framed works throughout the space. His work has been seen all over tow, in the form of hand-pulled event posters.

Mike Budai has a Myspace page where you can view his work. He had a roomful of these great line drawings at the Mr. Roboto Project.

Jason Sauer's Sing me Home at Most Wanted Fine Art.

When I arrived at Most Wanted Fine Art, it was to the gentle strumming of a guitarist who was covering a favorite singer: John Prine (Souvenir). The guitarist was previewing the upcoming concert by Grand Snafu. Very nice!

Anyway, a few of Jason Sauer's works were on exhibit. Great assemblage, lots of energy to these pieces.

Most Wanted Fine Art

Michael Patrick (left) Nathan Mould (right)

New kids on the block - Artisan Tattoo/Gallery. This seems to be a pretty popular pairing, by the way; housing art in tattoo parlors. The artists on exhibit for November are all tattoo artists whose custom tattoo work will be available at Artisan when it officially opens in December.

Artisan Tattoo/Gallery and Jason Angst

Steph Neary Speaking Tar

“Butterfly Kingdom: The Artwork of Christian Breitkreutz and Steph Neary”
The works in the exhibit are quirky, ironic and tongue in cheek. Also, mostly small-format pieces. The colors are vivid, as is the wit. Definitely worth checking out.

Modernformations

Katy Dement, at the Pittsburgh Beautification Project

Dean Cercone, at the Pittsburgh Beautification Project

A little bit of everything. A handful of artists have studios in this cavernous space on Penn Ave. It is not generally open to the public, with the exception of Unblurred. The space hosts guest artists, and the regular denizens are there to talk about current projects and give you a glimpse into their studio practice. It's a very active space, and lots of fun to visit.

Pittsburgh Beautification Project studios

It was a really great evening. As always, I am sure I missed as much as I got to during November's Unblurred.
Notes of interest
While I was up at Dance Alloy, I stopped into the Tee Rex event that the Cotton Factory puts on. Lots of great Tee's, and some special guest vendors. It appears the event is held every first Friday, at 5440 Penn Ave.

The Glass center continues with its Ten More Years on Penn exhibit, scheduled through February 11.

Watch for Awesome Books in the Cultural District as part of Project Pop Up!

Things to watch for on your next Penn Ave tour - Guest artist and craftsman, offering wares at the galleries. Estate sales in buildings that are generally closed. Franktuary! A shortage of pizza by the slice at Spak Brothers.

Photo Essay On Steeltown Anthem Of The Old Weston State Hospital

2011-10-22T16:39:00.005-04:00

My blog, hopes to tune you into some of the great and strange sites and happenings in West Virginia too.

A guest post on Steeltown Anthem has a good photo tour of the old Weston State, Mental Hospital, now known as The Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. I've heard a few stories from someone who had to work there for a while and from what she said, the scale of suffering there was enormous.

From the pictures it looks like a pretty amazing place.

Website
HISTORIC TOURS OFFERED*
March 26th, 2011 – October 31st, 2011

View Larger Map

From the Second Story

2011-10-22T09:26:00.000-04:00

Gary Duehr

Mr. Duehr makes it easy for the viewer to slip into narrative with this collection. That could be anybody, walking down the street on their way, coming back, or out for a stroll. The variety of narrative is in the gestural attitude; pensive, purposeful, hesitant, cowed. Because the viewpoint is from above, there is a sense of remote observation, and the narrative idles in a fleeting moment.

These are beautiful works. Subtle textures play in the grounds, and the central figures are blurred, creating a sense of collective experience. The color aesthetic is consistent, with saturated pigments played against pale grounds. In most of the collection, the figure is isolated in the field and contexts for space have very few indicators.

Preview the show on Box Heart's slideshow.

From the Second Story
Recent Works by Gary Duehr
October 4, - October 29, 2011
Box Heart
Gallery Hours:
Tuesdays: 11 AM - 6 PM
Wednesdays - Saturday: 10 AM - 6 PM
Sunday: 1 PM - 5 PM
4523 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Three Days Of Concerts For Braddock In Braddock, The Hold Steady, Kurt Vile, Built To Spill & More, November 10-12

2011-10-21T09:58:00.003-04:00

Will be rushing back from NYC to see the Hold Steady at The Braddock Carnegie Library!

All Tickets $25 with full amount going to support Braddock community based projects.

Thu. Nov 10, 2011 at 8:00pm__________________Andrew Bird with Kurt Vile and the Violators

Fri. Nov 11, 2011 at 8:00pm__________________Built to Spill with Atlas Sound

Sat. Nov 12, 2011 at 8:00pm _________________The Hold Steady with Titus Andronicus

This is a small but likely very good venue, so I recommend you get your tickets. Sorry, but I didn't post this till we had ours.

Tickets and details here.

New Greater Cleveland Aquarium to Occupy Old Powerhouse In The Flats

2011-10-20T19:57:00.003-04:00

No particular comment from me here since I just don't know the project, neighborhood or city well enough. Large, single use "attractions" are something the city has a lot of but off hand, this sounds like a promising creative reuse of a fascinating building.

From Freshwater Cleveland

Turning the stalwart Powerhouse into a giant fish tank is no easy feat. Tasked with converting the 70,000-square-foot space is Marinescape, a New Zealand-based company that has designed and built aquariums all over the globe, including Sydney, Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.

Great Braddock Public Art: James Simon, Mosaic Garden

2011-10-20T16:12:00.000-04:00

Pittsburgh artist, James Simon has three public works in Braddock, The "Welcome To Braddock" Sign, A new mosaic butterfly sculpture across from The Carnegie Library and this mosaic pond, which is my favorite.

I should have spent more time trying to capture this work, which you really have to walk through to experience in space.

Free Symposium On Protecting Pittsburgh's Film Hertitage @ Melwood Screening Room Tomorrow

2011-10-20T12:37:00.005-04:00

I will try to attend this event, tomorrow @ Oakland's Melwood Screening Room.

From Pop City.

"Kicking off the 30th installment of the Three Rivers Film Festival, which starts on Nov. 4, the day-long event is co-presented by the University of Pittsburgh iSchool and Pittsburgh Filmmakers. Guest panelists will discuss themes of place, community and memory in the production of moving images, as well as film history and preservation."

The syposium will include a screening of classic Pittsburgh films and documentaries.

Free Evening Event: 8:00 - 9:30pm

Register here.

Warhol Foundation Gives Up On Authenticating Warhols

2011-10-20T09:56:00.003-04:00

The job of saying what work's were truly made by Warhol, has proved too distracting and big even for the very well endowed foundation funded from his estate. Not, to mention contentious since as one can imagine the amount of money at stake.

The Wall Street Journal has a good overview of the story.

Mr. Straus said a recent string of costly legal disputes with collectors contesting the board's findings influenced the board's decision to give up its role as the "final word" on the late artist's creative output.

One of the highest-profile disputes involved a London filmmaker, Joe Simon, who sued the board four years ago after it refused to vouch for his purported Warhol "Self-Portrait."

By the time Mr. Simon dropped his suit last November, the artist's foundation had spent more than $7 million defending the board's ruling, with help from major law firms like Boies, Schiller & Flexner.

Art News has a good down and dirty look at many of the conflicts of interest, and outright criminal acts by some art world insiders.

"Last July, after a lengthy investigation, owners of the so-called “Stockholm boxes” received the authentication board’s report outlining its findings. According to the report, Pontus Hultén, the highly respected director of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, who died in 2006, lied to the board when he told them that an edition of about 105 boxes had been executed in 1968—allegedly with Warhol’s authorization—for a major show at the museum. Based on the false information Hultén provided, the board authenticated 94 of the boxes, and they were included in the 2004 catalogue raisonné."

Braddock, New Guild Studio Mural

2011-10-19T16:29:00.003-04:00

Contrary, to rumor, Braddock has some real viable businesses, a few of which have moved in over the last few years.

One of these is, New Guild Studio, a small group of artists who create and restore, icons and other religious art. As you can see on their website, they do very beautiful work.

On our last visit we saw that they decorated their rather drab location with an amazing mural.

Awesome, Postcards From the Edge Benefit Show In NY Seeks Artists

2011-10-19T13:58:00.004-04:00

Artist's get hit up all the time to donate work, something I'm not always in favor of.

The first reason to donate is of course that it's a good cause and organzation behind it. Another is that it's just a great event. IMHO, this is both.

You have your work in a bigtime NY gallery on the wall with many famous artists who commonly donate. Even better, people can't tell until they buy the work, who made it.

Postcards From the Edge is a Visual AIDS benefit show and sale of original, postcard-sized works on paper by established and emerging artists. All works are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The works are signed on the back and exhibited so the artists' signatures cannot be seen. While buyers receive a list of all participating artists, they don't know who created which piece until purchased. All proceeds support the programs of Visual AIDS.

Visual AIDS utilizes art to fight AIDS by provoking dialogue, supporting HIV+ artists, and preserving the legacy -- because AIDS IS NOT OVER!

DEADLINE: Postmark Friday, December 9, 2011 (NO late entries)

We invite artists to donate a 4" x 6" original work on paper for our Postcards From the Edge exhibition and benefit sale. Painting, drawing, photography, printmaking and mixed media are all welcome.

Artists must be 18 years or older to participate. Only one entry per artist.

Event Website.

Submission details

News Of The Sad/Weird: Theives In New Castle, Steal A Bridge

2011-10-18T10:15:00.003-04:00

During the peak of the commodities bubble, people were stealing all kinds of things for scrap, utility poles and wire, copper pipes and even in some cases, public art.

Now, they stole a bridge.

The creative recycling fell off as prices collapsed during the recession, but it is back as people get desperate. And in North Beaver Township, Pennsylvania, theives have pulled off perhaps the biggest heist ever: an entire bridge, estimated to have $100,000 worth of steel.

Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Akron, Cleveland Arts And Livable City Blog

Nakama Becomes First Major Tenant of the North Side's Garden Theater Block

Randyland On The Today Show

Who Knew? It's Legal to Hail a Cab and Pittsburgh Transportation Group Wants to Promote it

Creative Clash! How Can Pittsburgh Take It's Tech and Creative Industries to the Next Level? Talk @ Carnegie Museum

Gabe Felice Mural in Greensburg

Documentary About Cleveland's Industrial Music Scene City/Ruins: Art in the Face of Industrial Decay

Westmoreland Museum Of American Art Gets an $8 Million Grant From The Richard King Mellon Foundation

Google Will Be Adding 70,000 SF of Space at It's Bakery Square Offices

Cleveland News Station Turns Political Corruption Trial Into Puppet Theater

TEDx 1000Lakes - Chuck Marohn: Video Shows The Weird Unsustainable Nature Of American Infrastructure

Ohio DOT Promised Billions in Road and Bridge Construction It Can't Pay For

The Cleveland Browns Want More City Money For Immediate Stadium Repairs

Amazing Site, RETROgrapher Maps Pittsburgh's Photographic History

The Internet As We Know It Is Threatened

Good Conversation About Development and Consolidation On Urbanophile

Can Cheerleading Go Too Far? Debate On Rust Wire

TEDxPittsburgh - Don Carter - 2.4 Million

Pittsburgh Sprawl Map and Talk on Urbanophile

Washington Post Piece Says Pittsburgh is "in": Trashes Annoying Portland

Don't go back to sleep

Cool Cleveland Seeking Northeast Ohio Musicians For Videos

On Screen/ In Person Tour Of Independent Filmmakers Accepting Submissions

Surprising Opposition To Historic Districts Grows In San Francisco

More Great Links ....Charles"Teenie" Harris Exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art

One Town's Video Response To Being Listed as Dying

Street Art Project In Cleveland Plays On Local History

Blogging the Pittsburgh Literary Scene

ArtPrize Still Sparking Debate On Twitter

Detritus - Tom Norulak solo at 709 Penn

Back In Youngstown For The Holidays? Tour The Thriving Tech Incubators!

City Of Asylum's Bookstore/Cultural Center Approved In Spite Of Insane Car Oriented Zoning

2012 Whitney Biennial List Released: Includes Former Braddock Native LaToya Ruby Frazier

Nice Video About Creation Of Crop Bistro In A Classic Cleveland Building

The Dark Knight Rises Official Batman Trailer #2...Some Familar Scenes Here

New to Cleveland: A Guide to Rediscovering the City: Review on Rustwire

The HillVille Looks At A Big Placemaking Trend: Downtown Skating Rinks

Win Passes to Every 2012 Beachland Ballroom Show

The Hillville, Online Journal Looks at Appalachia's Urban Side

Best Holiday Desserts and Pastries in Pittsburgh (Susan on CBS Local)

Walking Tour of Johnstown's Amazing Architecture

Organizations Plan to Give Cleveland Area Homes To Immigrants

Beautiful Letter From George Romero in Support of Chapel Restoration

ArtPrize Boosts It's Juried Prize: Is That a Good Thing?

In New York Region: Retailers Design More Around Transit

Pittsburgh Biennial @ Miller Gallery Reviewed in Hyperallergic

Pittsburgh Holiday Shopping Tips In Pop City and CBS Local

Run Down Of Cleveland's Holiday Pop Up Shops In Freshwater

L Magazine's Story On Ex-Patriot Networks, Detroit Nation, Pittsburgh Nation Etc..

December Unblurred

Sad Surprise: Forgery May Be Alive And Well

Del's of Bloomfield To Get A Major Makover On The Food Network's Restaurant Impossible

An Urbanist's View of The Penn State Scandal

Liberty on The Border Exhibit in Cincinnati, Reviewed in Wall Street Journal

Michigan Focuses Economic Policy Around "Placemaking"

Wired Magazine Analyses A Call in The Bengals/Browns Game

Night Of The Living Dead Fans Try To Rescue Cemetery Chapel Featured In The Film

Open Studios, Holiday Concert and Many Other Events, December 9 @ CMU

The Post Gazette Looks at Pittsburgh's Dirty Dozen Bike Race

The Geography Of Stuck in The Atlantic: The Rust Belt's Unrecocognized Weakness Is Mobility

The Tides of Provincetown: Pivotal Years in America's Oldest Continuous Art Colony (1899-2011) @ Westmoreland Museum

A pop up tour

Great Shots Of Braddock Benefit Concerts in Rolling Stone

Shots From This Year's NY Halloween Parade: Why Doesn't Pittsburgh Do This?

Bill Radawec Retrospective @ Shaheen Modern and Contemporary in Cleveland

Harvey Pekar Tribute Drive on Kickstarter Blows Past $30,000 Goal

Who did this Work, Outside The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh?

Art @ The Pittsburgh Children's Museum: Tim Kaulen, One Great Blue

Magic Trip at Hollywood Theater in Dormont Tonight....The Merry Pranksters Landmark Trip Across Country

Pittsburgh's Mac Miller Boosts Into Big Time with Free Music and Internet buzz

Children's Science Center in Youngstown gets 1 Million Dollar Anonymous Gift

Teenie Harris @ Carnegie Museum of Art

Where to Buy Handmade in Cleveland: Great Rundown In The Plain Dealer

Wall Street Journal Looks at Single Artist Museums Like The Warhol

Material Witness: Hannelore Baron, Donna Sharrett and Vanessa German @ Pavel Zoubok Gallery in NY

Several Great NY Shows Explore Artist's Collections

Assemble - Call for artists

A Wealth of Exhibits on the Upper East Side (Pun Intended)

Handmade Arcade

Post Gazette Music Review of Built To Spill, Benefit Concert In Braddock