Art All Night 2014

Art All Night has been in the same place for the last few years; two blocks from my house. So, there's no excuse for me to not rouse myself and head over to soak up some ART.

The building is practically under the George Washington Crossing bridge, about 100' away from the shore of the Allegheny River. Sounds perfect until yo.u realize there's no immediate parking. Our little block was packed with cars all night! We had a steady stream of traffic all day during drop-off and all night as people came and went to see the show or listen to music. Or both. The building is part of what used to be a steel mill. It's huge, which is great because the crowds the event draws is pretty spectacular.

Since this is an open-hang, the work spans the range from amateur to practiced artist. It's also hung very quickly, with intake ending at 2pm and the event beginning at 5pm. The only delineations made are between adult content and everything else. So, the show is mounted by filling the boards as it arrives. You're apt to see a drawing by a middle-school student sharing space with a veteran artist.

It's fun to wander around, looking for familiar work, finding some work that is pretty spectacular, or something that was submitted by one of your neighbors. Which is exactly what happened last night. What was also surprising was that the quality of the work was actually pretty good, and so many local, practicing artists participate.

There were lots of opportunities for hands-on activities for everyone. One that I liked was a series of windows mounted on stands. You were invited to write all over them, and when they got to covered up, a volunteer came through and cleared the window. There were a couple of pop-tents and canopies that the kids were wandering through. I'm sure they had fun, but it was obviously too small for me!

The volunteers did an amazing job, putting this event together. All of the work was clearly labeled, which is a monumental task in itself! Getting the show installed must have been pretty wild. I know that the screens go up over a couple of days, and will take as long to come down. All of those that helped out are just the best art brigade! Congratulations to all of you on yet another successful edition of Art All Night.

The below gallery contains descriptions, in case you want to hear more!

Art All Night 2013 Highlights

Events included Live painting all night, Drawing from model, Cartooning all Night, Music & Dance Performances



Art All Night Parade




Perhaps more amazing and certainly more packed with work than I have ever seen it. These are just some of the things that caught my eye, that I was able to photograph.

More about Art All Night here:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/art-architecture/anything-goes-at-lawrencevilles-art-all-night-684862/

Images From 2011 Art All Night

Here are some shots I took at this Years Art All Night. Each year, I plan to do a major post, identifying the work and doing a review. This year, I decided just getting the stuff off my camera would be a good goal.

Depending on the space--timing and level of volunteers that come forward, it can sometimes look like this 14 year long Pittsburgh tradition is dying or not worth the effort. This year was a near knockout blow to the pessimists.

I spent about an hour and a half there but should have gone back--there's even a chance I missed an entire area. From what I could tell, a decision was made to put the performers outside the space this year, allowing even more space for art work. It's always a judgement call--clearly this limited bands who need to plug in and kept things more low key and acoustic. IMHO, the amount of new space for artists more than made up for this. Lucky the weather was nice.

One great thing about Art All Night, is seeing the vast amount of great work by artists who don't normally try to show their work. Pittsburgh as a city pumps out many well trained artists, who often don't have time or the mentality to pursue traditional exhibition opportunities. One theme this year seemed to be self portraits. Also many artists grab this chance to make an uncensored political statement or push the limits of humor. The extra space allowed for several good installation type statements like the one from Just Seeds about America's Prison Industrial complex.

Art All Night Website

Deep apologies for not crediting the artists, it was simply way too difficult. You know who you are.

Art All Night Band Schedule

Of course, yinzers know Art All Night is also music all night. With two stages going in the later hours as the crowds start to thin.

Art All Night Performers for 2010


Slot Performer Time Stage

1 The Spuds 6:00pm-6:45pm Main
2 The Surfaholics 7:00pm-7:30pm Main
3 Wojno 7:45pm-8:15pm Main
4 Chet Vincent 8:30pm-9:00pm Main
5 Teen Riot 9:15pm-9:45pm Main
6 Lil Kizi –Somali Rap Group 10pm-10:30pm Main
7 Janim Bellydance Troupe 10:45-11:15pm Main
8 Dirty Charms 11:30pm-Mid Main
9 Timbeleza 12:15-12:45am Main
10 Gothees 1:00-1:30am Main
11 Jim Dandies 1:45-2:15am Main
Anything Goes
A1 Debutante 2:30-3:00am Main
A2 Undalrds 3:15-3:45 Main
A3 The Awakening 4:00-4:30am Main
A4 Lalookala 4:30-5:15am Main

Acoustic Morning
M3 Damaged Pies 7:00-8:30am Main
M4 Two Cakes 8:45-9:15am Main
M5 Sula 9:30-10:00am Main
M6 RichPatrick 10:15-10:45am Main
M7 Sadiqa Bellydance 11:00-11:30am Main
Sunday Afternoon Bands
S1 Susie and Friends 11:45-12:15pm Main
S2 Action Camp 12:30-1:00pm Main
S3 Paul Labreeze 1:15-2:00pm Main
STAGE 2
WYEP 6pm-12am Stage #2
B1 Butterflies and Rocks 12-1am Stage #2
B2 Joy Tourjours 1:15-1:45am Stage #2
B3 Typewritter Girls Performance 2am-2:30am Stage #2

Acoustic Morning
M4 Chris Hannigan 8:00-8:30am Stage #2
M5 Sean Odonnell 8:45-9:15am Stage #2
M6 Joy Ike 9:30-10:005am Stage #2
M7 Aaron Work 10:15-10:45am Stage #2
Sunday Afternoon Bands
Q1 Joel Lindsey Blvd of Allies 11:00-11:30am Stage #2
Q2 Amethyst Bellydance Company 11:45-12:15pm Stage #2
Q3 Cathasaigh 12:30-1:00pm Stage #2
Q4 The Armadillos 1:15-2pm Stage #2

If your from out of town and bringing work, consider coming early for the Downtown Gallery Crawl on Friday night.

Art All Night is a grassroots event staged by an all-volunteer crew. A joyful celebration of the arts and community, the show grows in popularity each year, bringing thousands of people from all over the region into Lawrenceville. In 2009 Art All Night Lawrenceville featured work by 1034 artists and was attended by over 10,000 guests.

Art All Night Seeks Volunteers: 2010 Venue, Pittsburgh Brewing Co

The event has grown since and always changes with the constraints of whatever empty building in Lawrenceville they are using for it but I think this video gives one a good idea of what this is all about. Always worthwhile and filled with that "I didn't know my neighbor was an artist", shock. About Art All Night.



Art All Night 2010 is looking for volunteers and you can signup online now! Job needs are listed below.

Before the Event If you would like to help before the event, we will be cleaning, preparing, and building out the site. We meet every weekend in April from 9-1 at the site.

At the Event If you volunteer for the event, we will schedule you for a 2 hour shift (4 hour for registration) from 1pm Saturday to 4pm Sunday. Some of the duties are:

•Registration: Register artists and check in their artwork.
•Hangers: Take the artwork from the registration tables and hang them on the display panels.
•Parking and Traffic: Help control the traffic by the building and the two parking lots.
•Minglers: Wear an event staff T-shirt so people can ask you questions, also keep an eye on the artwork.
•Fire Patrol: Patrol building to look out for fires.
•Bar: Check ID's, hand out beer, and collect donations.
•Food: Keep food out on the tables and collect donations.
•Art Sales Table: No sales take place, but man the table in order to write down name and contact information of interested buyers that we will give to the artist when they pick up their artwork after the show.
•Take-down: Remove art from the displays at the end of the show on Sunday at 2pm.
•Art Pick-Up/Check-out: Give art back to artists on Sunday.
•Tear-down: Take down the display panels, pack our supplies, and clean the building on Sunday afternoon.
•Thank you notes: Write notes and acknowledgements thanking people for various donations ($, the building, equipment, etc.) to the art show.

To Sign Up you can use our online signup here or email volhelp at artallnight.org (replace the at with the correct keyboard sign).

By the way, Art All Night is not just for Pittsburghers. Anyone can bring their eyes, ears and opinions and anyone from anywhere can bring art. Bring it on down. Onsite Registration: If you did not register online you can still bring your artwork and ID to the onsite registration table between noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 24.

Or register online and check out the details.

If you have thoughts or insight you want to share about art, music, film, urban design, architecture, transit or history in the Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Youngstown, Erie, Morgantown, Akron, Canton region--Cleveburgh, email me diggingpitt@gmail.com

This is not Hyper Local media, but regional media seeking local viewpoints.

Pittsburgh Art Events: 4/24-27/09.

This weekend there’s a time management workshop on offer down at Duquesne. I’m not going to offer you the details, but I will have you know that this talk would have been useful for fitting in all of the great events happening over the next several days. There’s so much to do that you probably won’t have time to listen to a lecture about scheduling. But if you find yourself amenable to the suggestion, have a quick scan over my picks…

Friday

To be honest, I have no idea whether or not the seasonal Downtown Gallery Crawl has morphed into this thing called “One Night Stand”… but it sure seems like the Cultural Trust is in the mood for a makeover. Several galleries in the Golden Triangle are hosting receptions with live entertainment on Friday, and it might be an efficient use of your time to drive around for 45 minutes or so and look for a proper parking spot. Mary Mack will be spinning to a backdrop of Czech photos at SPACE, Netherlands-based Telcosystems will appear to support the “at times visually violent, sonically extreme and physically intimidating” art displayed at Wood Street, and there will be spoken word by Brian Francis at Future Tenant. Apparently there’s an after party at Remedy in Larryville. It all (and more) gets underway at 7:30PM.

Perhaps you missed Tim Kerr’s opening at Zombo Gallery (4900 Hatfield Street) a few weeks ago? The closing is Friday from 6PM to around 10PM (or so). Take your time and read the words on his paintings. It seems like a bit of a risky choice to write directly on your visual work. But in this case, I found it rather inspiring.

The Brew House Distillery program annually offers emerging artists six-month residencies at their facility on 2100 Mary Street in the South Side. Stop by at Space 101 (from 7-11PM) for the opening reception starring the latest batch of home-grown creators. Just get out of that hood before the suburban tools start to flood in with their cheap beer piss and whiskey-muscles.

Friday/Saturday

My buddy Tom Henry is performing his wryly wacky form of comedy at the Improv in Homestead for a three night stretch (starting Thursday @ 8PM, with shows @ 8PM and 10PM on Fri and 7PM and 9PM on Sat), opening for national comic T.J. Miller. It’s $15 per show, plus money enough for the two drink minimum. Drop in and show support for the local jokester. If you don’t laugh at least once, then… well, um… then you’re a douchebag?!

Saturday

Ok, I haven’t really ridden a bike in years. But I do appreciate it when I see others doing so. That’s why I’m mentioning the pancake breakfast at the East Liberty Whole Foods on Saturday morning (8 AM). It’s $7, sponsored by the Community Design Center, and offers guests a chance to register for Pedal Pittsburgh. I can only speculate, but I imagine there’s nothing more pleasant than having a stomach full of griddle cakes expanding in your belly as you two-wheel up-and-down the hills of the ‘Burgh.

If you need to sit after your ride, stop by (11AM) at Fe Gallery in the L-Ville and find out “how art stuff happens” @ the Workshop for the Working Artist. It’s $5 (which should give you an essential clue in solving the thematic problem posed herein), and features local scenesters including Jennifer Baron, Susan Blackman, Eric Shiner, and T Foley. Then at 2PM you can check out the Ralph Munn Creative Writing Workshop, led by photo-essayist and memoirist Sandra Gould Ford, @ the Carnegie Library in Oakland. That one’s free.

Permit me to say that one of the major highlights this weekend should be the reception for the one-week run of CMU –grad Olga Brindar’s “Sketchbook Release: Moments and Minutiae” at the Panza gallery in Millvale (115 Sedgwick Street). I’ve been checking out her drawings for a few years now, and I’m excited for her first solo exhibition. Olga is a young artist who’s not afraid to put herself on display, and we are all the better off for it. It is imperative that you fit this into your Saturday agenda (6-9PM).

The aforementioned Remedy (5121 Butler St) is hosting an opening/reception (from 11PM-1AM) for their in-house muralist Emmeric Konrad. The theme is “Drawings Done in Bars & the Paintings They've Inspired”. Make sure to visit the dining room and learn what his art does for your appetite(s). Have their fine cooks make you somethin’ good while you are at it. I recommend most everything.

Saturday/Sunday

Art all Night, Pittsburgh’s premiere non-juried visual and auditory extravaganza starts at 6PM on Saturday night and runs until Sunday @ 2PM. It’s a Lawrenceville annual tradition, and takes place at the Red Warehouse (3510 Smallman Street) this year. According to the “official” numbers, last year saw 810 participating artists and attracted over 10,000 guests. Get there early for parking and refreshments. And if you want to display your work, drop off is Saturday afternoon (Noon-4PM). See the website for all the details you need. And yes… it’s all free.