November Unblurred

Tugboat Printing

As always, there is somebody trying something new during Unblurred. This month, Tugboat Printshop had a shallow sort-of bookshelf kiosk on Penn, between Winebiddle and Evaline. I hope they make it back again next month. The booth was such a nice addition to the Unblurred event.

Artists in Mission

Another new face, Artists In Mission Gallery (AIM), located at 5159 Penn, had a photography exhibit by Jessica Nan and a reading. The venue was a private residence, and the exhibit was held in the livingroom. It was really crowded and I couldn't get an interior shot, but it was so cool that someone opened their home for the Unblurred event.

I never have a chance to get to all of the venues and special events during these first Fridays. There was so much more that was just happening for the evening, and there are still all of the regular venues, like Awesome Books. I did stop in to say hello to Christine Bethea at ARTica. The shop got a recent "face lift" from designer Joesph Hall and is looking particularly spiffy. If you're looking for some quirky or unique gift, stop in and poke around a bit.

ARTica

The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination (5006 Penn)
Closing reception for Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Artists II
 

June Edwards

Wendy Osher

Tim Fabian

The Irma Freeman Center has moved to an alternating monthly exhibition schedule, covering two months for each exhibit. So it does give you a little longer to come back and really explore the works. The current show, Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Artists, is a really far-ranging survey exhibit. There are several pieces that are exceptional among the works presented, alongside some that are sort of naive. The installation was well thought out, though, so the works didn't clash. Among the best works were those by Tim Fabian, June Edwards and Wendy Osher (pictured above).

ModernFormations 
 “The Good Fight” New Works by Christian Breitkreutz

Christian Breitkreutz

From the show statement --

Men, women, children and beast alike, we cannot afford another day lost behind blinded eyes. This is a call to arms to do battle against the trumpets of evil sounding off in our brains! We must all rally behind one another to keep fighting The Good Fight!

Do you like Quentin Tarantino, with his over-the-top portrayals of violent acts? You know what I mean; shiny, farcical violence, violence that is so extreme it becomes kitsch. Like a Tarantino movie, this was an exhibit of some pretty intense images of stylized violence. Cute skeletons, pretty blood colors and decapitated heads with bland expressions. There was also a touch of the kind of imagery you would see in a Dia De Los Muertos festival.

Most Wanted Fine Art
"A Year in A Life" - new works by Nina Sauer and Ryan Dunmeyer

Ryan Dunmeyer

Ryan Dunmeyer

Curses. I really need to get a new camera. Yes, I took pictures of both artists' work. Please take my word on it that Nina Sauer's work is really great. They were small-format pieces, with a really nice sensibility. Her work pairs very well with Mr. Dunmeyer's, pictured above. Definitely a show worth catching, and Most Wanted Fine Arts does have regular hours.

If you want to catch the transitory stuff that happens each month, you might want to sign up for the Unblurred e-blast. Or just be spontaneous and show up some First Friday. You never know what you'll find.

Unblurred - Bits and Pieces

It was a dank and sultry night, up on Penn Avenue last Friday. Nobody was moving very fast; but why would they? It wasn't hot, but it was really humid. I was there early and left early, so I missed the throngs that usually come out after the sun goes down and it starts to get a little cooler. There's always at least a show or two that deserve special attention during the month, and I'll be coming back in a day or two to talk about one. But there's also a lot of other programming that doesn't fit the exhibition bill that are worth mentioning.

Catapult Pittsburgh is a co-working space that opened on Penn Avenue earlier this year, hosting Designers, Developers and Indy Workers. Catapult has also stepped up with a monthly Show and Tell which is a great way to start out your Unblurred evening. Last Friday, the lineup included Josh Lucas of RedBlueVoice.com, a crowdsourced political advocacy platform company, Deena Blumenfeld from Shining Light Prenatal Education, Lara Schenck, designer turned improv theater performer, and Norm Huelsman, who previewed Pittsburgh’s premiere new media conference, Podcamp Pittsburgh 7.

  

There's something new happening at Most Wanted Fine Art. In the back of the gallery is a nondescript door that leads to a basement shop. Partly a retail store that... "specializes in memorabilia of years gone by and part gallery/event space focused on the Art and Community of Collectible Culture." What did I see? Tons of comic books, action figures, and vinyl albums and miscellaneous items of popular culture. Worth checking out, if you have a penchant for nostalgia.

  

Awesome Books is, well, AWESOME! As with any independent, used bookstore, half the appeal is taking the time to peruse the shelves for just the book to bring home. Awesome Books is great fro that. They also have a selection of small press poetry chapbooks and novels from local authors. They do have a downtown location, but the original shop on Penn Avenue is the one with the cats. 

 

Along with these venues, Penn Avenue has a very active sidewalk scene during Unblurred events. Last Friday, Artica had a DJ in front of the store, a couple of drummers had set up in between two buildings near ImageBox, and JR Holtz had his table of painted glass pieces on the sidewalk in front of Most Wanted Fine Art.

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Also of note are two upcoming events. I heard about the Zine Fair when I stopped in at the Pittsburgh Beautification Project. This, by the way, is a really great active space, with several artists working in all kinds of media. The place is usually packed floor to ceiling with art, and they also host guest artists for the Unblurred event. One of the guest artists had some handouts about the Zine Fair, which really sounds great. You can find out about the activities, vendors and ongoing events over at their site. Briefly --

The Pittsburgh Zine Fair is back for it’s second year and is hosting a greater number of regional zine-makers and artists with featured appearances from the Carnegie Library Zine Collection, Just Seeds, Cyberpunk Apocalypse, Assemble, and The Roboto Zine Library. The event takes place on September 22nd 11am-7pm at Carnegie Mellon’s Wiegand Gym in the University Center. It is a Free Event open to the public!

 

On Saturday Oct 6, 2012, Most Wanted Fine Art turns Penn Ave and Winebiddle into an outdoor car-sized art gallery, with the event Vehicular Abstraction. From the event description --

Vehicular Abstraction is a free 4-hour art car exhibit and community event with the focus on licensed, registered, and insured vehicles that artists have permanently altered. These are not parade floats or puppets; the unique aspect of this medium is that they bring art every day to the city streets. Celebrity Judges, Live art performances, Local vendors tables, food sales, and children’s activities will also be happening as part of the event. The outdoor exhibit is suitable for all ages and includes indoor art displays at participating Penn Ave Art Galleries.

But wait! There's more! Most Wanted Fina Art is accepting vendors and entries for the event, there's tons of information on their event page on how you can participate. It sounds like it will be a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to the October edition of Unblurred.

August Unblurred

Good news! A few of the venues on Penn Ave are extending their regular gallery hours. Modern Formations has had gallery hours practically since its inception. Artica, who opened a year ago, has regular hours. Joining them this month is Most Wanted Fine Arts. That's a lot of action in two short blocks. The Pittsburgh Glass Center, which sits on the border of the Penn Ave corridor, has regular hours, too. So-ooo, it's nice to know that you can catch shows during the month instead of just on first Fridays!

Currently, Most Wanted Fine Arts has a photography group show with Kimberly Metcho, Jason Furda and Chris Sauer (from left to right below; click on thumbnails for a larger image).



Modern Formations is exhibiting --

“The Mr. Gerald Scoops Show” by Thad Dachille, portrays his imaginary cartoons coming to life. These new works, completed over the last year, continue to represent his interest in rendering imaginary cartoons with strange and sometimes vulgar personalities. More information on their site

The following work, Excited, is pretty representative of the works in the exhibit. Mr. Dachille has a great installation/assembly work in the back room. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a clear shot during the opening reception.



Artica is exhibiting --

AHA-Moments By Christine, a one-woman exhibition featuring the work of ARTica Gallery Director, Christine McCray-Bethea, who will showcase quirky, funky but always friendly salvage and fiber art from her African(American) Mask and Religion-at-glance series as well as her quilts and works on paper. More information here

Two samples of Ms. Bethea's engaging salvage work (click on thumbnails for details images) --



Really, these are worth going to see. Artica is an eclectic blend of art and collectibles, so be prepared to spend some time poking around!Ms. Bethea consistently exhibits work from local artistsat Artica in addition to her feature. You never know what you will run into.

This was an August Unblurred, so several artists studios as well as other venues typically open were not exhibiting this month. With tha said, I was pleasantly surprised to see the works in all of the venues. Again, most venues are only open for Unblurred, but most are happy to make an appoingment with you.

Garfield Artworks is exhibiting --

GRRLS GRRLS GRRLS!

A collaborative installation presented by Emily Laychak, Stephanie Woods and girlfriends, expressing a visual commentary on the state of girlhood. More information on their site

I really like the above work. Unfortunately, i cannot credit the artist since I couldn't locate an identifying tag. If it helps at all, Once I was wheeless, but then I found my wheels, was posted in proximity to this grouping. These very whimsical works were among the best at Garfield Artworks.

Imagebox had a great show this month, featuring another salvage artist, Robert Pfister. His work is very urban decay with all of the textures and color associated with the deterioration of abandoned metal (click on thumbnails for detailed images).



All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening. The Penn Ave venues are really putting on some good exhibits. Hopefully we'll see more galleries and venues with regular gallery hours.