Showing posts with label Christine Bethea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christine Bethea. Show all posts

Monday, November 05, 2012

November Unblurred

Tugboat Printshop
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
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
ARTica


The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination (5006 Penn)
Closing reception for Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Artists II
 
June Edwards
June Edwards
Wendy Osher
Wendy Osher
Tim Fabian
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
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
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.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Artist's Open Studio Weekend



This weekend of events and happenings includes some great opportunities to see (and perhaps buy) artists work in their studios and work spaces.

The fifth annual Lawrenceville artist's studio tour on Saturday will open 16 artists work spaces and let you see work from video and performance, to traditional stained glass, textiles, sculpture and pottery.

Just download the PDF for a map.

My personal must sees would likely include the studios of

Connie Cantor

Encyclopedia Destructica

Ron Donoughe

Dan Gasser

But the Casey and Rachel Hallas studio looks very interesting.

I'm a little bummed, that Tugboat Press isn't opening up.

Then on Sunday



On Sunday, consider popping into Open studio event of Susan Constance and Christine Bethea in Bloomfield.

Orange Balloons, an aRt-O-noMic open studio event
Bloomfield, 4073 Liberty Ave – 2nd floor
Sunday, October 18, 2008: 12PM – 6PM


Now for my rant!

People familiar with the art scene and geography of Pittsburgh might guess that one could easily put together an amazing Bloomfield/Garfield/Lawrenceville open studio/ art weekend or something which could easily include 30 different art studios and galleries.

Don't hold your breath on that one.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Artini: Art Shaken, Not Stirred

artini4_small.jpg

Artini is the first of several events planned by Passports: Art of Diversity. The organizers, Christine Bethea, Brenda Brown and Leslie Ansley, have brought together a wide range of artists for the exhibit. As with most exhibits on Penn Avenue, the time that you can see the work is limited to just the one evening, so a review of the show is not really an option. Since the exhibit is so short, I thought it was important to put it out there early.

Passports has, thankfully, provided a list of artists that will be in the exhibit --

Amir
Kate Dambach
Biko
LaVerne Kemp
Laura McLaughlin
Bill Cousins
Ruth Ward
Sandy Simon
Jorge
Bob Johnson
Tom Panei
Susan Constanse
Leslie Ansley
Ian green
Vanessa German
Monique Luck
Ian Green
George Gist
John Wlater
Bob Ziller
Adam Wadell
Ben Crouse
Susan Wagner
Micheele Gregio
Mart Martin
Justin Rothshank
Cheryl Capezzuti
Norman Brown
Cathleen Bailey
Wendy Osher

I am sure that, if you are a Pittsburgh resident, you recognize quite a few artists on the list. The show promises to present a diversity of mediums, including representations from assemblage through painting. Along with the usual crew for first Friday Unblurred events, Art Cubed will...

Kick-start your summer June 6th & 7th with Art Cubed, a weekend-long celebration of the art, music and culture of three flourishing East End neighborhoods. The festivities begin Friday night with Unblurred in the Penn Avenue Arts District. Saturday features events in all three neighborhoods, highlighted by Proud Hood Happenings in East Liberty and Lawrenceville's all-day Sidewalk Sale. Don't miss this two-day showcase of the best Pittsburgh has to offer!

You can find more information about the event, along with a map and schedule, here.