Pittsburgh Art Events: 9/3-4/10

Friday:

I realize that this post may come a little too late for you to incorporate the information into your weekend plans, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyhow. September Unblurred should be worth attending, so it would be a shame if I let it come and go unmentioned.

Sam Thorp and Eric Luden will be on display at Most Wanted Fine Art (5015 Penn). If past shows are any indication, there should be images of smokin' babes rendered in clean lines and vibrant colors. And Dean Cercone has been popping up around town with his announcements of a solo at Garfield Artworks (4931 Penn). Not only is this wunderkind mightily prolific, but he is also consistently entertaining. Of course that means that having a look-see is mandatory.

Meanwhile Crystala Armagost and Ashley Andrykovitch are sharing their sense of loss with the opening of "Deaf and Death" at Modern Formations (4919 Penn). Anyone who has caught rumors lately of this much-esteemed venue's closing over the last few months will be more than excited by the prospect of a new show. Make sure that you stop by to let Jen Q. know how much you appreciate all her efforts.

The proprietors of Boxheart and Moxie Dada are once again bringing Mox Box to Penn Avenue with a party at the Glass Lofts (5491 Penn). The folks have focused their energies toward directing local artwork to interior designers, corporate offices, and home-makers... and the results are on display for you to walk through.

Check out the Pittsburgh Beautification Project's garage (4810 Penn Ave), and participate in the making of cooperative public art to benefit the Kullu Valley Bike Project, which is raising funds for a bike shop run by children in orphanages in India. Get on one of the bipedal machines provided, and spread paint on to large sheets of paper. The results will be cut up and sold via auction at the Shadow Lounge in October.

And I realize that one doesn't usually consider Bloomfield as within the purview of Unblurred, but apparently Tattoo Noir (4514 Liberty) is piggy-backing on the event. Kati Zmenkowski and Michael Galone are sharing their ink-inspired works there from 7-9PM.

Saturday:

Come by Zombo Gallery (4900 Hatfield St., Lawrenceville) for the second night of a weekend-only show featuring custom-made vinyl toys, curated by Nat Chamberlin and Brian "Bullets" Holton. There are 23 participating artists, and DJ Keebs will be on hand providing musical accompaniment.

Pittsburgh Art Events: Weekend of 6/5-6/2009.

This weekend arts summary is going to be a rush job, as I still have too much to do to prepare for my own obligations. Speaking of which- there is some unavoidable self-promotion about to happen, so bear with me...

Friday

Go to Unblurred (of course). For some reason, the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative schedule page is down and has been all day... so I suggest you juat show up somewhere along Penn (between Garfield and Friendship) and grab yourself a schedule. Make sure to stop at the Sprout Fund headquarters (5423 Penn, 5:30PM) for their annual social, visit ARTica (5110 Penn, where my friend Susan Constance is displaying some of her fine work). and come say "Hi!" to me at Imagebox (4933 Penn). Other highlights include Benedict Oddi at Modern Formations and Joey Kennedy at 5427 Penn.

Or alternatively, go on down to the opening of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. It will be jam-packed with sweaty cornballs eating fried foods and screaming kids with ice cream dripping down their chins. Seriously though- The Black Keys are playing for free, and (believe me) you'll have plenty of fun finding a place to park. If you do venture forth, you must see Tom Sarver's new installation, entitled "Bait & Tackle". It's great to have him back in the 'Burgh for the summer, while he's got a break from his fancy NY MFA program. Also, pop in at 937 Liberty for an AAP group show, and dig some pieces by my buddies Rick Byerly and Mia Tarducci Henry.

Saturday

Moxie Dada (1416 Arch Street, the North Side) has an opening reception for artist Connie Cantor's "Scribbling for Dummies", starting at 6PM. I don't know what crazy stuff she has planned, but Cantor has been laboring on the local arts scene for decades, and I'm certain that whatever she puts up will be worth looking at.

You should also plan on spending some time at the Zombo Gallery to see Eric Luden's latest batch of illustrative gems. Personally, I haven't missed one of his shows at the gallery yet, and I don't intend to start now. Busty chicks, gritty lizard-like con men, etc... who wouldn't want to take a gaze at that sort of thing? It's called "Chicks and Beer", and the opening runs from 6-10PM. There's also photography by Laura Petrilla, which I find fascinatingly odd, since our good ol' Michael D. insists that shutter-buggery isn't "real art". Perhaps he's had an epiphany?

If you need something to do during the day, check out the new thrift stores along Butler in Lawrenceville. Don't let the new crop of would-be hipsters get all the good stuff.