Bob Ziller's Pittsburgh Beautification Project

I found this video along with some nice shot's of Bob Ziller's community project to pretty up the burgh on Bittersweet Harvest which is one of the best single sources of dope on the goings on here.

Some of these are on active businesses that boarded up for the G20.

This is agood example of the kind of small grass roots projects aided by The Sprout Fund.

For your G20 art fix, see G-SPOT at Fe Gallery

The inimitable Fe gallery is presenting the exhibit G Spot. It includes a number of artists from the recent Visionary Arts Festival. This will be another terrific exhibit from Fe.

From the Fe website:

An exhibition of artwork at Fe Gallery in Lawrenceville
G-SPOT
As the world descends on Pittsburgh for the G - 20 Summit, we invite you to plunge into G-Spot
September 24 - 26, 2009
Artwork by artists from the Visionary Arts Festival

Thursday September 24, 7 - 9 pm: OPENING RECEPTION

Exhibition Hours
9/25 12 - 4 pm9/26 12- 4 pm
Fe Arts Gallery 4102 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15201 412-860-6028 info@fegallery.org

Artists in the exhibit include;Alberto Almarza,Ian Green,Kyle Ethan Fischer,Randie Snow,Garry Piles,Christine Bethea,David Grim,Deanna Mance,Matthew Marrino

Blogger Resources Offered in Downtown Pittsburgh During G20 Summit

The following was posted on Pittsburgh Bloggers and is copied in full, on the assumption they want to pass it along.

Obviously, it's targeted mostly @ protest participants and members of the informal press covering the G20. But it may also be of interest to local bloggers or any others with an interest in covering the G20, or using the G20 to promote/debate local issues.

I really don't know squat about technology, but I suspect it's a pretty powerful tool for those who use it well.

I don't know Facebook, barely know blogger and am just learning to use Twitter right.

I posted about tagging your tweets #myg20, but other heavily searched tags will be #g20, #pittsburgh, #g20 voice.

An organization named G20Voice is offering blogger resources in downtown Pittsburgh during the G20 Summit. Here are the details they provided, including how to register ahead of time:

We've been busy putting together a lot of resources and briefings for bloggers at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, and we're hoping you're planning on joining us. Whether you received official accreditation from the State Department to get inside the Convention Center or not, you can get in close to the action with access to wifi, electricity, food, and (oh yeah) government and policy experts by being a part of G20 Voice.

G20Voice is part of an ongoing project that gives everyday people the chance to participate, engage, and influence the powers that be, via the blogosphere. Its purpose is to ensure that those who have been entrusted with power don’t forget that we need to end poverty and inequality and deal with climate change. Bottom line: If you want to cover the G20, we want to get you access and help your coverage get noticed.

Here are some details about what we're doing in Pittsburgh. (Continue reading)

BRIEFINGS
G20 Voice is scheduling policy experts and government leaders to answer your questions about the policy discussions and decisions taking place. The briefings/interviews will take place in the August Wilson Center September 24 and 25. We'll be posting the schedule as soon as the details are finalized. The other groups using the Center will be bringing in experts and leaders as well, multiplying your access to answers.

FACILITY
We're partnering with USCAN and other public interest groups to provide a G20 Media Center for bloggers in the August Wilson Center. Even though it's just a block from the Convention Center, it is outside the security zone, meaning you don't need State Dept. clearance to get inside. It will be open for your use September 24 and September 25 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. We will serve a continental breakfast and a second all-day meal of sandwiches and salads.

WEBSITE
The new G20 site will will be posting G20 Voice coverage of the event. If you're a participating blogger, we'll post a bio of you, linking to your blog, and post teasers of your posts that link to your site for the rest of the blog. We'll also be providing Flickr pix and YouTube video for you to use in your blogs, and promoting G20 Voice bloggers via Twitter, Facebook, and other G20 Voice accounts.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE
If you're planning to cover the G20 in Pittsburgh and would like to participate in G20 Voice, fill in the form here for G20 Voice credentials to gain access to the August Wilson Center Media Center: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEVkRnROckkzZVRqMTdfai1fYm5XSmc6MA. Make sure to check the box for G20Voice on the form. We're don't intend to turn away any serious blogger, but we'll need your name, your photo, the URL of your blog--just stuff like that.

If you participate, we'll ask you to display a little "G20 Voice Contributor" badge on your site and provide short teasers we can display on the G20 Voice site to promote (and link to) your posts. If you tweet, it'd be nice if you used the hash tag #g20voice too.

PASS THIS ON
If you know of any other bloggers planning (or wanting) to cover the G20 in Pittsburgh, please forward this e-mail to them.

Thank you for your attention. I hope to see you in Pittsburgh!

~Julie

________________________
Julie Roth
G20 Voice Organizer
Oxfam International

Can The G20 Help Pittsburgh? Great Op Ed In Post Gazette

OK, this guy pretty much nails it. I wanted to cut and paste every word and came pretty close.

We need to see the Pittsburgh story for what it really is. It's not about how, poor exploited steel town made a comeback, as much as how a small city loaded with deluxe, universities, corporate headquarters, great location, wonderful architecture and piles of old cash managed to do so poorly for so long. And it still ain't doin that well.

Yes, I think something is starting to click here. But, to make it work we need to know why and be honest idea of what is and what is not working.

Pittsburgh is coming back not because of it's top down, political power structure but very much in spite of it. The article, doesn't IMHO, give enough credit some of the recent changes, most especially in the foundation community's efforts to put cash closer to the street level.

"Compared to Silicon Valley; Research Triangle Park in North Carolina; Austin, Texas, and international tech corridors in Korea, India and China, Pittsburgh is still "old school." Those of us who want to achieve change are working through layers of resistance, both imposed and self-imposed. The talk about a future that openly embraces new ideas, entrepreneurship and growth cannot be just talk. It must be activated.

First, local governments, foundations and policy makers need to embrace new democratized channels of open discourse. Today's social media technologies offer great opportunities for sharing ideas, vetting issues and creating open dialog. There are good ideas out there that should be heard and put into action. Let's use the technology available to us to empower citizen voices and build community participation.

Second, innovative ideas need to be funded. Some of the oldest money in Pittsburgh helped West Coast pioneers like Sun Microsystems, Google and Amazon.com rise to fame and fortune. (Had it not been for Pittsburgh's Henry Hillman, the Kleiner Perkins investment firm of Silicon Valley might never have gotten off the ground. Just read "Valley Boy: The Education of Tom Perkins.") It's time to keep more of that old money in the city where it was created. It's time to give back, not just to social-service organizations and cultural foundations -- many of which are generously funded -- but to the entrepreneurs who, with new ways of thinking and new techniques, are able to create companies that inspire, motivate and have the potential to bring real growth to the region."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09249/995683-109.stm#ixzz0RDQmesQr

Yinz Links For Sept 11-12

Another bunch of random links loosely related to Pittsburgh and the arts. The G20, like it or not is harder and and harder to avoid. The other elephants in the room being 9-11 the kickoff of another Steeler season, and the structural bankruptcy of the US economy which is penetrating every aspect of life.

On Cleveland.Com

Sparx City Hop links Cleveland neighborhoods for day of food, art

Bhutanese Refugees Succeeding At Farmers Markets

In UK Telegraph

UN report suggests dumping the dollar as world reserve currency

In The Boston Globe

Amid budget pain, some states furlough teachers

On Truth In Accounting

Bankruptcy Judge Voids Municipal Labor Contract

In Wall Street Journal

Here Comes The FDIC Bailout

In Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Stan Lee To Attend Pittsburgh Comicon

Researcher Looks @ Flight 93 site

George Romero's latest "Dead Flick" (not shot in Pittsburgh) screened in Venice

On Marketwatch.com

Gold Breaks Above $1000 An Ounce As Dollar Index Falls For Sixth Day

In NY Times

Prospects For The New Normal Art Season

Review Of Sorority Row, A Horror Film Shot In Pittsburgh

10 Warhol Paintings Of Sports Superstars Stolen Form LA Home

Obama Fires Major Shot In A Possible Trade War With China

In Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Government Financial Problems Put Casino Table Games On The Table

Festival Of Lights Comes Back For G-20

Carnegie Museums To Be Closed Sept 24th & 25th For G20

On Bittersweet Harvest

Pittsburgh Artist/Designer Stawberryluna gets on Apartment Therapy

Yinz Links For Sept 9-10

Here's some more random links I found of interest. I will be doing a separate post of just G20 related "Pittsburgh Revival" stories. As usual, some of these links are of regional interest, some about art with some chaos thrown in. Not all tidbits are from the last few days.

On Rust Wire

Some recent positive Pittsburgh press.

On Mahoning Pride Center Blog

Could Gay marriages help revive the local economy?

On Cleveland.Com

Historic WPA Railroad murals recovered.

Clothes are the stars on Mad Men

Cleveland Museum auctions some of the estate of collector and benefactor, Muriel Butkin

In Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Protesters interupt city's puff news conference

Some G20 security plans revealed.

Violinist Itzhak Perlman returns to Heinz Hall for annual gala.

In NY Times

Split Episcopalians fight over church property

In Baltimore Sun

Ducky Tours to end in Baltimore.

On Pop City

City of Asylum Jazz Poetry

Sustainable Living Center Coming To Wilkinsburg

In The Pitt News

Review Of Jen Cooney@ 707 Penn Gallery

In The Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Anne Leibovitz's $24 million loan repayment due today. (Sept 8TH)

A fall arts runndown @ major institutions.

Thousands Of G20 Activists Converging On The City.

Post Gazette says city needs time to fix pension system it had twenty years to fix.

G-20 Video 1

Here and there, I may be dropping a video or post related to the G-20. The weird thing to anyone aware of the facts and trends shown in the video is how long it has taken to open up a serious dialog with the nations which are shaping the future.

Prior to a year or two ago, the G8, which included only one Asian nation, Japan was considered the most important forum.

Yinz Links For September 4th & 5th

More I found trolling around. Some are G20 related; some urban and bike related; some art, comics, media and some weirdness. September is imperial dictator month- all month.

In NY Times

Many green buildings not living up to the label

Small British bookstore blames giant charity, Oxfam for it's demise.

Roberta Smith looks at the health and mood of NY galleries as they face the recession

India & China square off on Tibetan border region

In The Times Online

Gordon Brown's triumphant $trillion dollar rescue falling flat.

On Pittsblog

South Side Ghost Tours

On Urban Places And Spaces

Portland, Oregon puts in real "European Style" separated bike lane downtown.

On City Walkabout

Lawrenceville Accordion Pool Party!!???

On Libertarian Republican

PA Democrat switches to Libertarian Party to run for open state senate seat.

In Pittsburgh Post Gazette

City's pension fantasies might work-- when pigs fly.

Stan Lee still wielding power in the comic book world.

National Unemployment rate now @ 9.7% (don't ask about U6)

In Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Craig Street,Oakland merchants lobby city for help.

Theater project 'Yinzerspielen' merges two schools of acting

Biden to Pittsburgh one week before Obama. Holy crap!!! Motorcade allert. (My guess-- photo-Op @ Primanti's)

On Null Space

Pension fund procrastination and denial.

On Brewed Fresh Daily

Social Media Revolution