Penn Ave in October

Garfield Night Market

I started my Penn Ave tour at the Garfield Night Market last First Friday (aka Unblurred). Great place to start, since it opens earlier than most of the venues on Penn. Plus, you can get a taste of something to keep you going during your long walk. Unfortunately, October was the last Night Market for the season, but they will be returning in the Spring.

The Dirty Poet

A lot of random stuff happens on Penn Ave during Unblurred. This past one, we were treated to a mostly-brass marching band. Which was totally fun. Although the Dirty Poet posts all over the city, I did run into one on a pole near Evaline St. Always a pleasure to read these, and they're distributed pretty evenly across neighborhoods.

But the meat of Unblurred remains the exhibits. First up, Olga Brindar had a solo at Artists In Motion.

Olga Brindar - And then there was that unforgettable morning when Blackbird was out walking

There were more than a few of these large-scale drawings in the exhibit. I love the touch of myth that underlie these works.

I could here the sweet strains of John Coltraine, just a block away, at Mr. Roboto Project. Nicholas Perney, who uses the musicians of the jazz era as a source of inspiration, had a solo in the venue's space. The works were all created with mixed media on wood blocks. Very dramatic. (below)

Nicholas Perney at Mr. Roboto Project

The Irma Freeman Center exhibited its third round of Pittsburgh-based art. As always, the show is a democratic survey of Pittsburgh as seen through the eyes of its artists. The works are varied in media and concept, ranging from representational to concept.

Laurie Mancuso Rusty

 I particularly liked the above work by Laurie Mancuso, and there were a lot of really delicious works to enjoy. Some of my favorites are included in the gallery at the end of this post.

Paulette Poullet at ModernFormations Gallery

ModernFormations had a strong doubleheader for October. really a must-see pairing that offer completely different views on the subject of place. Paulette Poullet (above) is exhibiting Our Disappearing City in the back gallery. I wish the image did justice to the work, really. I found the work to be pretty compelling.

Kurt Garrison Looking Back: Tate Modern

 The front gallery at Modern Formations hosted Things Are Looking Up: Abstract Tourist & Architectural Photography by Kurt Garrison. The title really says it all. Really striking work that went way beyond the concept of tourist.

Enjoy the Gallery!

Returns @Panza Gallery

David Grim

Millvale is just across the Allegheny River from my home. On a nice day, I can walk over there in less than twenty minutes. But with all of the construction on Route 28, I haven't ventured across on foot for awhile. It's a difficult proposition for us habitual pedestrians, and the new intersections have made it much more daunting.

It's completely my loss, though. There's a fabulous gallery over there that I hardly ever get to because I always seem to be able to come up with some excuse for not walking across the bridge. Lucky for me, a very good friend provided transportation to the opening of Returns at Panza Gallery this past weekend. I'm so glad she did, it was a strong show.

Pictured above is some recent work by David Grim. I love the color in these works, as well as the abstracted qualities. More of David Grim's work can be seen in this online portfolio.
 

 

Olga Brindar

One entire side of the gallery was installed with these large works on paper by artist Olga Brindar. The works had a nice vitality to them. Ms. Brindar has a very nice portfolio site, where you can view more of her work.

 

Mia Tarducci Henry

There were a scant handful of paintings by Mia Tarducci Henry, which were really beautiful. The works are very organic and heavily textured. You can get to know Ms. Henry better on her site.

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.