10/22/14- 10/28/14 Arts and Urbanism Roundup

Pittsburgh 

Pitt Football brings back classic script helmet design (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)

Heinz Field facing growing no-show problem (CBS Pittsburgh)

Video series: The scariest haunted houses in the Pittsburgh area (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

Fire at Flight 93 Memorial raises questions about the National Park Service's ability to protect historic artifacts (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)

Natural History Museum reaches out to over 21 crowd  (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

Google thanks Polio vaccine developer, Jonas Salk with a Google Doodle (Washington Post)

Pioneering Penn Ave alternative arts venue, Garfield Art Works closing in December (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

Greensburg 

Restored Greensburg Civil War statue may move out of courthouse soon

Cleveland 

Top Cleveland dive and neighborhood bars: Photo Gallery (Cleveland.com)

Why is Baldwin Wallace University ashamed to say it's near Cleveland? (Diggingpitt)

Devo releases recording of 1977 Cleveland show as a live album (Consequence of Sound)

Cleveland theater company adopts Night of the Living Dead for the stage (Cleveland Scene)

Making beautiful music in a Cleveland retirement community (CBS Evening News)

Akron

Akron musicians break in new downtown jazz club (Akron Beacon Journal)


Ohio

Spotify study shows Ohio State students listen to the most classical music (The Lantern)

Chicago

95 problems: A walk down the South Side's most notorious "stroad" (Streetsblog Chicago)

Detroit

Renovation work starts on Detroit's huge, historic Packard plant complex

Other Urbanism News

How asset foreiture allows cops to steal from citizens  (Reason)

The most expensive housing markets in the U.S. are also the most Liberal (The Washington Post)

Is 21 days enough for Ebola quarantine?  (Five Thirty Eight Science)

World Series is on and everybody's watching...football (New York Times)

Redfin buys Walk Score (Wired)

Real Estate network sues Zillow, claims the company stole trade secrets (Puget Sound Business Journal)

California community suffers as wells dry up in drought (Yahoo News)

New urbanisim hits the suburbs, as pricey condos multiply on Long Island  (Wall Street Journal)

The death of the suburban corporate campus (Better Cities and Towns)

Florida's Department of Transportation doesn't seem to know its own rules (Streetsblog)

Why cities need localists (The American Conservative)

Why Conservatives must engage urbanism (The American Conservative)

Is America finally saying no to junk food? (CBS Moneywatch)

Other Arts and Architecture News

You can legally busk in New York's subways but a cop might arrest you anyway. (Reason)

Frieze Art Fair: where great refinement meets harrowing vulgarity (The Spectator)

Frank Gehry, gives critics the finger- literally  (Arch Daily)

11 at risk American art landscapes (Art Net)

What to do with Uruguay's massive shipwrecked Nazi bronze? (Art Net)

Subtle street art: 27 easy to overlook urban enhancements (Web Urbanist)

Affordable housing plan threatens Parisian street art haven (Hyperallergic)

750-year old city founded by Genghis Khan's grandson is unearthed (Hyperallergic)

Weekly Arts & Urbanism Roundup

I pretty much dropped doing weekly news roundups a few years ago. Likewise, the monthy regional arts preview took too much work. At least for now, I am trying to bring the roundup back.

 A selection of recent arts & urbanism news.

  Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh CityLab creates a Tiny House in Garfield- documents the process on Tiny House Journal Blog.

Ex Steelers, Baron Batch  John Malecki create a Homestead Art Studio & Marketing company.

Artist, Alexandre Arrechia will speak about his 3 temporary public sculptures downtown & lead public art tour. I love these works and meant to do a post about them.

The Amazing Bicycle Heaven bike museum & store may be the subject of a reality show- ala American Pickers. Counting Cars, American Restoration.

Pittsburgh Comic Artist, Ed Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree volume II hits the stores. Follow his twitter feed for updates on events and book signings.

Fight to save The Carrie Furnace Deer ramps up and gets some national press

City rolls out, Mighty Beautiful, national ad campaign.

Cleveland

Cleveland area considers Gay Games a huge success.

The fifth annual Weapons of Mass Creation festival draws more than 2000 creatives from around the world

Cleveland leaders look at Indianapolis's Cultural Tail bike path. (See NY Times article about the path)

Youngstown

The Ballyhoo Music Festival in Austintown, Ohio headlined by Bootsy Collins & Michael Stanley & The Resonators. (This could be a festival to watch)

Obligatory Pittsburgh Duck Post

The Pittsburgh Duck ended up pretty much the way, I thought it would, by operating as a medium through which Pittsburghers could gaze at cute kids (One in a duck costume), dogs, weather, the river, and the stunning beauty of the city itself.  Is it great art? Who really cares?

Andy Warhol Bridge Yarn Bombing Begins: Knit The Bridge Project Should Be Complete By Tomorrow Night

Article in Post Gazette Follow #KnitTheBridge hashtag on twitter for images. Or go downtown and watch.

Zoetic Walls Project Invites Global Street Artists To Cleveland

Just came across this urban mural project on walls all over the Waterloo Arts district in East Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood. Hopefully, I can there to see them sometime.

From the ArtsCollinwood website.

"The finest street artists from around the world are bringing the walls of the Waterloo District to life.

Zoetic Walls Cleveland is the first organized street art project to hit the walls of Cleveland. This public art mural project, co-curated by Waterloo Arts (Cleveland) and Pawn Works (Chicago), embraces the street art movement, which has been minimally represented in Cleveland.  This art form is sweeping like wild fire across other parts of the world and transforming cities into outdoor museums. Nick Marzullo and Seth Mooney (Pawn Works), both Cleveland natives, took notice of our emerging neighborhood and approached us to do a street art project, we welcomed them home and got to work. This wall project includes up to six murals and is a testament to the vibrant art scene of the Waterloo Arts and Entertainment District neighborhood that will be an ongoing display for many to enjoy. Imagine the walls, the alleyways, and all the nooks and crannies of the district as a canvas for the finest street artists around the world to create on. Giving artists the freedom to create work without the constraints of design committees, result in dynamic, inspired paintings that beautify the neighborhood and engage the community in thought and discussion."

The project seems to have been put together by two ex Clevelander's,  Nick Marzullo and Seth Mooney, who run a Chicago gallery called Pawn Works.

"Often, we fly in highly regarded artists from the international street-art scene to paint on Chicago’s buildings. We consider ourselves independent curators of public art in the true sense of the word."

Check out the Zoetic Walls Facebook page.

A post about GAIA's Cleveland Mural on BSA

The project got some grant sponsorship, but I can't help noticing the relative lack of local coverage from power players like The Cleveland Plain Dealer or even Freshwater Cleveland. My guess is that "street art" is still something the establishment doesn't like. 

Doug Aitken's Art Train Tour to stop in Pittsburgh

Yet another grand spectacle put together by a famous "art star".
Still, the concept of a train of artists, musicians putting together a traveling multi media spectacular is also filled with too much promise to ignore. The project is also billed as a moving workspace.

Interestingly, some of the 10 nationwide stops are obscure stations.

September 6, 2013      New York, New York                                                                      
September 8, 2013      Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania           
September 12, 2013    Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota                               
September 14, 2013    Chicago, Illinois                                                       
September 16, 2013    Kansas City, Missouri                                              
September 20, 2013    Lamy/Santa Fe, New Mexico
September 22, 2013    Winslow, Arizona                                                             
September 24, 2013    Barstow, California                                                              
September 26, 2013    Los Angeles, California                                
September 28, 2013    Oakland/San Francisco, California

Pittsburgh Magazine's post

Help bring the Before I Die Project to Pittsburgh

"The 'Before I Die' Project is an interactive public art project created by artist Candy Chang. It encourages and inspires community residents and visitors alike to share their stories and dreams in a public forum. Through this project we can be reminded of how valuable we are not only as individuals, but as united communities."

Here's the Kickstarter. Support it if you can.

New Regional Art Site, Art Hopper seeks writers

This comment was left on my post about Art Hopper by one of the site founders.

Thank your for highlighting the new site. Arthopper launched on January 1, 2012. The similarity to Glasstire is not an accident. I went to graduate school in San Antonio, love Glasstire, and wanted to recreate the experience here.

Any any all suggestions, comments and criticisms are welcome and encouraged. We want the site to work for all and to be a real community asset.

Buffalo is on the list of cities to add but we cannot do it all at once. If you know writers who are interested in submitting content please have them contact me. We are a volunteer effort now but will me moving toward a paid "society of correspondents."

Rick, I enjoy your work in Pittsburgh and hope we are able to collaborate.

John, we would welcome opinion pieces from you as well as important arts issues pieces.

Jimmy Kuehnle
Founder
Arthopper.org

Contact here if interested.

FYI, folks in and around Buffalo, that includes you!

ArtPrize Boosts It's Juried Prize: Is That a Good Thing?

Michigan's ArtPrize is an event that right off the bat combined creative placemaking, art, economic development and public interaction in ways that excited me.

Likewise, in spite of it's success,(and the fact it's not in NY or LA) the art establishment has mostly ignored or tried to look down on it. "Oh My God, they really voted a non ironic religious piece the top award!"

For better or worse, Artprize is tipping the scale away from public voting and more towards "expert jurors".

From Hyperallergic

The top public vote award will be a little smaller next year, $200,000 instead of the $250,000 offered this year, but the organization is adding a brand new juried award of $100,000, which puts it in the same monetary league at the Hugo Boss Prize (also $100,000) and considerably more than the Turner Prize with its £25,000 award (roughly $39,000).

Some facts about ArtPrize 2011:

-1,582 artists from 39 countries and 43 US states took part

-The participating artists installed their work at 164 venues in a three-square-mile district in Grand Rapids

-38,000 registered voters submitted 383,000 total votes for the public prize

-Smartphones increased voting 62%

Artprize 2011 Timelapse from Michael Cook on Vimeo.

Who did this Work, Outside The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh?

It's not my favorite thing ever, but I like this satellite made of welded auto parts. I suppose I could find this out by googling but I'd like to get the answer on here.

Great Braddock Public Art: James Simon, Mosaic Garden

Pittsburgh artist, James Simon has three public works in Braddock, The "Welcome To Braddock" Sign, A new mosaic butterfly sculpture across from The Carnegie Library and this mosaic pond, which is my favorite.

I should have spent more time trying to capture this work, which you really have to walk through to experience in space.

Great Lakes Urban Exchange Conference Comes To Larimer, Sept 15-17

I have no intimate knowledge of this group which aims to bring together, grass roots thinkers and doers to share knowledge and best practices, in dealing with many of the common problems and opportunities facing Rust Belt cities.

This is the third conference and the first one held in Pittsburgh. One cool thing is the organisers felt a downtown hotel would not be the right location--so it's centered right in the neighborhood of Larimer.

From Rust Wire

After GLUE’s 2010 “Urban Laboratories” event in Cleveland, workshop co-facilitators Fred Brown, of the Kingsley Association, and Pat Clark, a community development consultant and principal of Jackson Clark Partners, worked with GLUE director Sarah Szurpicki to reexamine and retool the annual GLUE experience. In particular, they saw an opportunity to do more with the energy these conferences generated, by being more deliberate about forging relationships across racial, socioeconomic, and neighborhood boundaries.

While Pittsburgh has made great strides in becoming America’s “most livable city,” some neighborhoods – like Larimer – have not reaped the benefits of its redevelopment. In spite of this, Larimer is home to innovative, collaborative organizing efforts to make sure that its residents have a say in the future of their neighborhood. The future they’re envisioning is ambitiously green. The work happening there may be a model for how Rust Belt cities ensure that every resident benefits from the revitalization of our cities.

Most likely, Rust Wire will do at least one direct post about the event.

Of course, if someone who attended or knows more about this would offer up a post, that would be awesome. Sadly, a family emergency has come up and I will be out of town right when there all these great things going on.

Photos of Wilkinsburg Murals by Kyle Holbrook and Brian Holderman

You likely have seen work by these artists around. Holderman did a big Downtown mural and Three Rivers Arts Festival Poster; Holbrook's murals are all over East Liberty and many other places in and near Pittsburgh.

Still, these murals are pretty great examples of their work. Brian is all about, highly designed and skillful hipster style--but this work is also extremely imaginative. One of his best works.

Kyle, who works with local kids and community members on his projects, throws the book at the walls, filling them with cultural and historical images. This is just a small taste of some of his murals which fill the area around the Bus way in Wilkinsburg.

Who Knew? Steubenville, Ohio "City of Murals"

One of the big reasons I've tried to take the blog more towards a wider, more regional view is that a lot of the area is still a mystery to most of us, filled with all kinds of great secrets and changes. 10 years ago, most locals didn't know how great Pittsburgh was.

Who knew, this fellow steel town just to the east on the Ohio is becoming known as "the city of Murals", with 25 easily viewable in or near it's downtown?

A few of these lean towards the dry and boring but some look really stunning. Most, which are now old pay tribute to the area's unique history.

Check out this great post about them.

"Many of the murals were fading—the reds in particular—and recent extremes in Ohio weather haven’t helped. Other murals lie in rubble, like verdigris-covered Roman ruins. To some extent, weather and a shifting city scape are the hazards of public art. Just as a struggling economy helped birth the City of Murals tough times are encouraging people to rally in support of this part of Ohio history. Funds may be scarce, but in tough times public art helps communities maintain their unique identity and share that vision with the world. A small group of people are rallying to retain the City of Murals through audio tours, events and by raising funds for upkeep and preservation."

Check out a link and see more images.

Hat tip to Burgh Diaspora.

Michigan's ArtPrize Competition Continues To Grow and Evolve

ArtPrize 2011: September 21 - October 9
Grand Rapids, Michigan

I've posted a few times in the past when ArtPrize first started-in perhaps what was percieved as the least likely place-Michigan.

It's continued success comes as no surprise to me--raising the very real question--why is this type of open ended invitation for creative interaction between communities and the wider world still so rare?

A good recent article from The Washington Post--which is covering some of the D.C. area artists participating.

Started in 2009 by Rick DeVos, with funding from his family foundation, the showcase now attracts 1, 582 artists from 36 countries and 42 states. The competition is spread over 164 venues around Grand Rapids, an approach which won an “Our Town” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in July. “We want to reboot the conversation with the public around the arts,” said Catherine Creamer, the executive director of ArtPrize.

The unusual exhibition style is combined with a departure from the expert juried panels. From the opening on September 21 until September 28 the public votes on all the art. Then the Top 10 works are announced on September 29 and the public can cast one vote for its favorite until October 5. The festival closes October 9.

In spite of lots of buzz, I can't help feeling the "professional, institutional arts infrastructure is just trying to ignore all the implied potential here. Thankfully, many artist's are not.

"ArtPrize appealed to her because “it’s a very different concept. The public is voting, and you are getting unbelievable exposure,” Hester said .

In Grand Rapids the work is displayed for 19 days. The venues range from a coffee shop to a mechanics workshop to a theater. “We wanted to bring artists together and let the public curate,” said Creamer, the program’s executive director. The boundary of the displays are 3 -square miles from downtown Grand Rapids."

Anyone from the wider, Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia or Ohio Region participating or attending? What are your thoughts?

Ai Weiwei, Circle Of Animals/ Zodiac Heads: Public Sculpture To Come To Pittsburgh In 2012

When I took these photos of this work by the controversial Chinese artist and activist, Ai Weiwei in NYC, I had no idea this large scale public sculpture would making an extended stop in Pittsburgh.

Modeled on the once prized possessions of the former Emperors of China later looted by Europeans, this work pushes lots of historic and cultural buttons most of us don't fully understand.

"Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads is the centerpiece of a global, multi-year touring exhibition that will be presented in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The set of twelve zodiac heads was recently on display at the São Paolo Biennale in Brazil (September – December 2010). The official world tour for Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads by Ai Weiwei will launch in New York City at the historic Pulitzer Fountain at Grand Army Plaza near Central Park and the Plaza Hotel. The heads will be on display there from May through July 2011, with additional international and domestic venues to follow.

Designed in the 18th century by two European Jesuits serving in the court of the Qing dynasty Emperor Qianlong, the twelve zodiac animal heads originally functioned as a water clock-fountain, which was sited in the magnificent European-style gardens of the Yuanming Yuan. In 1860, the Yuanming Yuan was ransacked by French and British troops, and the heads were pillaged. In re-interpreting these objects on an oversized scale, Ai Weiwei focuses attention on questions of looting and repatriation, while extending his ongoing exploration of the “fake” and the copy in relation to the original."

PITTSBURGH, PA – 10.01.12 - 12.31.12
The Andy Warhol Museum & Carnegie Museum of Art

Read more.

New "Wild Style" Graffiti Murals in Braddock

I was unable to see a live painting event last month in Braddock. The mayor, who had been afraid of more conventional graffiti which might contribute to "vandalism" or gang activity-finally relented and allowed an old department store in town to become a canvas for old school spray paint.

In a town in which mostly white, and sometimes famous "street artists" had been celebrated for doing public art-rejecting the expression of many local artists must have created some resentment.

The building now has is a pretty awesome compilation of work by what looks like a solid crew of people--from both Pittsburgh and many other places. Many details, thank and compliment the mayor for allowing this to happen.

I remember this poem by the legendary graffiti artist, Lee Quiñones.

There was once a time

When the Lexington was a beautiful line

When children of the ghetto expressed with art, not with crime.

But then as evolution passed,

The Transit’s buffing did its blast.

Now the trains look like rusted trash.

Now we wonder if graffiti will ever last.

Long live a new Braddock in which the potential creative talents of everybody are used.

New Yorkers Turn Union Square Warhol Statue Into an Evolving Shrine

Just south of Pittsburgh, lies Andy Warhol's actual grave which attracts a steady stream of fairly dedicated fans paying personal tribute--still, something quite different and open ended happened when the new-glam Andy Statue was placed in a central downtown, New York Square for all to respond and add to.

"The statue, which looks a bit like the young Mr. Warhol dipped in silver paint, is fast becoming a favorite downtown attraction. One visitor said she thought it was one of those painted humans who startle tourists in Times Square. She kept waiting for The Andy to move.

For Warholians, a more loyal army of fans, the statue is a shrine. And within days after it appeared, they began adapting the monument in that organic way that is so much a part of the city ethos. One day there was a box of Brillo pads at The Andy’s feet. Last weekend there were cans of Campbell’s tomato soup, including one that had “Andy for President” added to the label."

My earlier post about the statue.

Look Up: Look Out For Kim Beck's SKYWRITING Project

More than a few of you will doubt hiring a plane to print out huge mysterious sentences over the city of Pittsburgh qualifies as art. If you were looking for a way to take a huge number of people out of their normal comfort zone, this might be a good plan.

Kim sent me the messages, most of which seem related to a giant sales pitch of some kind but are loaded with enough double meanings to leave a lot of questions. I like that it's not just targeted to the normal art world/ museum crowd.

When/Where: Friday Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 2 at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Skywriting will last from 30-60 minutes depending on wind and air quality. The plane will fly over downtown Pittsburgh, the North Side and Oakland. Each letter will be one mile high and will be visible throughout the area. Follow http://www.twitter.com/idealcities for updates!

Braddock Public Art: Points Of Interest Project

Leon Reid IV







Swoon

Jean and me took some nice shots of The public art a group of artists put together in and around Braddock a few years ago, many of whom are linked to the emerging, Transformazium project--then known as Braddock Active Arts. I should have put them up long ago, but surprisingly a very high percentage of this work is still around in very pristine condition. An art drive or cycle around Braddock is well worth the trip! The Swoon work has almost surely deteriorated but who knows.

These are pretty much ties as favorites with a slight edge to the Swoon and Leon Reid IV works.

There's even a great online map you can follow. Remember, however that a few of these works were meant to be temporary.





Maya Hayuk





Polina Soloveichik






Mary Tremonte