TRAF - Juried Visual Art Exhibit

The three Rivers Arts Festival certainly warrants more time this year than I have been able to give it. I spent Friday afternoon at the Artists Market, and Tuesday I stopped in at the Cultural Trust's Education Center to see the Juried Visual Art Exhibit.

This is, by far, the best edition of this series that I've seen. Comprised of only fifty works in a generous space gives each piece breathing room, allowing contemplation without distraction. The installation really did justice to the work. There are more than several good works in the exhibit. For personal reasons, a handful really stood out for me.

Matty Davis

I would be very interested in seeing the above work by Matty Davis in strong and changing light. Not a rapidly changing light, but the natural light over the course of the day and the season. The potential for depth and the interplay of shadow is intriguing; I could see myself living with this piece, shifting it throughout my home and contemplating the changes of light that are possible from a deceptively static work. The layers of fingerprints are complex, with the vagaries of coverage from opaque to slightly faded, couple with expanses of completely clear glass. In the diffuse light of the gallery, the main interest of the work was in its subtle shifts of depth.

Seth Clark

Seth Clark creates his collages from found papers, as well as other media. The works are rich in surface texture and intricate in their observation of decay. The contrast between the floating constructions of dilapidated structures and the very clean expanse of the ground creates a dreamlike floating quality. The effect is disorienting, with uncertainty underpinning the perspective because there is no sure horizon or point of physical orientation.

Stephanie Armbruster

From the artist's site:

Stephanie Armbruster works primarily as an encaustic painter, creating luminous, translucent surfaces by suspending pigment, drawings and ephemera between layers of molten wax.

Ms. Armbruster's work is simply beautiful. The layers hold light just below the surface and color blooms across the substrate in gentle shadings, contrasting with stronger concentrations of pigment that provide a map across the surface. Definitely a work that would grow and transcend through multiple viewings.

Thomas Bigatel

There is a lot of controlled energy in Thomas Bigatel's work. Three of Mr. Bigatel's works are included in the exhibit on canvases that run from medium to large. The expansive gestures of the artist absolutely require the space. I got the feeling that the gestures extended way beyond the confines of the substrate, and that what I was viewing was a fraction of the full spectrum of the piece. The work is a balance blend of impulse and consideration.

The exhibit will be gone in a flash, in place only for the duration of the festival. Fortunately, the venue is open until 8PM for the festival. Please note that the above images are courtesy of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

EDIT: Replaced a couple images. 

Juried Visual Art Exhibit
Through June 16, 2013
Trust Arts Education Center
805 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Night Out In Braddock To Celebrate Unsmoke Systems First Year

In July of 2008, UnSmoke Systems Artspace was launched with their inaugural event, Out of this Furnace, in conjunction with the 55th Carnegie International. Since the studio’s debut, UnSmoke Systems has become integral to promoting the arts in Braddock.

On August 15, from 7:30 – 10:30pm, UnSmoke Systems will be hosting Night Out: Braddock - a party to celebrate our first year of events. Featuring the artwork of resident and guest artists, Humanaut DJ’s Aaron Clark and Paul Alexander (resident DJ’s at Hijack, New Amsterdam) and refreshments. Delicious Donations will be present and raising money for the regional artists, with a cash award (typically between $100 - $250) to be given away at the end of the night. Join us for an evening of art, music, and socializing to kick off one more year.

Participating artists: Barb Antel, Stephanie Armbruster, Emilia Edwards, Jeanine Hall, Eric Haberle, Marc Nieson, Tara Powley, Fitzhugh Shaw, Josh Tonies, and Paulina Wilkowska

Stephanie Armbruster has been with UnSmoke from the beginning. Her work is an exploration of urban spaces, populations and visual textures. Often a reflection on the postindustrial landscape, her works suggest whimsical environments that are familiar, unique, and a little absurd. Informed by a fascination with printed matter, street art, and design, Stephanie works primarily in 2D media. Her work is currently on view at the Mattress Factory Museum of Contemporary Art.

Marc Nieson’s background includes filmmaking, children’s theatre, building construction and a season with a one-ring circus. Excerpts from his forthcoming memoir Schoolhouse: A Memoir in 13 Lessons have appeared in the Literary Review and Iowa Review, and his fiction recently was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and won the 2008 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest. His feature-length screenplays include Bottomland, The Dream Catcher, and The Speed of Life (Special Jury Prize 2007 Venice Film Festival).

Josh Tonies has been with the organization from the start. He also lives and works in Braddock, PA. His current work explores transient structures. Mining systematic imagery such as technical illustration, security patterns from envelopes and architectural diagrams, he reconfigures these depictions of space into slippery windows. He has exhibited his work nationally at Mass MoCa, Light Industry in Brooklyn and internationally at Meinblau e.V in Berlin.

Support for Night Out: Braddock is generously provided through a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) – Project Stream Grant

Sorry, for the crude cut and paste job. It's the best I can do. I'm also very sad I will not be able to catch this event.Very, Very exiting weekend in The Burgh.

By the way -- I think the address on Unsmoke's website is wrong.

I think it's 1183 Braddock Ave which is what Google's street view shows.


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Unsmoke Systems in Braddock

Carly Parrish

Unknown Artist

Chris Kardimbikis



Ed Parrish





I got over to Unsmoke Systems the new art space in Braddock on Saturday. Unsmoke is a raw studio space in an old catholic School and the opening combined an exhibition of art and installations throughout the 3 floor building as well as a number of artist open studios.

A number of artists made great use of the unique history and vibe of the space. My favorite work was a site specific installation by Carly Parrish(It's the first image) in an old classroom cloakroom which involved a large old mirror at the end of the room who's wall's were covered by strange shadow cutouts of children and whirling black paper which implied a strange unknown narrative, at once playful and disturbing. Part of the works power comes from the weird way one views the room by looking down from a window perch above it sort of like a distant memory, you can't fully grasp. Yes, you do think of Kara Walker, but I think it transcends that.

I also liked Ed Parrish's equally strange dark room of mysterious crude designs that often involved materials like tape and debris.

Chris Kardimbikis's studio was another standout, filled with work that combined narrative and abstraction in unified by a great sense of linear beauty.I also liked the paintings of Stephanie Arbruster, but the paintings that most moved me are way too subtle for me to shoot.

There was also a lot of great work by artists, I can't properly identify.Another, not entirely unexpected treat was some nice work by Swoon right by the entrance.