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

Opening day – TRAF 2013

A friend of mine was in town over the last week and wanted to go to the Three Rivers Arts Festival during her stay. So on Friday, we met Downtown and spent the afternoon leisurely strolling through the Artists Market.

As any Pittsburgher knows, the festival not only brings art in its various forms to downtown, it also heralds a week of rain. It didn't matter one little bit to me that the weather forecast said the chance of rain was a paltry 30%. I have experience with this festival and it always rains. So, with a sense of smugness, I packed up my umbrella, made sure my camera was sufficiently protected, and off I went.

It didn't rain, at all. And my companion and I thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Now, I just went the first day, so the artists that I saw may not be in their booths when you elect to roam the Artists Market since the booths rotate among a couple artists over the course of the festival. It's one of the nice features of the festival, and a very good reason to plan for several visits. You can preview the exhibitors for any session and plan your visit that way.

Seth Clark

There were so many great booths in the Artists Market this very first day of the festival. All of it was first rate, and spanned the spectrum from personal adornment to fine art and craft. Some were truly fun and appealing, and some were presenting works that spoke to personal vision. Seth Clark is a standout for me. I find his mixed media to be an interesting take on urban landscapes, surprisingly accurate in spirit to many of the less popular Pittsburgh neighborhoods and small municipalities in this region. Mr. Clark's work is also included in the Juried Visual Arts exhibit, a must-see show.

Daniel Baxter's Kreepy Doll Factory

   Highly recommended for FUN! Daniel Baxter's Kreepy Doll Factory is anything but creepy, with it's display of colorful dolls. Each doll is individually named, it's written right on the tag. No two dolls are alike, at all. Really, just tons of variety.

Sherry Rusinack

Sherry Rusinack is one of the festival's emerging artists. This is a "Scholarship program helping regional artists produce their first booth in an outdoor show" bringing artists into the market that might never have considered participating. Ms. Rusinack's work is deceptive, with its bright colors giving it a playful appeal. There is a definite feeling of walking into a world in motion, intensely personal and visionary.

Santiago "Chago" Gutierrez

 I believe I have the correct artist from the Nica Ceramic Art collective in crediting the above work. It was absolutely stunning, and I was intrigued by the process the artist used to create the effects.

Aimee Manion

Look at that sweet piece, isn't it lovely? There were several painters representing in the Art Market, but I found these to be very fresh-looking works. Aimee Manion's work has this dreamlike quality about it. I love her use of color, really bold but still clear and pure. Kind of like the sound of glass ringing, except on your eyes.

Hugh Hayden, American Hero #4

This piece by Hugh Hayden was installed next to the Wyndham Grand Hotel. My first take on this piece was that it was illustrating the demise of Detroit and the car industry. Sort of. This was the first conclusion that I reached since from a distance, the black stripes seemed to be the torn treads of tires. Closer examination, however, revealed that they were braided synthetic hair. The following explanation was provided at the site:

Hugh Hayden, American Hero 4

To be clear, I didn't find the piece compelling even when I was operating under my own interpretation. The explanation just left me cold. It is not just an apparent lack of connection between the presented work and the intention, but the entire dialog that is missing from this work makes it deliberately obtuse. There just isn't a way to map the intention from the presented work. (There are additional images in the gallery.) By contrast I found Chang-Jin Lee's Floating Echo appealing and quite beautiful.

Chang-Jin Lee, Floating Echo

Right? Isn't that just so peaceful? The work is located in Point State Park, beside the pedestrian walkway. I was soothed visually by this work. It was well placed, working well within its site. So, a theme of harmony, but maybe a new harmony implying a path of balance between nature and man-made intrusion.

The installation works remain in place for the duration of the festival. There are several, scattered throughout the downtown area, most of which I didn't get to see. It's a shame, really, that the festival isn't longer, or that some of it couldn't remain in place longer than the Artists Market.

Please, take a look through the gallery for additional pictures, especially of the folks that I haven't mentioned.

Three Rivers Arts Festival Poster Contest: Deadline March 17TH

2008 Poster: Art By Brian Holderman

•The winning artwork will creatively represent Three Rivers Arts Festival's mission to connect the community to the arts.

•Artwork must measure 11 inches wide by 14 inches tall.

•Artwork must prominently incorporate the Three Rivers Arts Festival logo. The logo can be recreated or stylized to match your artwork but must be recognizable and prominent. Click here to download the Festival logo.

•Do not include the Festival dates, locations, website, or phone number in the artwork. This information will be added by the Festival outside the dimensions of the artwork.

•Posters will be printed in full color

And there are other prizes/ awards including a student prize.

- Grand Prize Winner: The grand prize winner will be selected by the Festival's Visual Art Committee. The winning artist will receive a cash prize from the Festival in the amount of $300, a featured blog post on the Festival's website at artsfestival.net, a Three Rivers Arts Festival t-shirt, and 10 printed copies of his/her poster.

- People's Choice: All poster designs will be posted on pghgrassroots.com for a public vote. The People's Choice winner will receive a cash prize from the Festival in the amount of $100, an invitation to the Festival's opening reception, a Three Rivers Arts Festival t-shirt, and 5 printed copies of his/her poster.

- Student Prize: The Festival Visual Art Committee will select a winner from entries from high school students. The Student Winner will receive a cash prize from the Festival in the amount of $100, an invitation to the Festival's opening reception, a Three Rivers Arts Festival t-shirt, and 5 printed copies of his/her poster.

- Staff Favorite: The staff of Three Rivers Arts Festival will choose their favorite artwork from among all entries. The Staff Favorite winner will receive a cash prize from the Festival in the amount of $100, an invitation to the Festival's opening reception, a Three Rivers Arts Festival t-shirt, and 5 printed copies of his/her poster.

Anyway, Lots of rules and details you need to read carefully.

2009 Three Rivers Arts Festival

Three Rivers Arts Festival began on Friday June 3. The last day is Sunday June 14. Yes, it is a much shorter festival. In some ways, it is also smaller than the festivals in the past. This year, the festival guide includes a number of venues outside of the festival grounds and in the Cultural District. Missing is the juried exhibit, which was held last year in a series of shipping containers. New for this year was Three Rivers Arts Festival Gallery Co-Op, located at 901 Penn Ave. I think this a smashing idea. The venue houses a sampler of twelve Pittsburgh galleries with each gallery representing a few of their gallery artists. A full listing of the galleries is available on the festival website. There is a lot of good work hung in that one small space.

Morgan Conetemporary Glass had a piece by Paul Nelson (Teapot, right) that I thought was nice. Also, it photographed really well. I know, that's a bit of a cop out. But really, I'd rather show you a good image of a good work than a really bad image of better work. Glass is difficuklt to photograph. There were several pieces that were utterly amazing. You will jst have to go down to the venue or, better yet, actually go to Morgan Contemporary Glass.



You can see more of Jason Schorr's work at moxie DaDa. This was actually a pretty large work. I don't know as it really translates well here.



This next pairing of V. Mann's is from Boxheart.



Modern Formations brought this work by Taya Hanauer. This work reminded me so much of my good friend's, Pat Barefoot.



Okay, I am very excited about this venue idea. I think that Pittsburgh galleries are a really important part of the scene here and are the best suporters of local artists. Here's the thing that I thought was questionable. The galleries involved in this space are not allowed to make sales from this space. Let me repeat that; the. galleries. are. not. permitted. to. make. sales. I don't know who came up with this idea, BUT here it is. If a patron wishes to purchase a work, he must put his name on a list. At the end of the festival, the galleries are permitted to contact the individuals that have expressed an interest in purchasing a work and the gallery closes the sale off site. Really? Really? The chances of a gallery closing a sale after the fact like this is slim to none. That actually happened to me at one of the downtown, Cultural District, galleries. The gallery attendant collected the interested party's contact info and handed it over to me. I couldn't get past the guy's secretary. Lost the sale. Okay, excuse the mini-rant. Getting back to this venue, it is definitely a great way to showcase the city's galleries. Hopefully, with one little change, the Three Rivers Arts Festival will continue with this concept in 2010.

..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::..

The Three Rivers Arts Festival woldn't be complete without the Artist Market. There have been more booths in past festivals. That doesn't mean the quality was less; to the contrary, works on display were really good. Photography, jewelry, ceramics and leather were all well represented. And really, who doesn't like sock monkeys, penguins and Frankenstein's monster? Greg Stones (image above) feels the same way. Sweet little watercolors; his booth was just fun!

The festival continued with its Emerging Artist booths, another great idea that gives artists who might otherwise not have participated a chance to present.

First up, Kat Cole. Kat has shown her work in several exhibits in Pittsburgh and had some work in Luke & Eloy's Double Vision exhibit. It is too late to see Kate's work at the festival since June 9 was her last day. But if you get a chance, see some of her work before she leaves for graduate school. She does have work at Eastside Gallery.



Another newcomer to the festival is Crystala Armagost, an amazing artist. Check out her nearly-bare booth (below). She had a good week and sold quite a few of her framed works during the five days that she was at the festival. Unfortunately, June 9 was her last day at the festival, too. But you can catch Crystala's work out and about town, too.



I am absolutely positive that I missed some favorite artists while I was at the festival yesterday. Since it IS the Three Rivers Arts Festival, OF COURSE it rained; it comes with the territory. Some artists closed their booths during the downpour and I can't blame them. Kyle Fischer had a booth, as well as Amber Coppings. But have no fear! There is a whole new slate of artists scheduled for June 10-14. The line up looks pretty amazing. You can see representative images on the Artist Market page on the festival site. Although they provide listings by date and medium, they don't provide an alphabetized list. They do, however, have a printable booth map which will be very helpful in tracking down a favorite artist.

..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::.. ..:::..

Sarver's Bait and Tackle is in a category of its own. Part installation, part performance space, it is an enjoyable stop in the Cultural District.



A friend and I watched a short video piece playing in the back of the space, located at 905 Penn Ave. If you stop in to see the installation or check out a fish puppet show, make sure that you take friend into this little two-seat theater to see the video. We giggled like mad women. You can find out more about the activities scheduled at Sarver''s Bait and Tackle on the festival site.

For a full schedule of festival events, check out their website.

Three Rivers Arts Festival to return

Not bigger than ever, but maybe better. Could be.

This year's festival has been shortened from its seventeen day run to ten days. The festival will have all of the same components that previous festivals have had. Including the rain! Yep, TRAF is scheduled to begin on June 5. Historically, this area experiences quite a bit of rainfall at that time of year. With the weather that we're experiencing now, I'm wondering if we'll see snow...

The Artists Market, performances and children's area are all on the docket. The visual arts will return too, although there are no details available on the website that explain what form it will take. Last year's container exhibits had some problems. Actually, there have been several problems facing this component over the last several years, foremost being where to install the exhibit.

This seems like an elegant solution to the problems that have plagued TRAF in recent years. I think it might actually be for the best.

TRAF anticipates the return of gallery row and the emerging artists program to the Artists Market. I am not too sure about gallry row. The participation and interest of local galleries in this program has waned. However, the emerging artists program seems like a keeper. This program is not limited toyong artists but rather to artists new to TRAF that have never exhibited with the festival. I think that this program is a great way of introducing newcomers to the festival scene as well as bringing individual artists to the festival who otherwise might not have considered showing in this format.

More details about the festival are available on their website and the application for both the Artists Market and the Emerging Artists program is already up.

It's (still) the economy, stupid*

Oh man.

Recently, the Pittsburgh art scene lost yet another gallery. LaVie was in operation for about two years. Their emphasis was on young and emerging artists. LaVie built a lot of credibility on its exhibits but it was also a lifestyle shop that offered arty products and graphic as well as event design services. Even with the wide range of endeavors that they were covering they still weren't able to keep the boat floating. It hasn't been that long, less than nine months, since Digging Pitt closed its doors; another monumental effort that fell by the wayside. But there are always others to take up the gauntlet, as was pointed out by Kurt Shaw in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review --

Still, there seems to be no end to new galleries opening up in Lawrenceville, with the latest, Luke & Eloy Gallery, planning to open Sept. 27 at 5169 Butler St. (Details: www.lukeandeloy.ning.com) ...

For whatever reason, opening an art gallery seems to be an attractive idea for many, regardless of the outcome; even in a place that clearly doesn't have a public that will support it. Such is life, or should I say c'est la vie? Read the article

In addition to the opening of Luke and Eloy Gallery, Zombo Gallery opened fairly recently in Larryville. So, for every closure, another gallery crops up to take its place. There is also the revolving venues along Penn Avenue, but with only one night each month to view the exhibits, it is difficult to build a meaningful presence. It's no wonder that so many of the visual arts venues in Pittsburgh resort to non-profit status, even though that isn't a guarantee of keeping the doors open.

Oh man, it just gets worse. It was announced today that the Carnegie Museum is taking over the day to day operations of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. The festival budget, even with its shrinking and scattered footprint, is over $1million for the seventeen-day festival. CMoA has already released the festival's executive and associate directors. I am sure that there are other things in the works as they prioritize the budget. From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette --

"By taking this step now, we have an opportunity to not only better assess the organization's finances, but also re-evaluate its operations and its mission. An important first step -- and the responsible thing to do -- was to put a halt on most expenses until we complete that assessment," David Hillenbrand, president of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, said in a prepared statement yesterday. Read the article

So, what will happen to the 2009 festival is anyone's guess. There is some question about whether or not the festival will ever regain its home in Point Park or if it will be relegated to scrambling for exhibit space as it has done for the last few years.

Finally, the trend that has been making itself felt in the rest of the country is making itself felt here. I'm not talking about short pants for men, I'm talking about falling home prices. Do you realize how bad things have to be to impact an already depressed market? Western Pennsylvania home prices have been well below the national median for a long time. Currently prices here aren't falling at the same rate as they are in the rest of the world, but really, if they were any lower you could put them on your credit card.

Of course, if you are coming in from outside of the region, Pittsburgh is a property buyer's wet dream. But the low purchase prices are still out of reach for a lot of the residents. The region is also below the national and state average median income. The following figures are from 2005. What's really scary is the 23% living below the poverty level.

Estimated median household income in 2005: $30,278 (it was $28,588 in 2000)
Pittsburgh $30,278
Pennsylvania: $44,537

Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $74,000 (it was $59,700 in 2000)
Pittsburgh $74,000
Pennsylvania: $131,900

Median gross rent in 2005: $648.
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2005: 23.2%
(16.3% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 38.6% for Black residents)

Ah, that explains so much. Purchasing art is something that you do when you have a generous amount of disposable income. In this region, the collectors suffer right alongside the artists.

*Attributed to Bill Clinton

Three Rivers Arts Festival - Part II

One of the components for this year's Three Rivers Arts Festival is the Contained exhibit. The festival purchased ten shipping containers and accepted proposals for installations. Some of the installations were quite striking, with the artists taking the long and narrow space into account.

Contained #10
Twist, Tie, Multiply: Hands in Action
by Anna Divinsky, Joanna Commandaros and Karen Page
An interactive cabinet of curiosities representing the body that will evolve and grow over the course of the Festival.



Unfortunately, I missed the hands-on activities associated with Twist, Tie, Multiply. It is an exceptionally beautiful work, with the walls painted a soothing green and the beautiful floral motifs that were developed by the artists. The depth of th space was used advantageously in the work, creating a sense of an intimate garden. Below is a detail of one of the organic forms that adorn the walls of this container.



Contained #1
Code Words: Mutations
by Lori Hepner
An interactive print installation that explores binary code and the ways in which language breaks down.


I found this work to be visually appealing. It spoke to me about rhythm and the subtle variations available in the multiple reproduction of a few simple objects. The palette was limited, made up of softened hues. So, I am reacting to this work on a purely visual level, using the artist's aesthetics to reinforce my own ideas. The following is from Lori Hepner's statement --

Examining the interplay between technology, language and translation, Lori Hepner's Code Words: Mutations, is an interactive installation incorporating photography and hand-sewn silk panels. The photographs of binary code destructing as dyed silk in bleach speaks to the ways in which binary code can mutate and change unbeknownst to the user. Viewers will have the opportunity to interact with the exhibit by purchasing the prints, thus changing the overall meaning of the piece.

I tried to get a tight shot of one of the prints used in the installation, mostly to record a sense of the color -



Contained #2
Equipoise
by Joshua Space
An enormous kaleidoscope invites you to explore questions of light and space.



I loved this piece. I actually got trapped in this container by a sudden thunderstorm. I spent nearly a half hour with Joshua Space's kaleidoscope. And another festival goer who sat on the floor with me, he with his lunch, me with my coffee. This work is especially effective in its container. Of course, the still shot isn't quite enough to get the full effect of Equipoise. I also shot this little short video of the work --



Contained
Three Rivers Arts Festival
Market Square, Downtown
Every Day: June 6-22 : 12 - 8 pm

Three Rivers Arts Festival - Part I

The Three Rivers Arts Festival is in full swing. I went down today to check out a few things. It started out to be a slightly humid day, but an hour into my visit, the sky broke open with torrents of rain, I mean buckets! Which is, of course, part of every Pittsburghers expectation for the festival. It ALWAYS rains during the festival. I got to the Artists Market just as everybody was putting their booths back together, so I couldn't get good booth images.

This is Kyle Ethan Fischer --


Kyle has only a few more days at the festival - his last day is June 16. If you can't make it to the festival to see his work at the festival, you can always catch him at his studio on Penn Avenue on First Fridays. I took a few images while I was at his booth.





His work is really amazing. And really, he is one of the high points of the artist market. I suppose that these kinds of fairs have fallen out of favor with artists. It seems that the artist market has pretty much the same selection every year, with only a few new faces. Part of how the Three Rivers Arts Festival is keeping things fresh is through their emerging artists program, of which Kyle Fischer is one. These festival newcomers are given subsidized booths for one week of the festival.

Another tactic that is working well for the festival is gallery row. A few galleries in Pittsburgh usually have a presence at the festival. This year, it is Ash Gallery, the Union Project and Planet Art Gallery. It was still spattering when I went down gallery row, so of course I did not even try for a booth shot. This is Allison Hoge, Ash Gallery --



This work had some really subtle shadings and layering. It appealed to me because of the variations in focus within the edges of the canvas. Most of the works presented by Allison Hoge at the festival had a very fiery appearance, predominantly a very hot red. Gorgeous work, really.

One of my favorite glass artist teams, Dale Sauers and Jason Amstutz, was at the festival this year, presenting blown and fused works ranging from vases to jewelry. They had a major booth catastrophe with the storm, almost losing their booth. The storm also flooded their containers and vessels. They were still cleaning up and reorganizing when I stopped by their booth. Dale, even with the water-logged purse and paperwork, was a pleasure. I'm sure I would have been in melt down mode. And Jason was stoically securing the tent, making sure that it was secure before the storm returned this afternoon.







Pittsburgh Celebrates 250 at PPG's Winter Garden - Icing on the Cake
Every Day: June 6-22 : 12 - 8 pm



I love the Winter Garden; it's a beautiful setting. The installation on the AAP exhibit was really sweet, as you can see in the above image. Best in show - David Watt's Comfort Cake, a confection of fuzzy perogies.



Next up - Contained