December Unblurred

The theme for Unblurred in December is large group shows; it seemed like the larger venues on Penn were all doing some variation of this. It was interesting to see the different takes on that idea, and it made for a very active evening. I am sure I missed as much as I got to during December's Unblurred.

Winter in Frames at ModernFormations


A fun exhibit of small format works, Winter in Frames invited artists to submit works for public voting. The top three voted artists get a group exhibit. While the gallery typically follows a monthly show rotation, Winter in Frames will remain in place through January 14, when the winners will be announced. If you missed the exhibit opening on December 2, you can always swing by during regular gallery hours, or for first Friday (January 6).

There are several images from the exhibit in the slideshow. And no, I'm not going to say who I voted for. I will say that it was a nice balance of work. Survey shows like this, with no stated theme and no over-arching juror, can be difficult to present. ModernFormation's Director, Jennifer Quinio Hedges, did a phenomenal job with organizing the installation.

Exhibiting artists include --
Ron Copeland, Julie Urban, Dafna Rehavia Hanauer, Jake Reinhart, Lauren Toohey, Donnie Toomer, Steven M. Yeager, Lizzee Solomon, Katie Sussman, Stephen Tuomala, Stephen Knezovich, Nancy Schuster, L.J. Swiech, Carol Skinger, Ruthanne F. Bauerle, Stephen Haynes, Chris Humphrey, Joel Brown, Mark Zets, Jeff Zets, Eric White, Lindy Hazel LaDue, Rebecca Rose, Kristin Turcsanyi, Susan Contanse, Jes LaVecchia, Mark Mangini, Ryan Emmett, Jay DelGreco, Aimee Manion, and Joseph Materkowski.

Modernformations

Lascaux to Garfield at IRMA FREEMAN CENTER FOR IMAGINATION


A special off-the-wall presentation of local artists work, Lascaux to Garfield was a very short exhibit. There were many familiar names, and the exhibit was a joint venture between the Irma Freeman Center and The Puppet Happening.

There were several pieces that stood out for me. Renee Ickes, whose work is pictured above, creates some very cheeky pierced and cut paper pieces. Laurie Trok, who does very intricately layered paper-cut collages, had a couple small pieces in the show. More of her work is available for viewing at her solo show at Morris Levy Gallery, opening December 10.

Puppet Happening is a venture of Tom Sarver's, who has been producing puppet shows in Pittsburgh for years. He had a mini-festival at the Irma Freeman Center over the weekend, and will be doing more in the future.

Exhibiting artists include: Sheila Ali, Alberto Almarza, Ashley Pixelle Andrews, Tommy Bones, Dean Cercone, Victoria Cessna, Matthew Conboy, Thommy Conroy, Murphi Cook, LEX Covato, Mike Cuccaro, George Davis, Tirzah DeCaria, The Dirty Poet, Sam Ditch, Zach Dorn, Kirsten Ervin, Gabe Felice, Irma Freeman, Claudia Giannini, Karen Hartman, Doug Hill, Jennifer Howison, Renee Ickes, Carolyn Kelly, Jessica Langley, Chris Lisowski, Maria Mangano, Jean McClung, Anna Mikolay, David Luis Montano, John Morris, Lindsay O’Leary, Organza Orgazmica (Scott Andrew, Elin Lennox and Michael McParlane collaboration), Larry Rippel, MJ Sadeghi, Nicole Sarver, Tom Sarver, Jessica Scott, Kate Sherman, Moshe Sherman, Kara Skylling, Steve Smith, Oliver Southgate, Jim Storch, Laurie Trok, Robert Zehmisch & Bob Ziller.

Irma Freeman Center for Imagination. 5006 Penn Avenue. Images from the exhibit are available in the slideshow.

Image Box: Robert Pell


Robert Pell's low-relief pieces are very fun and beautifully presented. The works, a combination of drawing and cut-outs, are a tribute to his school notebook doodles.

Study Hall Series, Imagebox, 4933 Penn Ave

Notes of interest
Assemble went hyper local for its December exhibit, with an open call to artists living within ten blocks of the space. Lots of fun stuff, images in the slideshow.

The CottonFactory had their last Tee Rex event of the year. They won't be opening for first Fridays again until March 2012. Note to my artist friends: The CottonFactory has guest vendors for their Tee Rex events. Contact ink[at]cottonfactory.com for details. 5440 Penn Ave.

Jes LaVecchia has her work at the Mr. Roboto Project. These sweetly-colored, illustrative works are very fun, especially on these dreary winter days. Mr. Roboto is open for several special events in December when you can view the exhibit.

Pittsburgh Art Events: Weekend of 6/5-6/2009.

This weekend arts summary is going to be a rush job, as I still have too much to do to prepare for my own obligations. Speaking of which- there is some unavoidable self-promotion about to happen, so bear with me...

Friday

Go to Unblurred (of course). For some reason, the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative schedule page is down and has been all day... so I suggest you juat show up somewhere along Penn (between Garfield and Friendship) and grab yourself a schedule. Make sure to stop at the Sprout Fund headquarters (5423 Penn, 5:30PM) for their annual social, visit ARTica (5110 Penn, where my friend Susan Constance is displaying some of her fine work). and come say "Hi!" to me at Imagebox (4933 Penn). Other highlights include Benedict Oddi at Modern Formations and Joey Kennedy at 5427 Penn.

Or alternatively, go on down to the opening of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. It will be jam-packed with sweaty cornballs eating fried foods and screaming kids with ice cream dripping down their chins. Seriously though- The Black Keys are playing for free, and (believe me) you'll have plenty of fun finding a place to park. If you do venture forth, you must see Tom Sarver's new installation, entitled "Bait & Tackle". It's great to have him back in the 'Burgh for the summer, while he's got a break from his fancy NY MFA program. Also, pop in at 937 Liberty for an AAP group show, and dig some pieces by my buddies Rick Byerly and Mia Tarducci Henry.

Saturday

Moxie Dada (1416 Arch Street, the North Side) has an opening reception for artist Connie Cantor's "Scribbling for Dummies", starting at 6PM. I don't know what crazy stuff she has planned, but Cantor has been laboring on the local arts scene for decades, and I'm certain that whatever she puts up will be worth looking at.

You should also plan on spending some time at the Zombo Gallery to see Eric Luden's latest batch of illustrative gems. Personally, I haven't missed one of his shows at the gallery yet, and I don't intend to start now. Busty chicks, gritty lizard-like con men, etc... who wouldn't want to take a gaze at that sort of thing? It's called "Chicks and Beer", and the opening runs from 6-10PM. There's also photography by Laura Petrilla, which I find fascinatingly odd, since our good ol' Michael D. insists that shutter-buggery isn't "real art". Perhaps he's had an epiphany?

If you need something to do during the day, check out the new thrift stores along Butler in Lawrenceville. Don't let the new crop of would-be hipsters get all the good stuff.

Art Olympic Theater In Market Square

, Three Rivers Arts Festival


One of the highlights of the Thee Rivers Arts Festival will likely be a downtown outdoor Art Olympic Theaterand one of the last likely to be hosted by Tom Sarver himself. This one promises to unleash all the bitter neighborhood rivalry and pride into junk gang warfare as teams from around the city compete.

"My final ART OLYMPIC THEATRE main event is happening this Saturday, June 21st at Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh. The event will begin at the Market Square stage with a concert by Opek. (Ben Opie and company) Thanks to a Seed Award from the Sprout Fund and a partnership with the Three Rivers Arts Festival, this event is FREE and open to the public. Team leaders for this event include Joshua Space, Elizabeth Keating and Scott Andrew.

Stop on down! The event will happen rain or shine. Opek will be playing throughout the evening and beer will be provided by Penn Brewery.

WHAT? Art Olympic Theatre "Neighborhood Challenge" (Teams representing Pittsburgh neighborhoods will be competing to make sculptures out of junk in 2 hours)

WHEN? Saturday, June 21st (6 PM Opek Jazz concert - 6:30 PM Opening ceremony for Art Olympics - Event ends at 9 PM)

WHERE? Market Square, Downtown Pittsburgh (Part of Three Rivers Arts Festival www.artsfestival.net )

See you there! Tom Sarver"

Doug Hill's Cardboard Gears

One of the great aspects of organically curated "Tom Museum" was the exhibitions he staged of little known artists from around the town. One of my favorites is Doug Hill who used the space as a studio from time to time.

"I met East Pittsburgher Doug Hill around 2001 when I was working on Craig Street in Oakland. Back then he was making a lot of colored pencil drawings and watercolors of places that were changing in Oakland. (Views that would no longer exist after new buildings were constructed)

A few years back, Doug started making a wide variety of gears and gadgets out of cardboard. I kept in touch with him as I transitioned into The Tom Museum. Not long after I opened, Doug became a regular at the museum, appearing at least once a month to conduct demonstrations for visitors. Doug’s work has caught the attention of people from around the world."



I found this video on Tom's new Blog.

The Tom Museum's final hours

Only a few days remain for the Tom Museum. Tom Sarver has concentrated on very little else over the last two years. The Tom Museum, located a few doors away from the Mattress Factory, provides an intimate counterpoint to its grandiosity. The Tom Museum is only open for a matter of hours over the next week. He has hosted several exhibits and events out of the museum and has contributed greatly to Pittsburgh's cultural scene over the last two years. I don't know what his plans are after he closes, but I wish him luck.



After nearly two action packed years, The Tom Museum will officially close on May 31st. Below are final dates and times for public hours. THE FINAL CLOSING PARTY will take place on Saturday, May 31st from 7 PM to 10 PM.

FINAL HOURS:
Saturday, May 24th Noon to 5 PM
Sunday, May 25th 1 PM to 4 PM
Saturday, May 31st Noon to 5 PM and CLOSING PARTY 7 PM to 10 PM

Flux Braddock

FLUX 14: Braddock
Saturday, April 14, 2007
8PM to 1AM
entrance located at the corner of Braddock Ave. and Library St.

A project of the Three Rivers Arts Festival in partnership with the Braddock Borough Council and the Mayor’s Office of Braddock

Artistic Direction by: Omar Abdul, DJ Brewer, Edgar Um Bucholtz, Michele de la Reza, Lea Donatelli, Curt Gettman/Unicorn Mountain, Chris Ivey, Patrick Jordan, Osman Kahn, Thad Kellstadt, Peter Kope, Merissa Lombardo, Lauri Mancuso, and Matthew Wellins

Featuring artwork and installations by: Beano, Jennifer Birch, Tony Buba, destroy/destroyer, Brian Dougherty, the Hospital Food project (featuring artists from the Ohringer Building), Chris Ivey, I.R.E., Tim Kaulen, Jennifer Lee, Mule Kicked Visions, New Guild Studios, Obsolete, Owl Kahol, Rivercubes ATM, Tom Sarver, James Simon, Joshua Space, and Andreas Tapias-Urzua

Performances by: Attack Theater, barebones Productions, Centipede E’ est, Charon Don & DJ Huggy, DBL D, Dutchmasters, Daryl Fleming & the Public Domain, Flotilla Way, Joy Ike, Jmalls, Lucid Music, Pandemic! Deejays, Nate the Phat Barber, Aesir St. James, Steel City Poetry Slam Team, and the Weakness

Sponsored by: The Richard King Mellon Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development, the Henry John Simonds Foundation, Wall to Wall Studios, Penn Brewery, WYEP, Vincent Lighting, East End Food Co Op, B.P.O.E. Braddock Lodge #883, the A.J. Silberman Company and the Braddock Carnegie Library

Tickets $10 at the door cash only, $8 for students (with valid ID), Kids under 10 free
All door proceeds benefit participating artists.

Must be 21+ with valid id to purchase alcohol. Limited handicap accessibility.

MY First Visit To the Tom Museum

These are some shots from my first visit to the Tom Museum which happened only last month. I knew Tom's work pretty well and had visited his studio before, but I was still stunned by the fun, cute, creative and powerfully subversive world he is creating in the little house near the Mattress Factory.

Installation Olympic Theatre At The Mattress Factory

Installation Olympic Theatre at The Mattress Factory!

Artist Tom Sarver of The Tom Museum, along with the Mattress Factory Museum of Art present Pittsburgh's newest art event, Installation Olympic Theatre. This event features three teams of Pittsburgh artists competing over 2.5 hours to build winning sculptural installations. The night will also feature food, beverages, audience participation games, music by Totten (member of The Great Ants) and DJ Sarver Express.

Installation Olympic Theatre takes place, Saturday, March 17th from 7pm to 10:30pm at the Mattress Factory. Tickets are $9.00 and $6.00 for students. (Available at the door)

Conceived by Tom Sarver, Installation Olympic Theatre brings the drama and excitement of reality TV straight to the art museum. The idea is closely connected to The Tom Museum's "Art For Everyone"
mission. It also attempts to bring people who are drawn to the action and excitement of sports into the arts.
Three teams of artists will be competing in the event for the title of "Masters of Installation Olympic Theatre." Each team will be provided with a mystery pile of building materials that will be unveiled at the opening ceremony of the event. Teams will also be allowed to bring in one suitcase of their own tools and materials to use in the competition. Only raw materials and tools will be allowed in the team suitcases. Judging criteria will include aesthetic value of the final product, entertainment value of performance element and creative use of materials provided. Seating for the event will be minimal. Audience members will be able to walk around during the event to watch the installations in progress.
Tom Sarver, Mike Cuccaro and Liz Hammond will host the event.
Judges for the event will include Heather Pesanti, Assistant Curator at The Carnegie Museum of Art, John Morris, Owner of Digging Pitt Gallery, and Owen Smith, Assistant Curator of the Mattress Factory.
Three teams of diverse backgrounds will be competing in the competition. Team Leader Tavia La Follette (Founder and Executive Director of Artists Upstairs) is an artist, director, set designer, performer and puppeteer. She will be working with Atticus Adams, (sculptor and installation artist) Stephanie Mayer-Staley, (Head of Design, Conservatory of Performing Arts, Point Park University) and Larry Bogad. (Professor of Performance Studies a UC Davis)
Ben Kinsley, M.F.A. candidate at Carnegie Mellon University, will lead a second team. When asked to provide information on his team, Ben responded, "I play people like musical instruments." Ben's teammates include Kazuki Eguchi (who wrestles giant balls of dough) and John Peña (who races clouds).
The third team includes some of Pittsburgh's most prolific multimedia artists led by T. Foley. Her team includes Jesse McLean, Carolyn Lambert and Thad Kellstadt. Installation Olympic Theatre may be the first of a series of art theatre events. Plans are in the works for a series including sculpture, painting and drawing Olympic Theatre events.

Sponsors for the event include Pittsburgh City Paper, Whole Foods, The East End Food Co-op, Construction Junction, Trader Joes, Penn Brewery, Breadworks and Artists and Craftsman' Supply. The Tom Museum is a project of the Mattress Factory, supported by The Creative Heights initiative of The Heinz Endowments.

Contact:

Tom Sarver, Event Organizer & Director of The Tom Museum tomsarver@gmail.com www.tommuseum.com

The Mattress Factory
500 Sampsonia Way
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Phone: 412-322-2231

Tom Sarver at Drawing Marathon

Here's some shot's I grabed off the Tom Museum website of a wall drawing done during a drawing marathon that past.

At the "8-Hour Drawings," Tom created a piece called "Yesterday's News." Throughout the day, Tom asked spectators to read articles from the previous days New York Times. Ideas from the stories inspired the narrative of Tom's work.

January 20th, 10am-7pm - 8-Hour Drawings, Allegheny College, Meadville, PATom will be away from the Tom Museum this weekend participating in an all day drawing project. This event is open to the public. While Tom is away, museum staff will attend The Tom Museum. 8- Hour Drawings will be held in Allegheny College's Bowman and Penelec Galleries from January 23 through March 6th, 2007. An opening will be held Tuesday, January 23rd from 7pm - 9pm.

I am not sure if the drawings are still up.

Museum Photo Policies

Heart As Arena has a post on the brilliant photo policy of the Tom Museum.

Tom Museum Opening Sept 9th & 10th

,

The North Side will be buzzing with a bunch of events in the next week, a lot of them are loosely connected to the Mattress Factory. Sept 9th has the members preview for the Tom Museum and for the Mattress Factory's new "Factory Installed" show.

The Tom Museum

"The Tom Museum is both an irreverent commentary on the museum experience, and a view into an artist's creative process. Tom blends everyday activities and pastimes, such as cooking, fishing and gardening, with the arts of puppetry, painting and sculpture to engage visitors on many levels. His projects within the museum are inspired by everyday observations and experiences, including the weather, current events, and people he meets through visits, phone and e-mail. Visitors passing through the museum may get to take part in a puppet show, appear on a talk show, enjoy breakfast with the artist or critique his tomato plants. Audience interaction and feedback are encouraged. "

See the City Paper preview. Here's a Tom quote from the article

“It’s almost a commentary,” Sarver says. “I’m trying to reinvent how a regular museum would do things. I’m kind of running this whole thing myself, trying to make it a really accessible thing to your everyday person on the North Side or Pittsburgh or wherever."

See the piece in Pittsburgh Dish.

Factory Installed

A new Factory Installed exhibition will feature five artists who have come to Pittsburgh from across the country and lived at the museum while they created four new installations. This Factory Installed, features Nick Cave, Dan Steinhilber, Deborah Aschheim and Jesse Bercowetz & Matt Bua will be on view through January 28, 2007. Jesse and Matt will be rushing in from thier Solo opening at Derek Eller on Sept 7th.

Here is some stuff of of the Derek Eller website that relates to that show, but from what I know of thier work it will likely apply here as well.

"Bercowetz and Bua pursue their narratives down every digression, diversion, false start and dead end that presents itself. The work can never be complete, because the stories never end: a bowling ball sits undisturbed on top of a rickety seven-foot-tall model of a World Trade Center tower made from cheap wooden shish kebob skewers; audio interviews with authors of books on the supernatural and the sub-rosa, spinning tales of ransacked apartments, Charles Manson and the Virgin Mary; a room memorializing missing children topped by an outsized milk carton, while a bookshelf beneath is stuffed with dozens of CD jewel boxes labeled with the names of countries invaded by the US military or infiltrated by the CIA.

Cities Of Asylum Sept: 9th

Also, on the north side that day will be the dedication of Pittsburgh's second "cities of asylum" house.

"City of Asylum/Pittsburgh provides sanctuary to writers exiled under threat of death, imprisonment, or persecution in their native countries.
We enable the writers to continue to write, while transitioning to a potentially permanent exile. The current writer hosted by us is the Chinese poet Huang Xiang, who was imprisoned and brutally tortured in his native China.
City of Asylum/Pittsburgh is a nonprofit that was started by local Pittsburghers. It is funded by concerned individuals and foundations and receives no government money for its writer-support programs."

Patricia Villalobos Echeverria at AIR - Sept 9th

Also, AIR will be opening it's new anex with a solo exhhibit by Patricia called Afujo. Aflux.
AIR rarely has much info on thier site, but here it is. This is all wthin walking distance of the Mattress Factory.

I apologize, for the thinness of some of the info. I got what I could online in the time I had. I am trying very hard. There is a strong sense that a lot of things here seem intended for some inside and in the know crowd.