More Marci Gehring Images

Here are more images of the amazing Paintings of Marci Gehring that are in my gallery right now untill June 2nd

New Monthly Series

LIQUID SUNDAYS is a new monthly gathering based in South Side Pittsburgh. One Sunday a month, they'll be showcasing local artists, bands, DJs, and writers, aiming to bring greater awareness and exposure to Pittsburgh talent. And the events are Free.

This Sunday, May 6th, the event will be held at the Rex Theater on Carson Street. For more info see their website: www.myspace.com/liquidsundays

This Spring, Cross-Pollinate!

Let’s hear it for cross-urban pollination! A posse of Pittsburgh’s writers, more specifically some local authors on Pittsburgh’s Six Gallery Press, are driving up to Cleveland this Saturday for a group reading at Mac’s Paperbacks, in Cleveland Heights. Writers such as New Yinzers Kris Collins and Scott Silsbe, “Pittsburgh’s Rimbaud” John Thomas Menesini, novelist Dana Killmeyer, outsider writer Che Elias, and myself, will be joining Youngstown’s Noah Cicero, Cleveland native David Hoenigman, and the notorious Kane X. Faucher for the literary onslaught.

A small press publisher from Columbus subsequently contacted me, asking was I reading in his city soon. And I thought, why wouldn’t I? Nevermind that I haven't had a driver's license in nine years, that's not stopping me from getting to Cleveland! I asked him if his press was interested in trading readings—we’d set one up for his people here, and he’d set one up for some of us there. I do think it always works best if, like John Morris has mentioned on this blog before, the readings themselves cross-pollinate local writers with the out-of-towners. I once booked myself a cross-country reading tour before I grasped that fact--booking myself solo readings the whole way. I don't recommend it! It’s not a good way to gather audiences for emerging artists of any genre. Face it: in the independent art world, audiences still flock to support their friends and acquaintances first, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Six Gallery Press Reading
May 5th 2007 at 5:00pm
Mac's Paperbacks
1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights

'In Full Bloom' thru May 12th

There's still time to see the downtown group show, "In Full Bloom," at SPACE Gallery, 812 Liberty Avenue, and I recommend it highly. Seen here are details from: (top two) Laura Jean McLaughlin, "Little Red"; Ashley Hodder, "Here Comes the Bride"; and Tim Kaulen, "Steel Heron #1" and "Steel Heron #2."

Through May 12th.
412.325.7723
Tues-Thurs. 11am-6pm
Fri/Sat 11am-8pm
Space Gallery Online

Sarah @Drink and Draw

Sarah was an inspiration. She performs with Zany Umbrella Circus. She did some pretty challenging poses and held them well. And her costume was pretty cool, too.

Don't forget that the Mother May I Marathon is this Saturday!! Want details?

Flat Out @ Unblurred on May 4

Digging Pitt Gallery, Trinity Gallery and the Musee' de Monoian will be joining forces for Unblurred on Friday, May 4. The table-top show will be housed in the Community Activity Center, one block off of Penn Avenue.

Flat Out @Unblurred
May 4, 2007
6-9PM
113 North Pacific Avenue
Pittsburgh PA, 15224

The galleries will bring a range of artists’ work. Digging Pitt will draw from its extensive flat file archive, bringing a sampling of the gallery’s artists to the Pittsburgh community. Trinity gallery will be presenting some of Dan Gaser’s fine photography.

The Mother May I Marathon

The Mother May I Marathon
Mother may I drink, Mother may I draw?

brillobox Drink and Draw has been going full-blast since October. The drop-in sessions have hosted models costumed from burlesque to drag. Drink and Draw will host a full day of drinkin’ and drawin’, the Mother May I Marathon, on Saturday May 5 from 1-8PM.

Look what Phat Man Dee has to say about Drink and Draw …

"I heard 'bout yinz, drinkin', drawin', like some kind of drunk drawers.... Suckin' dahn them fancy schmancy microbrewsn'at, dahn the bar in Lawrryville, gettin' all artistic n'at. Ain't natral" - Phat Man Dee

The models will be costumed and some props will be available for the sessions. The sessions are uninstructed, drop-in sessions. The brillobox will have paper and crayons on hand, but bring anything else that you want to work with. Water-based and dry mediums are welcome. (Sorry, no photography or oil-based mediums)

IMPORTANT STUFF

$25/day, $15/half day.
$20/day for students (must present valid id)
1:00 - 4:30 PM
4:30 - 8:00 PM
RSVP to (412) 621-4900 or by email

brillobox Drink & Draw
Mother May I Marathon
4104 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh PA 15224
drink specials + door prizes

Marci Gehring

Nice Shout Out

Brent did a nice shout out about the show in NY I was in.

Swoon In Braddock Part Two

Shots From The Swoon Installation In Braddock

Swoon's show In Braddock did not disappoint and demonstrated an incredibly sensitive integration with her surroundings. The work was a collaboration with two other artist's.

Marci Gerhing Video

I will be posting images and video's of the amazing works of Marci Gerhing, who is having her show right now. These videos don't come close to capturing the intensity of her work, which has to be seen in person.

More Swoon

Careful viewers will likely remember seeing some of these images around Pittsburgh

Swoon Talks About Her Work: Part 2

Swoon Talks About Her Work

Who Would Have Known? Pittsburgh Is # 1

Hopefully Merge doesn't mind me pasting in his post off his blog

Rand McNally's 2007 Places Rated Almanac has been released, and SURPRISE... Pittsburgh is rated #1 in the nation. The last time the city received this status was in 1985. But Pittsburgh is the ONLY city that has been rated in the top twenty in every single edition (falling to its worst 14th-place ranking in 1997). It is the only city rated #1 twice, out of a pool of over 350 metro areas. But what is the criteria? Well... the editors looked at a variety of factors including housing, transportation, jobs, education, climate, crime, health care, recreation and ambience. And what is the key to Pittsburgh's continued success? As publisher David Savageau points out, "It's the triumph of the better than average place. It's not spectacular but it is very good in all of the areas." Certainly that's good news to its inhabitants. We are no one-trick pony.

Once mired in a deep depression after the decline of American steel, the region's economy has refocused itself on education, technology, healthcare, nuclear engineering and financial services. The Wall Street Journal, noting a particular growth in robotics, refers to the city as "Roboburgh". The city has a number of diverse and quirky neighborhoods, many of which seem to be succeeding in their strenuous efforts to improve their identity. Pittsburgh has the lowest property crime rate and a lower-than-average violent crime rate among cities of similar size. There are many quality educational institutions, including the University of Pitsburgh and Carnegie Mellon (both ranked in the tip 25 in their respective categories nationally). The city is very clean and beautiful, and has an incredibly eclectic mix of architecture. And it has more bridges than Venice, Italy.

As I've tried to document on this blog, Pittsburgh also has a thriving arts scene. Internationally known institutions such as the Carnegie, the Warhol, and the Mattress Factory give the Burgh a much needed dose of serious culture. Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, The Frick Art and Historical Center, Phipps Conservatory, Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, The Society for Contemporary Craft, and Pittsburgh Fillmakers all do their part as well. Additionally, the last few years have seen the opening of many quality private galleries, as well as the continued presence of publically funded spaces. And for the masses, there are art parties including the Flux series, seasonal Downtown Art Crawls, and this weekend's Art All Night in Lawrenceville. That's not to mention the numerous smaller functions held in bars, galleries and industrial buildings throughout the year. Opportunities to take classes abound and there are multiple drawing sessions available weekly.

Most of the information about the excellence of the arts scene (here on this blog) has been anecdotal. But American Style Magazine has just named Pittsburgh the #1 destination for the arts among all midsized cities in the nation.

And that's not the end of the accolades either:

Foreign Direct Magazine (an affiliate of London's Financial Times) recently rated Pittsburgh one of the top three "North American Cities of the Future" (among participating cities) ahead of such cities as Boston, Atlanta, Montreal, and Miami. Only Toronto and Chicago fared better. Yet there is a strong caveat with this award- only ten cities in Pittsburgh's subcategory eligible for ranking returned surveys. Still the Burgh received specifically high marks for cost effectiveness and technological infrastructure.

In 2005, The Economist ranked Pittsburgh and Cleveland the top most livable cities in the United States, and tied the cities for 26th world-wide.

In 2006, Expansion Magazine ranked Pittsburgh among the top 10 metropolitan areas in the nation for climates favorable to business expansion.


It's quite clear that Pittsburgh's status as a "best-kept secret" can't be maintained forever. Eventually the area is going to attract a growing population, and that will result in congestion along with all the typical hassles of a rapidly developing city. There are many inhabitants of our town that are anxious for growth. But part of what makes this place #1 in so many areas is the room people have to move around in. Sure it would be nice to have more wealth flowing into Pittsburgh, but not at the expense of the qualities that make it the "Most Livable City" in the US. Folks should learn to appreciate what they have.

Julianne Swartz : Hope

Image from Josee Bienvenu Gallery

I very much wanted to be in NY for the start of this show and the end of one of the rare ones I am in.

"Josée Bienvenu gallery is pleased to present Julianne Swartz’s second solo exhibition in New York. Swartz’s new work body of work uses sound and movement to articulate an architecture of frailty. The sculptures embody metaphors for tender communication, the fragility of the body, and the vulnerability and potency of the human heart.

The exhibition includes eight kinetic sculptures and three sound works. Made with clock motors, steel wire, and cement, the sculptures carry suspended text, objects or tiny lights. Wire structures amplify and morph the motion of each second passing: measured time becomes figural movement. The carefully calibrated weight and shape of each sculpture draws its movement: awkward, spasmodic, trembling or swaying.

Two sound works build on material Julianne Swartz used earlier this season in Affirmation, a building-wide installation at the Tate Liverpool Museum. Open is a simple wood box with a hinged lid, about the size of an adult torso. Upon opening the lid, numerous voices escape. The voices become louder and louder, until silenced by closing the lid. Body is a network of 24 tiny speakers that sporadically emit barely audible whispering voices.

In the project room, she collaborates with inventor Matteo Ames to compose an installation of multiple music boxes. Through the use of robotics and mechanics, a familiar children’s song gradually becomes a dissonant symphony."

Her work very much trancends words and is about a sensitive and open ended communication between her and the viewer. I like the fact that her gallery felt the same way and planned a soft opening.

Coconut Camera

By Chris Peregoy

Society for Contemporary Craft’s Satellite Gallery at One Mellon Center
Dates: April 27 - June 3, 2007

Presented at the Society for Contemporary Craft’s satellite gallery at One Mellon Center in downtown Pittsburgh (April 27—June 3, 2007), Picture This will feature hand-made cameras created from unusual materials such as, clay, wood, shipping pallets, a cigar box, a spam tin and a coconut among many other found objects. The exhibition is being featured in conjunction with The f295 Symposium on Lensless, Alternative and Adaptive Photographic Processes being held in Pittsburgh April 26-29, 2007.

Happening @Digging Pitt Gallery

Brief notes about upcoming events at Digging Pitt Gallery. You can also stay current with events at Digging Pitt and Digging Pitt Too on the blog and the gallery MySpace.

Pinhole Photography Workshop
April 29, 12-2PM
Join George Kollar, Trever Miller and John Fobes at Digging Pitt Gallery on April 29, Worldwide Pinhole Photography day. George will be conducting a pinhole photography workshop. 12-2pm Free. Please RSVP your interest to Digging Pitt Gallery by email or at 412-605-0450 more information

Flat Out @Unblurred
May 4, 6PM
Digging Pitt Gallery, Trinity Gallery and the Musee' de Monoian will be teaming up for Unblurred in May for a special presentation of art. The table-top show will be housed in the Community Activity Center, one block off of Penn Avenue. May 4, 6-9PM. Free and open to the public. more information

Flat Out @Unblurred
Community Activity Center
113 North Pacific Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224


Digging Pitt Gallery
4417 Butler Street
Pittsburgh PA 15201
412-605-0450
Digging Pitt
Digging Pitt Blog
Digging Pitt on MySpace

Pinhole Photography Workshop @Digging Pitt

Pinhole photography workshop with George Kollar
April 29, 2007: 12:00pm

Join George Kollar, Trever Miller and John Fobes at Digging Pitt Gallery on April 29, Worldwide Pinhole Photography day. George will be conducting a pinhole photography workshop. 12-2pm Free. Please RSVP your interest to Digging Pitt Gallery by email or at 412-605-0450

George Kollar
Pinhole Photography Workshop

George Kollar has been producing work with a pinhole camera for many years. His subject matter ranges from motorcycles to carnivals. In this workshop, George will go over constructing your own pinhole camera. George will supply his expertise and materials for the workshop. The workshop is free. Please RSVP to Digging Pitt Gallery by email or at 412-605-0450.

George Kollar

Time is of the essence. Worldwide Pinhole Photography day is April 29. Anyone, anywhere, that makes Pinhole photography can send it to www.pinholeday.org, which maintains a gallery of lens-less photography. Last year, there were 2267 participants from sixty countries.

What is pinhole photography? It is photography in which a tiny hole is used in place of a lens. Most pinhole camera are home made. The hole is made with a fine needle and household aluminum foil. Some of the cameras are made using cardboard boxes, coffee cans and even fifty-five galleon drums. Today you can purchase any size format pinhole camera to shoot film.

As an independent photographic artist I have experimented with the unique image produce by the pinhole camera. The camera I use is a Zone 2000 film camera, 6x6 format with a pinhole of f/138.

There is an endless supply of information on pinhole photography on the web. Today pinhole has come full circle as fine art photography. Enthusiasts from all parts of the world realize pinhole photography has been revived. I hope to see other pinhole photographers out on world wide pinhole day. Gear up, make a camera and welcome aboard.

Digging Pitt Gallery
4417 Butler Street
Pittsburgh PA
412-605-0450
www.diggingpitt.com
Digging Pitt on MySpace
Digging Pitt blog

The First Law Of Petropolitics

These charts illustrate a theory that Thomas L Friedman has thrown out there, he calls "The First Law Of Petropolitics." He's far from being the first one to see an inverse relationship between human freedom and commodity prices in resource based economies, but the elegance of these charts speak volumes.

"The First Law of Petropolitics posits the following: The price of oil and the pace of freedom always move in opposite directions in oil-rich petrolist states. According to the First Law of Petropolitics, the higher the average global crude oil price rises, the more free speech, free press, free and fair elections, an independent judiciary, the rule of law, and independent political parties are eroded. And these negative trends are reinforced by the fact that the higher the price goes, the less petrolist leaders are sensitive to what the world thinks or says about them. Conversely, according to the First Law of Petropolitics, the lower the price of oil, the more petrolist countries are forced to move toward a political system and a society that is more transparent, more sensitive to opposition voices, and more focused on building the legal and educational structures that will maximize their people’s ability, both men’s and women’s, to compete, start new companies, and attract investments from abroad. The lower the price of crude oil falls, the more petrolist leaders are sensitive to what outside forces think of them."

Here's another tidbit-- "As I followed events in the Persian Gulf during the past few years, I noticed that the first Arab Gulf state to hold a free and fair election, in which women could run and vote, and the first Arab Gulf state to undertake a total overhaul of its labor laws to make its own people more employable and less dependent on imported labor, was Bahrain. Bahrain happened to be the first Arab Gulf state expected to run out of oil." He also noticed that the middle east's only democracy other than Israel; Lebanon does not have a drop of oil. Now the theory, does not explain a number of other dictatorships in the region-until you look at the huge tranfers of wealth from the oil rich states. Anyway, it's just a theory.

Old MFA Rants

Here and Here, are some links to a few old rants on MFA shows.

Global RISD @ Winkleman

What does this post about a Providence school having an MFA show at a New York gallery have to do with Pittsburgh? Kids paying for top MFA programs, have an interest in having their efforts seen and in entering the international dialog of the art world. Do you think CMU will ever do something like this?

Even more impressive is that it looks like the kids took things into their own hands by proposing the show themselves."Organized by MFA candidate Cortney Andrews, whose work will be shown along with the photography of candidates Jonathan Cana, Maureen Keaveny, Amy Lovera, Patrick Madigan and Millee Tibbs."

Hill House Soars

We had made kites over the month of March in preparation for a flight festival. We had something like forty blanks, and somehow that wasn't enough! We were at Kennard and Ammens fields and Arcena, which was the designated flight space for adults.

We met in the Hill House lobby, where Bourbon Street Catering had set up a wonderful array of cookies, cheeses and meats. Seriously good cookies. I particularly liked these little butter cookies with raspberry and almonds. Can you tell that I am completely at the mercy of my stomach?



The weather was sunny and warm. The Frustrationless Flyer kites that we used for the project are good in light wind, which is great because we had gusty, light wind in the afternoon. I tested this kite and it goes up really easily, I was able to launch mine with no assistance. I was at Kennard field and I am in love! It was a great place to fly and I can't wait to go back. Next time, I hope there's enough wind to launch my stunt kite.

Images from Kennard Field --



Here are some of the kites that were made during the Community Gallery Project

Pittsburgh Rated Number One Mid Sized Art City

Last year readers of American Style Magazine, ranked Pittsburgh the number three mid sized arts destinations and this year, perhaps due to a little ballot stuffing- we are number one. "Excitement around the city is driven largely by glass-related events, such as the Dale Chihuly exhibition starting next month at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the Glass Art Society international conference in June and related events, according to publisher Wendy Rosen. Pittsburgh also scored points among readers for The Andy Warhol Museum, the Carnegie Museum of Art and smaller private art galleries."

Well, anyway you slice it, it's hard to argue that readers made a bad choice. The benefit's of cross promoting and branding shows around the glass conference is really likely to pay off. Of course it might pay off better if we had a gallery guide or a bunch of people contributed to an art blog that covered the city or if we had a great online art portal that was attatched to the visit Pittsburgh website.

What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen

The words of Frederic Bastiat are always on my mind here.

"In the economic sphere an act, a habit, an institution, a law produces not only one effect, but a series of effects. Of these effects, the first alone is immediate; it appears simultaneously with its cause; it is seen. The other effects emerge only subsequently; they are not seen; we are fortunate if we foresee them.

There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: the bad economist confines himself to the visible effect; the good economist takes into account both the effect that can be seen and those effects that must be foreseen."

Here is a question. Does the city of Pittsburgh generate lot's of bad economists or lots of good politicians?

Persad

Okay, so I think every one should know about these things. So heads up, people.
Time to get behind the cause ...

The Women's Law Project and Persad Center present…

An Evening with Evan Wolfson

Thursday, April 19

Kelly-Strayhorn Theater

5941 Penn Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15206

6:30 pm Wine & Hors d'oeuvres Reception

7:00 pm Presentation and Q&A

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Evan Wolfson, author of Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality and Gay People's Right to Marry and Founder of Freedom to Marry, returns to Pittsburgh for this very special event. CLE credit available

For more information, or to RSVP, call The Women's Law Project at 412-227-0301 or via email at treynolds@womenslawproject.org

UPMC presents CELEBRATE LIFE, CELEBRATE ART

An Auction to Benefit Persad Center

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

The Patron Party

Friday, April 20^th - Society for Contemporary Craft, 7 - 10 p.m.

Enjoy a cocktail reception featuring Barefoot Wine, dinner by Kazansky's Catering, and a preview of selected artwork with an award ceremony for prize winning artists.

The Auction

Monday, May 14^th - Carnegie Museum of Art

5:30 for Patron Ticket Holders & 6:00 p.m. for General Admission

Featuring live music by the Renaissance City Women's Choir and Ben Opie, delicious food from over 15 area restaurants.

Celebrate Life, Celebrate Art, formerly known as Art for AIDS/Art for Change, is an annual art auction that benefits Persad Center. Over the past 18 years, the Celebrate Life, Celebrate Art benefit auction has generated over $2.7 million for Persad. Featuring a silent and verbal auction with original artwork from over 175 international, national, and regional artists. All proceeds support Persad's unique counseling, wellness, education, and research programs. Special thanks to 2007 sponsors: UPMC, National City Bank, The Giant Eagle Foundation, Ernst & Young, Mellon, Grubb & Ellis, The Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation, Mullen, The William T. Hillman Foundation, Red Bull North America, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Barefoot Wine, Comcast, Fried & Davis, LLC, Images, Pgh City Paper, and WYEP.

Additional information can be found at Persad Center's website

The Poetry of Homestead

You may have heard of John Edgar Wideman's trio of experimental novels, The Homewood Trilogy. Now comes the third in poet Robert Gibb's Homestead Trilogy. The Homestead native and former (third-generation) millworker reads and signs tonight from his latest poetry volume, World Over Water.
>>>>Thursday, April 19th, 7:00pm, Joseph-Beth Booksellers. 2705 E Carson Street, Southside. Free.
>>>>Read Bill O'Driscoll's write up here.

Hill House Soars

We have been making kites over the month of March in preparation for a flight festival. Sites have been chosen for the day. We'll have kites available for decoration at the sites, so even if you don't already have one, you can pick one up there. Part of the project was conducted with the Community Gallery project although there were additional workshops for kids and adults.

We'll be meeting in the Hill House lobby, where you can pick up kites, snacks and a map to the sites.

I'll bet you're wondering when and where this extravaganza will take place ...

The Hill House Association lobby
1835 Centre Ave
April 21st,
Check in between 11:30am and 12:30pm

The weather forecast is good; sunny and 52, wind at 8mph. I tested this kite and it goes up really easily, I was able to launch mine with no assistance. But hey, if you have your own kite, bring that too!