Where to Buy Handmade in Cleveland: Great Rundown In The Plain Dealer

An in depth article with lots of tips on buying handmade crafts in the Cleveland area was published in the style section. Choices include not just stores but indie craft fairs and lots of pop up shops.

Wall Street Journal Looks at Single Artist Museums Like The Warhol

Institutions dedicated to works by a single artist are growing in number with the new Clyfford Still Museum opening tomorrow. The WSJ, looks at some of the practical problems of keeping them interesting, fresh and continually relevant. Obviously, the Warhol stands out as one of the more successful.

"When the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh opened in 1994, it showed only the artist's work, largely in chronological fashion. However, "pretty early on," said Eric Shiner, the museum's current director, "people realized that they didn't want this museum to be a mausoleum but, rather, a vibrant place that is connected to what else is going on in contemporary art. You don't want visitors to say, 'Now, I can check that off the list. I don't need to go back.'"

Material Witness: Hannelore Baron, Donna Sharrett and Vanessa German @ Pavel Zoubok Gallery in NY

Wow, Pittsburgh artist, Vanessa German will sharing space in a big NY gallery with some pretty amazing and iconic artists. Hannelore Baron is an artist, whose work had a very visceral impact when I first saw it. Vanessa's does very much the same thing.

Link To Exhibit Page

"I surrender myself to the objects that call up to me. there are stories in the air and in the objects & materials I am building with, there is something about possession- in going into the place where the building can be done. I love to build. I love to troll my neighborhood for secret on-the-ground, or buried just-under-the-ground treasures that have to be, a word, in the sentence, of the stories that come insisting through my hands, through my blood."

Not to lay it on too thick but, Vanessa might be an authentic genius. Yes, she has had some success here in Pittsburgh, but I'm so glad she is being recognised in the wider world also.

Material Witness
November 17 - December 17, 2011

PAVEL ZOUBOK GALLERY
533 West 23rd street
New York, NY 10011

Several Great NY Shows Explore Artist's Collections

One pretty dominant trend in museums right now is toward subtle and often smart explorations of their own holdings. The Real/Surreal show at the Whitney was purely from it's collection, and The Brooklyn Museum's Youth and Beauty show leaned heavily towards things they owned.

The Metropolitan has two utterly amazing shows looking at some of the works left to the museum by pioneering photographer and art dealer, Alfred Stieglitz.

Stieglitz and His Artists: Matisse to O'Keeffe October 13, 2011–January 2, 2012

The exhibition features some two hundred major works with hefty helpings of Georgia O'Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove, John Marin, Charles Demuth, Vasily Kandinsky Constantin Brancusi and other more unknown artists.

Smaller but at least as interesting is a related show of Stieglitz's photography collection.

Photographic Treasures from the Collection of Alfred Stieglitz October 11, 2011–February 26, 2012

I actually didn't know about much of this work from a group of photographers dedicated to pushing the creative and spiritual range of photography as a real art form.

Anne Brigman, Alvin Langdon Coburn, F. Holland Day, Gertrude Käsebier, Joseph Keiley, Heinrich Kühn, Edward Steichen, Clarence White are all in this show.

The Museum of Modern Art, also has a good ehibit, looking at some of the personal drawing collections that helped form the museum. Many of the people were not artists, but a few are. Hanging selections next to a profile of each collector helps one see the personal vision and taste of each.

Gifted: Collectors and Drawings at MoMA, 1929–1983 October 19, 2011–February 13, 2012

One important part was the collection of Kay Sage.

Another major show was at Gagosian Gallery, uptown.

The Private Collection of Robert Rauschenberg November 3 - December 23, 2011

Assemble - Call for artists

Nov 22-28th Call for Artists/Makers/Technologists- Opening this December 3rd, join us for the first annual HyperLocal Show + Art Bazaar at Assemble, a community space for arts + technology.

For this show- we are inviting makers/artists/technologists who live in a 5 to 10 block radius from Assemble to submit one work that they have made. Size is not an issue. Work includes everything but food or edible material. New media art, robots, sculpture are encouraged and so are crafts.

This is open to ALL AGES.

Please drop off your work at Assemble between 4-9pm from Nov22- 28th

With your submission include your NAME/ Address/ AGE/ PRICE / WHY YOU LIKE TO MAKE THINGS. We request that the artists kindly donate 20% sales back to Assemble. Come buy your neighbors art! For more information:: email assemblepgh[at]gmail.com

Assemble
5125 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15224-1636

A Wealth of Exhibits on the Upper East Side (Pun Intended)

Image above "The Starecase" by Thomas Rowlandson isctually part of an exhibit at the Met (Infinite Jest Caricature and Satire from Leonardo to Levine)but fits this post.
The Upper East Side, land of many 1 percenters, is home to a number of outstanding exhibits this fall. John Morris and I saw several of these on a recent trip to NYC.
The Braque exhibit at Aquavella Gallery is an stunning exhibit in an exquisite 19th or early 20th century townhouse space. Actually the elegant townhouse is reminiscent of the Rowlandson drawing above, without the huge crowds. Though if you go on a weekend, you may well have to wait outside for awhile. The exhibit a wonderful survey of Braque's work.
To quote the NY Times on the subject of blue chip gallery exhibits and the Aquavella exhibit:

other blue-chip galleries including Acquavella and Pace have been presenting them on and off for decades. “I’ll never forget in the early ’70s when we had a Matisse show,” William Acquavella recalled. “We had people waiting on line in the pouring rain.”
His gallery, just two blocks north of Gagosian’s Madison Avenue headquarters, is attracting crowds right now with “Georges Braque: Pioneer of Modernism,” which opened on Oct. 12. The show, which was organized by Dieter Buchhart, an Austrian curator, includes 42 paintings, many on loan from museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Tate in London. “It’s good advertising,” Mr. Acquavella said. “Braque is an amazing artist and hasn’t really gotten his due.”

A review of the exhibit can be found here
The Gagosian Gallery on Madison has a very large exhibit of the private collection of Robert Rauschenberg. Again to quote the Times, " [the exhibit]will give visitors an inside peek at the art that Rauschenberg lived with, both in Manhattan and at his home and studio on Captiva Island in Florida. There will be examples of work by some of his old friends, including John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns and Cy Twombly as well as others he collected over the decades by Magritte, Robert Mapplethorpe and Brice Marden. " This is a very large exhibit and fascinating. For more information go here
An article in the NY Times discusses these, and other exhibits at very high-end galleries this fall here They include the reminder that these exhibits are free, as opposed to the ever
increasing museum entrance charges (be they suggested or required) in Manhattan these days.
John and I also went to some other exhibits in the area....and it proved yet again that the degrees of separation in the artworld are not too far apart. A visit to Sheperd and Derom Gallery to see a group exhibit including work by George Nama (John's old teacher at Pratt) led to the gallery director's query, "He's here! Would you like to see him?". An added bonus for an afternoon of gallery going. For information on this gallery (which actually deals mostly in 19th century work, go here
For more information on the Rowlandson drawing of gallery goers taking a tumble at a Royal Academy exhibit circa 1800, see here

Handmade Arcade

Oh, I have been looking forward to this. It seems like, for the last several years, I have been occupied during the single day that Handmade Arcade is on. This year, I was free to attend. Although many of the vendors are local, and I have seen their work in other settings, it was really great to see everyone in one place.

The huge hall, filled with vendors and shoppers, was noisy with conversation and music. There were tons of hands on activities to keep little hands occupied. It was my first visit to the David L Lawrence Convention Center. I didn't stick around to explore, and don't know if it's possible to do that, but it warrants its own visit.

There were over 150 vendors at Handmade Arcade, I'm sure everyone has their favorites. Here's a few of mine --



I love hats. I have a beautiful old fedora, my dad's favorite hat, a variety of watch caps, and several By Suz originals. She makes some really funky accessories, as well as her hats. A selection is available for viewing at the Pittsburgh Artist Registry.



Grace Napoleon up-cycles clothing, making clothes out of clothes. She calls her dresses "party dresses for big girls". And so they are. There was a great variety of beautiful and quirky dresses and sweaters.

You can see more of the great designs on Folk Couture's Facebook page.



Great little stuffed toys. I loved these great clear colors, and the variety of toys from Phil Barbato. Especially the octopuses! More on his Etsy site.

Toys for grown ups. Or at least sort of grown up. Paper Robot Army,A paper doll disguised as a robot. Fully non-functioning and incapable of any minor computations.



These great little paper cuts were created by Renee Ruth. She had some beautiful prints available, based on these images. Watch for her Etsy store!



Loved the Cotton Factory sign! If you missed them at Handmade Arcade, catch them at Unblurred in December.



All kinds of fun little things, made from fun colors, from The Littlest Bean. above are pincussions, more in the slideshow.



Super great colors. Amber Coppings started out with a line of handwarming fingerless mittens, and expanded to year round accessories. More on her site.



More pretty colors! Yes, there were traditional jewelers, and vendors with beaded and assembled earrings. I was really drawn to the fiber pieces, though. These headbands were from Get Felt Up, more in the slideshow.



Gnome Enterprises had some very fun tee shirts. I'm not real big on team shirts, so these kind of fun images are a great alternative.

Although it is too late to attend the Handmade for the Holidays fair, the lovely folks at Handmade Arcade, and the vendors that brought their wares in today, do other events throughout the year. Keep up with them here. There were too many vendors to list here, and too many images! The post would be miles long, instead of just feet! Check out the slideshow.

Post Gazette Music Review of Built To Spill, Benefit Concert In Braddock

Tonight, Titus Andronicus and The Hold Steady take the stage in the last of three benefits at the Braddock Library. Seriously doubt it's not sold out.

Here's a nice review of Built to Spill's show in the Post Gazette with the critic honestly admitting he had never been in the town.

"The show I had to see was Built to Spill, because I love that band and somehow I've always missed them. I dig the Hold Steady too, but have seen them a bunch of times already.

What I realized getting there Friday night is that I thought Rankin was Braddock, so I drove around aimlessly for a while, not wanting to stop and ask the guys on the streetcorners, "Um, where is the library?" When I finally stumbled upon Braddock, I realized I hadn't been there before. Obviously, it's not the healthiest looking town and, other than the people going to the show, the streets were pretty deserted on a cold Saturday night."

Citizen Architect: Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of the Rural Studio: Film Screening @ Carnegie Museum of Art Tomorrow

I came across an exhibit of Mockbee's and his student's several years ago at Max Protetch Gallery in NYC. Many of the structures are planned to be easily built with materials easily available to the rural poor, like cut tin, spare tires and earth.

Even so, the resulting homes are filled with invention whimsy and dignity.

I would love to see this film and definitely would try if I was in Pittsburgh.

Saturday, November 12 · 2:30pm - 4:30pm
CMA Theater

Double Feature: New Pop Up Gallery in Cleveland's Gordon Square Art District

Who knows how long this will last, so check it out!

opening tonight from 8 p.m. to midnight.
1392 W 65th St


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Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties @ Brooklyn Museum

Malvina Hoffman: Martinique Woman


Florine Stetheimer: Natorium Undine

Spending a bit of time in NYC again, hoping very much that others will keep one up on shows in Pittsburgh.

The Brooklyn Museum has an awesome permanent collection, heavy on great American art, strong Egyptian and African holdings and lots of contemporary work. Sadly, much of this is marred by ugly and hugely distracting, educational labels and giant signs. Even worse are the loud video displays that make it very hard to spend time or think about what one is seeing. Even so, this is a must see place.

The Youth and Beauty show currently up has none of these problems and is wonderfully, curated and displayed.


George Bellows: Two Women

It's hard for any one show of a modest 64 or so works to fully represent an artistic era, but this seemed to. I was struck by the contrast between so much of the American Art from this period with what was happening in Europe. The twenties in Germany and Eastern Europe was a time of turmoil and political chaos. While, beauty, gaiety, and infatuation with technical inventions is evident, it tends to be tempered by the scars, anger and questions left by the great war.

Much of American Art, in contrast is just very happy, sincere and optimistic. Our time of doubt comes in the 30's

Artists of the period dealt with the impact of European modernism; migration to cities, mass production, photography and the emerging role of women's liberation. The show reflects all of this. Several great works from the Harlem Renaissance are included.


Aaron Douglas: Charleston

An insanely great show, with works by Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, Stuart Davis, Peter Blume, Joseph Stella, Thomas Hart Benton and many more. See it if you can.

Cleveland Institute of Art, Highlights Three Alumni, Mangold, Mieczkowski and Stanczak

Who knew Cleveland's CIA had such a long list of alumni who impacted modern and contemporary art? The list starts with Charles Burchfield and ends with artists like April Gornik and Dana Schutz.

A current exhibit at the school's galleries focuses on three abstract artists who are each becoming more relevant.

Julian Stanczak and Ed Mieczkowski, formed the backbone of what was in the mid sixties considered the important Op art school. Both taught at the CIA for decades. Ed was from Pittsburgh and later recieved an MFA from Carnegie Mellon.

CIA exhibit website.

Story on Cleveland.Com

Red, A Drama Based on Mark Rothko Comes to Pittsburgh's Public Theater

Seems like the Abstract Expressionists are really in vogue, a major de Kooning retrospective at MOMA; a whole museum dedicated to Clifford Still and shows dedicated to lesser know artist's like Richard Pousette-Dart.

Rothko's more minimal and lyrical work is not always put in this box, but he very much shared their sincere belief in the power and spiritual nature of art.

Seems like this a major subject of the play.

Rothko, who flourished during the abstract expressionist movement, found himself rejecting the arrival of Pop Art in the late 1950s, particularly one of its practitioners.

"You really think Andy Warhol will be hanging in museums in a hundred years?" Rothko asks Ken dismissively.

"Andy Warhol's like the 'great' third [human] character in the play," said Mr. Logan. "He represented a lot of the things Rothko rejected. He felt that artists needed to know where they belonged in the continuum of artists.

Great Post On Rust Wire On how Surface Parking Kills Cleveland's Downtown

Something like this seems so obvious to me since I don't drive thus tend to see cities on a slower, more intimate level. Rust Wire has a speculation that the core problem with Cleveland's downtown comes from the vast area dedicated to surface parking lots. (As well as atractive but large, "keep off the grass" parks.)

Comparing aerial views of Cleveland and much more successful downtown like Toronto shows just how much space is dedicated to cars.

I'll be really honest, when I visited Cleveland, we pretty much drove everywhere in the downtown. It just wasn't nice to walk.


If this theory is sound, it means that the huge single use venues like football stadiums not only deplete tax dollars, but create masses of parking that subtract life from the city when (95%of the time) they are not used.

Two Great Henry Koerner Paintings in Real/Surreal @ Whitney Museum

The Whitney has a series of six consecutive shows curated from their collection. Real/Surreal highlights works that can be loosely be grouped this way. Henry Koerner's work fits right in, drawing small crowds of avid viewers.

Surrealism was not born in America but by the late 30's a large group of artists here were exploring the various poetic and dreamlike possibilities it opened up. One feels that many were already strongly inclined in this direction.

Several highlights in this show, include works by Rockwell Kent, Paul Cadmus, George Tooker, Charles Sheeler, Joseph Cornell, Charles Burchfield and Kay Sage.

REAL/SURREAL
OCTOBER 6, 2011–FEBRUARY 12, 2012
Whitney Museum of American Art

Handmade Arcade

by Suz

Lots and lots and lots of really cool stuff, all in one place. Handmade Arcade has everything, from accessories to music. A lot of local artists try their hand at creating gift items for this spectacular show, so the wares should be really varied. Also, some of the artists will be doing hands on tables, so bonus for making some stuff!

Some of my favorite DIY creators are going to be presenting for the day. Amber Coppings with her XMittens and Suz Pisano with all of her quirky accessories. Here's the complete vendor list. I plan to have images this Saturday from my visit.

HANDMADE ARCADE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown
SATURDAY, NOV. 12, 2011
11 AM - 7 PM
EARLY BIRDIE ENTRANCE AT 10 AM
Free admission

The Small Benefits Of Density: New York Suburbs Spend Over A Week Without Power

Visiting my mom in NYC, I notice an urban benefit that's common in NY, but actually pretty rare, not stadiums, but buried power lines that make outages extremely unlikely.

Ever since 1888, when a blizzard knocked out the power on Wall Street, the vast bulk of NYC invested in buried power lines, a cost pretty easily offset by the intense level of development in the city.

A recent storm brought home once again the almost third world nature of suburban overhead power lines. Several inches of heavy wet snow, brought down close to 1000 trees in Central Park alone, but by a day or two later, most of the trouble was forgotten and the city lost barely a beat.

Not so in the surrounding area, where in many cases, very similar conditions created an catastrophic loss of power leaving many wealthy and smug suburbanites rushing to book warm cozy, New York hotels to escape days in the cold and dark.

In New Jersey, repair crews recieved physical threats from angry customers. Power is still out after almost ten days for some in Connecticut!

"Connecticut Light & Power, the state's largest utility, announced Sunday night that it would miss its goal of restoring power to 99 percent of its 1.2 million customers by midnight. Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey apologized, saying that power might not be restored to everyone until Wednesday. About 6,000 of the outages were new and unrelated to the snowstorm, he said.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has called the delays unacceptable and said the state is keeping its legal options open in case there are grounds for recourse in the courts once the circumstances are examined."

More than a few are finally seeing how great reliable, underground utilities are. The problem is that at low density levels, there is just no way to offset the massive expense.

Just a thought, but cities looking into attracting residents and businesses might consider doing something New York did in 1888.

Green Building Deconstruction Workshop With The Transformazium @ The Queens Museum

Oh the irony, I booked my trip back from NYC to see the Hold Steady play a benefit at The Braddock Library, only to find that the folks from North Braddock's Transformazium, Caledonia Curry,(AKA, Swoon) Leslie Stem, Dana Bishop Root, Ruthie Stringer will be talking at the Queens Museum the same day.

"Initially attracted to North Braddock because of the radically different set of resources it offered (in the form of abundant space and cheap real estate as well as a moody landscape of aesthetic decay), Transformazium rapidly realized a need to pause and examine the realities of their post-industrial neighborhood and build relationships with their new neighbors.

After doing a personalized tour of Detroit Disassembled, Transformazium will bring their experience living and working in a neighborhood that in many ways parallels neighborhoods in Detroit to QMA’s Detroit Project Room, and will use their Deconstruction activity book as a framework for generating questions, discussion, and reflection on the appeal of the post-industrial landscape, the challenges of relocation, the potential social and economic impact of Deconstruction on areas struggling with abandonment, and the possibilities for communication and exchange that can exist in a neighborhood."

Deconstruction: Coloring and Conversation with Transformazium
Saturday, November 12, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, 2011
The Queens Museum

Unblurred November

My tour of Unblurred started out at Dance Alloy, with an open rehearsal of the Staycee Pearl dance company production of Octavia. Open rehearsals offer a great opportunity to get a glimpse into the process of creation, and the communication between choreographer and dancer as they work to balance the vision of the piece. This was such a great way to start the evening. The dancers flowed across the stage, trading phrases in groups and speaking alone. Watching the rehearsal doesn't tell the whole story, though, and I am looking forward to seeing the entire production.

The narrative was just outside of my reach at the rehearsal. The dancers were like ideagrams, building these complex characters that implied a story. From a visual standpoint only, the scene was varied, with a lot of levels engaged. Also, I really admire the effortless athleticism of dance.

Octavia will be presented at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in December. Tickets, etc. Also, Facebook event page.


Lizzy De Vita (at Assemble)

Assemble is a really changing space. The first time I went in, it had been turned into a warren of rooms. Each time, the configuration of the space changes, sometimes through he simple expedience of hanging a tarp, sometimes through judicious installation, which is the case with their current exhibit.

Lizzy De Vita has a solo at Assemble. The works cover several mediums, including site specific installation. There are also two multimedia pieces installed in the gallery, as well as a participation piece where the general public was invited to paint one of the gallery walls.

Assemble
Lizzy De Vita



LaVerne Kemp was a special guest at Artica for November Unblurred, and her work will be available through at least the end of the year. Special shopping tip: Artica is a great place to go for collectibles and quirky little gifts. Tucked in among the tea sets you'll find work from many local artists, including Christine Bethea's masks, assembled from found objects.

Artica
LaVerne Kemp


Mike Budai at Mr. Roboto Project

The Mr. Roboto Project took over a space on Penn Ave. A few months ago. The space is a combination of music venue, gallery and meeting space, so there's always something happening there. Currently, Mike Budai has installed dozens of small framed works throughout the space. His work has been seen all over tow, in the form of hand-pulled event posters.

Mike Budai has a Myspace page where you can view his work. He had a roomful of these great line drawings at the Mr. Roboto Project.


Jason Sauer's Sing me Home at Most Wanted Fine Art.

When I arrived at Most Wanted Fine Art, it was to the gentle strumming of a guitarist who was covering a favorite singer: John Prine (Souvenir). The guitarist was previewing the upcoming concert by Grand Snafu. Very nice!

Anyway, a few of Jason Sauer's works were on exhibit. Great assemblage, lots of energy to these pieces.

Most Wanted Fine Art


Michael Patrick (left) Nathan Mould (right)

New kids on the block - Artisan Tattoo/Gallery. This seems to be a pretty popular pairing, by the way; housing art in tattoo parlors. The artists on exhibit for November are all tattoo artists whose custom tattoo work will be available at Artisan when it officially opens in December.

Artisan Tattoo/Gallery and Jason Angst


Steph Neary Speaking Tar

“Butterfly Kingdom: The Artwork of Christian Breitkreutz and Steph Neary”
The works in the exhibit are quirky, ironic and tongue in cheek. Also, mostly small-format pieces. The colors are vivid, as is the wit. Definitely worth checking out.

Modernformations


Katy Dement, at the Pittsburgh Beautification Project


Dean Cercone, at the Pittsburgh Beautification Project

A little bit of everything. A handful of artists have studios in this cavernous space on Penn Ave. It is not generally open to the public, with the exception of Unblurred. The space hosts guest artists, and the regular denizens are there to talk about current projects and give you a glimpse into their studio practice. It's a very active space, and lots of fun to visit.

Pittsburgh Beautification Project studios

It was a really great evening. As always, I am sure I missed as much as I got to during November's Unblurred.
Notes of interest
While I was up at Dance Alloy, I stopped into the Tee Rex event that the Cotton Factory puts on. Lots of great Tee's, and some special guest vendors. It appears the event is held every first Friday, at 5440 Penn Ave.

The Glass center continues with its Ten More Years on Penn exhibit, scheduled through February 11.

Watch for Awesome Books in the Cultural District as part of Project Pop Up!

Things to watch for on your next Penn Ave tour - Guest artist and craftsman, offering wares at the galleries. Estate sales in buildings that are generally closed. Franktuary! A shortage of pizza by the slice at Spak Brothers.

Photo Essay On Steeltown Anthem Of The Old Weston State Hospital

My blog, hopes to tune you into some of the great and strange sites and happenings in West Virginia too.

A guest post on Steeltown Anthem has a good photo tour of the old Weston State, Mental Hospital, now known as The Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. I've heard a few stories from someone who had to work there for a while and from what she said, the scale of suffering there was enormous.

From the pictures it looks like a pretty amazing place.

Website
HISTORIC TOURS OFFERED*
March 26th, 2011 – October 31st, 2011


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