BuckWild: Why Is Making Fun of Rural Whites So Cool?

 

 

 

 

There are few things I hate more than political correctness but one of them is hypocrisy. While stereotypes are often central to humor, most of the public and media have grasped the harm they can often do- often imposing an extreme level of sensitivity to the way many groups are portrayed. Rural Appalachian whites remain as a group it's more than cool to make fun of, as embodying everything that's dumb in America.

It's not new.

From an essay on Yahoo :Appalachian Americans: The Invisible Minority

These sentiments are deeply ingrained in American history. For centuries politicians displayed prejudice towards Appalachians, making comments like "[They are] the lowest scum and rabble..." "the vilest tricking and cheating... people into whose heads no means can beat the notion of a public interest or persuade to live like men," and "the laziest two legged animals that walk erect on the face of the Earth. Even their motions are slow, and their speech a sickening drawl... a natural stupidity or dullness of intellect that almost surpasses belief," (Heilman, 2004). Although Appalachians are considered 'white Americans,' such statements reek of racist social Darwinism. The centuries-old stereotype that anyone with an Appalachian accent possesses a "natural stupidity," is still perpetuated by the media. Television shows like "Beverly Hillbillies", "Green Acres" and "Hee Haw" have been described as "the most intensive effort ever exerted by a nation to belittle, demean and otherwise destroy a minority people within its boundaries"

Sadly, our tolerant nation seems almost more divided than ever, with "sophisticated urbanites" eager to point out the contrast between themselves and the ... other people out there. BuckWild, a new "reality show" of course shows you exactly how most people live in West Virginia.

See Trailer Here:

From The Charleston Gazette:

"Bailey said these kinds of reality shows tend to sensationalize and exaggerate, and she hoped people watching "Buckwild" at home will see it not as how West Virginians really live.

"Obviously, the show is just perpetuating a stereotype West Virginia has been working hard to shed ourselves of," she said. "Unfortunately, a show of this nature, if it becomes popular, will make it very hard to sell the state of West Virginia or the city of Charleston."

Legendary Rather Ripped Records, Born Again in Lawrenceville

How many Record Stores become famous album titles and how many of those are in Pittsburgh?

From The Post Gazette:

"Its owner is Russ Ketter, who grew up here on the South Side and left for the West Coast in 1969 to pursue a songwriting career. "Instead of going to Woodstock, I went to Berkeley that weekend."

He has no regrets about that.

He got a job at a record store called Leopold's and then moved across town two years later to open Rather Ripped, inspired by a stoned friend's description of his condition at a particular moment. The store was well timed with the punk scene that was about to explode in the mid-'70s.

"Everybody came through that store, the Clash, the Sex Pistols, the glam rock scene. As soon as The Police came to the U.S., they did an autograph party at our store" -- partly because drummer Stewart Copeland went to UC Berkeley."

The story seems amazing and worthy of a book: Patty Smith's first West Coast Performance- in the store came after Ketter wrote a letter begging her to play-- signed in his own blood

The store came to an end in 1980 after a terrible fire but the story hardly ended there.

Read all about it. http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/music/rather-ripped-records-gets-a-new-life-in-lawrenceville-664074/

Rather Ripped will be opening up in a little storefront under Arsenal Lanes, and will sell a variety of records, CD's, Posters, Rock Collectibles, and vintage clothing-- from the source, so to speak.

Geek Alert: Alan Turing Film, Codebreaker to Screen @ Waterfront, December 6

 Alan Turing, a math genius, who played an important roll in winning WWII, and called by many the founder of modern computer science is likely known by hard core geeks.

Thursday, December 6, 2012
@ 7:30 PM

 

WATERFRONT 22
300 WEST WATERFRONT DR.
WEST HOMESTEAD, PA 15120

To reserve tickets:
http://tickets.todpix.com/codebreaker/west-homestead/

In Reality, Both Major Parties are Against Rational, Open, Legal Immigration

As you know, this blog is not against political posts providing they relate closely to issues that impact the region, cultural or urban issues. Few are more important than immigration.

The Democrat party got a lot of traction painting the GOP as a xenophobic, old white, anti immigrant party, since Republicans almost never interacted in urban areas, and created a campaign based mostly on winning rural and exurban votes, they pretty much walked into that stereotype. They seemed to be not just against massive illegal immigration, but against almost all newcomers.

In public discourse the concept of legal immigration has been dropped almost entirely.

The dirty little secret is that Obama's record isn't one of supporting, open, legal immigration, particularly among the highly skilled people every economy desperately needs.

From Forbes:

"The Obama administration has worked to limit H-1B accessibility since the president assumed office. The stimulus package prohibited most major financial firms from participating in the program, and in 2010, the administration increased fees as much as $2,300. Over the same period, USCIS began to deny record numbers of applications—rising from 11 percent in 2007 to between 17 and 29 percent under this administration."
 

How bad is it? America is actually harassing and deporting entrepreneurs that have already created companies and jobs.

From CNN Money:

"Darash, 38, originally came here from Israel for college and returned in 2010 to launch Regpack, a software company in San Francisco. It's growing so fast, the company already needs to add another 10 workers.

But instead of focusing on expanding his company, Darash has been fighting to stay in the country."

  

 A recent study showed that immigrants account for 76% of patents filed at the nations top schools.  You would think we would have a red carpet out for people like this?

From CNN Money

That year, 54% of those patents came from students, postdoctoral fellows or staff researchers. That's an issue, because the United States is losing ground against other nations by pushing out immigrant graduates seeking to launch their own businesses.

Few options exist for those who want to stay in the country legally, and the most common route -- finding another company to sponsor your visa -- goes against the entrepreneur's mission.

 

Honestly, a country has to be pretty arrogant and delusional to think it can get away with treating potential job creators like this.

One can hope that a more rational, adult discussion of the issue develops. This is a short post, I don't mean to imply we should only be open to the super talented, educated or wealthy. We need a top to bottom reform that opens up a clear legal process for a broad group of hard working, striving people.

 

Exhibit :Radiant Circles Ruth E. Levine's Generous Life

"Radiant Circles Ruth E. Levine's Generous Life" is on exhibit at the American Jewish Museum (located at theJewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill) until January 2013. Everyone I know who has seen this exhibit has loved it. Ruth Levine, who died in 2010 was an important part of the arts community in Pittsburgh. She produced beautiful and interesting work and was immersed in the Pittsburgh  arts community, sharing ideas with artist friends and colleagues, attending a wide wide range of  events  and participating on non-profit boards. Ruth was a resident of our city from just 1998-2010, but in that time, she made quite an impact.I was fortunate to have been a friend of Ruths. And I often find myself wondering "What would Ruth think, or say?" She was/is a force.

The work in Radiant Circles was completed over a 20 year period.Two excellent reviews of this exhibit are: Kurt Shaw's at the Tribune Review here and Andrew Goldstein's at The Jewish Chronicle here. A small, but very well-written catalogue by Melissa Hiller is a splendid addition to the exhibit. I would note that there is no easier place in Pittsburgh to see an exhibition, as one can just walk in anytime that the JCC is open.

What About Having Black Friday on Penn Ave?

Every once in a while, I throw out an idea hoping someone else might consider following up on it.

Lots of college kids and others leave town for the holidays, but the diaspora floods into Pittsburgh to share a few days with family. I'm pretty sure the day after Thanksgiving is The Warhol Museum's busiest day.

Too bad for the city, we don't have a great, cool way to share some of the grass roots energy happening in places like Garfield with people who don't know about it. Pittsburgh has more going for it than Station Square, or a walk down Walnut or Carson Street, but often it's hard to show that off in a day or two.

The First Friday Unblurred is already a well known way to experience the alt galleries, stores and performance spaces that have popped up on Penn Ave. My guess is it wouldn't be a big leap to market a "Penn Ave Black Friday" as a night of indie art, craft and shopping.

Something for folks on Penn to think about.

Clairton, A Forgotten Steel Town's Unforgettable Football Team on The NY Times Front Page

The Friday after Thanksgiving, Heinz Field comes alive with High School Football championship games, where many of the fancy big high schools, like Central Catholic, North Allegheny, Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon show off all their pride. But somehow the games can never mean as much as for the old factory and coal towns.

From The NY Times:

“The businesses have shuttered; we lost our mill, lost our grocery store,” said Tom McCloskey, the principal at Clairton High School and an alumnus. “It seems the odds are stacked against the town. Football is a way we can persevere, ride the success of the team. A lot of people look forward to Friday night. Everybody comes together around one common good thing we’ve got going on."

 

Apart from providing community pride, football serves as a neon advertisement that, despite its troubles, Clairton remains open for business. In fiscal 2011, the city budget finished in the black for the first time in at least a decade. United States Steel has invested more than $500 million to upgrade the nation’s largest coke plant here along the Monongahela River, 12 miles south of Pittsburgh. A grocery store is planned for next year. Real estate is plentiful and cheap."

 

........

 

"The players celebrated and dressed and headed for home, one win from establishing an improbable state record with 60 consecutive victories.

 

“It doesn’t matter where you are around Pittsburgh,” said Mathis, the athletic director. “You say Clairton, people think great football. They don’t think dying steel mill town.” 

 

Update: 

 

Clairton won their 60th consecutive victory over Sto-Rox. They haven't lost since  Sept. 11, 2009    

Very Rare, Robert Johnson Record found at Jerry's Records in Squirrel Hill

 I Believe I'll Dust My Broom, is the second song blues legend Robert Johnson ever recorded and copies are extremely rare.

One was just found in a waterlogged box of records found while cleaning out an attic.

From The Post Gazette

 

"Johnson, born in 1911, was an itinerant street-corner musician who never achieved fame during his lifetime. In November 1936, he recorded 16 songs, including "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom," at a temporary studio set up at a hotel in San Antonio, Texas. It was one of only two sessions he ever did, but his influence was substantial, thanks to such British blues players as Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, who revered his work and covered his songs in the '60s.

The mythology of Robert Johnson is that he gained his ability to play the blues by selling his soul to the Devil at a crossroads in rural Mississippi. His death in 1938, at age 27, is mysterious, but it is believed that he was poisoned by a woman's jealous husband."

Several Area Restaurants get Gordon Ramsay Makeovers

OK, the show called kitchen nightmares isn't where most places want to be featured, but for many old places, it's a last shot to survive and become loved again.

 Miss Jean's Southern Cuisine, in Wilkinsburg got a makeover which I think involves a 10,000 investment in decor and equipment, plus an intensive top to bottom look at every aspect of the business and menu.

From the Post Gazette

"It was rough," Ms. Gould said. "It's not easy ... someone telling you your food is not good."

Worse, there was a great deal of bickering between the owner and her staff. But one of the show's biggest draws is showing how Mr. Ramsay smooths over the personality clashes

.

"Gordon has an amazing way of getting to know people very quickly, and getting beneath and mask and the layers and to the heart of the person, "Mr. Weed said. "So he's a little bit of a therapist, too, in that regard."

Ms. Gould, a fan of cooking shows, applied to be on the show last year but said she didn't expect to have Miss Jean's Southern Cuisine chosen. Turns out, soul food is a particular passion of Chef Ramsay."

Afterwards, Gordon is redoing an old Italian place in Beaver County.

The Sketchbook Project Mobile Art Library will be outside Assemble this Friday

The mobile sketchbook library, originally scheduled for The First Friday Unblurred will be parked in front of Assemble this Friday from 6-10 (Free)

 

"The Sketchbook Project a traveling collection of sketchbooks made by creative people from all over the world, will be at Assemble. Come see sketchbooks chosen for this year's tour theme "A Landmark and a Mission", curated by Christopher Jobson, creator and editor of Colossal, a blog that explores the intersection of art, design, and physical craft."

 

 

From Sketchbook Project 2013

 

 

Assemble

5125 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh, PA

 

Minimally Charged | Drawings and Paintings by Jackie Hoysted

Jackie Hoysted at Box Heart Gallery

I stopped in BoxHeart Gallery last week to see their recent exhibit Minimally Charged: Drawings and Paintings by Jackie Hoysted. It is a striking show of contemporary portraiture. The works are invariably of figures on fields of solid color, and the majority are works on paper.

An intense portrait, Lucretia (pictured below), is hung prominently in the front of the gallery. It is one of the larger paintings in the exhibit. The background is a rich red, with the figure and the ground interplay throughout. The work is stark, combining gestural line, brushstroke and a flat expanse of ground. Minimally charged, indeed. Although it is somewhat a misnomer since in fact there is a considerable amount of intensity within this portrait as well as the others.

Definitely not a restful exhibit, the works have a frenetic quality in the figure that is discordant. The simplicity of the grounds really showcase this in a way that a traditional drawing on white paper does not, increasing the tension in the works.

Jackie Hoysted

From Box Heart's site:

Artist Jackie Hoysted has a fascination with the form and how to best represent it. She is drawn to the restful starkness and simplicity offered by minimalism, but she finds more self-truth and identity in expressionism. Her artwork aims to marry these two styles by severely limiting the palette, by confining mark-making only to essential form, and by using a high key and garnish palette to suggest mood and contemplation. Read more

The exhibit continues through next week, including the holiday weekend. If you have a chance to stop by between your family celebrations, it is well worth the trip.


October 30 - November 24, 2012
Minimally Charged
Drawings and Paintings by Jackie Hoysted
Box Heart Gallery

---

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY: Saturday, November 24, 2012
As an aside, Box Heart Gallery is participating in Small Business Saturday, offering a $25. on custom framing projects. And there is plenty to choose from in the gallery that you can have framed for your special gifting needs.

Returns @Panza Gallery

David Grim

Millvale is just across the Allegheny River from my home. On a nice day, I can walk over there in less than twenty minutes. But with all of the construction on Route 28, I haven't ventured across on foot for awhile. It's a difficult proposition for us habitual pedestrians, and the new intersections have made it much more daunting.

It's completely my loss, though. There's a fabulous gallery over there that I hardly ever get to because I always seem to be able to come up with some excuse for not walking across the bridge. Lucky for me, a very good friend provided transportation to the opening of Returns at Panza Gallery this past weekend. I'm so glad she did, it was a strong show.

Pictured above is some recent work by David Grim. I love the color in these works, as well as the abstracted qualities. More of David Grim's work can be seen in this online portfolio.
 

 

Olga Brindar

One entire side of the gallery was installed with these large works on paper by artist Olga Brindar. The works had a nice vitality to them. Ms. Brindar has a very nice portfolio site, where you can view more of her work.

 

Mia Tarducci Henry

There were a scant handful of paintings by Mia Tarducci Henry, which were really beautiful. The works are very organic and heavily textured. You can get to know Ms. Henry better on her site.

In the Middle of Post Storm Crisis, NY's Mayor Bans Food Donations to Homeless Shelters

 I couldn't resist posting about this-- under the rule that political posts related to urban issues are a big part of what this blog is about. Also, this is an extreme example of policies that exist in other cities.

From The New York Post

"For over a decade, Glenn Richter and his wife, Lenore, have led a team of food-delivery volunteers from Ohab Zedek, the Upper West Side Orthodox congregation

They’ve brought freshly cooked, nutrient-rich surplus foods from synagogue events to homeless facilities in the neighborhood. (Disclosure: I know the food is so tasty because I’ve eaten it — I’m an OZ member.) The practice of donating such surplus food to homeless shelters is common among houses of worship in the city."

The city may no longer accept this food which might not meet safety standards or the city's strict new guidelines limiting portions, salt, fat content and nutrition.

What's involved here is of course something much more important, the right of both donors and recipients to share a sense of community.

"The beneficiaries — many of them senior citizens recovering from drug and alcohol abuse — have always been appreciative of the treats he and other OZ members bring. It’s not just that the donations offer an enjoyable addition to the “official” low-salt fare; knowing that the food comes from volunteers and community members warms their hearts, not just their stomachs.So you can imagine Richter’s consternation last month when employees at a local shelter turned away food he brought from a bar mitzvah. "

The danger is also that breaking the bonds and ability to provide private charity undermines the basic safety net -- which ultimately has to go beyond government. As many city neighborhoods endured 5 or more days without power the city was held together by private networks and neighbors helping each other far more than official aid.

A growing number of cities have made it illegal to distribute food to the homeless.

From The LA Times

"In Philadelphia — where the ACLU launched a lawsuit last week attacking the ban on the outdoor feeding of homeless people, enacted June 1 — the plaintiffs in the suit include Chosen 300 Ministries Inc., the Rev. Brian Jenkins, the Welcome Church, the Rev. Violet Little, the King’s Jubilee, the Rev. Cranford Coulter and others, according to the Pennsylvania Record.

“Food sharing programs for the homeless also express an important message about the desperate circumstances of the poor,” the suit says, according to the Record. “The programs have been hugely successful, furthering the religious mission of the plaintiffs and providing, at no cost to the city, a needed social service. The programs have functioned continuously without significant interference by government officials or adverse effect on the public interest""ybe he’s just anti-food? Maybe put this one to a vote — it’s hard to imagine what harm fresh soup and bagels (two items that have already been turned away) could do to a hungry person"

Tami Dixon's One Person Show Tells South Side Stories

The idea of doing a one person show based on South Side characters seems sort of obvious-- mainly cause this is such a weirdly interesting place- that has grown and evolved as it should, with layer after layer of personal and collective history. An amazing, if often annoying neighborhood like no other.

From Pop City

Taking audiences on a vibrant, hometown adventure, the ambitious one-woman show depicts a dynamic neighborhood--from steep city steps and teen rebellion, to the J & L plant and local haunts--via more than 100 interviews with South Side residents, multimedia projections by Pittsburgh-based artist David Pohl and original music by Nathan Leigh.

Tami Dixon, the main creator/ writer/ actor is from Cleveland, graduated from CMU and lived in NY, bringing some perspective to the work.

The resulting content, which ranges from the highly funny and poignant, to the deeply personal and sad, addresses a myriad of human experience, including addiction, race, community, family, loss and death, and the issue of what is left in a community over after something goes away.

"It's an unflinching look at a community I see myself in. I started out as a tour guide taking people through the South Side and then I had to address how and why I am connected to them, and why I was the one telling the stories. It's been an incredible learning process for me about the craft I have been in for most of my life," adds Dixon. "I realize these people have been in my body for years and now I am putting them into a physical space. I am telling real people's stories and I have to be really careful about honoring them."

My opinion off the bat is that, if the work is weak-She should tweak away, it's not like there the place is short of stories worth telling and characters worth meeting.

 

Written and performed by playwright and actor and South Side resident Dixon, co-founder of Downtown-based Bricolage Production Company, South Side Stories runs November 10th through December 16th, in City Theatre’s Hamburg Studio Theatre. Opening night performance is Friday, November 16th, at 8 pm.

Far Rockaway was dumping ground for mentally Ill warehoused in Nursing Homes

Part two of my Hurricane Sandy/ Far Rockaway post. Sadly, the story gets much worse. Not only was Far Rockaway a dumping ground for housing projects far away from opportunity and community, it became the place to put even more vulnerable populations.

From the NY Times

"The units are just the latest development in the troubled evolution of New York's mental health network over the last half-century. As the state continues to empty out its costly psychiatric hospitals, it appears to be moving even further from what it says had been a fundamental goal: helping the mentally ill gain independence and self-sufficiency to live within a community.

The investigation of the nursing home units shows that the mentally ill residents -- many in their 30's and 40's and physically healthy -- often receive little in the way of rehabilitative therapy and are chiefly left to wander the halls or languish in their rooms. The residents are not violent and have not been involuntarily committed by a court."

"Gain independence and self-sufficiency to live within a community." Really, by being warehoused on a very isolated barrier island almost 2 hours out of Manhattan and far away from most public services?

It should have been clear to any responsible caring person, that this location was very exposed to storms. in fact, Hurricane Irene and many other storms had impacted the island.


For some reason, I am having trouble embedding the videos.

Here

Yet the google map shows the area is loaded with nursing homes and care facilities.

I understand a big part of what happened is that Rockaway became an easy place to put things other communities might reject having- but morally, this is still a poor excuse.

Anyway, it gives some insight into reality of how the "liberal" governments of NY and many cities actually operate.

Sandy and Far Rockaway: Another Tragedy of Urban Planning

I apologize for another post not directly related to Pittsburgh, that I think brings up some relevant urban issues. As many know, I am from NYC and have some knowledge of one of the areas hardest hit by Sandy. My sister, her husband and now my nephew all worked as lifeguards on the same beach in Far Rockaway for many years. For public school teachers this fit in as a fun summer gig. I haven't been there in many years. It's not the most attractive place, dominated by large public housing projects isolated on a long stretch of beach. Far Rockaway, is not just slightly far away from almost anywhere, else in the city- it's really, really far away. Yes, there is a subway, which in theory could take one into Manhattan if one has a spare hour and a half to two hours- if it's running well.

To break the suspense- I always wondered why someone thought concentrating large numbers of poor on a barrier island, exposed to storms, so far a way from jobs, shopping or social opportunities was a good idea.

 

 

From The Manhattan Institute,

Blessed with the Atlantic Ocean to the south and Jamaica Bay to the north, the Rockaways became a popular resort area of elegant hotels and fine houses in the 1830s. The coming of the railroad in the 1880s encouraged more intensive development, including playlands, amusement parks and a few apartment buildings. Attractive beachfront communities were developed, such as Belle Harbor, Neponsit, and Arverne. The opening of the Cross Bay Bridge in 1925 and the Marine Parkway Bridge in 1937 made the Rockaways convenient for middle- and working-class households, who bought the bungalows, frequently distributing themselves according to ethnic heritage.

Later, a series of factors related to falling incomes during the depression and the area's long distance from the city sent the Rockaways into decline.

Officials in the Wagner and Lindsay administrations found what they regarded as an answer to decline: build large public housing projects along the gorgeous beach. Today, the old towns of Arverne and Edgemere have some of the highest concentrations of public housing—and crime and unemployment—in New York. The city also used federal and state financing to support the development of dozens of nursing homes.

Um, That's right- city officials thought an isolated island might be a great place to warehouse not just the poor, but also the infirm, elderly.

These days, almost no one regards the Wagner or Lindsay land-use planning decisions favorably. District manager Gaska, for example, calls the Rockaways the Siberia of city government. "For five decades, the city and state governments dumped their problems here," he says. "If you were a problem tenant in public housing, NYCHA sent you here. If you didn't have a job and weren't going to get one, then this was the place for you. When the state government started closing their hospitals, they began placing those with mental disabilities here, but without any services. The Rockaways now has 50 percent of the borough's adult-facility beds. The state just keeps approving new facilities via their sham community approval process. They send us what's called a 60-day letter, telling us they're going to approve a new facility. We say no, and they say, 'Thank you for your opinion; we're going to open it anyway.' One result was that, according to the 1990 Census, one-third of our population was on public assistance.

Yes. and the mentally disabled too- far away from any support system. What happened seems to have been a cycle, in which any project or population that was unwanted in the rest of Queens was dumped on this secluded stretch of land, few people cared about.

No great shock that big problems developed. That's on a good day but add a a big Atlantic storm or hurricane and one has the potential for a massive tragedy. Now the only subway line into Rockaway may be down for months and ocean water has seriously damaged power lines. While I don't expect government to provide instant perfect responses to all disasters, I wish they would stop creating bad situations like they did in The Rockaways. It's one thing to not help people and another to forcibly create communities in which it's hard for people to help themselves.

Update: As of this posting, most people in Far Rockaway have gone 10 days without power, heat, subway service and other basic needs. Another storm is bearing down on the area.

November Unblurred

Tugboat Printing

As always, there is somebody trying something new during Unblurred. This month, Tugboat Printshop had a shallow sort-of bookshelf kiosk on Penn, between Winebiddle and Evaline. I hope they make it back again next month. The booth was such a nice addition to the Unblurred event.

Artists in Mission

Another new face, Artists In Mission Gallery (AIM), located at 5159 Penn, had a photography exhibit by Jessica Nan and a reading. The venue was a private residence, and the exhibit was held in the livingroom. It was really crowded and I couldn't get an interior shot, but it was so cool that someone opened their home for the Unblurred event.

I never have a chance to get to all of the venues and special events during these first Fridays. There was so much more that was just happening for the evening, and there are still all of the regular venues, like Awesome Books. I did stop in to say hello to Christine Bethea at ARTica. The shop got a recent "face lift" from designer Joesph Hall and is looking particularly spiffy. If you're looking for some quirky or unique gift, stop in and poke around a bit.

ARTica

The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination (5006 Penn)
Closing reception for Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Artists II
 

June Edwards

Wendy Osher

Tim Fabian

The Irma Freeman Center has moved to an alternating monthly exhibition schedule, covering two months for each exhibit. So it does give you a little longer to come back and really explore the works. The current show, Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Artists, is a really far-ranging survey exhibit. There are several pieces that are exceptional among the works presented, alongside some that are sort of naive. The installation was well thought out, though, so the works didn't clash. Among the best works were those by Tim Fabian, June Edwards and Wendy Osher (pictured above).

ModernFormations 
 “The Good Fight” New Works by Christian Breitkreutz

Christian Breitkreutz

From the show statement --

Men, women, children and beast alike, we cannot afford another day lost behind blinded eyes. This is a call to arms to do battle against the trumpets of evil sounding off in our brains! We must all rally behind one another to keep fighting The Good Fight!

Do you like Quentin Tarantino, with his over-the-top portrayals of violent acts? You know what I mean; shiny, farcical violence, violence that is so extreme it becomes kitsch. Like a Tarantino movie, this was an exhibit of some pretty intense images of stylized violence. Cute skeletons, pretty blood colors and decapitated heads with bland expressions. There was also a touch of the kind of imagery you would see in a Dia De Los Muertos festival.

Most Wanted Fine Art
"A Year in A Life" - new works by Nina Sauer and Ryan Dunmeyer

Ryan Dunmeyer

Ryan Dunmeyer

Curses. I really need to get a new camera. Yes, I took pictures of both artists' work. Please take my word on it that Nina Sauer's work is really great. They were small-format pieces, with a really nice sensibility. Her work pairs very well with Mr. Dunmeyer's, pictured above. Definitely a show worth catching, and Most Wanted Fine Arts does have regular hours.

If you want to catch the transitory stuff that happens each month, you might want to sign up for the Unblurred e-blast. Or just be spontaneous and show up some First Friday. You never know what you'll find.

The Idora Park Carousel Barely Escapes Hurricane Sandy

The already bittersweet story of the last remaining gem from Youngstown's Idora Park came close to epic tragedy. After decades of decline, the park burned to the ground in 1984, with the last major remanant, an amazing carousel bought by the wife a wealthy NYC developer. Finally, fully restored and placed a few feet from the water's edge in a small park under The Brooklyn Bridge. From The Daily Beast

The 48 horses and four chariots that make up what’s now called Jane’s Carousel—after Walentas—brought delight to children at Idora Park in Youngstown, Ohio—then a prospering steel town—in 1922. After the city declined along with the steel industry in the 1970s, a fire consumed the park, but spared the historic carousel—in 1974, it became the first one ever listed on the National Register of Historic Places—which went up for auction in 1984.

The Walentases scooped up the bruised and battered carousel for $385,000, and it was shipped in parts to New York City in 1984, and the horses were stored for much of the next few years in individual stalls in the basement of David’s building at 45 Main Street.

Told by experts, the Carousel would be safe from a 100 year storm, Sandy a mere category 1 Hurricane almost washed it away.

There, in Brooklyn Bridge Park, on a three-foot high pavilion that usually stood 30 feet from the river’s edge, the waters whipped up by Hurricane Sandy were engulfing the carousel she had cared for over decades.

Check out the scary images.