Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Highlights from Gallery Four 2013 Salon



I was hoping for a floor to gallery crammed floor to ceiling with works, but there was plenty of quality and excitement in this show, which also included at least two artists from Philly.

We still don't know who "won" the Gallery Four solo, but Alessandra Sulpy will have the next solo, filling an unexpected opening. Her painting of naked figures suggested a strange religious ritual. More than enough mystery there to make me eager to see more.

Hope very much they do this again.

More Info: http://www.thegallery4.us/

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Another Great Show closing this week: Salon Show 2013 @ Gallery 4 in Shadyside

I actually haven't seen this show yet. Gallery Four has a clear aesthetic, tending towards highly skilled "hipster", street art, but within that range, many of the shows are pretty amazing.

This is their first Salon type show.

"The Gallery 4 has entered it's 3rd year of business and we are so pleased to have been able to work with so many talented artists. In keeping with this tradition, The Gallery 4 has hosted a salon style competition to search for up and coming artists. Artists whose pieces reflect the gallery's particular aesthetic were selected to take part in a juried group exhibition. Artists will then be appointed and presented with the opportunity to hold their own exhibition at The Gallery 4. Selection was determined at the The Gallery4 's discretion and dependent on skill level, design sense, originality, polish, and personal taste. After reviewing hundreds of works from talented artists (both local and afar) skilled in a broad spectrum of disciplines, The Gallery 4 is proud to exhibit these pieces in a unique exposition which celebrates our 3rd Anniversary. The Gallery 4 presents The 2013 Salon Show."
You may recognize a lot of the artists, like   Richard Claraval, Ryder Henry & Lauren Toohey. Gallery Four regulars like Brian Holderman also contributed works.

Show Ends, Saturday, April 27th,

Gallery Four
206 s. highland ave
pittsburgh, pa 15206
map & directions

hours:
tues - sat
2pm - 8pm

More Info

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Four Suites: You're invited!

Opening night, April 5, 2013
I have been looking forward to working with the other artists in the Four Suites exhibit for months. Obviously, the others have too. The installation took a considerable amount of time, and showed a lot of detailed thought and sensitivity to the ModernFormation space.

Static images don't really do justice to the atmosphere of the exhibit. Each artists' work stands very well alone, while showing a sensitivity to the space as well as the works of the the others. I must say, the show blends very well.

I hope that doesn't sound too overly self congratulatory. I'm sure it sounds at least a little bit.

Jean McClung installed several of her light sculptures in the back room of MoernFormations. The works play well in the darkened space, providing a white light focus along one wall. Laurie Trok installed two cut paper pieces, in the front and back rooms, emphasizing a subtle shadowy calligraphy. John Morris composed interludes of his small medium-based work along one wall in the front room. My work? Oh, it was composed of works from my Earths and Detritus series of collages.

Did you miss the opening of Four Suites? You're in luck! There is a closing reception on Friday April 26, from 7-9PM.

Four Suites closing reception
Modernformations
4919 Penn Avenue. Pittsburgh PA 15224
412.362.0274


Four Suites Installation
Four Suites, installation (back room at ModernFormations)
Four Suites, installation (front room at ModernFormations)

Friday, April 19, 2013

Highlights from Four Suites @ Modern Formations Gallery: John Morris



These are shots of my work. I'm reluctant to say too much, but these works are made of paint itself. I like to find things people ignore, cans, saw blades, door hinges and find new life in them. I hope the viewer can share in the process of rediscovery.

This was the first chance to get some work out of the studio and play with it.

Four Suites
April 5 - April 26
Closing Reception: April 26, 7-9 PM


ModernFormations

4919 Penn Avenue.
Pittsburgh PA 15224
412.362.0274


Gallery Hours

*Thursdays 7pm - 9pm
*Saturdays 1pm - 4pm
*Private appointments are available by request

More Info, Here


Thursday, April 18, 2013

Highlights From Four Suites @ Modern Formations Gallery: Susan Constanse



Sorry but many of my images don't do Susan's work justice. These works reward people who take time to look. The whiter, brighter ones burst with obvious beauty surrounded by what at first seem to be dull dark squares.  Gradually, images emerge or submerge from the torn, built up layers of paper and paint.

In the front room is great wall of delicate but mysterious collage drawings.


ModernFormations

4919 Penn Avenue.
Pittsburgh PA 15224
412.362.0274

Gallery Hours

*Thursdays 7pm - 9pm
*Saturdays 1pm - 4pm
*Private appointments are available by request

More Info: Here


Highlights From Four Suites @ Modern Formations Gallery: Laurie Trock



One reason you should see this show even if you know these artists is that it's filled with a lot of site specific work and sensitive interactions with the space. You will never see these exact experiences again.

Lori Trock did two amazing installations- one in the white entry space and one in the darker purple room.
Her work is combines fine craft and paper cutting with an open acceptance of random chance. A love of chance seems to be a common theme with all four artists in the show.


ModernFormations

4919 Penn Avenue.
Pittsburgh PA 15224
412.362.0274

Gallery Hours

*Thursdays 7pm - 9pm
*Saturdays 1pm - 4pm
*Private appointments are available by request

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Highlights from Four Suites @ Modern Formations Gallery: Jean McClung



As you may know, three of the four artists in this show, Susan Constanse, me & and  Jean McClung  post on this blog. We all seem too shy or busy to hype it. Bottom line, is it really did end up as a really nice show that worked well with the space and might be worth checking out.

 This is slide show of Jean McClung light boxes in the back gallery. Jean often meshes layers of images of urban art and industrial sites with scans of her own abstract paintings to make works that shine with weird, gritty energy. The lower light levels and dark purple walls in the back galley provide a great setting for this work.


Modern Formations Gallery 

4919 Penn Avenue.
Pittsburgh PA 15224
412.362.0274


  Gallery Hours *Thursdays 7pm - 9pm *Saturdays 1pm - 4pm
 *Private appointments are available by request

Closing Reception: April 26, 7-9PM

More info here

Friday, April 05, 2013

2013, Carnegie International List is out & includes Transformazium Artists actually living in Pittsburgh area

Off hand this seems like an interesting list, with lots of artists I don't know, from a wider range of places.

Artists include Ei Arakawa/Henning Bohl, Phyllida Barlow, Yael Bartana, Sadie Benning, Bidoun Library, The Collection, Nicole Eisenman, Lara Favaretto, Vincent Fecteau, Rodney Graham, Guo Fengyi, Wade Guyton, Rokni Haerizadeh, He An, Amar Kanwar, Dinh Q. LĂȘ, Mark Leckey, Pierre Leguillon, Sarah Lucas, Tobias Madison, Zanele Muholi, Paulina Olowska, The Playground Project, Pedro Reyes, Kamran Shirdel, Gabriel Sierra, Taryn Simon, Frances Stark, Joel Sternfeld, Mladen Stilinović, Zoe Strauss, Henry Taylor, Tezuka Architects, Transformazium, Erika Verzutti, and Joseph Yoakum.

Of course, any show that includes Zoe Strauss gets my attention.

I may check back with more thoughts.

See the list and a video about the choices here.

http://ci13.cmoa.org/artists-projects

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Unblurred + GA/GI = Supersized First Friday

unblurred in April

There's always a host of venues open and fun activities on First Fridays along Penn Ave for the monthly Unblurred series. April brings with it the GA/GI (Geek Art/Green Innovator) festival. In addition to the usual venues participating in Unblurred, Penn Ave will be amping it up with more presenters, activities and showcases.

GA/GI sets the tone for Unblurred with its central theme of green and renewable technologies. Some of the Galleries along the Penn Ave arts district feature artists that work with found materials and new technologies. For instance, Studio 5013 is featuring OZMA instruments: Guitars made of found and reclaimed materials by Jeffrey Schreckengost. At the other end of the spectrum, Edge Studios will present Robotics Artist, Donald Jones from CMU's High Point Project.

There's more than art happening during the festival. Optimus Technologies will be talking about how the next generation bio fuel systems actually works. Plumb Media is having a meet-and greet of some of the co-authors from Baker Leadership's latest book. Empowered in Pittsburgh encourages young adults to extend their handprint and get involved in their communities. Stop by to find out more!

April Unblurred also sees the return of The Clay Penn. Awesome Books, as you might know, is transforming to Amazing Books on April 3. The original location of Awesome Books on Penn Ave is already closed and is making its transformation to The Clay Penn. Stop in and reacquaint yourself with Laura McLaughlin's great ceramic works.

Four Suites

Of special note, I want to mention that I, along with Jean McClung, John Morris and Laurie Trok, will be exhibiting at ModernFormations. An extra special note: the opening reception is on Friday, April 5 from 7-10PM.

This is far, far from a comprehensive list of what is happening on April's first Friday, nor is it meant to be a Best of... preview. A list of events for Unblurred is available on their page and GA/GI's two-day calendar is posted here.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Meghan Olson at Box Heart Gallery

Meghan Olson at Box Heart Gallery
Meghan Olson at Box Heart Gallery

Meghan Olson's Platonic Folds and How To Make Sense of a Canyon exhibit at Box Heart is so peaceful. Mounted as vertical landscapes, the works have the feel of plains of grain, drifts of snow and gentle seas.

I imagine them in different rooms, with warm lamplight providing subtle tones of yellow and gold. Or in a room filled with winter light, and the folds almost disappear, marked only by the soft blue smudges of shadow. I could get lost in these, I think, my mind resting in these sweet and subtle shades.

But also, Ms. Olson displays a respect for her materials, with a careful choice of papers and presentation. The smaller prints, shown alongside the large paper hangings, are beautifully expressive, sparkling with confetti color.

From Box Heart's show description:
In this body of work, Olson uses common, often bland, materials to probe for movement and anomalistic meaning in a place, material, or form. The topographies depicted are not real or representative of a specific location or point in time. They exist like metaphors of lost thoughts and inconclusive ruminations. Rather than trying to find a particular magic model that will answer questions or explain things we universally may not know. Olson is interested in the data of the in-between, the reality that occurs when what we think we know and experience collide and exist; regardless of making perfect sense.

You can see more of Ms. Olson's work on Box Heart's onsite portfolio and in the collected images from the exhibit.

Platonic Folds and How To Make Sense of a Canyon
Printmaking and Mixed Media Works on Paper by Meghan Olson
March 5th - March 30th, 2013
Box Heart Gallery

Monday, March 25, 2013

Opportunities for artists

The Americans for the Arts conference will be in Pittsburgh this coming June. I'm sure that there are other opportunities happening around this event, so if you know of any let me know! You can email me at susanconstanse [at] gmail.com and I'll get it up, time permitting. Here's two that came through my email that sound pretty fun...



GPACFrom the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council

Pittsburghers at Large - Enter now for a chance to win one free registration to the main convention or one of three preconferences, AND $50 towards a GPAC membership. How do you enter? Simply illustrate what Pittsburgh is to you via a photo.

You can download our “Pittsburgh is..” thought bubble for your clever photo creation, or invent your own wheel. Submit your photos through our online form by April 5, 5 pm EST. All submissions will be added to a “Pittsburgh is... photo contest” photo album on our Facebook page for voting (one like = one vote) April 6 through April 12, 5 pm EST. The winner/owner of the most popular photo will be notified on the 12th.





I received an email from a good friend, outlining the following upcoming festival:

"Arts In Motion"
Call for Artist

Please respond to the email address provided on the flyer (if you click on the flyer, you'll get a bigger image) by April 15th and pass the word on to any other friends and artists you think would be interested.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Fit to Print @ Most Wanted Fine Art

Paul Roden and Valerie Lueth Garden
Paul Roden and Valerie Lueth Garden (Color Woodcut)

Now, this was a show that left me wanting more! It is a really fine selection of makers and techniques, with local and national representation. Printmakers exhibited works created with techniques in wood block, lithography, screen printing and more.

For all of you new collectors out there that want a new piece, prints are a great way to expand your collection without breaking the bank. Seriously good work and excellent technique for extremely reasonable prices from artists that really know what they're doing. Not just in technique, although there is plenty of that.

I am leaving a couple images up; these are indicative of what appealed to me. There are additional works that were bolder and more graphic that are just as good.

Paul Roden and Valerie Lueth (Tugboat Printshop) make some beautiful woodcuts, don't they? The color and detail are amazing, as are the intricate backgrounds and detailed figures. There is something very whimsical without being sappy about their works.

There are a couple of small lithographs from Scott Frish that tugged at me, too. I get a sense of powerful control and deliberation from this very small sampling of his work.

Valerie Lueth, Scott Frish
Valerie Lueth Livingroom (Color Woodcut), Scott Frish Untitled (Lithograph)
From MWFA's description: Large Prints presented by world famous rock poster printers Strawberry Luna, Woodblock super stars Tugboat Print Shop, Lithographs from Texas based Vermillion Press, and More

Most Wanted Fine Art
Fit to Print: a group show of Master Printers
March 1 - 23, 2013
www.most-wantedfineart.com
MOST WANTED FINE ART
5015 PENN AVE, PGH PA 15224
#MOSTWANTED5015, 412-328-3747

Thursday, March 07, 2013

GEEK ART/GREEN INNVATOR'S FESTIVAL 2013 SET FOR APRIL 5-6

"Never perfect...Just Beautiful" is the caption for GA/GI Fest. Each year, a mixture of the quirkiest, emerging and off-beat art, eco and tech ideas get a chance to be seen and heard during April's edition of First Fridays on Penn Avenue, an art crawl known as "Unblurred." This year it's on April 5th and 6th so mark those calendars! For more info from the blog, click here.

Sunday, March 03, 2013

March Unblurred

Last night's Unblurred was just amazing! Tons of people out, and some small touches here and there to prove that Pittsburgh is coming out of its winter slumber.

Heaven Didn’t Want Them: New Works by Christian Breitkreutz and Mike Egan
ModernFormations

“Heaven Didn’t Want Them: New Works by Christian Breitkreutz and Mike Egan”

Well, the title of the show is a little misleading, depending on your definition of recent. I had already seen a few of Christian Breitkreutz's works that are included in this exhibit, and his site indicates that some of the works were created in 2011. I'm being too picky, right? To counterbalance that, I will also say that I enjoyed seeing the work; the ones that were new to me as well as the ones that were in the previous exhibit.

It is a well executed exhibit; Breitkreutz's and Egan's work compliment each other without being redundant. The works were well chosen, with an eye for color as well as being mindful of theme. Breitkreutz's works have an overt macabre quality, with lots of tongue in cheek gore. Egan's work tends to boldness of shape and flat shapes.

Christian Breitkreutz
Mike Egan

Abby Diamond at Image Box

Abby Diamond at Image Box
Abby Diamond at Image Box
This is a very pretty show, with an emphasis on nice- sized watercolors of mostly birds. My favorite subject! I love birds, and have two avian companions that share my home.

My apologies for the quality of the above image: I took it with my cellphone. Although the other works in the exhibit were as beautiful, I really was very attracted to this one. The work was pieced together on the bottom third, which gave the work an interesting texture and dimension. Overall, Ms. Diamond handles watercolor very well, a media that I find difficult at best.

Abby Diamond

There is as much happening on Penn Avenue itself as there is in the many and varied venues that open their doors on First Fridays. Sorry for the poor quality of this shot, but it's nice to get a picture of this solar- and wind-powered street screen at night -

Solar illuminated street screen, Penn Avenue
Solar illuminated street screen, Penn Avenue
There are several of these street screens along Penn Ave. There's something really appealing about them.

Another small detail from last night was this little snippet, taped to what remains of a parking meter. This one was outside of ImageBox. I spotted another one near Spak Bros, but I had a difficult choice to make. Take the time to find someone to help me take the picture or miss the bus. I am imaging these posted up and down Penn Ave. At least, I hope they are!

Street Lit
Faster than the stars blink on
Of Note:

Put aside some time to really explore the Center for PostNatural History. Because RATS!

Atomic Age Rodents at the Center for PostNatural History
Atomic Age Rodents at the Center for PostNatural History

Shameless plug! Coming in April to ModernFormations, Four Suites with
Susan Constanse
Jean McClung
John Morris
Laurie Trok

Sunday, February 24, 2013

KUZANA OGG: Urbane

Kuzana Ogg: Urbane
Kuzana Ogg - From Left: Carnac Road, Churchgate Street, Dadar
My first thought when I walked into Box Heart to see the annual Artist of the year exhibit was that Urbane is a beautiful show. The air shimmered with color and light, and gave me a sense of peace. I though, here is someone who is pursuing intense beauty in their work. Not that sticky sweet beauty that is confused with prettiness, but real heart stopping beauty.

Kuzana Ogg has an exceptional grasp of color, and a fine hand with her media. The paintings are composed from delicate layers of translucent pigment, holding their own shimmering light. Her color choices are finely chosen and sophisticated, with an emphasis on warm and cool contrast. The works are patterned without being overwhelmingly busy, with expanses of muted tones playing an important counterpoint.

Included among the paintings are a few small textile works, which look a little like crazy quilts. I gather that textiles, along with cellular biology and urban development, are where Ms. Ogg finds her inspiration. From the show description --

The transformation of Ogg's paintings from organic imagery to patterned shapes resembling silk saris to geometric urban shapes offer a glimpse into the divine and the derivative idea that biological and botanical entities share fundamental similarities.

It seems to me that these inspirations are simply a vehicle for explorations in self and expression. There is a complexity apparent in these paintings that take them beyond beauty. I like the way Ms. Ogg successfully challenges the confines of her plane, especially in the above triptych. It seems so effortless, doesn't it? But the ground to figure relationship in this instance could have been static and dead if it wasn't done with a demonstrated understanding of composition.

Kuzana Ogg: Urbane (BoxHeart Gallery)
Kuzana Ogg: Urbane at BoxHeart Gallery


Seriously beautiful show. Urbane is on exhibit through March 2, and Ms. Ogg's work will continue to be available at Box Heart.

February 5, - March 2nd, 2013
Urbane
Paintings by Box Heart's 2013 Artist of the Year
KUZANA OGG

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Stephen Tuomala: A Permanent Gesture

Stephen Tuomala
Stephen Tuomala


Stephen Tuomala is showing a recent series of drawings at Fe Gallery in Lawrenceville. A permanent Gesture is a striking exhibit. The space lends itself to the large-scale work, providing enough room for the works to breathe and to be able to take the work in completely.

The works, regardless of scale, are created on bible pages. For the larger works, this means attaching the individual pages into expansive, wall-sized sheets. The smaller works are made from single interleaves and pages. Is that the correct term? When you disassemble a book, groups of printed pages are folded in half and sewn. So, you are looking at two pages on each sheet. (and aside: I find bookmaking fascinating.) I am not sure which bible edition Mr. Tuomala used for this exhibit, but the paper is beautiful and the volume must have been oversized, but not as large as a quarto volume would be.

Stephen Tuomala
Stephen Tuomala

As the name of the exhibit implies, the works are very gestural. The starkness of raw ink is counterbalanced by the texture of the printed word, lending subtle shadings to the deeper ink-covered areas and providing texture in the untouched areas. Mr. Tuomala shows a very expressive hand in these drawings, from the smallest to the largest. It was also intriguing to see the smaller works alongside their large-scale counterparts. Many of the smaller works looked like they could be studies, and gave a hint at the process of developing the figures for the larger works.

Stephen Tuomala
Stephen Tuomala

I think I'll leave this here. From the show description:

A Permanent Gesture is focused around Christian ideas of the Rapture. These large scale drawing installations depict juxtapose contemporary imagery as metaphors for the theoretical Rapture events.

From a thematic standpoint, I don't really think I can add anything to this succinct statement. There is a lot of implied violence in the works, and it supports the violence implicit in the biblical cycle of the Rapture.

The exhibit is up through March 3, and luckily the gallery has regular hours. If you really want a chance to find out more about Stephen Tuomala and the works in A Permanent Gesture, Fe is hosting a gallery talk on Thursday, February 21. There's a good chance I'll be there for the artist talk. I do have some questions.

Stephen Tuomala: A Permanent Gesture
February 1 - March 3, 2013
Artist Talk
Thursday, February 21
7-8:30pm
Fe Gallery | 4102 Butler Street, Pittsburgh PA 15201 | art@fegallery.org
Thursday – Friday: 4 – 8 pm Saturday: 12 – 6 pm Sunday: 12 – 4 pm

Monday, February 18, 2013

Insane Pittsburgh Asset: Tech Shop Opens in March

Holy Crap- What is all this stuff? Chances are you don't have all this in your garage or basement workshop.

See images I took here: (Had trouble embedding slideshow)
And here:

Wanna Weld?
Vacuum form Plastic?
Laser cut wood?
Laser cut plastic or steel?
Coat, paint or airbrush in a place with a super high tech ventilation system?
Use three-d printers?
Use other high tech printers?
Water cut thick steel or Marble?
Just use really great Power Saws and other tools?
Work in a place without worrying about blowing every fuse in your house?

There's more stuff I didn't mention I'm sure, like high power computer workstations and CAD programs.

Think, you can't use this stuff? Take a class and learn. (Use of many tools requires classes)

TechShop is a community based workshop and prototyping studio on a mission to democratize access to the tools of innovation. Our seventh and newest location, TechShop Pittsburgh will offer the Pittsburgh maker community more than 16,000 square feet of workshops equipped with world class tools and equipment, computers loaded with design software featuring the Autodesk Design Suite, hundreds of classes each month, and the support and camaraderie of a community of like-minded-makers
 While Tech Shop is rolling out across the country, Pittsburgh is currently one of only 7 open so far. (DC Location on the way)

Thursday, February 07, 2013

Awesome!

Laura McLauglin and Bob Ziller at Awesome Books
Laura McLauglin and Bob Ziller at Awesome Books


It's been around a year since Awesome Books popped up in their Liberty Ave location in downtown Pittsburgh. The space, originally raw and bare, has become populated with a well chosen array of books, housing a selection of independent press books, and playing host to a number of events.

Laura McLaughlin and Bob Ziller have made the storefront into a haven not only for independent bookstores, but for local cultural events as well. Back in November, Awesome Books hosted a reading of A Film About Billy by Daniel McCloskey. Great story, if you haven't had a chance to read it yet. More recently, this little gem of a bookstore also played host to Moon Calling, an exhibition of paintings by Richard Rappaport.

Awesome Books is also beginning to publish their own indepenedent imprint, Lascaux Editions, a very exciting development.

So, here's where you come in, dear reader. The fine proprietors are seeking support to keep their storefront functioning and to continue with publishing books with their imprint. Several weeks ago, they began an Indiegogp campaign, now in its last few days. Support, however, is not without its rewards. Premiums included everything from limited edition prints to signed first editions. But don't let that influence you, Awesome Books deserves your support for the contributions they have brought to out cultural landscape.

Awesome Books
Indiegogo campaign929 Liberty Ave.
Pittsburgh PA 15222

Wednesday, February 06, 2013

Unblurrrrred

I admit, I didn't make it to every venue that was open this past First Friday. I usually try a little harder, and welcome the random wanderings that Penn Avenue presents in its warmer weather offerings. February is always a trial, so I just focused on a few spaces and beat a hasty retreat to my warm little house.

Most Wanted Fine Art (5015 Penn) … 6PM TO 11PM
“CONVERGENCE: New works by Donnie Toomer & Andrew Rabb
Month Long Exhibit

Donnie Toomer and Andrew Rabb at MWFA
Donnie Toomer (left) and Andrew Rabb (right) at MWFA


Oh, now, Donnie Toomer's work was fun to look at. Really, the exhibit of portraits is colorful and active; lots of energy packed into those little frames. It was nice to see some familiar faces on the walls, too. You know, this is the second portrait show I've seen recently. I'm hoping that the interest in portraiture continues to appeal. Human portrayal is very complex, and becomes even more so when you are also looking at the subtext of the artist in his portraits.

By contrast, Andrew Rabb's photography was more quiet and contemplative. The photographs were very clean and crisp, with a nice light quality to them. The image above was my favorite from his small presentation of several works. There are more examples of these ephemeral portraits on his website, which are every bit as good.

All in all, a very nice show at MWFA this month, even if the works are so divergent.

Get to know Andrew Rabb and Donnie Toomer a little bit better.

Modernformations Gallery and Performance Space (4919 Penn)
“Darkness and light: The Artwork of Richard Claraval”
Exhibit runs through Feb 22nd.
Richard Claraval at ModernFormations
Richard Claraval at ModernFormations


Richard Claraval's intentions are very clearly drawn in his exhibit Darkness and light. From the show statement -

The back room of the Gallery, with it’s hues of deep red and purple, will be filled with drawings that explore the destructive forces of the world: greed, nationalism, the great disparity between the haves and have-nots, religion; the “Dark”. While the white cube front room will contain images of the “Light” or positive forces: science, education, independent thinking, tolerance.

The works were larger-scale drawings, treated with a loose and expressive hand. Thematically separated, the works in the front room were more controlled while the ones in the back, designated as depicting darker forces, were treated more chaotically. The large scale of the drawings (about 36" x 36") gave them a lot of impact.

A few notes:
Stuff 'n Such Society, along with its nostalgic miscellania and original artworks, has also begun to carry chapbooks.
LAW OF OFFICE OF RICHARD J. WALTERS and THE DANCE EMPORIUM (5005 Penn Ave)has Tango music, beginning at 9:30PM every first Friday
Catapult Co-Working Space has a Show 'n Tell every First Friday, beginning at 5PM.
Awesome Books is Awesome! Also, show them some love.

Monday, February 04, 2013

Amazing, Must See Show @ Carnegie Museum: Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939

I knew this was almost certain to be a great show- although in many ways, it wasn't what I expected.

World's fairs and technology exhibitions are one of the biggest forming influences on the modern world-- and the even the design of cities like Pittsburgh. What I expected was an exhibit very heavy on text, photographs, historic documents, audio, video and displays telling this story.

Instead, the focus is on over 200 objects of furniture, jewelry, glass and design - most of which were actually shown at these fairs, unfolding in chronological order.

Fairs were almost the Olympics of their day, in which highly competitive craftsman and companies showed off both extreme craft, technique and the very latest technology. Even so, most of these works- but not all- transcend to become true works of high art. Many are actually mindblowing.

October 13, 2012–February 24, 2013
Heinz Galleries

for more info

I will try to return with another post about this show.