Break Time

We’re taking another break. If you’ve noticed we haven’t been posting regularly lately so we’ve decided to just officially take a break for a while. We’ ll be back when life slows down a little more. We’ll keep Tweeting as usual, but no blogging for a while. You can follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/citycreative).  Stay creative Pittsburgh!

 

South Side Works Exposed

Be sure to check out a full weekend of local crafters & artisans at ‘I Made It Market’ happening outside on 27th St in South Side Works. Pittsburgh Magazine just included ‘I Made It Market’ in their ‘Best of the Burgh 2011′ as the most easygoing craft fair.There’s a full lineup of other family friendly activities and live music going on as well…schedule here. Starts tonight at 5pm!

Friday, July 15th : 5 – 10 pm
Saturday, July 16th : 12 – 10 pm
Sunday, July 17th : 12 – 5 pm

We’ll be vending our furniture & wood home goods all weekend (Cenzo Design), so stop by and say hi! You can check out the full list of the other awesome vendors here.

 

RECHARGEABLE : Jorge Luis Santana

*opening reception changed to Friday July 29th August 5th (It seems Jorge is having some difficulties flying out of Cuba, hence the 2nd date change)

‘RECHARGEABLE’, the personal exhibition of visiting Cuban artist Jorge Luis Santana will be having its opening reception on Friday July 22nd 29th August 5th at the Brew House Space 101 Gallery in the South Side, from 6pm to 9:30pm. The exhibition will feature installations, video, paintings and photos from the artist.

The official press release:

With RECHARGABLE, the Camagüeyan artist closes a cycle of work for more than 20 years of creation. The exhibition brings together a set of very current ideas and projects, together with others that Santana has been in process of during his artistic career, casting in about 25 pieces, including installations, paintings, sculptures, photographs and video art, giving it a unique generic and technical feel. Here the artist focuses more attention on the effectiveness of the materials, finishing and cleaning in the execution of the works, giving more value to the conceptual and offering a sharper look the its recurrent, but always original sociological concerns, on the influence of context on the behavior of the individual, the environment and its relation to the cultural fabric of society and the Soliloquy of the interior of the human being with different choices of destination, the history and time.

In this regard, we will notice how Santana is interested more and more by the approach of the everyday and the problem of the image and its contents. Iconographies and purposes outlined in various creative periods converge, revealing the relationship as a whole, a cultural statement, visually in a way that is characteristic and representative of the artist.

Santana gives great importance to the creative process, the final selection, multiple solutions to internalize and investigate, as well as linkages with other materials and techniques often outside the artistic practice. This allows you to establish a kind of feedback which incorporates his work contents and knowledge by way of support where the speech is based.

Opening reception is Friday July 22nd 29th August 5th: 6-9:30pm.
Weekly Gallery hours through August 13th:
Wednesdays & Thursdays : 6-9pm
Saturdays: 12-6pm

The Brew House Space 101 Gallery is located at 2100 Mary St in the South Side (15203).

Mirette’s Circus

Looking for something to do with the kids this weekend? The Zany Umbrella Circus is presenting Mirette’s Circus at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty this Thursday through Saturday. I hope I can get over to see this.

“From a little inn in Paris, France set in the 1920′s, a young girl Mirette finds a calling on the tight wire. A friendship is formed with unlikely tight-wire walking superstar and her youthful courage and optimism ignites a new love of the art.”

“Known for their outdoor performances, this new performance is a collaboration between the Zany Umbrella Circus (USA) and Oko Sokolo Company (Germany). The performance uses physical theater, masks, dance, and circus to abstractly address self doubt, courage, perseverance, mentorship and passion. This original theater piece was inspired by Mirette on the Highwire, a Children’s book written by Emily Arnold McCully. Mirette gives a nod to a time when bohemian artists created theater in rehearsal halls illuminated by gas light.”

“Mirette’s Circus is commissioned by SummerStage Kids (NYC) with generous residency support from the Kelly Strayhorn Theater.”

July 7 & 8 | 7PM
July 9 | 10:30AM

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children, artists, 15206 zipcode

For tickets & more info, head to http://www.kelly-strayhorn.org/

 

BIKEFEST 2011

Bikefest is coming! The schedule is out! We’ll remind you when the date draws closer, but for now you can start planning your schedule around the events list. Check out all the goings’on right here at Bike Pittsburgh.

Diamond Diamonds

The opening reception for artist Carin Mincemoyer’s Diamond Diamonds, a new work of public art on Market Street in Downtown Pittsburgh, happening next Thursday, the 14th. The evening starts with the artist’s talk, followed by the opening reception.

From the press release:

The sculpture has two parts made of steel, acrylic, and LED lighting, and mounted on City of Pittsburgh light poles on opposite sides of Market Street. Activating the street during the day and night, it enhances the pedestrian experience and visual connection between the Cultural District and Market Square. The title of the work refers to Market Square once being called “the diamond.”

Diamond Diamonds was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, and made possible through the work of the Office of Public Art and the City of Pittsburgh. The artwork is the most recent addition to the City’s public art collection.

Thursday, July 14, 2011
6:00 PM Artist Talk + 7:00 PM Reception
Buhl Building, 204 Fifth Avenue, 4th floor, Downtown Pittsburgh
Free and open to the public. Reservations requested.

 

Artist-Gallery Relations Workshop & Portfolio Reviews

Artist & Gallery Relations Workshop and Portfolio Reviews with Michael Foley at the Silver Eye Center for Photography.

Official Press Release:

Chelsea comes to Pittsburgh this summer as we welcome Michael Foley of Foley Gallery to Silver Eye. This is your opportunity to learn about gallery relationships and representation from a notable art world “insider” and to get individualized feedback on your work.

If you register for both sections, you will receive an additional 10% discount!

Artist-Gallery Relations Workshop

Saturday, July 30,10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Fee: $35 for Silver Eye members; $45 for non-members

Location: Silver Eye Center for Photography

Instructor: Michael Foley, Owner, Foley Gallery, New York

What is the best way to approach a gallery about exhibiting your work? What are common mistakes an artist might make in their presentation? What expectations should you have of a gallery and what should the gallery expect of you? Is a contract really necessary? This workshop, led by leadingNew Yorkgallery owner Michael Foley, will answer these questions and many more about gallery representation and relationships.

Individualized Portfolio Reviews

Saturday, July 30,1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Fee: $40 for Silver Eye members; $45 for non-members

Location: Silver Eye Center for Photography

Limited to 8 slots, 20 minutes in length

Take advantage of this great opportunity to get individualized feedback on your work from Michael Foley, whose gallery is especially focused on building careers of lesser-known artists and promoting the work of ones who have been under recognized.

Meet the Teacher

Michael opened Foley Gallery in the fall of 2004 after several years of working with notable photography galleries including Fraenkel Gallery, Howard Greenberg Gallery and Yancey Richardson Gallery. The gallery specializes in the representation of contemporary artists who work with photography, painting, sculpture and works on paper. He is on the faculty of Parsons School of Design and theSchoolofVisual Artswhere he teaches and lectures on issues in contemporary photography. He is also the co-founder of the Exhibition Lab inNew York, a study center for people involved in various aspects of fine art photography.

Click here to register and for full descriptions and teacher bios.

Become a member of Silver Eye today and enjoy discounts on course fees, plus other exclusive benefits.

Full and partial tuition assistance is available to eligible students.Click here to download the scholarship eligibility requirements and form. The Bigger Picture is made possible in part through a Seed Award from The Sprout Fund and the support of The Fine Foundation and Epson.

 Questions? Contact Aaron Blum, Silver Eye’s Education Coordinator at 412.431.1810, ext. 11 or by e-mail at education@silvereye.org. Aaron is available for consultation on which courses to select and to answer any other questions you may have.

 

 

 

Can’t Stop The Serenity

Can’t Stop the Serenity is a worldwide event which organizes screenings of Joss Whedon’s movie, Serenity, to raise funds and awareness to support Equality Now in their work for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women around the world. This is the sixth year of the event, and you can find out more about it at  http://wwwcantstoptheserenity.com. The Pittsburgh event will take place on July 8, 2011 at the Orpheus Singing Society (6301 Butler Street, Pittsburgh) at 5:00 p.m. In addition to the screening, there will be raffles, activities such as a nerf gun shooting range, origami, and trivia, as well as a vendor marketplace. Find out more at http://cstspgh.webs.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158662484193240.

 

 

Bastille Day in the Burgh

The Alliance Française de Pittsburgh will host a celebration of the French national holiday, Bastille Day at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, on Thursday, July 14 from 6 to 9 p.m., which will include food, art, entertainment, and a silent auction.

Cost is $75 per adult and $35 per child (12 and under). All proceeds will directly benefit The Alliance Française de Pittsburgh. Registration is being taken online at www.afpitt.org or, by calling 412.578.2477. Attire is “chic casual.”

 

The Troll Hunter

Feel like doing a little Trolling this Wednesday and Thursday night? The Norwegian film TROLLHUNTER is making a two-night appearance at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont, starting tomorrow night! Official website for the film here.

Official Press Release:

The Hollwood Theater, a not-for-profit repertory theater in Dormont, announces a two night screening of the critically acclaimed independent film, “TROLLHUNTER”.

On Wednesday at 7:00 pm and Thursday & Friday at 9:30 pm the Hollywood Theater will present the Pittsburgh area premiere of TROLLHUNTER. Shot in veritestyle, TROLLHUNTER tells the story of a veteran hunter, as he reveals the world of beastsknown only in Norwegian folklore. It’s not long before the accompanying students believe his unlikely tales. The film delivers truly fantastic images of giant trolls wreaking havoc on the Norwegian countryside, with darkly funny situations and dialogue.

In keeping with the realistic documentary spirit of the film, the cast was called upon to do one very important thing: improvise the whole movie. “The whole film was improvised on set”, says Norwegian born Director/Writer Andre Overdal. “It was the only way I could really make a film that was going to have this level of documentary feeling”. We couldn’t have acting; we couldn’t have direction. We couldn’t have a feeling that this had been planned.”

TROLLHUNTER was an official selection of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Ticket prices for all shows are $7 for adults and $5 for children and seniors.

Substrates

There have been a lot of really good art shows the first half of 2011, and this one looks like no exception. ‘Substrates’, a group show, will be held on July 30th @ UnSmoke Systems Gallery in Braddock.

Featured Artists:

Strawberryluna - strawberryluna.com
A silk screening power house from Pittsburgh

MODESTo! - modestoprints.com
Silk screening, collages, hand drawn awesomeness

Shannon Gustafson - shannongustafson.com
Photography, detail, detail, detail!

Stephanie Towell - stephanie-towell.com
Assemblage & Collage

Emil Industries - emilindustries.com
A new silkscreen artist in Braddock

Featured Performers:

Hooley - Pittsburgh’s premier Traditional Irish Music band,
brings alive the ancient and contemporary tunes and
songs of Ireland, with flute, whistle, concertina, banjo,
guitar and percussion. And a little poetry thrown in for
good luck. Get ready to dance, or just kick back and
enjoy. 7 til 8pm

Paul Dang - 720 records
House to hip hop. Erase your expectations.

Tom Cox - infinitestatemachine.com/RA/Love what you feel
Disco/house and everything inbetween

C-Town - Rocking Horse Gallery
Experimental sounds

Low Space - soundcloud.com/lowspace
Down tempo goodness

Pizza Oven – 6 til 7pm
Free event poster for the first 50 guests
Visual installation by C-Town
720 Records booth

Free event
21+ to drink and/or byob
starts at 6pm

UnSmoke Systems Gallery
1137 Braddock Avenue
Braddock, PA 15104
(415) 518-9921

FB event page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=167720103288455
UnSmoke Systems: unsmokeartspace.com
contact email: erikgustafson@gmail.com

 

No Parking

Just got back from a walk around the South Side and realized that half of the photos I snapped had to do with ‘No Parking’. And while ‘No Parking’ is a hassle for Pittsburgh suburbanites flooding the South Side on the weekends, it’s a way of life for us residents. We deal.

 

 

Want it? Have It!

We’re always looking for new and exciting arts happenings to post…not always the usual big museum stuff (which we still love)…and this event fits perfectly into our line of thinking. ‘Want It? HaveIt!’ is happening this weekend in White Oak.

“The borough of White Oak will be turned into a pop-up gallery on the weekend of June 18 & 19.* Creative works of all sorts will be on display at various random outdoor locations — if you see a piece you like, keep it! All works on display are free for the taking.”

What a great idea! Based on the works of some of the submitting artists..i.e. Stephanie Towell (www.stephanie-towell.com) and Brad Towell www.modestoprints.com, there is some awesome artwork to scavenge. This sounds like a great time and an awesome idea for other communities to follow and embrace the arts!

You can check out their Facebook page for more info:  http://www.facebook.com/wiparts.org

 

D6

The Distillery Program at the Brew House is looking for new applicants for D6…the next iteration of the artistic and professional development incubator is having a call for artists. The applications are up and emerging artists are wanted. Only a very limited number of applicants are selected (6-10) so apply now!

What you get:
-8 Months of artistic and professional development
-Common Studio Space provided for artists: size dependant on the needs
of participating artists, modest subsidized rental fee on space
provided (cost to be determined by size)
-Weekly critiques, artist talks & studio visits
-A final exhibition show

Your credentials:
-Artists working in any visual media (not open to students)
-Must be able to attend all scheduled sessions
-Applications will be reviewed by quality of work, and potential
impact of program on artistic career

To Apply:
1. 10 images: 150 dpi jpegs with image list information emailed to
distillerysix@gmail.com
2. Current CV + 2 references
3. 1-2 paragraph statement explaining how participation in this
program could enhance your artistic practice
4. Current artist statement (limit 1 page)

Complete Application Online at http://distillery6.com/
If you have questions or if you are unable to complete the online
applications please contact distillerysix@gmail.com.
Deadline: July 15th, 2011 for Fall Session!
facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Distillery-6-Arts-Residency/206774659360193?sk=wall

Pittsburgh Noir

I am absolutely in love with the poster art from ‘Speaking of…Noir’, which is happening June 18th at the New Hazlett Theater. It looks like a great evening of spoken word, dance and music.

The official press release:

‘Speaking of…’, an arts series based onPittsburgh’s Northshore, is partnering with Akashic Books, publishers of the legendary ‘Noir’ series, to present a night of mystery stories, dubstep/ballet/break dance fusion, soul and jazz, and the spoken word: ‘Speaking of…Noir!’ June 18th at8:00 PM at the New Hazlett Theater.

 The evening features the stories of National Book Award Winner Terrance Hayes, Paul Lee, and local legend K.C. Constantine alongside the music of Dreamjob and the dance choreography of Hannah Galvin and Randall Miller, along with a finale number choreographed by Evolve Productions.

 ‘Speaking of…’, founded in November 2010 as an event that showcased spoken word alongside fiction and poetry in a welcoming, open atmosphere at Amani Coffeehouse. is bringing the same motif to this event.

Beyond the absurd talents of the writers and musicians and dancers, ‘Speaking of…Noir’ will also feature not one but two Cave Canem fellows, Laura Yes Yes and Mahogany Browne.

 Tickets for the June 18th event can be purchased online at speakingofpittsburgh.com for 8$, and willalso be available for 10$ at the door. Follow ‘Speaking of’ on Twitter @speakingofpgh and on Facebook (Speaking of…) or check out the website for more information and updates.

I also found their great promo video for the event: