Pittsburgh Weekend Art Events: 8/5-6/11.

c. David Grim (taken 7/9/11)

Friday

This month's Unblurred features an installation of found material art by Rust Belt insiders Joseph Close, Ron Copeland, Dana Depew, and Dave Desimone. They are at assemble (5125 Penn Ave). Gina Favano has "mixed media" work at the Irma Freeman Center (5006 Penn), and Garfield Artworks (4931 Penn) hosts VOLUTION IN ARTS XIV with Adia, Dennis Warner, Jesse Harris, Bradley Sizemore, Caroline Cratsley, and Tobi Makinde. Also check out ink drawings by Rebecca Spitler at Imagebox (4933 Penn) and "new work" by Greg Kamerdze at Mr. Roboto's rapidly developing new space (5106 Penn).

The Brew House (2100 Mary Street) in the South Side is shaking things up with a retrospective of Cuban-based artist Jorge Luis Santana. There's a little bit of everything to see including installations, videos, paintings and photographs. That gets underway at 6PM.

Saturday

Go learn about the "Lost Pittsburgh School" in Braddock at Unsmoke Systems Artspace (1137 Braddock Avenue), starting at 7PM. No... I've never heard of it before either. Apparently it was a local movement in the 70's featuring the work of creators Joseph Barkoczi, Gil Dugita and Wilem Smithammer, who focused on Earthworks and other conceptual outdoor art. Show up and hear noted author Stewart O'Nan pontificate on what it all meant.

Pittsburgh Art Events: 2/5-6/10.

c. David Grim
(taken 4/12/09)


This Friday is the first Unblurred of 2010.

Lauren Toohey and Sam Thorpe are together at Most Wanted Fine Arts for "Guests Undressed". In January they had an exhibition at ArtForm in Lower Burrell, and featured a "naked buffet". I got there too late for the show-it-all, but I enjoyed the work and the space itself. No doubt they'll keep it just as interesting on Penn.

Another highlight will be "Escape to Eyeball Island" at Modern Formations. Gabe Felice is currently one of my favorite artists, and he's a damned nice guy too. If you haven't been out to DV8 Cafe in Greensburg (where he's gainfully employed), you gotta come out to see him (and his work) now. This one's billed as "a concept show inspired by self sabotage, remote viewing, and prophetic everydayism". Maybe I'll even remember to return his Gary Busey movie to him.

Garfield Artworks has an all-photography show with Radikal Kats, Dennis Warner, Jason Collat, Maura Housley & Lindsay Husk. Jeffrey Schreckengost & Lisa Toboz present their woodwork and photography at the anarchist T-shirt store and gallery called Rebellious Nature (104 N. Graham St.), and "Unstill'd" includes site-specific installation work by artists of the Distillery 4 program. That's located at the mysterious Schmutz Lodge (5405 Broad St,).

Finally you can see 'You're a Cheese Sandwich" down in the 6th Ward at Fast>>frwd (3700 Penn Ave). It's all work by students currently enrolled in the WVU MFA program.

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts is unveiling "Cluster", a collection of pieces curated by director Adam Welch. It runs from 5:30-8PM.

Down in Lawrenceville Jason Woolslare rools out "Where's my Huffy", from 6-11PM at the Zombo Gallery (4900 Hatfield Street). I'm a big fan of Jason's colorfully-layered line paintings, so I'll definitely fit it into my schedule. And as a special bonus, Woolslare's colleague Aaron Shafer is filling a wall as well. Meanwhile Liz Reed has a series of photoscans at Coca Cafe (3811 Butler St). It's been awhile since I've visited that venue, but it's a charming little space to grab an espresso. The reception runs from 7-9PM. If bars are your scene, you can check out the drag queen portraits of Donald Rager at Remedy (7PM).

Saturday

If you get some time cleared up during the afternoon, stop by at the Union Project in Highland Park (801 N. Negley Avenue) for the "I Made It! Mine" market, which will have all types of handcrafted items by local artisans just in time for Valentine's Day. It goes from noon until 5PM.

Too often I fail to blog about events in Braddock. But just because it's out of the way (1137 Braddock Ave), doesn't mean it's not worth the transit. Unsmoke Systems is featuring the work of graduates of the Art Institute of Pennsylvania. The opening reception runs from 7-10PM.