Spring 2012 Gallery Crawl: My Favorite Galleries

Unleashed Content by Peter Bogers (Wood St. Galleries) 

One of the most exciting events in the city is the Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District.  The quarterly "Crawl" acts as one huge gallery opening for the galleries of the Cultural District as it showcases artists and performers from all over the area.  This Spring there were 23 galleries and venues that participated in the event.  Who knew there were so many galleries in that 3 block radius?  The Gallery Crawl is a very fun night - everything is free; drinks, sometimes food, and of the course the galleries and entertainment.  It's a great tradition Pittsburgh is making for the up and coming artists in this city.  The next Gallery Crawl will be July 13th - hope to see you all there!

Here are some of my favorite galleries:

SPACE 

The SPACE gallery featured work by Mark Boulos, Gerard Hoithuis, Folkert de Jong, Geert Mul, Marnix de Nijs, and Karen Sargsyan.

Untitled (Abroad Understanding) by Karen Sargsyan  at SPACE. 

Broken Slogan at Future Tenant feat. works by Arthur Mohagen III, Johnathan Chamberlain (also curator), and John Phillip Abbott. 

Cell Phone Disco   - This has been up for a while - but I still LOVE it!  

Girls N' Guns at 707 Penn Gallery 

Torso by 12th Grader Jackie Clarke at the Trust Arts Education Center

Religiously Bound by Tayaunna Jackson at the Trust Arts Education Center (I was able to meet and speak with Ms. Jackson who is in 8th grade, she explains that the piece represents the entry way to hell, and how that idea sways people on a daily basis - we are "religiously bound")  

MY FAVORITE:  Unleashed Content by Peter Bogers at Wood St. Galleries (It's a video chorus of YouTube videos of people crying, bungee jumping, yelling, dancing, ect.. all at once, it's VERY cool!!!)

JOIN ME ON THE NEXT GALLERY CRAWL JULY 13TH!!! 

EVENTS: Steve Emmett: Internal Reflections ***Plus - More Art Shows Coming Up!!!***

Jerome in Cottonwood by Steve Emmett (1995)

Steve Emmett was not a portriat painter.  However his work does express the human condition and brings a familiarity to anyone viewing his work. He was a painter (oils mostly), a print maker, and a professor at Edinboro Univeristy of drawing, painting and 2D design. Steve Emmett passed away in 2008, and now his son Ryan is keeping his art alive by showcasing his father's work.  His latest gallery titled "Steve Emmett: Internal Reflections," will be opening (tomorrow) Friday January 13th  at 6pm and running until  February 19th at 707 Gallery on Penn Ave.

Ryan Emmett, Curator of Internal Reflections and son of Steve Emmett

"I don't like the idea of memorializing," Ryan says. He wanted to showcase Steve's work in a more realistic and cognitive sort of way.  This stems from an observation Ryan and his mother came to while going through Steve's paintings: that his work consistently featured solitary male figures. The reason for this is unknown, and though Ryan has his theories, he prefers to leave it open ended for the viewer. 

At first glance, Steve Emmett's work is colorful, somewhat humerous, and humanistic.  But then when observed at a closer perspective, you will find all sorts of mysteries.  "He would leave a painting alone for a month then say 'I don't like it' and completely paint over it - so there's like these ghost-like figures [in the background] from past paintings," says Ryan.  Steve would say "It's only paintings, nobody died on the operating table."



Roam by Steve Emmett (1991)

  Steve's use of color is somewhat similar to South Western, Native American art, it only seems fitting that his biggest inspirations were Native American artist Fritz Scholder and Bay Area painter Nathan Oliveira. "He was very aware of his influence of the Bay Area Figure Painters, but he always wanted to expand beyond that," says Ryan.  Steve Emmett: Internal Reflections is said to be a show that focuses on the humanistic value of Steve Emmett's work and the mysterious meanings behind his paintings. 


MORE ART SHOWS COMING UP:

Andy Warhol's Superstars were an elite clique of personalities that gained notoriety and fame through thier association with the infamous artist. They were heavily featured in Warhol's early works and lived their lives immersed in the NYC art scene. The staff at the Andy Warhol Museum are similarly immersed in the Pittsburgh art community.  They are a (less than) elite clique of personalities that have 2 things in common: they have worked as caretakers of Warhol's art by day and as fine artists by night.  The show opens (also tomorrow) Friday January 13th at 6pm at Wildcard on Butler St. 
 For more information click here

Local Artist Danny Devine hosts his first solo show since 2008, Heaven With The Lid Off.  The show will feature drawings, paintings, and photos depicting the artist's favorite aspects of Pittsburgh and pays homage to what was once Industrial Pittsburgh.  It will open on Saturday, January 21 at Blasfome Store in the Southside.