Pittsburgh, PA

Even though I haven’t been to the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts since high school, I’ve noticed they have been doing some interesting work there and I thought I’d help spread the word.

Here’s just some of the things I suggest checking out:

Adult & Summer Classes: For anyone who misses art class in high school or college or always wanted to experiment with painting or any artistic medium, these classes could be the solution. The PCA offers both adult and youth classes, as well as hosting a workshop for younger children in the summer.

Adult classes offered include, printmaking and book arts, ceramics and sculpture, creative writing, decorative and fiber arts, jewelry and metal arts, as well as media and photographic arts. Neat!

For a complete schedule of classes offered at the PCA, click here. Even though the deadline for Winter classes has passed, there is still time to register for the Spring classes. For information on the children’s Summer Camp click here.

PCA Shop: The PCA is currently working on building a consignment based media shop, which will feature local books, zines, dvds, cds and other items that fit into this category. It sounds like a really neat idea and a great way to support the local art, music and film scene.

Their website says the deadline for submitting work was February 15th, but the City Paper says February 29th, so if you’re really interested, you may want to contact them and see if it’s not too late to submit work. For more information, go here.

Current Shows:

Icons and Incongruities: Photographs from America’s Heartland by Jim Schafer

The photography show runs from February 8th until April 13th and features photographs of “simpler times” and small mid-western towns. The prints are in color, as well as in black and white and contain images of abandoned buildings, which happen to be a personal favorite subject matter of mine.

Admission is a $5 suggested donation and hours are as follows:
Monday- closed
Tues-Sat- 10-5pm
Sunday- 12-5pm

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts is the bright yellow building located at 6300 Fifth Ave in Shadyside. If you’ve ever been to Shadyside, you probably know where I mean, but to be more specific, it’s at the intersection of 5th and Shady Avenue.

For more information on the AAP show visit my previous post and for the PCA click here.

Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside, art, classes, photography

I Made It! is having its first evening affair this Friday called the I Made It Fashionable, which will be a combo of a fashion and craft show, as well as featuring local dance and music acts. Sounds like a good time!

The event is being held at the Brew House in the South Side, which if you went to the craft show the last time it was there, you’ll know where you’re headed. If not, it’s on Mary Street by 21st Street. Doors open at 7:30 with the fashion show starting at 8pm. Following the fashion show will be performances by Jazzercize Troop Radical Pittsburgh and DJ J. Malls of The Big Throw Back.

The show is being sponsored by Sugar Boutique, Jet Boy Jet Girl, Jupe Boutique, Philip Pelusi in the South Hills, Penn Brewery, the music and dance acts and the Brew House Association.

Admission is $5 and you must be 21 to drink. I always find really neat stuff at their craft show, so I definitely plan on going!

For more information on I Made It! visit their Myspace or the Brew House’s site here.

Also going on this weekend is David Hare’s Vertical hour at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. Now I’m not just promoting this play, because I graduated from Point Park but because it looks really interesting.

Here’s the summary straight from the REP’s website:

Hot off its successful international Broadway debut, The Vertical Hour is Hare’s contemporary story drawn right from today’s headlines. An impassioned debate between a former American female war correspondent turned Yale professor and her boyfriend’s British father ensues over the American management (or mismanagement) of the Iraq War and international relations. Funny, poignant, and at times disturbing, the encounter takes an unanticipated turn as the discussion ignites a dangerous attraction between the two, revealing the stark revelation that each is in flight from their own lives.

Showtimes are 8pm Thursday-Saturday, as well as a 2pm showing on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets run between $24-27, with a discount given to Point Park students, which I strongly suggest taking advantage of!

To buy tickets and for more information, visit the Pittsburgh Playhouse’s website here.

And here’s one last reminder that the Chihuly exhibit closes this Saturday so catch it while you can!

Pittsburgh, I Made It Fashionable, Brew House, craft show, fashion, Vertical Hour, Pittsburgh Playhouse, play, war

The artist Wayno is having a neat exhibit at the Gypsy Cafe featuring the Chinese Zodiac and I thought I’d spread the word. I’ve been meaning to go the Gypsy Cafe for awhile, so I definitely think this is my excuse to go. I may even write a review of the cafe; I really need to start doing those!

Press Release:
Following Squaresville, last summer’s sold-out art show at Zombo Gallery in Lawrenceville, local artist Wayno returns with his latest exhibit, Animalia Astrologica: The Chinese Zodiac, opening February 5, 2008 at the Gypsy Café on the South Side.

Animalia Astrologica is a series of twelve paintings, representing the animal signs of the traditional Chinese zodiac.

Late last year, Gypsy Café owner Melanie Evankovich invited Wayno to show some of his work in her funky, Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, and the two collaborated to develop a theme appropriate to the space. “When we settled on an early February date for the opening, I immediately thought of Chinese New Year,” said the artist. “It seemed to fit with the Café’s irreverent mystical vibe.” Evankovich agreed, saying, “We have a Tarot card reader here twice a week, and the Year of the Rat begins on February 7, so when Wayno suggested a set of astrological pictures, I knew we had the perfect motif.”

The paintings, in Wayno’s distinctive cartoon pop style, use a limited palate consisting mainly of the traditional red and gold colors of the Chinese New Year. The animals depicted are anything but traditional – they’re shown behaving like Westerners at New Year’s time. We see a snake drinking champagne, pigs kissing at midnight, a dragon with a hangover, and an ox making a list of resolutions.

Wayno is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer based in Pittsburgh. His clients include The New Yorker, Nickelodeon Magazine, Rhino Records, McGraw-Hill Books, Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, Pittsburgh City Paper, Table, and The New York Times. He is a member of the National Cartoonists Society and the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators, and is a founding board member of the ToonSeum, Pittsburgh’s museum of the cartoon arts.

Animalia Astrologica runs from February 5 through March 30, 2008 at the Gypsy Café, located at 1330 Bingham Street on the South Side. The café is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, and for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Complete restaurant hours are posted at www.gypsycafe.net

For additional information, call the Gypsy Café at 412-381-4977.

To get a sneak preview of Wayno’s work, visit his website here.

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Just thought I’d remind everyone that there is going to be a lunar eclipse tomorrow night!

For more information on the eclipse and where you can view it around the world, visit NASA’s website here.

Speaking of all around the world, check out the World Traveler blog here. I’m going to be creating a similar website soon, so keep an eye out!

Pittsburgh, Wayno, Chinese Zodiac, Gypsy Cafe, art, lunar eclipse, nasa, travel

Tonight at Belvedere’s is the fifth annual Galactic AssDragon Classic, a battle of electronic music with the winner coming out with a 7 inch single pressed by the No Room for Talent label. There will be a panel of judges judging a wide variety of electronic sounds, from the screeching to the heart stopping bass coming out of anything from labtops to microphones to anything else the entrants have thought up.

Speaking of which, this year’s performers include Deepwinter, Statas, Mike and Ike Jones, Vasculator, Cockmongler, Doverspike and more! Be prepared for crazy stints by Mike and Ike and dead baby props by Doverspike.

The event starts at 9 and only costs $3 for a whole night’s worth of crazy entertainment. This really is a one of its kind event; trust me I know from last year. One word of advice, you may want to bring ear plugs!

Belvedere’s is located at 4016 Butler Street in Lawrenceville.

Also, this weekend is the South Side’s Mid-Winter Soup Contest presented by Iron and Glass Bank. The event is Saturday from 12-3pm and is a wonderful way to sample local soups and provide food for the needy for months.

A $5 donation and a can of soup will get you a map of the South Side and all of the participating restaurants, where you can sample soups galore.

Participants will need to register at one of these three locations:
The Brashear Association, 2005 Sarah St
SouthSide Works, 2629 E. Carson St
91.3fm WYEP FM, 12th & Bingham Streets

For more information, visit WYEP’s website here.

I should also remind everyone that tonight is the 15th annual Guinness Toast, so all of you Guinness lovers should be excited about this one! There are too many participating bars to possibly list them all, but some of my favorites who will be toasting include, 1311 in the S. Side, Bloomfield Bridge Tavern, Buckhead Saloon in Station Square, Caseys, Fatheads and Smokin’ Joes also in the S. Side and the Do Drop Inn if you’re out in my hometown, Natrona Heights. If you’re interested, I suggest visiting your favorite bar’s website (if they have one) and see if they are participating and if not, drink your Guinness anyways. Who needs an event to do that?!

And last, but not least the Fun A Day show is this Saturday at the Spare Room and will showcase everyone’s hard work this past month. For more information on this event, visit my previous post and/or their website.

Spare Room is located at 3923 1/2 Mintwood Street in Lawrenceville.

It looks like I’ll be in Lawrenceville all weekend, hope everyone has a fun weekend!

Pittsburgh, Galactic AssDragon Classic, Belvedere’s, Lawrenceville, music, Mike and Ike Jones, Doverspike, Fun a Day, Spare Room, art, Guinness Toast

So I’m sure in a couple of hours, men and women everywhere will be rushing around to get last-minute flowers and candy for their significant others and even the most wilted flowers will find a home tonight. However, Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be about mass consumerism and can be more about love as it was intended. I know I never really cared about expensive gifts or fancy dinners, although they never hurt! But just spending time with someone you love and showing your appreciation for them does wonders for a relationship.

If all else fails, you can always bake cookies! There’s a great sugar cookie recipe over at the Austin, TX blog here.

And just because you’re single, does not mean you can’t celebrate today. I know it’s a hard day for many who feel unloved, but I suggest for those of you in this situation, that you show someone else love today and I promise, it will eventually be shown to you. <3

And who says Valentine’s Day has to spent with your significant other? Why don’t you take your friends out for some drinks or dinner or even your mom for goodness sakes?!

Besides the usual dinner and drinks, here’s some alternatives for the occasion:

Hustlebot @ Modern Formations Gallery in Garfield

Hustlebot is a local improv group that will be performing tonight at Modern Formations and is a humerous way to spend this otherwise sappy holiday. The show starts at 8pm and costs $5.

The Gallery is located at 4919 Penn Avenue in Garfield.

Battle of the Sexes @ Shootz Cafe in the South Side

If you feel like having a competitive Valentine’s Day, why don’t you head to Shootz and compete with the opposite sex in pool, ping pong, trivia, darts and air hockey? Sounds like a good time to me!

Shootz is located at 2305 E. Carson by the Birmingham Bridge.

Lisdoonvarna Irish Matchmaking Festival @ Harp and Fiddle in the Strip

If you don’t have anyone to celebrate with today, you can always check out Harp and Fiddle’s annual Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival. It’ll be held this Saturday starting at 8pm. Singles will receive a free prize pack and festivities for the night will include, karaoke, games, matchmaking (of course) and specialty drinks. According the Harp and Fiddle website, over 70 couples have met at this affair in the past 15 years. Not bad!

And just in case, no one has said this to you yet:

Hope everyone has a fun Valentine’s Day and remember, you don’t have to be in love with someone to celebrate love today!

Pittsburgh, Valentine’s Day, Shootz, Harp and Fiddle, Matchmaking Festival, Strip District, Garfield, Modern Formations, Hustlebot, improv

It’s snowing like crazy out there, so if you’re snowed in and bored, check out the Winter issue of my literary/art magazine. It’s online only, so go here to see it.

Debris Magazine features a wide variety of talent from all over the world, as well as right here in Pittsburgh. The magazine aims to be the antithesis of stuffy lit journals and pretentious art magazines.

The magazine is quarterly, but showcases a featured artist and photographer monthly, so check back often!

And even though the featured artist and photographer are not from Pittsburgh this month, check out their work as well! Speaking of which, I know there are a ton of local artists and photographers that are good at what they do, so please contact me! Debris is not a Pittsburgh magazine, but it is based in Pittsburgh, so I’d like to showcase as much local talent as possible.

Debris is currently accepting submissions for the Spring issue, in the form of short stories, poetry/prose, reviews and travel writing. Any feedback on the Winter issue would be greatly appreciated as well.

Debris is also looking for advertisers to help pay for an eventual print edition of the magazine and advertising is in the form of banners on the front page. Please contact me at editor@debrismagazine.com for more information.

If the magazine is not enough to entertain you, check out the Rusty Bridge website here. You can find out about other Pittsburgh events I may not cover on the blog, as well as articles on art, technology and Pittsburgh culture.

Oh and here’s a quick reminder that the Chihuly exhibit at Phipps is closing February 23rd, so catch it while you can!

Pittsburgh, Debris Magazine, art, writing, culture, Rusty Bridge, technology, Chihuly

Unity Night @ Church Brew Works

Unity Night: A Celebration & Fundraiser to Fight the Allegheny County Drink Tax, is tonight at the Church Brew Works in Lawrenceville. 100% of all the proceeds will be used to finance activities seeking to repeal the 10% Allegheny County Drink Tax, so if this is something you’d like to support, please do!

The event is from 5:30 to 9:30pm and costs $40 per person. Admission includes craft-brewed beers from Pittsburgh Regional Breweries and food provided by local chefs. There will also be local entertainment and a silent auction.

Tickets can be purchased by phone or in person at the Church Brew Works or at the Priory Hotel in the North Side. They can also be purchased online through Penn Brewery’s website here. Ticket holders must be 21 and over.

Church Brew Works is located at 3525 Liberty Avenue in Lawrenceville and can be contacted by calling 412-688-8200 or through their website here.

Prospectus I: Humongulous @ the Brew House

Although you can’t check out this gallery show tonight, maybe you can later on this week! The first Prospectus of the 2007-2008 gallery season, includes works by Maria Mangano, Jairan Sadeghi, and Charlie Wright and focuses on the subject of identity.

Here is some info on the artists, straight from the Brew House’s site:

Maria Mangano is a native of Syracuse, New York. She earned her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and lives and works in Pittsburgh. Her work is influenced by the natural world and its manifestations in museums, art, and academia.

Jairan Sadeghi earned her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University. She has exhibited at SPACE Gallery, Space 101 at the Brew House, and Modern Formations Gallery.

Charlie Wright is a freelance illustrator and designer living in Pittsburgh. He is originally from Oakland, California and came to Pennsylvania to attend Carnegie Mellon’s BFA program.

While you’re there, you can also check out an exhibition of works by Julius Houser in the Special Projects Gallery. The exhibition is presented in conjunction with the Independent Living Initiative, a program which assists youths who have gone through the Allegheny County Office of Children, Youth and Families. The program provides services, such as housing, mentoring and post-secondary planning.

Gallery hours:
Wednesday: 6-9pm
Thursday: 6-9pm
Saturday: 12-6pm

The Brew House is located at 2100 Mary Street in the South Side and can be reached at 412-381-7767 or by visiting their website here.

Some of you may have already been to the Brew House when the I Made It! craft show was there. For information on the craft show, visit my previous post here.

Pittsburgh, Brew House, Unity Night, Church Brew Works, ILI, Lawrenceville, Prospectus Homongulous, South Side, Stop the Drink Tax

Head out to the I Made It! Mine craftshow this Saturday at the Union Project in Highland Park. As always you’ll find a wide assortment of crafts, clothing and household accessories and this time, you’ll also be able to check out the Union Project as well.

The Union Project involves an effort on the part of its members to bring together the surrounding neighborhoods and to promote creativity, diversity and togetherness. Their mission statement is as follows:

The Union Project serves as a highly visible catalyst for neighborhood redevelopment and historic preservation on a large scale – and will develop the hearts, minds and skills of community members along with the physical space. The Union Project represents the best of Pittsburgh’s creative thinking, action and investment. This community-supported project will only exponentially increase its impact as funds are raised and capital work is completed to transform and reuse this important building.

I’ve been wanting to check out this building/project for awhile now, so it looks like I just got my chance!

The Union Project is located at 801 N. Negley and I Made It! is from 12-5. For more information on the craftshow go here and for more information on the Union Project, visit their website here.

This weekend also brings the Associated Artist show, which features 97 works from 66 artists from the area. It’s in celebration of Pittsburgh 250 and is being held at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in Shadyside. The reception is this Friday from 5:30-8pm, however future viewings will be possible up until March 9th.

The exhibit is located at the Marshall building which is at 6300 Fifth Avenue. For more information, visit the Associated Artist site here, as well as the Pittsburgh Galleries site for other local art events.

And if these two events don’t keep you busy this weekend, you can always go see the Vagina Monologues at the City Theater! For more information, visit last week’s post on the play here.

Pittsburgh, I Made It!, craft show, Union Project, crafts, Highland Park, Associated Artists, Pittsburgh Galleries, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Shadyside, art