Il Divo, Lea Salonga Perform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:
Show Publicist: Diana Roth, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org
Other Contact: Shaunda Miles, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
412-471-1578/Miles@TrustArts.org
Images available:  TrustArts.org/Press

Search Name: 2014 IL DIVO

THE PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES

AWARD-WINNING INTERNATIONAL VOCALISTS

IL DIVO

A MUSICAL AFFAIR: THE GREATEST SONGS OF BROADWAY LIVE TOUR

WITH SPECIAL GUEST, BROADWAY’S 

LEA SALONGA

TO PERFORM IN PITTSBURGH

Sunday, May 18, 2014 | 7:30 p.m. | Benedum Center

PITTSBURGH, PA:  The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces Il Divo, with special guest Lea Salonga, will perform on Sunday, May 18, 2014, at 7:30 pm, at the Benedum Center.  Following a successful week of concerts in November 2013 at New York City’s Marquis Theater, Il Divo, the record-breaking classical crossover group, is bringing IL DIVO A MUSICAL AFFAIR: THE GREATEST SONGS OF BROADWAY LIVE to theaters across the U.S. and Canada as part of their world tour.

This concert tour is promoted by Live Nation and supports the group’s sixth studio album A Musical Affair, their first compilation of songs inspired by Broadway shows such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel and West Side Story (music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim).  “It has been so inspiring to work with such legendary songs from the world of Broadway musicals for our new album,” says Urs Buhler from Il Divo. “We can't wait to now perform them in our own style to our fans around the world.”  The show was developed by long-term Il Divo collaborator and artistic director Brian Burke.

“A joyous experience from start to finish, Il Divo is an affair that deserves to be seen, enjoyed, and embraced by everyone who appreciates good music brilliantly sung by professionals at the top of their game.” ̶ The Epoch Times

For tickets ($52.00  ̶  $125.00) and information about VIP packages, visit www.TrustArts.org, call 412-456-4800, or in person at Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue. For more information about parking garages and real time parking availability in the Cultural District, visit: www.ParkPGH.org.

Il Divo’s international vocalists include tenor Urs Buhler of Switzerland, baritone Carlos Marin of Spain, pop artist Sébastien Izambard of France, and tenor David Miller from the United States. Their latest record and current concert tour marks a milestone for the four singers as they commemorate the success of a 10-year career together.  To date, Il Divo has sold over 26 million albums worldwide, achieved over 50 number one records, received 160 gold and platinum sales awards in over 33 countries, and staged four groundbreaking world tours.  For more information about Il Divo, visit: www.IlDivo.org.

Special guest artist on this tour, vocalist and Broadway star Lea Salonga, is best known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon  for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards. Other highlights in Ms. Salonga’s career: she was the first Asian to play the roles of Éponine and Fantine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway; and provided the singing voice of two official Disney Princesses: Jasmine in Aladdin (1992), and Fa Mulan in Mulan (1998).  For more information about Lea Salonga, visit http://www.leasalonga.com.

ABOUT THE PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity.  Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.
Follow us on Twitter @CulturalTrust, and like us on Facebook.
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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Pgh Cultural Trust Announces 3 Events

For Immediate Release

Media Contacts:
Jessica Warchall, Visual Arts Publicist, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
847-477-8714/Warchall@TrustArts.org
Shaunda Miles, Director of Public Relations, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
412-471-1578/Miles@TrustArts.org
Diana Roth, Communications Manger, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org

Images available: http://TrustArts.org/press
Search: Scenes 2014

PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES

CULTURAL DISTRICT EVENTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH

BEHIND OUR SCENES

Pittsburgh, PA—The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces three events taking place in conjunction with the exhibition Behind Our Scenes at SPACE gallery in the Cultural District. The exhibition by five photographic artists exploring the relationship between the two-dimensional form and physical space through photographic installations and constructions is guest curated by Jen Saffron and is on view through January 26, 2014. SPACE (812 Liberty Avenue) is open during Gallery Crawl, the Trust’s quarterly showcase of art and entertainment throughout the Cultural District, Friday, January 24, 5:30–9 p.m.

Gadget Lab
Thursday, January 16, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
SPACE, 812 Liberty Avenue
Free and open to the public
For those new to eReaders, tablets, or other gadgets, drop-in on this Gadget Lab during lunchtime to speak with tech-savvy librarians and learn how to download free eBooks, eAudio, eVideo, digital magazines, music, and more.

Leo Hsu Free to the People

Artist Talk: Leo Hsu and the Free to the People Project
Saturday, January 18, 2:30–4 p.m.
Carnegie Library, 612 Smithfield Street
Free and open to the public
Artist Leo Hsu speaks about his artistic practice and current work included in the group photography exhibition Behind Our Scenes at SPACE. The artist talk is followed by a gallery tour at SPACE (812 Liberty Avenue).

Dennis Marsico Age Specific

Barbara Weissberger Collage Formation with Round Mirrors

Poetry and Play reading with Joy Katz and Rob Handel
Sunday, January 19, 3–5 p.m.
SPACE, 812 Liberty Avenue
Free and open to the public, with refreshments
Cozy up in the gallery with a glass of wine or coffee at this poetry and play reading by award-winning poet Joy Katz and award-winning playwright Rob Handel. Curator Jen Saffron will offer a tour of the current exhibition Behind Our Scenes, featuring the photographic work of Nancy Andrews, Leo Hsu, Dennis Marsico, Annie O’Neill, and Barbara Weissberger.

About SPACE
SPACE is located at 812 Liberty Avenue. Gallery Hours: Wed & Thurs: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Fri & Sat: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. The gallery is free and open to the public. SPACE is a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. For more information about all gallery exhibitions featured in the Cultural District, please visit www.TrustArts.org.

About The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest landmasses curated by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.

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Images Courtesy of the Artists

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Crowdsourced Exhibit at SPACE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Shaunda Miles, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 412-471-1578/Miles@TrustArts.org
Diana Roth, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org

 

UNIQUE APPROACH TO ARTMAKING
FEATURES GUEST CURATOR AND ARTISTS

CROWDSOURCED
July 12 – September 1, 2013

SPACE
812 Liberty Avenue
Downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District

Pittsburgh, PA: The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is excited to announce an innovative new exhibit opening at SPACE.  Crowdsourced is curated by Robert Raczka and features participating artists Kim Beck, Casey Droege, Corey Escoto, Gabe Felice, Lori Hepner, Renee Ickes, William Kofmehl III, Maritza Mosquera, Tom Sarver, Shaun Slifer, Barbara Weissberger, and Paul Zelevansky.  Each artist will create a large drawing directly on the walls of the gallery and the art making process will be open to the public for both observation and input into the artistic process.  On Friday, July 12, the gallery will open early, beginning at 1:00 p.m., until 9:00 p.m. The exhibit runs from July 12 through September 1, 2013.

Drawn in a Day at SPACE. Photo Courtesy of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Robert Raczka (guest curator-Crowdsourced) is an artist, art critic for Pittsburgh City Paper and other publications, emeritus professor of art at Allegheny College, and visiting assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University this fall. He has curated exhibits for a number of institutions including the University of Akron, Artists Image Resource, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Forum Gallery at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Painted Bride Art Center in Philadelphia, and for SPACE gallery.   Raczka’s artwork uses photography, collage, and exhibitions incorporating found objects to engage with popular culture and taste, the public communication of advertising and marketing, and the often-tenuous connection between representation and reality. “Audiences are responding to more active forms of engagement with art, and Crowdscourced gives artists a push in that direction with many of the artists moving beyond their usual way of working,” comments Raczka.

Kim Beck uses images of architecture and landscape to make drawings, prints, paintings and installations that survey peripheral and suburban spaces. Her work urges a reconsideration of the built environment - the peculiar street signs, gas station banners, overgrown weeded lots, and self-storage buildings — bringing the banal and everyday into focus.

Casey Droege was raised by two artists and a mime. Their incessant side hustles, ranging from chimney sweep to insurance sales, created the time management monster/slightly organized tornado that is Casey. And while her mother made it clear to her that she should go into computers, she now lives and works as an artist using language to objectify the subjective.

Corey Escoto has exhibited nationally, internationally and in his home state, Texas. He was one of the three artists selected to participate in the Great Rivers Biennial (2008) at the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis and is a recipient of the Gateway Foundation Grant.

Gabe Felice is a local post-visionary artist. An example of his creative work- a 2010 residency at the Brew House, Gabe developed an interactive psychic art experiment called the Magical Psychic T - Shirt.  The experiment invites viewers to become a part of his creative process through Extrasensory Perception and Clairsentience. While holding a small sculpture from the fantastical "Device Unit", the participants' subtle energies are transmitted into the sculpture. Accessing the transmission via psychometry, the energies are translated into a psychic drawing for the participant to interpret.

Lori Hepner is a visual artist with an ongoing interest in exploring how digital technology is impacting society and individuals. Her most recent body of work, Status Symbols, is a series of portraits that are studies of identity in the digital age of social media using time, code, and light to photographically create glowing orbs of abstract color. Her work has recently been exhibited internationally and was featured in the Pittsburgh edition of UK-based Next Level Magazine in November 2012.

Renee Ickes is a native of Pittsburgh.  She studied art at Columbus College of Art and Design, Indiana University of Pennsylvania,  Academy of  Fine Arts, Zagreb, Croatia, Pratt Institute and the National Academy School of Fine Arts, NYC. Her work can be seen on the blog www.givemeyourrubberheart.tumblr.com.

William Kofmehl, III is a native of Pittsburgh and sculptor.  Kofmehl’s degrees include Bachelor of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University and Master of Fine Arts Degree from Yale University; adjunct professorial appointments: Pont-Aven School of Contemporary Art, France, Carnegie Mellon, University and Robert Morris University.  Kofmehl’s works have been exhibited in the U.S. and abroad. His complex installations built of wood, steel, bronze and hand-embroidery act as a staging ground for multiple performers where, routinely, Kofmehl himself lives and dwells within the installation for the entire length of the exhibit.  Kofmehl’s recent activity: Hong Kong: exhibit at the International Art Fair and speaker for ArtAsiaPacific -Guerilla Talks.

Maritza Mosquera  has been an artist all her life and an educator for over thirty years; teaching in prison, community organizations, universities and museums.

Tom Sarver is a locally based artist and creator of The Mattress Factory Museum of Art.  He is known for working in performance art, site-specific installation and public art projects dealing with environmental, social and political issues using the participation and involvement of the community.

Shaun Slifer works in video, print, static and kinetic sculpture, street signage of dubious legality, and as a self-taught history writer/researcher. He is currently working on projects which explore obscured and forgotten histories - those of humans and of other animals - through memorial practices.

Barbara Weissberger’s kaleidoscopic wall collages, Rorschach-like prints, and surreal mixed media collaged landscapes are exhibited widely. Her work has explored consumption (consumer and food), meat as metaphor, and notions of beauty and disgust. Play is central to her process; images grow out of improvisation and the pleasure of working with materials.

Paul Zelevansky currently resides in Pittsburgh.  He holds a BFA in Painting from Carnegie Mellon University, Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from Columbia Teacher’s College and PhD, Art Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. His work includes early digital interactive museum exhibitions (NY Hall of Science 1988-92), digital animation, artists books, theoretical writing, curating, and graphic design. Published articles include use of text and image, web art, popular culture, and educational and aesthetic theory; most recent publication, 24 Ideas About Pictures.

ABOUT SPACE

SPACE is located at 812 Liberty Avenue. Gallery Hours: Wed & Thurs: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Fri & Sat: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Free and open to the public.   SPACE is a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.  For more information about all gallery exhibits featured in the Cultural District, please visit www.TrustArts.org

ABOUT THE PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity.  Using the arts as an economic catalyst, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:
Shaunda Miles – Pittsburgh Cultural Trust,
412-471-1578 / Miles@TrustArts.org

Diana Roth – Pittsburgh Cultural Trust,
412-471-1578 / Roth@TrustArts.org

COSMOPOLITAN PITTSBURGH 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013, 7:00 p.m. – Midnight

PITTSBURGH, PA:  The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Partner Board and Cosmo Host Committee, announced the 7th annual Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh presented by Consol Energy will be held on Friday, July 12, 2013. Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh, the Cultural District’s biggest summer celebration, celebrates The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s leadership in the ongoing development of Pittsburgh’s award-winning Cultural District.

Co-chaired by Katherine Leech Vollen and Laura Seifert, Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh has something fun for everyone.  “Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh is the best night of the year.   I look forward to this exciting event every summer.  The event is truly a celebration of Pittsburgh.  There will be delicious food prepared by talented Pittsburgh chefs, amazing artwork created exclusively for the event by local artists, captivating live performances, and the most energetic dance party in the city.  I can’t wait to see what our creative event architect, Thommy Conroy, has planned for this year,” shared Katherine Leech Vollen. Laura Seifert added that Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh is “sure to be the Best Dinner and Dance Party of the summer.”

Immediately following the Cultural Trust’s Gallery Crawl, guests are invited to attend the Cosmo VIP Dinner and a Dance Party to be held on the Byham Theater stage at 101 Sixth Street, Downtown Pittsburgh. This year’s cosmic theme invites attendees to voyage beyond the Earth’s atmosphere to a lunar party in the Pittsburgh Cultural District via a journey to the moon at an all-inclusive evening that is out of this world.
Tickets for Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh are: $95 for the 7:00 p.m. VIP Dinner (at a secret location to be revealed at check-in) and $45 for the 9:00 p.m.  Dance Party at the Byham Theater.  The VIP Dinner features a dinner and cocktails spread curated by Pittsburgh’s finest chefs, music performed by the sensational Boilermaker Jazz Band and a dazzling private art show. The Dance Party offers sinful desserts, cocktails, interactive amusements and dancing until midnight on the Byham Theater stage to the sounds of DJ Adam Salter.

Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh is presented by Consol Energy with additional support from UPMC and UPMC Health Plan, Alpha Graphics, Fairmont Pittsburgh, Jackson Lewis, ParenteBeard, Southwest Airlines and Yelp! For more information, or to purchase tickets, please visit TrustArts.org/cosmo or call the Box Office at Theater Square at 412-456-6666.

About the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity.  Using the arts as an economic catalyst, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.

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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Defending the Caveman Returns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                              
Contact: Aja Jones
412-281-3973 ext. 224
ajones@pittsburghclo.org

Defending the Caveman Roars Back Into the CLO Cabaret August 1!
Broadway Hit Last Played to Sold-out Audiences in 2011

Pittsburgh, PA • June 24, 2013 – Pittsburgh CLO is pleased to announce the return of Broadway sensation Defending the Caveman to the CLO Cabaret August 1 – October 20, 2013.   Tickets start at $34.75 and are available online at pittsburghCLO.org, by calling 412-456-6666 or at the Box Office at Theater Square.  Call 412-325-1582 for group discounts and special event planning.

About the Show:
Defending the Caveman is a hilariously insightful play about the ways men and women relate.  This prehistoric look at the battle of the sexes is full of wonderful scenarios that celebrate the differences between men and women, making it a perfect entertainment option for couples, or girls’ night out. The show has also been seen and recommended by thousands of marriage and family therapists and counselors, for its humorous look at the inherent differences between the sexes.

Written by comedian Rob Becker over a three-year period during which he made an informal study of anthropology, prehistory, psychology, sociology and mythology, Defending the Caveman played for two and a half years on Broadway, making it the longest running solo play in Broadway’s history.  Caveman has won the hearts of millions across the globe.  Translated into 18 languages, Caveman has performed in more than 46 countries to date!

Performance Schedule
Wednesdays 7:30pm
Thursdays 1:00pm* & 7:30pm * Thursday matinees with optional buffet – 8/15, 9/26, 10/17
Fridays 7:30pm
Saturdays 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Sundays 2:00pm

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Memento Mori at Wood Street Galleries

Memento Mori

works by Gregory Barsamian

April 26-June 16, 2013

Wood Street Galleries

601 Wood Street, downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District

Pittsburgh, PA:  Wood Street Galleries, a project of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, will present Memento Mori by artist Gregory Barsamian, Friday, April 26 through Sunday, June 16, 2013.

5 Stages of  Grief by Artist Gregory Barsamian

In a strobe lit room, Barsamian's sculpture spins rapidly on an armature with imagery based on recordings of his dreams. At once low-tech and approachable, Barsamian's work simultaneously floats between the conscious and unconscious worlds in collaboration between artist and perceiver.    The exhibit will feature the artist’s work that combines mixed medium such as steel, wood and bronze; and steel, acrylic medium, paper, strobe and motor.

Hands by Artist Gregory Barsamian

Gregory Barsamian is a native of Chicago and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin.  He currently resides and works in Brooklyn, New York.  His works have been shown in cities across the U.S. and worldwide and include Commissions and Public Collections.  Barsamian’s sculptures have also been on display in past exhibitions at Wood Street Galleries.  Awards include Platform International Animation Festival Grand Prix (2007), MIT/Leonardo New Horizons Award (2001), and New York State Fellowship for the Arts, Sculpture (1995).  Barsamian’s work has been featured in various publications throughout his career.   For more information about the artist, visit http://gregorybarsamian.com/

Memento Mori at Wood Street Galleries, 601 Wood Street, opens on Friday, April 26, part of the Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, 5:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.  For more information about the Gallery Crawl, visit:http://trustarts.culturaldistrict.org/event/2522/gallery-crawl-in-the-cultural-district

Runner:  Steel, Wood, Bronze by Artist Gregory Barsamian

Untitiled:  Steel, Acrylic medium, paper, strobe, motor by Artist Gregory Barsamian

Wood Street Galleries hours:  Wed. & Thur. 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.  The gallery is free and open to the public.  For information call, 412-471-5605 or visit:  http://woodstreetgalleries.org   Support for Wood Street Galleries has been provided by the Howard Heinz Endowment and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Additional support provided by the Port Authority of Allegheny County.

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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Gallery Crawl Features Wide Array of Arts, Venues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today's date: April 8, 2013
Contact:
Shaunda Miles / 412-471-1578 / miles@trustarts.org
Diana Roth / 412-471-8717 / roth@trustarts.org

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces

Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District
Friday, April 26, 2013, downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District

Pittsburgh, PA—The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces the upcoming Gallery Crawl to take place Friday, April 26, 2013, from 5:30-9:00 p.m., in downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. The Gallery Crawl is an urban showcase featuring a wide variety of thought provoking art exhibitions, live bands, DJs, dance, theater, and more. Everything from the traditional to the avant garde is on display for art lovers of all ages.

“There are 36 stops in locations throughout the Cultural District, filled with new exhibits, exciting performances and interesting activities to enjoy. Keep the fun going and stay after the Crawl for free Salsa Friday at Cabaret Theater Square,” comments Darcy Kucenic, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust-Manager of Education and Operations.   To name just a few of the highlights: Memento Mori in Tito & Exchange Way; Community Supported Art, a preview of the new series from the New Hazlett Theater at 937 Liberty Avenue; craft making-origami magnolias with Office of Public Art at Magnolias for Pittsburgh, 7thStreet & Penn Avenue; and Pittsburgh Public Schools All-City Visual Arts and Music Showcase at the Trust Arts Education Center and August Wilson Center.  Night Market IV, sponsored by Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, at the 8th Street & Penn Avenue Parking Lot, will offer food, art vendors, music and dance.

Gallery Crawl events are free and open to the public.  For more information and a map of the Gallery Crawl events, visit www.TrustArts.org or call (412) 456-6666.

Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District is a production of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Education and Community Engagement Department.  Sponsors for April 2013 Gallery Crawl include Pittsburgh City Paper, WYEP 91.3FM, Table Magazine and Kreider Printing.


The following is a line-up of Gallery Crawl highlights and happenings on Friday, April 26, 2013:

Wood Street Galleries
601 Wood Street
 Momento Mori
Gregory Barsamian
 In a strobe lit room, kinetic sculpture spins rapidly on an armature with imagery based on Barsamian’s dream recordings. At once low-tech and approachable, Barsamian simultaneously floats between the conscious and unconscious worlds in collaboration between artist and perceiver.


SPACE
812 Liberty Avenue
 Mean Girls
Guest curated by Jill Larson
 Mean Girls examines the reality that bullying among girls in America has become an epidemic in our society. The exhibition is a springboard to gain awareness, encourage dialogue and promote positive social change. This traveling exhibition is partnered with the non-profit organization: Strong Women, Strong Girls, and debuts in Pittsburgh, PA.

Music by DJ Pingting

WYEP Music Station
WYEP Live Remote Broadcast outside of SPACE

Urban League
610 Wood Street
 Celebrating the Urban League in Pittsburgh
To celebrate the Urban League’s 100th Anniversary, artist Leslie Ansley creates vibrant paintings and murals for the Pittsburgh affiliates 95 years of service.

Tito Way
 Memento Mori
A set of billboards reminding the viewer that life can be short and its end unpredictable. The four “obituary” pieces show that the banalities of life continue after death, and poor Bobo is caught in an endless loop from which there is no escape from Mr. Death.

Cell Phone Disco
A surface that visualizes the electromagnetic field of an active mobile phone. Several thousand lights illuminate when you make or receive a phone call in the vicinity of the installation.

Shaw Galleries
805 Liberty Avenue
Brave New World: Maps of the 19th-century
An exhibit exploring world cartography in the 19th-century through period maps and engravings.

Trust Arts Education Center
805-807 Liberty Avenue

Peirce Studio (Lower Level):
Pittsburgh Public Schools All-City Music Showcase
CAPA and Brashear collaboration: Wearable art fashion show and student musical performances, 5:30pm
CAPA Student Interpreters, 6:30pm
Westinghouse Lighthouse Project Hip Hop and Step Team Show, 7:30pm

3rd & 4th floors:
Pittsburgh Public Schools All-City Visual Arts Showcase
All-City K-12 Visual Arts and Cultures Exhibitions

Harris Theater
809 Liberty Avenue
 Harris Theater Short Films
Regionally made short films shown on a loop: Pierogies by Kristen Lauth-Shaeffer; Oneironauts by Jared McLaughlin; Steel City Sights by Brad Oskowski; Blast Off by Jonathan Gribbin.

Tiny Harris Gallery
eye of the beholder
Heather Springer

Arcade Comedy Theater
811 Liberty Avenue
 Pop in for some laughs at the Arcade Comedy Theater in the Cultural District, featuring Pittsburgh’s best sketch, improvisational and alternative comedy year-round. Time to play!

Catholic Charities Susan Zubik Welcome Center
212 Ninth Street
 Darkroom Mania
During the winter of 2013, students at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild took part in an intensive after-school photography course. Using traditional darkroom processes, they printed on a variety of photographic media, including archival fiber based paper.

Amazing Books
929 Liberty Avenue
 An independent bookstore with an amazing selection of awesome new and used books. Open until 7pm.

937 Liberty Avenue
 2nd floor:
Community Supported Art: See a sneak peak of the homegrown performance artists cultivated for the new series at the New Hazlett Theater  www.newhazletttheater.org/#csa

CSA PGH:  Meet the 6 visual artists who will create works to be packaged up and turned into 50 shares for the public.  www.csapgh.com

3rd floor: Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Lobby:
August Wilson X: 10 Years of August Wilson on Stage
Pittsburgh Playwright's Theatre Company displays photos, artifacts and props from the past ten years of performing August Wilson's Century Play Cycle. Monologues from the 10 plays will be performed.

Toonseum
947 Liberty Avenue
 Toonseum presents Cartoon Quickies!
Join us for rapid fire drop in cartooning lessons. Each session is 4 minutes.

August Wilson Center for African American Culture
980 Liberty Avenue

Theater:
Pittsburgh Public Schools All-City Music Showcase
Featuring the PPS All-City: ESL Student Performances, Elementary Choir, Junior Honors Choir, CRAE Drumming, Dancing & Performing Ensembles, and CRAE Visual Art Exhibit. Begins at 6pm.

SOLO Exhibits
SOLO Exhibits features individual exhibitions of fiber art, printmaking, painting and sculpture by Leslie Ansley, Jo-Anne Bates and Tina Brewer.
Glamazonia by Mario Epanya
This glorious showcase of Beauty features over 30 images of Black women from contemporary full color photography to vintage black-and-white images, celebrating the beauty and diversity of the Diaspora.

Pittsburgh: Reclaim, Renew, Remix
Our core exhibition dedicated to honoring and preserving Black culture in Southwestern Pennsylvania. This modular exhibit uses imagery, film and oral history narratives to explore communities, cultures, and innovations

Tonic
971 Liberty Avenue, 2nd floor Gallery.  NOT UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE
 Works by D.Hopper and Justice Coughenour from Modern Pop Art
Live Music by Shay and Bryan William Kinney

August Henry’s City Saloon
946 Penn Avenue
 Magic by Peter Corbett
Be prepared to be wowed!

Urban Pathways K-5 Dance Studio
925 Penn Avenue
 Free Dance Lessons by Pittsburgh Dance Center’s Holly: Merengue at 6:30pm & Salsa at 7:30pm. Freestyle dance between and after the lessons.

Urban Pathways 6-12 Gallery
914 Penn Avenue
Wild Life
Proudly presenting student artwork, photography & three dimensional design. Music by the Sounds of Steel steel pan band, 6:15pm & 7:45pm

Pilates Sol
900 Penn
 Pilates as Art in Motion
Stop by at 6pm & 7pm to play this interactive game. Match the exercise that is being demonstrated in the studio to the professional photographs displayed on the street front window. Winners receive a free private Pilates session!

CAPA
111 Ninth St.
 Push-pinned Prints and Drawings
An exhibition of screen prints, relief prints, blotted line prints, printouts, conceptual drawings and formal portrait studies by Pittsburgh CAPA Visual Art Students in grades 6-12.

Future Tenant
819 Penn Avenue
 Displacement
Guest curated by Kristen Kovak, featuring artwork by Phil Hessler and Natalia Gonzalez Requena
The show provides an opportunity to see the raw materials of industry poetically displaced in space and time.

Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
810 Penn Avenue, Suite 200
 carbon first, then light
Ivette Spradlin
 A photography survey of three projects, from Habana, Cuba to Philadelphia, aptly binds this exploration of the artist’s past, alongside an attempt to illuminate the invisible inhabitants and mysterious everyday objects that surround us.

Bend Yoga
808 Penn Avenue, 2nd floor
 Guided meditation, 6:30pm to 7pm. Please register at mcallan@bendyoga.com
Poetry reading with Tarun Reddy from his haiku book Bru-ku, 7:30pm to 8pm, with signing afterwards.

8th Street & Penn Avenue Parking Lot
 Night Market IV
 An expanded collection of Pittsburgh’s most creative independent food and art vendors – combined with music and dance in a parking lot on Penn Avenue. 7pm to 11pm.

709 Penn Gallery
709 Penn Avenue
Cast of Characters
Curated by Cindy Lisica and Vicky Clark.
Dramatis personae, fictional figures who tell a story, reveal insights while helping us to make sense of our world and our place in it.

707 Penn Gallery
707 Penn Avenue
 Adult Arcade
Marc Burgess                                                      
This new media installation will be composed of a variety of organically textured paintings, large geometric sculptures, robotic lasers and disorienting soundscapes.

Magnolias for Pittsburgh
7th St. and Penn Avenue
 Learn how Tony Tasset created this sculpture installation and craft your own (origami) magnolias withthe Office of Public Art.
             

Katz Plaza
7th St. and Penn Avenue

Live Music by JD Eicher & the Goodnights

Button-making with Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh: We supply the materials, you supply the creativity!

Backstage Bar
655 Penn Avenue

 Places & Faces
Recent works by Joyce Werwie Perry
The texture and contrast of color in the paintings is achieved through the rapid application and detraction of oil with knives.

Live Music by Elevations.  5:30pm to 7:30pm

kNOT Dance at Verve Wellness
142 Sixth Street, Third floor

Creating Your Own Perspective
kNot Dance explores the diversity of individual perspectives from the lofty heights of the aerial silks to the baser human emotions that bubble from below. 7:30pm, 8:30pm & 9:30pm

Arthur Murray Dance Studio**
136 Sixth Street (above Melange Bistro) NOT UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE
 Free Dance Lessons and Demos:
Merengue at 7:30pm. Bachata at 8pm. Salsa at 8:30pm.

Braddock’s American Brasserie
107 Sixth Street
 The Art of Pierogie Making
Join Chef de Cuisine, Brian Volmrich, as he demonstrates how to create a pierogie. Attendees will enjoy making their own pierogie creation. Learn from the restaurant that is known for their signature pierogies.


Boutique 208
208 Sixth Street
 Meet several of the local artists creating art and artisan products for this all local, all handmade boutique.


Robot Repairs
210 Sixth Street
 Is your robot experiencing technical difficulties? Consider visiting this place for a potential fix.

PNC Legacy Project
600 Liberty Avenue
An interactive exhibit that showcases Pittsburgh’s transformation and reflects PNC’s dedication to revitalizing the city.
NEW ORAL HISTORIES:  Hear Dan Bylsma, Arnold Palmer, Art Rooney, Joe Grushecky, George Benson.


AFTER THE CRAWL
Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue
Salsa Friday
Free Admission to Salsa Friday at the Cabaret at Theater Square with DJ Jeff Shirey of Salsa Pittsburgh from 10pm to 1:30am.  Get your Salsa! Bachata! and Cha Cha Cha on!


ALL INFORMATION AND LOCATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE!  Visit www.trustarts.org for updated and more detailed information

Sponsors: City Paper, WYEP 91.3 FM, Kreider Printing, Table Magazine

All official Gallery Crawl locations will be marked with a Cultural District Stop sidewalk sign.

TEXT “CRAWL” TO SMASH (76274) to receive special exclusive offers and more!

**All locations are wheelchair accessible unless otherwise noted.

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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Chaka Khan to Perform with JazzLive International

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today's date: April 3, 2013
Contact:
Shaunda Miles – Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 412-471-1578 / miles@TrustArts.org
Diana Roth – Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 412-471-8717 / roth@TrustArts.org

Images available at:
http://trustarts.org/press
Search name:  2013 JazzLive International Festival

For More Information: www.pittsburghjazzlive.com

3rd Annual
Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival
June 7-9, 2013

240 jazz musicians performing 72 hours of jazz in the heart of the Cultural District
Headliners include Chaka Khan, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Marcus Miller and Pat Martino

Pittsburgh, PA - The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is proud to present the third annual JazzLive International Festival (PJLIF) on June 7-9, 2013.  The Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival will consist of three days of free jazz and jazz-influenced musical performances on outdoor stages throughout downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. Held in conjunction with the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, the Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival attracts over 20,000 attendees from around the country. The Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival features local, emerging, and national and international musicians in a variety of performance settings that include:

•         Outdoor performance stages and indoor performance locations within local restaurants, coffee shops and galleries.
•         A free Jazz Crawl in the Cultural District, featuring 150 local and regional musicians.
•         Late night club performances.
•         Showcase Noir Artist Showcase: An African American Designer Market that includes pottery, paintings, jewelry, fiber works, and sculptures available for sale by some of the region’s finest artists.        

“The PJLIF has expanded greatly in the last 2 years,” says Janis Burley Wilson, Vice President and Director of Jazz Programs for The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “The Trust will present over 240 artists in 72 hours. Our headlining performers are world-renowned mainstream and contemporary jazz, R&B and blues artists. Downbeat Magazine described PJLIF as “intimate, laid back and inviting”. The JazzLive Jam Sessions after hours have become legendary amongst musicians.  Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival has something for everyone that wants to celebrate America’s classical music - Jazz.”


CONFIRMED HEADLINE ARTISTS

Chaka Khan

Chaka Khan
"Queen of Funk-Soul," Chaka Khan is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the front woman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. Her career has spanned over 4 decades. Over the years, she has collaborated with many legendary performers in the industry that include but are not limited to Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder and Prince.  Some of her most popular hits include "Tell Me Something Good," "Sweet Thing,” "Ain't Nobody," "I'm Every Woman," "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire."  In 1982, Khan recorded Echoes of an Era, a collection of jazz standards featuring performances from Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, and Lenny White. This project provided Chaka Khan with her first Grammy Nomination for Best Female Jazz Vocalist.  Born Yvette Marie Stevens, in North Chicago Illinois, Chaka received an honorary doctorate degree from Berklee College of Music in 2004. She is also active in the autism community, having family members who have been diagnosed with the condition. Her Earth Song Entertainment and Chaka Khan Foundation operate from Beverly Hills, California to raise research money for a cure.  She is also the recipient of the 2006 BET Lifetime Achievement Award and has received four American Music Award nominations.

Rudresh Mahanthappa
Few musicians share the ability of saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa to embody the expansive possibilities of his music with his culture. Time and again, Mahanthappa has eloquently displayed the capacity to absorb numerous styles and genres of music, combine them with the language of modern jazz, and emerge with a new form still recognizably jazz.  What has materialized is a sound that hybridizes progressive jazz and South Indian classical music in a fluid and forward-looking form that reflects Mahanthappa’s own experience growing up a second-generation Indian-American. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship and commissions from the Rockefeller Foundation MAP Fund, Chamber Music America and the American Composers Forum. He has been named alto saxophonist of the year in Downbeat’s 2011 & 2012 International Critics Polls and for four years running by the Jazz Journalists’ Association (2009-2012). Rudresh has studied at Berklee College of Music and DePaul University.

Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller is a two-time Grammy-winner and the composer/producer of ten critically acclaimed and genre-defying albums. As a multi-instrumentalist, Marcus is highly proficient as a keyboardist, clarinetist/bass clarinetist and, primarily, as a world-renowned electric bassist, topping critics' and readers' polls for three decades.  His résumé as an A-list player brims with over 500 recording credits as a sideman on albums across the spectrum of musical styles that include collaborations with Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Donald Fagen and Eric Clapton, David Sanborn, George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Sample, Wayne Shorter, Grover Washington, Jr., Roberta Flack, Paul Simon, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Chaka Khan, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Z.Z. Hill, Billy Idol, Al Jarreau, Dave Koz and opera sensation Kathleen Battle.  As a film music pro, Miller rose from writing the go-go party classic "Da Butt" for Spike Lee's "School Daze,” to becoming the go-to composer for over 20 films including the Eddie Murphy/Halle Berry classic “Boomerang.”

Pat Martino
Philadelphia native, Pat Martino, began playing professionally at age 15 after moving to New York City. Martino has been recognized as one of the most exciting and virtuosic guitarists in jazz. With a distinctive, fat sound and gut-wrenching performances, he represents the best not just in jazz, but also in music.  He embodies thoughtful energy and soul and has performed with a wide variety of artists including Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Jimmy Smith, Chick Corea, Jack McDuff, and Stanley Clark. The Grammy nominated virtuoso has been selected as the Guitar Player of the Year, Downbeat Magazine's 2004 Reader's Poll and has taught at several prestigious universities including Duquesne, New York University, Pennsylvania University, Stanford University. He’s also been a recording artist for Blue Note, Prestige, Vanguard and Warner Brothers Records.

Returning to the Festival stage is Artist-in-Residence for the Sound and Spirit initiative, Sean Jonesand the Sean Jones Quartet.  Sean Jones is a trumpeter, composer and educator. He was formerly the lead trumpet player with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra directed by Wynton Marsalis. Jones is currently a professor of Jazz Studies at Duquesne University and has eight critically acclaimed jazz albums to his credit.  The multi-Grammy Award nominee is particularly adept at plumbing complex emotional plateaus through his trumpet playing and composing. Most recently, he’s toured with Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller and Wayne Shorter in Europe with a project that celebrated the Miles Davis legacy.  Jones’ heart stopping quartet consists of Philadelphia-based pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Luques Curtis, and Miami-born drummer Obed Calvaire. No matter what angle they take on the subject, Jones and company’s blazing interactions reveals what any jazz fan knows is the greatest love of all: that between an artist and his music. As Jones says, “I like to play from the heart and not the head.”

Other outstanding artists participating in the Festival include Gregory Porter, Latin legend Eddie Palmieri and his Salsa Orchestra, the Orrin Evans Trio, young vocalist and composer of Haitian descent Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Cyrille Aimee & Diego Figueiredo, Ralph Peterson, Gerald Clayton,Roger Humphries,  and Allison Miller, an up and coming New York folk jazz drummer. Pittsburgh native musicians Allan Harris/David Budway will pay tribute to the music of jazz masters Billy Eckstine and Billy Strayhorn in an intimate jazz session entitled Billy Squared².

ANCILLARY EVENTS

MACY’S In Store Pre-Festival Sessions
Before the Crawl begins, MACY’S will celebrate the Festival with a series of in store events.

Saturday, June 1, 2-4pm: South Hills Village
Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra Junior Jam Session
*This program is part of the PNC Grow Up Great initiative.

Saturday, June 1, 2-4pm: Ross Park Mall
Max Leake featuring Maureen Budway

Saturday, June 1, 2-4pm: Mall at Robinson
Thomas Wendt

Saturday, June 1, 2-4pm: Monroeville Mall
Dennis Garner Band

Thursday, June 6, 5-7pm: Downtown Pittsburgh
Official Kick-off Party
Enjoy shopping, sales, giveaways and live entertainment.
Featuring: Cecil Brooks III, David Budway and Dwayne Dolphin
         

Al Bright : Abstract Jazz Works
 During this year’s Festival, join internationally renowned abstract expressionist artist Al Bright as he creates paintings before audiences to live jazz music.  Over his career, he has collaborated with world famous musicians Art Blakey, Wynton Marsalis, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, Jimmy Owens, James Williams, Billy Pierce, and Robin Eubanks.  His paintings are held in museums, corporate and private collections throughout the United States and abroad.  Al Bright is currently Professor Emeritus of Art at Youngstown State University where he has taught painting for over 40 years.
Exhibit Location: 709 Gallery, 709 Penn Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh
Exhibition Dates: May 31-June 30
Opening Reception: May 31, 6pm-8pm


PARTNERS & SPONSORS
The Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival is made possible through the generous support of RK Mellon, UPMC, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, MACY’S.  This year, the Festival is proud to announce megabus.com as the official Pittsburgh Jazz Festival Bus Transportation Sponsor.  The company brings approximately 35,000 customers to Pittsburgh per month providing an affordable, convenient and fun way to travel.  The Festival is also supported by numerous collaborators, in-kind and media sponsors.

All artists and show times are subject to change. For updates, a full list of artist biographies, sponsors and more information please visit, www.pittsburghjazzlive.com

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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Cast of Characters at 709 Penn Gallery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   REVISION #2
Today's date: March 26, 2013
Contact:  Sonja Sweterlitsch / Sweterlitsch@trustarts.org
                  Manager of Community Art, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Cast of Characters
curated by Vicky Clark and Cindy Lisica
709 Penn Gallery
709 Penn Avenue, downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District
April 5-May 17, 2013


Pittsburgh, PA:  In Cast of Characters, curators Vicky Clark and Cindy Lisica bring together six diverse artists with character-driven work to question the nature of our everyday existence and our relationship to larger-than-life heroes and gods.  Characters’ stories combine through humor, insight, passion and intellect, causing us to contemplate our world and question our place within it.

The artists featured in this exhibition move from recognizable characters to ones they have created themselves.  While the narratives are, at times, very serious, the approach is fun, colorful, and imaginative as the artists communicate both personal and shared concerns.  The heads and figures of FriendsWithYou, Mr. Glaubitz, and Jeff Schwarz literally and metaphorically speak to issues of identity and the human experience.  Janet Towbin and Rei Sato use small scales to approach big issues, and power and identity are brought to the forefront with the graphic characters and costumes of Mr. Glaubitz and Mark Newport.

Bird Mouth Sculpture by Jeff Schwarz

Using the visual language of comics, punk, youth or street culture, the artists explore and present the familiar within their own situations. The resulting connectivity and commonalities invite the audience to view and experience a range of sensations by entering an active dialogue.

Participating artists include:  Mr. Glaubitz (Tijuana), Mark Newport (Detroit), Rei Sato (Tokyo and Taipei), Jeff Schwarz (Brooklyn), and Janet Towbin (Phoenix) and FriendsWithYou (Los Angeles).

A full color illustrated catalog with essays by Cindy Lisica and forward by Vicky A Clark has been published on the occasion of the exhibition.


ABOUT THE CURATORS

Dr. Vicky A. Clark is a Pittsburgh-based independent curator and Director of the Art Gallery at Clarion University, where she also teaches art history.  Her extensive curatorial background includes stints at the Carnegie Museum of Art and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and she was awarded “Curator of the Year” in 2001.  In addition to co-curating Cast of Characters, Clark has recently organized two traveling group exhibitions, “The White Show: Subtlety in the Age of Spectacle” at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Donald Judd Remix at Fe Gallery.

Dr. Cindy Lisica is an independent curator, Assistant Archivist of The Andy Warhol Museum, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at University of Pittsburgh.  She has previously curated exhibitions from L.A. to Paris and has held archives and research positions at MOCA Los Angeles and TATE London.  She has recently presented on contemporary and Japanese art at Brooklyn Museum of Art, University of Helsinki, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of World Cultures) in Berlin.


GALLERY DETAILS
709 Penn Gallery is located on 709 Penn Ave. / Downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District
Hours: Wed. & Thurs. 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sun.11 a.m.–5 p.m.
709 Penn Gallery is a project of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Education & Community Engagement department.

EXHIBIT DETAILS
Dates:  April 5 – May 17, 2013
Opening Reception:  April 5, 2013   (6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.)
www.TrustArts.org

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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh