PITTSBURGH ARTNEWS BRIEF (1/9 – 1/25)

by Emma Riva

Happy new year! I rang it in at the tail end of having COVID, so the past few weeks have been a little bit of playing catch-up for me. I’m writing this while eating lunch with my other hand and thinking about the phone calls I need to make. That sort of day. But I have artnews for you!

Tomorrow 1/10 at KST Alloy Studios from 6-7:30 the Pedantic residency is holding a meet-and-greet. Pedantic brings creative people from outside of Pittsburgh into the community, so it’s a great opportunity to share what our city has to offer with others and use resources from outside of it to improve its creative output.

The Mattress Factory has also launched their international open call for this year, which ends on Thursday, February 8. You can submit here.

Associated Artists of Pittsburgh is doing their new member screening. At the Carnegie Museum yesterday, I spoke to an older gentleman, an architect and artist, who had been an AAP member back in the day. We had a conversation about how art in Pittsburgh has changed over time and I ended up explaining to him how Instagram marketing worked. It was a good reminder that there’s a lot of talent out there that isn’t keyed into the world of social media and that tech savvy isn’t necessarily what makes a fruitful career. At the end of the day, it’s how you fulfill your personal goals as an artist and whether you’re able to support yourself in the way that matters to you. AAP is a good opportunity to show work and build a positive environment around you, but ultimately every artist has different career needs and different goals. The new member screening runs until February 12.

For both writers and artists, Poetry Lounge is relaunching their zine yawp. You can submit to yawp@poetryloungepgh.com any time before 3/25. This seems to be part of a larger trend of Pittsburgh’s early aughts institutions and “scenes”–from Dave Rullo’s Gen X Pittsburgh to Erik Bauer’s You Had to Be There (book launch this 1/12 Friday at Bottom Feeder Books!) Lots of time to submit but looks like a cool project.

The Petrichor calendar is pretty stocked, and you can head over there to see some of this month’s offerings in the city at Zynka Gallery, AAP, Bottom Feeder Books, and more. The last weekend in January seems a little barren, so if anybody’s looking to get a show on the road, maybe then is a good time? As a note, up north in Bellevue, collector Paul McArdle has eight weeks of shows from his personal collection—Read more on WESA. It’s an ambitious concept, and this weekend’s is work from the Warhola family and the Finster family.

A little art scene mystery via Carolyn Pierotti to round us off. Have you or someone you know in Pittsburgh seen this piece? (Also pictured in the cover photo). “I lost it about 11 years ago give or take. It was hanging at bloodline tattoo in Bloomfield. I wasn’t contacted when they closed and by the time I found out the painting was gone. I hunted down the owner, or at least one of them and he couldn’t give me an answer, and then I received the silent treatment. If you see this, please take it off the wall and let me know. I will be happy to come and get it. I made this when I was at Carlow. it was really a happy accident and a bit of a construction piece, it was a ceramic face that I nailed into the board. There are so many elements about this piece I really loved. Like an asshole I didn’t have an agreement or a contract and it’s just disappeared.” Have you seen it? Also, reminder to always have contracts and clear communication when you’re showing at commercial spaces!

That’s about it. I’ve also enjoyed local writer Matthew Newton‘s new newsletter, Homesick, as someone who’s also bounced around geographically and spent much of my life getting into existential depressions about the meaning of home. You can read it and subscribe here to support Matthew, with paid options available — there’s an early post for people who sub now, and then the first installment launches 1/21.

Overheard on the art scene, 1/9-1/25 edition: “I’m sorry, I am not having a Juggalo-themed birthday party.”

See you next time! Send tips, ideas, or hyper-local art gossip to petrichorpgh@gmail.com.