by Lelaina Scott
A little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to participate in a well-known and well regarded event in the Pittsburgh art community. If you’re a Pittsburgh-area artist and haven’t heard of Art All Night, I couldn’t recommend participating enough. 22 hours of art: performance art, visual art, live art, musical arts, community art and everything in-between.
I had originally heard of the event though a friend and had put it in the back of my mind. I had been hearing more and more buzz over the coming weeks and decided to see what the jury process was like, how much it might cost me to apply – typical processes for applying to an art show. Imagine my surprise when I saw that not only was there NO jury, it was free. Free to attend, free to apply and free to enjoy as much uncensored art as your heart desired.
If you’re fresh to applying to shows or you’re simply someone who enjoys art without participating, not only is there often an application fee to even submit your work to be featured, there’s then a jury. This jury is typically made of one to three curators whose backgrounds can range from working in the arts education field to fellow artists to people who just have opinions on art. While this process can be good if an artist wants to please a specific audience or participate in a certain show, these roadblocks are heavy for many.
To spend an extra 20, 30, 40 dollars to have a few people tell you your art isn’t a good fit, it’s hard. Art All Night really prided itself on having no jury, no censorship and no fees and that was something that inspired me to apply to paint live as well. Live painters were there all-night painting original pieces to be auctioned off for Art All Night to remain free for all. I couldn’t wait to hear back.
From the very moment I walked into the venue, the volunteers couldn’t have been kinder and more efficient. Everyone was so eager to help and get all the artists set up, taking a peek at the art that would soon be on display – it was so invigorating as an artist, I’m sure everyone felt the communal excitement in the air for that evening. I was honored to be chosen for the live painting portion of the event and my timeslot started at the very beginning of the event. I arrived with a loose idea and zero supplies. The kind folks at Art All Night had supplied some full-sized canvases, brushes, recycled containers and house paint for the artists to use if they didn’t want to use their own supplies. While house paint threw me through a bit of a loop, to have and offer supplies for free to the artists donating their skills and time shows a great level of respect for said artists from the organizers.
As I began painting, getting comfortable in our little live painting observation section I began to observe the artists and patrons around me. There was so much collective excitement for live creation and the celebration of real people. People watched, asked questions, showed and explained to their kids what was unfolding – I’m glad my back was to them because the smile on my face was beaming and goofy.
I took a break after my dear friends brought me some lunch; I had a chance to take in the sheer magnitude of this event. Walls and walls full of art; art from professionals, art from hobbyists, art from students. There were massive pieces from artists masters at their craft, 3 dimensional sculptural pieces, drawings from kids who haven’t lost all their baby teeth yet. This is what sharing art is about.
Art All Night is a celebration. The night was alive with people supporting artists, listening to musicians and watching fellow people make art. I felt nothing but excitement and support from the patrons and from the people that worked so hard to make this event possible.
I’ve only been in the Pittsburgh art scene for a few months, but I felt so much love that night. If you’re a Pittsburgh-based artist I couldn’t recommend participating in Art All Night enough. If you’re simply someone who enjoys seeing what art is being created in our communities, mark your calendars and keep an eye out for this jury free, censorship free and fee free event. On behalf of myself and all the artists and people that were touched by this event: thank you to the organizers and volunteers who are making it possible. See you next year.
Lelaina Scott is a Pittsburgh-based artist. She has a degree in Visual Arts and Music Studies from Pennsylvania State University and her work has been displayed at 3 Dots and the Bellefonte Museum of Art. She has had her work published in several local publications including State College Magazine, Kalliope Magazine and Valley Magazine.
Who gets included and whose voice reminds behind gatekept barriers? This month’s articles are published with support from The Frick Pittsburgh for Kara Walker: Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated). which deals with these question.s As Zach Hunley wrote in Petrichor: “When viewing the work of Kara Walker, you are bearing witness to history and time compounded.” Revisit the past and rethink the present now at the Frick Art Museum–last chance before the show closes on May 25!
PETRICHOR 
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