ABOUT

Petrichor takes its name from an esoteric word meaning “a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.” This felt fitting for Pittsburgh, where the air has a distinct, heavy smell and the rains are frequent. Petrichor is also the name of a piece by Smoking Joe Perry I bought as a sort of investment to hold myself to the idea of starting this magazine. I remember thinking I have no business buying another piece of art. I’m a self-employed art critic that just left a live-in relationship, lives miles away from my family, and only buys the marked down Rite Aid brand of ibuprofen.

But I took some inspiration from my colleague T.K. Mills, who sold his life insurance to start our project UP Mag. T.K. is just one example of a long tradition of creative people pouring whatever meager capital they have into their endeavors. I bought the piece and thought: Fuck it. This is a city built on industry and innovation, where people have been fusing together metal and striking sparks for years. We create things here. It’s an indefinable place, so much so that we argue on Twitter about its regional location every couple of months and never come to a conclusion. (It’s not the East Coast. I’ll die on that hill).

I do know one thing, whether Pittsburgh is in the Midwest, Appalachia, or the Mid-Atlantic, Pittsburgh is home. And something great is happening here.  My writing background is in the novel, and I’ve struggled with whether being an art critic and being an author are mutually exclusive. But maybe I was never meant to tell stories by myself. This magazine is the novel of our art scene here in Pittsburgh. I want us all to create it together.

Emma Riva, Founder and Editor-in-Chief