“Pittsburgh
Lives Art!”
Kristen Agnew
Senior Staff Writer
Downtown sidewalks are transformed!
With the Three
Rivers
Arts festival here again, it's hard to ignore the artists
among us. Sunday, I found myself strolling in
Point State Park, mapping out my strategy for the next
week in the city. One afternoon is not enough to take in the
tents of finely-honed craftsmanship. Jewelry, photographs of
worlds far away and in our imaginations, ceramic pots, copper
wind chimes. I'll take
blown glass
earrings any day over pigeons.
Art intersects with every facet of our
lives. Technology and art: David Edward's Power Flower sculptures
doubled as solar panels and wind turbines, prompting us to wonder
how something can be both beautiful and energy-saving.
Environmental art:
OK, so maybe it's a stretch to say that the guy behind the blue bins
telling us how to recycle is art. But he was there.
And then there was music: I wish I could
have seen Ingrid
Michaelson or the "Cello Fusion" play this week. Five Guys
Named Mo were on break at Katz Plaza when I stopped, then I thought
I heard jazz while walking away.
My goal: the Shaw gallery on the corner of
Liberty and 8th, to catch a glimpse of another Mo's Pittsburgh.
Morris Berman's black-and-white photojournalism lined the walls, and
I was soon immersed in the 1960s and 70s, from sports heroes to
firefighting scenes. A young visage of
Terry Bradshaw
reminded me of Steeler history. What captured me most, however, was
the artist's award-winning depictions of tragedy: the quarterback
who kneeled stunned on the field, having just lost his career due to
injury. A family huddled outside the crumbling ashes of their home.
Looking at this emotion highlighted among sky capes, I was a little
puzzled how one person's loss could be another's gain. But then the
photographer is just telling their stories, stories that the
individuals involved had to accept if they were going to move on.
Move on I did, to other exhibits in the
Artists Market. The Hertz Gateway Center Plaza had become a maze of
displays. I was soon seeing their stories, too: the photographer now
from Ithaca, New York and her waterfalls, her travels to
Venice, and her
hometown's bridges (which I could easily look across the street and
see- Pittsburgh, second only to Venice in our number of bridges)! A
cartoonist sat sullen in his empty tent, while neighboring tents
filled up with guests. He looked away after his eye caught mine,
another citizen passing by without taking interest. Two jewelry
vendors teased a friend about asking someone out a couple tents
down, even as I marveled at the
sterling silver
leaflets lining their cases.
The fountain walls provided much-needed rest. I wished I had saved
my money for lobster burgers, but feasted on a $2 hot dog instead.
A blur of beads and designer vests followed my memory on my way out,
snaking through the crowd and creators. But they wouldn't miss me,
just one of thousands discovering art in Pittsburgh this summer.
Kristen Agnew is a senior staff writer for
Pittsburgh Standard and also serves as the staff advisor for the
student organization of Pittsburgh Standard.
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