Walk through the Gallery Crawl tomorrow and see great art for free

Take advantage of free admission to five art exhibit openings, special musical performances,… Take advantage of free admission to five art exhibit openings, special musical performances, light refreshments and beverages this Friday evening when The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents a free Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District. The Crawl, which is open to the public, begins tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. with additional performances until 10 p.m. at the Wood Street Gallery and SPACE.

Exhibits and performances will take place at various venues on Wood Street, Penn Avenue and Liberty Avenue. The Wood Street Galleries will host the exhibit “Amorphic Robot Works” by the New York-based group of the same name.

Led by Chico MacMurtie, the technicians, artists and engineers of ARW collaborated to create numerous automated skeletal structures that perform tasks such as throwing rocks. The featured work of the exhibit, “The Cave of the Subconscious,” invites the viewer to venture into a cave-like structure where the 24 mechanical creations wait to be activated by movement of the visitor.

Music will be provided by local band Shade, which will take the stage from 5:30 to 7:45 p.m., followed by Wizard Flight, which will play until 10 p.m. The Wood Street Galleries are located at 601 Wood Street.

More entertainment can be found at the Watercolors Gallery on 901 Penn Avenue, where The Faders will share their alternative-pop acoustics. “School Days” will be on display at the gallery, with pieces painted by some of the most talented art students and instructors from the Pittsburgh area.

Also at the Watercolors Gallery will be works by internationally acclaimed artist Frank Webb. Right next door, “Blue State Blues” — a collection of 80 political cartoons, featuring works by artists including P.S. Mueller of The New Yorker and Pulitzer Prize-winner Clay Bennet — will be on exhibit at Artists Upstairs (911 Penn Avenue).

Just down the street at 709 Penn Avenue, Urban Space will feature a solo show of “Black and White Photography” by Kamau Ware, with spoken word performances by DJ SMI. Also of special interest are the live performances at 937 Liberty Avenue, where the award-winning strings trio Chatham Baroque will provide music on the first floor, while the Big Weave performs Hip Hop Aerobics on the third floor. On the next block, at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, culinary works by students will be on display in the Culinary Arts Salon. Soup and beverages can be purchased at this location, with proceeds going to the PCI Student Council.

At 812 Liberty Avenue, SPACE will present the opening of “Domestic Politics,” which focuses on the relationship between the family dynamic and capitalism, featuring new works by artists Rick Gribenas, Mario Marzan and Arturo Rodriguez, to name a few. The exhibit contains such diverse media as home videos and one-liners that describe the individuals’ cultural identity with twisted wit.

Accompanying the exhibit will be an array of musical performances, including live music by Slices from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., performances by Rick Gribenas at 7:30, and Air Guitar Magazine from 8 to 10 p.m.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust offers the Gallery Crawl as an opportunity to see a vast showcase of artwork, music and entertainment all in one night and with no cost. With more than a dozen participating locations, there’s a lot to take in. While you shouldn’t expect to make it to every event, make sure you pick up your “Crawl Card” at any of the participating locations just in case. If you get it stamped at all of the galleries, you get a free beverage at the Backstage Bar at the Cabaret at Theater Square.