Three Rivers Arts Festival celebrates 60 years
By Sarah Connor, Senior Staff Writer
July 5, 2019
Three multicolored giraffe statues stand at the center of the Wyndham Lawn in Gateway Center Plaza downtown, covered in sporadically placed patches of pink, turquoise, yellow, purple and green. These giraffes are pieces of an art project called Ocean Sole Africa — one of the many major attractions for the 2019 Three Rivers Arts Festival.
Annual Three Rivers Arts Festival kicks off downtown
By Zachary Donovan | Staff Writer
June 6, 2018
The City of Pittsburgh’s North Side was filled with the sound of country music and the sight of about 25 tons of trash this past weekend as the Kenny Chesney concert took over Heinz Field and the surrounding parking lots for tailgates. But across the river from the hard-partying country fans, a different crowd...
Lawrenceville Art Crawl leaves visitors in awe
By Jon Kunitsky | For The Pitt News
May 30, 2018
Betsy Lewis, Emmy Brown and Emily Richards walked down Butler Street amid sun-showers and humidity Saturday afternoon. As rising juniors at Pitt majoring in microbiology, neuroscience and physics, respectively, they ventured out of Oakland to admire local art displayed along the sidewalks of Lawrence...
Don’t Call Her Honey: Ciara Gray artist spotlight
By Siddhi Shockey | Staff Writer
May 16, 2018
When she was a young artist in first grade, Ciara Gray brought an assignment to the front of the class to show the teacher her work — how she’d ripped a portrait from a magazine in half and pasted it to paper, sketching in the missing half of the model’s face. Now, marks of Gray’s creativity are etched...
Women hone craft at Art House in Homewood
By Shahum Ajmal | Staff Writer
April 5, 2018
As Vanessa German and a group of artists were about to settle in for a night of writing and discussion in her house, a car crash outside derailed the March evening. The group witnessed an altercation between the victim of the crash and police officers who responded to the scene, and feeling that...
Max “Gems” Gonzales: Artist most wanted
By Elise Lavallee & Elise Lavallee
April 1, 2018
Before Gems and Apathy could watch the paint dry on another one of their masterpieces in Homestead, the pair started sprinting up the hill behind them — they realized a cop had become witness to their work. “We would run 30 yards, take a break and catch our breaths before running more until we...
Students petition for reproductive rights at “My Body is My Own” exhibit
By Marissa Perino | Senior Staff Writer
March 1, 2018
Bright pink flags dot the lawn outside the William Pitt Union on one of the first warm days of spring semester as students kneel to read the stories written on each individual marker — sometimes pausing to add their own to the display. Emphasizing the importance and intersection of topics such as bi...
Homeless identities on display at “Walk On By” exhibit
By Shahum Ajmal | Staff Writer
February 22, 2018
Renee Rosensteel passed the same homeless man in downtown Pittsburgh multiple times before she could no longer avoid his attention-seeking gestures and decided to stop and introduce herself. “I knew he was part of the scene down there,” Rosensteel said. “I was tired. I’d just had enough, ...
Rhodessa Jones brings art and activism to Pitt
By Joanna Li | Staff Writer
February 8, 2018
Since she found theater, San Francisco-based artist Rhodessa Jones said she has always had a place in the world — whether it be to share her ups and downs or to offer other women a chance to speak out. “Theater has been the one lover that has never let me down — it demands a lot of me, but t...
Ashley Cecil displays ‘Birds and Botany’ at Phipps Conservatory
By Emma Maurice | Staff Writer
January 30, 2018
Just inside Phipps Conservatory, Ashley Cecil has created the illusion of Springtime in the midst of a harsh Pittsburgh winter — blooming flowers and songbirds rest on bright yellow backdrops along the walls of the Welcome Center, greeting visitors as they escape the cold. Cecil found inspirati...
Artists converse about work, creativity
By Nina Kneuer | Staff Writer
January 12, 2018
Jo-Anne Bates originally went to school to be a printmaker, so most of her first works were in black and white. But after visiting South Africa and seeing all of the colors in the landscape, the clothing and the artwork, she knew she wanted to incorporate them into her own work. “To be an artis...
Student film taps into storytelling
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 12, 2018
When 47-year-old Jason Swauger suffered a partial tear of his hamstring from a split gone wrong during the filming of “A Tap Dancer Murders Her Father,” student director Caleb Porto didn’t want to continue. “Even though he was fine, I was so done with the film. I didn’t want [another inj...
Pastels and paints: ARTificial club provides students with creative outlet
By Siddhi Shockey / For The Pitt News
November 9, 2017
The silence of creative focus cuts short sounds of laughter and chatter as students begin to paint abstract designs with vibrant yellow and pink acrylics on large, white canvases. ARTificial — the first club on Pitt’s campus dedicated solely to visual arts — is a space for both artists and appreci...
Exploring hidden art on campus
By Marissa Perino / Staff Writer
October 13, 2017
Because of displaced, absent or otherwise out-of-sight placards, many works of art often go unattributed or unnoticed on campus. There could be art installations hanging from a ceiling or beautiful oil paintings of the Cathedral in plain sight, and students and faculty often walk right by them. Art...
Crawling through the city: Gallery Crawl comes back to Pittsburgh
By Emma Maurice / Staff Writer
September 20, 2017
For one night every season throughout the year, the streets of downtown Pittsburgh teem with artistic events, music and art fanatics. A free and public event since 2004, the quarterly Gallery Crawl yields nearly 30,000 visitors annually and showcases art, music and entertainment throughout downtown Pittsburgh. The Pit...
Wasteland-scapes: Frick Fine Arts Building hosts environmentally-conscious art exhibits
By Prachi Patel / Staff Writer
September 18, 2017
Floorboards creaked as visitors shuffled around to get a closer view of the medley of landscapes, which included underwater photographs, silk Chinese scrolls depicting sloping mountains and an Inuit print of a sea-goddess. The University Art Gallery hosted a joint opening of two art exhibitions ...
Column: Poetry now: why today’s world makes poetics shine
By Christian Snyder, Assistant Opinions Editor
August 29, 2017
I remember the first time a line of poetry caught me by surprise. I was sitting in the Cathedral of Learning mouthing the words of Ross Gay’s poem “catalog of unabashed gratitude” to myself. The poem turns when he addresses the reader, and says thank you, “for moving your lips just so as I s...
GALLERY: Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival 2017
By Maria Heines
June 20, 2017
The annual Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival was held downtown from Friday, June 16 to Sunday, June 18 and included more than 140 local musicians. ...
GALLERY: Three Rivers Arts Festival
By The Pitt News Staff
June 4, 2017
The annual Three Rivers Arts Festival is a free 10-day arts festival downtown which features a variety of food and art vendors as well as an eclectic selection of musical performers. ...
Making memories: Pitt students paint portraits for underprivileged children
By Anandhini Narayanan / For The Pitt News
April 11, 2017
Jill McDonnell surveyed a set of portrait pictures laid out on a Hillman Library table and picked her next art subject based on their name and favorite color — the only information provided with the picture. Using watercolor and acrylic paints, McDonnell and 27 other artists at Pitt painted per...
Regardless of the law, consider graffiti as legitimate art
By Elise Lavallee | Columnist
April 7, 2017
In America, graffiti is often a staple of disadvantaged communities, associated with crime and poverty, and generally unwanted. But in some places, where the culture and atmosphere differs, graffiti is a welcome aspect of the community. In a small neighborhood of Toronto, known as Kensington Mar...
In tune with a b-flat: Artists, physicists collaborate on campus
By Abhignya Mallepalli / Staff Writer
April 5, 2017
Sarah Thornton stands in the basement of the Frick Fine Arts Center, preparing for her work to appear in an exhibit Tuesday night. She dips her fingers in paint and presses them to the canvas, using gray and purple colors to put the finishing touches on her visual representation of the connections between phys...
Best Illustrations of 2016
By Pitt News Staff Illustrators
January 4, 2017
From politics to hamburgers, we're highlighting some of the best work by our staff illustrators from the past year. ...
Make art, not money: local artist challenges gender inequality
By Kelechi Urama / For The Pitt News
May 5, 2015
For local artist Elana Schlenker, gender discrimination was just something that she read about in books. But when a graphic design company hired her, she found that she was the only woman designer.“We did all kinds of products, but I would always get the stuff for girls. I like architecture, and all...
Creative careers demand inventive and versatile portfolios
By Michael Bichler / For The Pitt News
February 6, 2015
For some job seekers, simply attaching a resumé and cover letter won’t cut it.In order to get any job in an art or writing profession, a portfolio sampling your best work is a must to display your accomplishments in your college career. However, deciding what you put in a portfolio can be as important as the...
‘The 20-something-year-old-quarter-life-crisis’: A humanities student embraces her uncertain future
By Grace Kelly / Staff Writer
February 6, 2015
From the first rosy day of freshman year, being an art history major has been a challenge. Even other students, amidst their own “starting-college-I’m-a-grown-up-now” high, would blurt out, “What are you going to do with that?” This question has clung to me like a bad hangover for the past...
Society of Contemporary Craft not entirely ‘DIY’ approach to art
By Meghan Bray / For The Pitt News
October 28, 2014
In the emerging world of contemporary craft and do-it-yourself projects, schools focusing on crafts and non-traditional artistry like the Society for Contemporary Craft make a case for not always going it alone. Tucked away in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, it’s a hidden gem for crafters and art ...
Pitt: take art cues from rest of ‘Burgh
By Jack Trainor / Staff Writer
October 22, 2014
Quick: what’s the most dismal building on campus? Chances are you answered Posvar Hall — a five-story, concrete slab. With its bare, dimly lit halls that transcend zip codes and colossally bleak walls, it’s no wonder why the answer is so obvious. So what’s the answer to this one: what should we d...
Unblurred blends art, activism and entertainment
By Jack Trainor / Staff Writer
April 17, 2014
Laura Jean McLaughlin’s old bookstore-turned-studio is one of the many local treasures on display during this month’s Unblurred, Garfield’s gallery crawl event.“Today’s his favorite day,” McLaughlin said, referring to her cat who was receiving almost as much attention from visitors as McLaughli...
Ghost Signs Haunt Pittsburgh’s Skyline
By Allison Latzko / Staff Writer
March 26, 2014
On an old brick building along Decatur Street in Pittsburgh, a faded black and white Valley Dairy”sign remains on the cracked red brick. The sign is still legible, but worn. Vines have begun to creep over the paint and the decrepit structure, leaving an incomplete, obtrusive and even ghostly image. ...
Alien She looks to riot grrrl’s past and future
By Dylan Abbott / For The Pitt News
October 21, 2013
In 1993, the feminist punk band Bikini Kill released its debut full-length album, Pussy Whipped. “Alien She” was the title of the second track on the album. It begins with the usual confident clamor of a punk song, then above the distorted guitar and cymbals, lead vocalist Kathleen Hanna announces t...
Employment Guide: Independent artists face tough road to success
By John Lavanga / A&E Editor
September 12, 2013
Among the many tropes that inhabit the world of pop culture, few have been quite as enduring or romanticized as the starving artist. With nothing but artistic vision, a dirty studio, alcohol and art supplies, the starving artist takes a solitary journey toward some high universal truth found only in a...
University Art Gallery rediscovers its own collection in new exhibit
By John Lavanga / A&E Editor
September 9, 2013
On the back wall of the University Art Gallery rests Gino Severini’s “Nature Morte,” a 1958 color lithograph characterized by an abstract, highly angular array of colored shapes and playing-card symbols that seem as though they are on the verge of motion. Though Severini is best known for his work as a p...
Five songs exceed musical expectations with humorous intentions
By Hagedorn
January 22, 2013
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