THERE ARE TIMES when Art needs to get serious. And do everything it can to right Wrong.
Sat. Apr. 1 from noon-3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. the Energy Innovation Center (1435 Bedford Ave.) is the site for a one-day, all-day group art show featuring 100+ Pittsburgh visual artists exhibiting work that speaks to the unjust 14-year imprisonment in Russia of Oakmont native Marc Fogel.
Organized by artists Tom Mosser and Mara Lorusso and Fogel family attorney Sasha Phillips, Make a Marc: Bring Marc Fogel Home is free and open to the public. [see the event Facebook page for updates]
The idea is that mass public demonstrations of concern in the U.S. can speed up the agonizingly slow diplomatic appeal process Fogel’s family and friends are certain will free him from the brutal Russian penal colony where he now resides.
Like WNBA player Britney Greiner, Marc Fogel was arrested at a Russian airport for possessing a small amount of medically-prescribed marijuana. Fogel was in his 10th and final year of teaching at an international school in Moscow.
It’s possible the Make a Marc show here in Pittsburgh can inspire other public art events across the U.S.
If it does, it will again bring to life the words of playwright/historian Howard Zinn:
“There is no act too small, no act too bold. The history of social change is the history of millions of actions, small and large, coming together at critical points to create a power that governments cannot suppress.”
* See – The Artists of “Make a Marc”
* * * * *
SPECIAL EVENT: Friday, Apr. 28, 5:30-10 p.m. Pittsburgh’s Downtown Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District. 17 official crawl stops and others to discover on your own gallery exhibits, hip-hop trap and paint, live music, comedy, steelpan music and student arts, street magic, printmaking and textiles, Silent Disco dance with 3 deejays, Night Market in Market Square.
*** GALLERIES & EXHIBITS ***
707 Penn Gallery. To June 11: in spite of me, here you are. New work by painter, sculptor, videographer Steve Alexis. 707 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 456-6666.
820 Liberty Gallery. To Apr. 30: Exploration of COLOR 2.0: A Retrospective of Works by Jo-Anne Bates. New work by printmaker and arts educator Jo-Ann Bates. 820 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 456-6666.
937 Liberty Gallery. To May 14: And The Lord Spoke: Photographs by Jacob Pesci. New Work by photographer and former U.S. Navy combat medic Jacob Pesci. 937 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 456-6666.
Andy Warhol Museum. Apr. 12-June 19: The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: A Selection of Works from 2022. 117 Sandusky St. Pittsburgh. (412) 237-8300.
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. To Apr. 15: 2022-2023 Featured Artists Exhibition. New work by 12 artists from AAP. 100 43rd St. Pittsburgh (412) 361-1370.
Atithi Studios. To Apr. 16: Beth Fisher: The Good Folk. Whimsical character illustrations born from the grief of the pandemic; Amanda Filippelli: The Remembering Room. A communal space where people can process feelings of grief, loss, existentialism. 1020 N. Canal Street, Sharpsburg. (412) 301-5374.
August Wilson African American Cultural Center. To May 31: The Hope of Radiance. New work by Nigerian-American painter Imo Nse Imeh. To Aug. 31: Frame of Reference: Jo-Anne Bates. New work by painter/printmaker Jo-Anne Bates. On permanent exhibit: August Wilson, The Writer’s Landscape. 980 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 339-1011.
Borelli Cellars. Apr. 13-30: Falling Awake. New work by painter Jacki Temple; opening reception Apr. 13, 5-8 p.m. 1500 Washington Rd. Mt. Lebanon. (412) 670-2868.
BoxHeart Gallery. To Apr. 14: Light Weight. New work by Mary Barensfeld, Clara Fialho, Joshua Hogan, Stephanie Martin, Belgin Yücelen. Apr. 26-May 26: Working with Paper. New work by 53 members of Pittsburgh Society of Artists celebrating the use of paper in collage, drawing, photography, painting, sculpture, print-making, and digital art; opening reception Apr. 29, 5-7 p.m. 4523 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 687-8858.
Brew House Association. To Apr. 1: Lay Bare, Curated by Zeal Eva. New work by Black Girl Absolute, Karlissia Council, Ivory Eddins, Juliandra Jones (PBJ Customs), Evangeline Mensah-Agyekum, Bekezela Mguni, Jameelah Platt, Rell Rushin. 711 S. 21st St. Pittsburgh. (412) 212-6650.
Carnegie Museum of Art. To Apr. 2: 58th Carnegie International: Is it morning for you yet?. Historical works from the collections of international institutions, estates, and artists alongside new commissions and recent works by contemporary artists. 4400 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 622-3131.
Concept Art Gallery. To May 27: Douglas Cooper: Tops and Bottoms. New work by painter Douglas Cooper. To May 27: Robert Bowden: The Astounding Bridges of Pittsburgh. New work by painter Robert Bowden. 1031 S. Braddock Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 242-9200.
Contemporary Craft. Apr. 1 (6:30-11 p.m.): Out of Hand. One-night auction featuring dozens of craft items. 5645 Butler St. Pittsburgh. (412) 261-7003. To Apr. 16: C3: Cloth, Culture and Community: Exploring 1,000 of Black Pittsburgh. Designer Tereneh Idia blends historical and contemporary clothing. BNY Mellon Satellite Gallery, 500 Grant St. Pittsburgh.
Cranberry Artists Network. To Apr. 20: Simply Spring. Township Municipal Building. 2525 Rochester Road, Cranberry Township. (724) 728-4658.
Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh. To Apr. 7: Member Spotlight Exhibition at North Hills Art Center, 3432 Babcock Blvd. Pittsburgh. P.O. Box 9211, Pittsburgh PA 15224. fiberartspgh@gmail.com.
The Frick Art Museum. To June 30: Reckoning: Grief and Light. Multisensory sculpture by Vanessa German exploring grief, love, and social healing. 7227 Reynolds St. Pittsburgh (412) 371-0600.
Irma Freeman Center for Imagination. Apr. 7: Amalgamation 2. New work by Katy Dement and Christine Bethea. opening reception Apr. 7, 7-9 p.m. 5006 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh. (412) 924-0634.
Kelly-Strayhorn Theater. To May 27: Neighbor to Neighbor. New work in text, collage, portrait, dynamic pattern, abstract mapping styles by Takara Canty, Sophia Fang, atiya jones, Maggie Negrete, Jameelah Platt, Danielle Robinson. 5941 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 363-3000.
Ketchup City Creative. To Apr. 9: Body & Space: Two-person Show with Alyssa Truckenbrode and Bernie Wilke. Apr. 14-16. Corey Ochai and Malcolm Xavier. Apr. 21-23: Body & Space: Two-person show with Alyssa Sineni and Bernie Wilke. Apr. 28-30: Fox Chapel Area School District High School AP Art Show. 612 Main St. Sharpsburg. (412) 593-4386.
Lohr Gallery. To Apr. 1: Bahirah. New work by Wilkinsburg artist Bahirah. 725 Wood St. Wilkinsburg. (412) 727-7855.
Manos Gallery. Apr. 1, 2-7 p.m.: The Discarded. New work by 27 artists. 320 E. 5th Ave. Tarentum. (484) 529-1597.
Mattress Factory. To Dec. 30: The Museum Collects Itself by Lenka Clayton & Phillip Andrew Lewis; Do this while I wait by Lydia Rosenberg; As Seen From the Surface by Katie Bullock – at Monterey Annex, 1414 Monterey St. Pittsburgh. To Fall 2023: HalfDream: Another Room. New solo exhibit by Hong Kong and US-based artist Doreen Chan in which users around the world can describe their dreams, add them to a database which matches common dreams of participants and connect to “dreammates”. 516 Sampsonia Way, Pittsburgh. (412) 231-3169.
Ohringer Arts Building. Apr. 14-15: Welcome to Historic Braddock: The Photographs of Robert Ketcham. Retrospective of work by photographer Robert Ketcham; opening reception and artist talk Apr. 14 (6-9 p.m.); open gallery Apr. 15 (3-6 p.m.). 640 Braddock Ave. Braddock. (412) 271-2787.
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. To June 25: Watercolor Works from the Garden. The 2-year collaborative project between the PBG and the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society features the works of 22 artists using various styles and techniques in water-based media. 799 Pinkerton Run Road, Pittsburgh. (412) 444-4464.
Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media. To May 6: 3rd Annual Member & Student Exhibition. New work by PCAM members and students. 1047 Shady Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 361-0873.
Pittsburgh Glass Center. To July 30: Undefined. New work by top 3 finalists (MiNHi England, John Moran, John Sharvin) from Season 3 of the Netflix series Blown Away. 5472 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 365-2145.
Redfishbowl Studios. To Apr. 1 (7-11 p.m.): Synesthesia. Interactive art installation showcasing the five senses featuring Brendan Donovan, Hannah Swoish, Emily Armstrong, Brenda Howard White Nachreiner, Dante Campudoni, John Maurice Muldoon, Naytrece. 4327 Butler St. #200, Pittsburgh. (724) 681-8965.
Silver Eye Center For Photography. To Apr. 22: April Friges: In Absolute Space and Nicole Czapinski: always arriving. 4808 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 431-1810.
SPACE. To May 14: #notwhite collective 2016-2022. Retro/prospective exhibition of the past/current, individual/collaborative works by 13 Pittsburgh women artists. 812 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 325-7723. Related Events: Apr. 28, 9:30 p.m. Music by DJ HUNY XO and Madame Dolores; Apr. 30, 2-5 p.m. Excavating Stories from Body Through Music, Poetry and Art; May 14, 3-5 p.m. #notwhite Book Party & Reading.
Spinning Plate Gallery. Apr. 6-28: The Pointillist Art of Jack Puglisi. New work by painter Jack Puglisi; opening reception Apr. 15, 5-8 p.m.; artist talk Apr. 22, 6-8 p.m. 5821 Baum Blvd. Pittsburgh. (412) 592-6418.
Sweetwater Center for the Arts. To Apr. 28: Portraits by Sarah Simmons. Sculpture and collage of everyday women reimagined in new, elevated, sacred roles by Sarah Simmons. 200 Broad St. Sewickley. (412) 741-4405.
University Art Gallery. To Apr. 29: DETOUR: Studio Arts Student Exhibition. New work by 13 graduating University of Pittsburgh art majors. Frick Fine Arts Building, 650 Schenley Drive, Pittsburgh. (412) 648-2400.
Westmoreland Museum of American Art. To May 14: Gavin Benjamin: Break Down and Let It All Out. New photography by multimedia artist Gavin Benjamin. To May 28: Action/Abstraction Redefined: Modern Native Art, 1945-1975. 52 paintings, sculptures, works on paper by 32 artists in the first major traveling exhibition to explore the innovation and experimentation of modern Native American art. To June 18: Forest of Symbols. Artists from the 19th-century European Symbolism movement. 221 N. Main St. Greensburg. (724) 837-1500.
ZYNKA Gallery. To May 14: Radiant Organon. New work by painter Chris McGinnis. 904 Main St. Sharpsburg. (412) 952-7370.
