Free Fridays—Re:NEW Festival

Perhaps one of the most gnarly exhibits in the city, The Re:NEW Festival highlights creativity through sustainability. The event, which runs through October 9th, features multiple artists’ works created with up-cycled materials (*reuse of discarded materials or objects transformed into something substantially more valuable).

Not only do the exhibits offer a glimpse into the labyrinth of creativity, they also shed light on our growing need to understand the world of sustainability within our global infrastructure.

As Pittsburgh has seen a huge spike in regeneration of neighborhoods, the concept of sustainability hits home…Literally.

Headlining the festival is Drap-Art, a Barcelona-based organization that showcases international artists who excel in creating provocative mediums out of reused material. They’ve exhibited for 15 years, and now set their stage at PPG Wintergarden (The place with all the gingerbread houses).

Other headliners include: Jaqueline Metheny, a NY-based artist specializes using salvaged fabric, thread, yarn, and wire. Her massive builds utilize pieces of clothes, towels, sheets, and other materials torn down to their threads and formed into a solid state. Her work will be showcased at 709 Gallery on Penn Ave.

Also, one not to be missed is The Other Toy Story by Joyce Dallal. The 10-foot baby-shaped trash can is filled with old toys that were not recyclable. The visual representation of what we’re feeding our children is powerful and thought-provoking. You can find the original garbage pail kid at 2 Gateway Center Lobby on Stanwix Street.

Other exhibits, talks and workshops are scheduled around the city. For more information, visit renewfestival.com