“Hot weather opens the skull of a city, exposing its white brain, and its heart of nerves, which sizzle like the wires inside a lightbulb. And there exudes a sour extra-human smell that makes the very stone seem flesh-alive, webbed and pulsing.” ―Truman Capote, Summer Crossing
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AND IN PITTSBURGH, you get a lot of amazing Art alongside the inevitable sizzling, exuding and pulsing.
* Fri. June 7, 5 p.m. to late night. Unblurred First Friday Art Crawl is hosted by Bloomfield Garfield Corporation. It’s a monthly art and entertainment stroll spotlighting an eclectic blend of galleries and art retailers along Penn Avenue from Mathilda to Negley in Bloomfield/Garfield — Pittsburgh Glass Center, Silver Eye Photography, Arts & Crafts: Bottanica & Occult Shop, Songbird Artistry, Imagebox, Vault Art Studio, KST Alloy Studios, Center for PostNatural History, Irma Freeman Center for Imagination, Bantha Tea Bar, Pullproof Studios, Bunker Projects, Moss Architects, Springboard Design and more.
* Fri. June 7, 6-9 p.m. Sharpsburg First Friday showcases borough-based culture along the Main Street/North Canal Street Business District, hosted by Love, Katie Distilling with Athithi Studios, Ketchup City Creative, Roots of Faith, Megan McGreevy Photography, shuttle rides, live music, food trucks, restaurants and more.
* Thur. June 13, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council sponsors a monthly Creative Hive networking event for artists, creatives, art educators, culture bearers, arts administrators. June’s venue is True T Studios, 4623 Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield. Free but good to RSVP here.
* Sat. June 15, 7-9 p.m. Inkwell Coffee Shop (4419 Butler St. Pittsburgh) is the site for a special public art sale by the late artist Tim Kelly, who died suddenly and unexpectedly last December hours before he was to open a new show with Eli Johnson. That intended show, Coffee Talk Festivus, has been mounted and is on view at Inkwell from June 1-15.
Oh, and there’s a big 10-day arts festival happening Downtown —
* Through June 9, it’s the 65th edition of The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, a production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and one of the most diverse summer arts gatherings in the country. Open 12-8 p.m. daily, the Artist Market features 300+ booths selling fine art and fine crafts.
There are special exhibits at 707 Penn Gallery, 820 Liberty Gallery, 937 Liberty Gallery, SPACE, Anthropology of Motherhood: Culture of Care at Byham Theate, art demos by Union Project, PA Floral Academy, Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media, Pittsburgh Glass Center, Andy Warhol Museum and a large-scale public art project, A Sudden Gust of Wind, by Lenka Clayton and Phillip Andrew Lewis with 200 sculptures installed within branches of over 90 trees throughout the Cultural District — watch for Community Flying Days involving free kites.
National musical performers include Pokey LaFarge, Los Lonely Boys, Martha Redbone, Roots Project, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Nicole Zuraitis, Ozomatli, Jon Muq, Doom Flamingo, Ben Folds, The Altons, Thee Sinseers, Sugarhill Gang & the Furious Five, Yasmin Williams, Jessica Bella Band, Taylor Kelly, Say She She, Lizzy No.
Local performers include Ashley Marina, Trinity Wiseman, Justin Fabus, The Flow Band, School of Rock Pittsburgh House Band, Meeting of Important People, Ibeji Drum Ensemble, Big Blitz, Thomas Wendt Quartet. Dream the Heavy, Pittsburgh Gospel Explosion, Pittsburgh Poetry Collective.
Check this list of artists and this list of Performers.
GALLERIES & EXHIBITS
707 Penn Gallery. To Aug. 25: Forty Years Later: Revisiting the 1984 Three Rivers Arts Festival. Retrospective of the 25th festival as documented by photographers William Eggleston, Mark Cohen, Len Jenshel, Lynn Johnson, Joel Meyerowitz. 707 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 456-6666.
820 Liberty Gallery. To June 9: Life is Nice but Odd and Strange at the Same Time. 100+ new works by VaultArt Studio artists Kim Bond, Wendy Davis, Darian Johnson, Haikeem Johnson, Maggie Kambic, Lee Kennedy, Edith Sullivan, Charlie Wallace, Charmette Young, Tarira Bundrige, Tafara Bundrige, Sarah Harris, Kahyll Holyfield, Lauren McCoy, Herman Schuler, Sean Regis Traynor. 820 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 456-6666.
937 Liberty Gallery. To June 9: Where Did Your Christ Come From? New work by painter/muralist Wavy Wednesday; opening reception Apr. 6, 6-8 p.m. 937 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 456-6666.
Ali Baba Restaurant. To June 30: New work by printmaker/fiber artist Michelle Browne. 404 S. Craig St. Pittsburgh. (412) 682-2829.
Andy Warhol Museum. To Jan. 20, 2025: KAWS + Warhol. New work by sculptor/painter KAWS paired with works by Andy Warhol. 117 Sandusky St. Pittsburgh. (412) 237-8300.
Assemble. June 7-30: Unblurred: Hack the Future. New work by Assemble artists; opening reception June 7, 6-10 p.m. 4824 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 661-6111.
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. June 1-July 26: You’re Doing It Wrong. New work by painters Blaine Siegel, Andrew Allison, Leah Patgorski, Derek Reese, Barbara Weissberger; opening reception June 1, 5-7 p.m. 100 43rd St., Unit 107, Pittsburgh. (412) 212-6650.
Atithi Studios. To June 16: earth:Woman. Exhibition of powerful women working in clay around the world curated by Adam Milliron. June 28-July 29: CCS Grid Show & Fundraiser. New work by Creative Citizen Studios artists Alex Lakin, Erika Johnson, Lauren Braun, Thea Keene, Audra Clayton, Nora Smith, Jovina Vaswani, Masha Solus, Cathy Stewart, Melanie Vera, Katy DeMent, Brent Nakamoto, Sydney Pascarella, Becky Slemmons, Autumn Hyde, Sashaa Phillips. 1020 N. Canal Street, Sharpsburg. (412) 301-5374.
August Wilson African American Cultural Center. To July 7: Abeduu Adekai: Proverb Boxes for a Life Well Traveled. New installations by Ghanaian sculptor Jacob Tetteh-Ashong. To July 7: Xippi, Heritage, and Metamorphosis: Voices in West African Art. New work by 14 artists from Western Africa. On permanent exhibit: August Wilson, The Writer’s Landscape. 980 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 339-1011.
Bantha Tea Bar. To June 7: Remnants. New work by Tom Ndiaye. 5002 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 404-8359.
Borelli Cellars. To July 5: Portraits of Plants and People. New work by Jannick Wildberg. 1500 Washington Rd. Mt. Lebanon. (412) 670-2868.
Bottom Feeder Books. June 8-30: Howlin. New work by illustrator and letterpress printer Sophia Marie Pappas; opening reception June 8, 6-8 p.m. June 8-30: Just Married. New work by painter Cole Tucci; opening reception June 8, 6-8 p.m. 415 Gettysburg St. Pittsburgh. (412) 231-9577.
BoxHeart Gallery. June 5-July 24: Carolyn Reed Barritt: Life is Elsewhere. New work by painter Carolyn Reed Barritt; opening reception June 8, 5-7 p.m. 4523 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 687-8858.
Brew House Arts. To June 22: Getting the Spirit. New work by Brew House artists-in-residence are Imani Batts, Armanis Fuentes, Finn Dugan, Joshua Challen Ice, Evangeline Mensah-Agyekum, Sophie Thompson, Caroline Yoo; opening reception May 9, 6-8:30 p.m 711 S. 21st St. Pittsburgh. (412) 212-6650.
Bunker Projects. To July 5: My Subject. New work by illustrator Paul Peng. To July 5: (F)utility and Utility. New work by collage artist Cole Modell. 5106 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh.
Carnegie Museum of Art. To July 21: Everlasting Plastics. Site-specific installations by Xavi L. Aguirre, Simon Anton, Ang Li, Norman Teague, Lauren Yeager. To Sept. 22: LAND STITCHES WATER SKY. New work in glass and steel by Marie Watt. To Jan. 12, 2025: Widening the Lens: Photography, Ecology, and the Contemporary Landscape. New work by photographers A.K. Burns, Chanell Stone, Cyprien Gaillard, David O. Alekhuogie, David Hartt, Dionne Lee, Edra Soto, Erin Jane Nelson, Fazal Sheikh, Justine Kurland, Lucy Raven, Mark Armijo McKnight, Melissa Catanese, Raven Chacon, Sam Contis, Sky Hopinka, Tomás Saraceno, Victoria Sambunaris, Xaviera Simmons. To Jan. 26, 2025: Pittsburgh Satellite Reef. Installation created by Pittsburgh-area artists as part of the worldwide Crochet Coral Reef project by Christine and Margaret Wertheim and The Institute For Figuring. 4400 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 622-3131.
Concept Art Gallery. To June 1: The Window Series. New work by ceramicist Marcè Nixon-Washington. 1031 S. Braddock Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 242-9200.
Contemporary Craft. To June 28: Make Yourself Comfortable. New work by Vicki Branagan. To Aug. 24: Hereafter. New work by artists Sue Amendolara, Kimberlyn Bloise, Dan Brockett, Cheryl Capezzuti, Thomas Kieran Doyle, Meryl Engler, Sharon Massey, Zach Mellman-Carsey, Jada Patterson, Lucas Pointon, Katie Rearick, Kate Strachan, Hee Joo Yang. 5645 Butler St. Pittsburgh. (412) 261-7003.
CURIO. To June 15: Galactic Funk. New work by painter Jason Shorr. 113 North Main Street, Zelienople. (724) 473-0223.
The Frick Art Museum. To July 14: Vermeer, Monet, Rembrandt: Forging the Frick Collections in Pittsburgh & New York. Featured are 36 pieces from the Frick Collection in New York City. 7227 Reynolds St. Pittsburgh (412) 371-0600.
Gallery Closed. June 1-July 31: Party Room. New installations by Roula Partheniou. 1733 Lowrie St. Pittsburgh.
Heinz History Center. To Oct. 6: A Woman’s Place: How Women Shaped Pittsburgh. Filling 9,000 square feet with more than 300 artifacts and photos, this exhibit spotlights women’s contributions to Pittsburgh’s culture, politics, business, science, education, religion and sports. 1212 Smallman St. Pittsburgh. (412) 454-6000.
Inkwell Coffee Shop. June 1-15: Coffee Talk Festivus. New work by painter Timothy Kelley; closing reception and public art sale June 15, 7-9 p.m. 4419 Butler St. Pittsburgh. (412) 621-0168.
Irma Freeman Center for Imagination. June 7-30: Beyond the Brush. New work by Christopher Boring, Vania Evangelique, Heather Heitzenrater, Lewis V. Pell; opening reception June 7, 5-9 p.m. 5006 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 924-0634.
John A. Hermann Memorial Art Museum. To June 30: Measure Twice, Cut Once. New work by furniture maker Mark Collins including tobogggan tables, organ-pipe clocks, re-visioned mannequins. 318 Lincoln Ave. Bellvue. (412) 761-8008.
Kelly-Strayhorn Theater. To June 8: Abolitionist Expressions. Work from the Let’s Get Free permanent collection featuring art made by people in prison as well as artists in solidarity from outside of prison. 5941 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 363-3000.
Ketchup City Creative. To June 2: Projectart 2024 Exhibition Pittsburgh. New work by Dutana Dago, Nikki Kurt, Teresa Audet, Liseth Amaya, Sparklezilla. June 7-8: Topsy-Turvy. New work by painter/3D artist Mad Rabbit. June 21-22: Marlon Gist: Solo Show. New work by painter Marlon Gist. 612 Main St. Sharpsburg. (412) 593-4386.
Mark Rengers Gallery. To June 22: Elemental Forms. New work by ceramicist AJ Collins, painter Mark Mentzer, glassmaker Chris Ross; at First National Bank Exhibition Hall: 604 Beaver St., 2nd Floor, Sewickley PA. To June 29: Spring Show. New work by painters Lisa Marie Jakab, Cara Livorio, Ron Thurston. 549 Beaver St, Sewickley. (412) 741-5858.
Manos Gallery. June 1-29: Diversity. New work by Pittsburgh Society of Artists; opening reception June 8, 3-6 p.m.; closing reception June 29, 3-6 p.m. June 8-27: Inspired by Nature. New work by painter Sara Kirsch; opening reception June 13, 5-8 p.m. June 8-27: Wild Impressions: The Abstract Art of Animals and Flowers. New work by painter Becky Frazier; opening reception June 13, 5-8 p.m. 320 E. 5th Ave. Tarentum. (484) 529-1597.
Mattress Factory. At 516 Sampsonia Way. To Sept. 1: Assume the Risk by Delhi, India installation artist Asim Waqif. To Dec. 29: Andrea Peña. New solo exhibit by sculptor/choreographer Andrea Peña. To June 29, 2025: D²NA – TC24: Visions of the Past. New work by Ghanaian artist Akwasi Bediako Afrane. To Jan. 4, 2026: State of the Sky. New two-year exhibition by artist-in-residence Luke Stettner featuring collaborations with Mac Carbonell, Chris Domenick, Michelle Franco, Nicholas Kawa, Calista Lyon, Bryan Ortiz, Suzanne Silver, Ed Steck, Mike Stickrod. At 1414 Monterrey St. To Mar. 30, 2025: the blood is the water. New work by Ivorian-American interdisciplinary artist Marvin Touré. Deep, Deep Woods. New work by Chilean-born Catalina Schliebener Muñoz. How to Get to Make Believe. New work by Isla Hansen. 516 Sampsonia Way, Pittsburgh. (412) 231-3169.
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. June 15-Sept. 15: David Rogers’ Big Bugs + Pollinators. Installations by ceramicist-glassblower-woodworker David Rogers. 799 Pinkerton Run Rd. Pittsburgh. (412) 444-4464.
Pittsburgh Glass Center. To July 28: Myth-Science of the Gatekeepers. New work by Black LGBTQ arts collective Rainbow Serpent featuring Marques Redd and Mikael Owunna. 5472 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 365-2145.
Pullproof Studio. June 7-23: Mumbles. New work by painter/illustrator Matthew Constant; opening reception June 7, 6:30-10 p.m. 5112 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh.
Redfishbowl Studios. June 1 (9 p.m.-2 a.m.): Last Saturday. New work by Endonaut Gallery. 4327 Butler St. #200, Pittsburgh. (724) 681-8965.
Silver Eye Center For Photography. To Aug. 3: Fellowship 24. New work by Rachael Banks, William Camargo, Anthony Francis, Vikesh Kapoor, Xavier Scott Marshall, Anna Rotty. 4808 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 431-1810.
SPACE. To Aug. 11: Furry Friends. Works by 19 artists celebrating the diverse ways animals enrich our lives featuring Trinity Rollins, Fabrizio Gerbino, Jean Plough Shaw, Sandy Kessler Kaminski, Mike Saoud, Cheryl Capezzuti, Don Strange, Olivia Locher, Jeff DiStefano, AJ Evans, Eli Kessler, Amy Short, Alan Byrne, Mary Aston-Richards, Evelyn Dunbar, Jennifer Kelly, Yelena Lamm, Lizz Ford, Tessa Moeller. 812 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 325-7723.
Spinning Plate Gallery. June 7-30: Group A Now 2024. 35 new works of painting, photography, ceramics, collage, woodwork, paper; opening reception June 7, 6-9 p.m. 5821 Baum Blvd. Pittsburgh. (412) 592-6418.
StopWatch Gallery & Studio. June 14-July 5: Chrysalis / Cocoon: Collective Spells for Transmogrification. New work by printmaker Vee Adams; opening reception June 15, 7-9 p.m. 323 South Main St. Greensburg. (724) 708-2034.
Sweetwater Center for the Arts. To June 21: Folklore: Myths, Legends, and Other Tales from the Crypt. Multi-media exhibition features works inspired by folklore, tall tales, myths. 200 Broad St. Sewickley. (412) 741-4405.
Westmoreland Museum of American Art. To Sept. 8: 65 Artists, 65 Years: An Anniversary Exhibition. 65 artists from the museum’s collection. To Dec. 31: The Westmoreland Collects. Newly acquired works by the museum. To Dec. 31: Creating Common Memory. Exhibition of works from the Museum’s permanent collection featuring Native Americans. To Mar. 30, 2025: All the Right Notes. Artworks and objects inspired by the ethereality of music including a newly acquired suite of Milt Hinton jazz photographs on view for the first time. To Nov. 9, 2025: George Hetzel and Scalp Level. Artwork by George Hetzel (1826-1899) and his students from the Scalp Level School. 221 N. Main St. Greensburg. (724) 837-1500.
ZYNKA Gallery. To June 1: Let Forever Be. New work by painters Justus Cotterill, Dylan Critchfield-Sales, Andrew Fish, Paul Mullins. June 8-July 20: Common Wealth. New work by painter Ashley Cecil. 904 Main St. Sharpsburg; opening reception June 8, 5-8 p.m. (412) 952-7370.
