Her first line of jewelry was commissioned by the estate of Falling Water, after she held a successful sculpture exhibition at the famous Frank Lloyd Wright house. This collection is directly inspired by the architecture of the house; the suspended stairs leading into the stream below the house, the red steel windows that provide the illusion of being part of the forest and the local rhododendron flowers that grow on the land around Falling Water.

Audra is a Pittsburgh native whose passion for the city is evident in her work. Her ‘Steel Town’ collection is inspired by the architecture and design of Pittsburgh bridges. A graphic designer by day, the graphical simplicity of her work draws on geometric shapes and patterns. Audra uses locally sourced materials; her jewelry is made from Pittsburgh steel and 80% of her jewelry is made from recycled materials. The natural materials utilized in her sculpture, such as wood and rocks, are found by the artist herself on her walks in the forests of Pittsburgh where she first discovered her love of nature.

Audra’s work can be purchased through her website and through a number of local organizations such as Falling Water, the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Heinz History Center and the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. Make sure to stop by her booth #A33 from June 1st – 5th during the first week of the Dollar Bank Three River’s Arts Festival.

View a slideshow of Audra’s jewelry on the Cultural Trust Flickr.

Juried art is back.  Artists, public, professional and amateur appreciators: when it was swept into the shadows of the Three Rivers Arts Festival, you missed it.  You wanted it back.  And here it is, resurgent, esteemed as ever, and this time, regional.

For seven years, the show abandoned in favor of a hand-selected exhibition, which altered its populist appeal and shrunk its diversity and its audience.  “That’s what the Arts Festival used to be,” says Christine Whispell, director of MoxieDaDa, the production company designing the exhibit.  “It was a huge draw.  Once [juried art] disappeared and the curated show started happening, it sort of fell off the radar.”  Without submissions from a wide range of artists, Whispell saw the exhibit grow more isolated, losing touch with new movements and talent in the local and national art scenes.

In 2009, a public survey of festival-goers demanded change.  Like an essential limb, a juried art exhibit was conspicuously absent from the festival events, and the public spoke.  For 2010, as the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust partnered with the festival, the powers-that-be listened and sent out an open call for submissions.  In its third year since its return, applicant numbers are still holding strong.  Out of 300 applicants this year, 70 pieces were chosen by the jurors.  “There are lots of large pieces,” Whispell says.  “Large paintings and sculpture.  Which is cool.  We’re excited!”

The exhibit has a comfortable balance between 3-D and 2-D work, which will be showcased on one floor of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Education Center downtown, the space to be designed by MoxieDaDa’s curator.  According to Whispell, though, the exhibit is lacking in video and multimedia work.  With all the multimedia projects being produced in the area, she says she would like to see more apply, even if they aren’t selected.

With a geographic region spanning 16 counties in Pennsylvania and 13 more in Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland, it’s still surprising that only 300 submissions were entered.  “I’m a little shocked,” Whispell admits.  “I think some artists don’t know it’s back.  Younger artists might not know it even exists.  We need to get the word out.”

The contest used to be open to a national pool, but since its reintroduction, it’s been limited to showcase regional talent.  That, however, could change.  With submissions coming from across the nation, the exhibition—and the Three Rivers Arts Festival—opens itself up to more national and international exposure.  It is still an esteemed show, with decades of history and an earned reputation of quality.  But, Whispell says, with a larger pool comes more recognition and more sophistication.

While the awards are a draw ($2500 for Best in Show, and three $500 awards for Juror’s Choice), recognition is the real reward.  “It starts at the artist’s hands, goes into a show that’s juried and designed, then the public comes and experiences it,” says Whispell, with a hint of admiration.  “The public brings the artist’s statement to completion.”

The reintroduced Juried Visual Art Exhibition, with its reliance on open submissions and public feedback, hopes to reconnect with throng of festival-goers who asked for it.  The exhibit opens its doors at 11 a.m. every day of the festival, welcoming artists and public alike.

Gateway to the Arts will hold workshops in two of the Creativity Zone tents every day of the festival, as well as performances on their main stage. One tent will host their storytelling program, designed for young children, with an arts activity afterwards.

In one tent, artist Alison Zapata will host a large community mural for young artists to exercise their creativity. The mural will be painted the first weekend of the festival, and then hung up in the Creativity Zone outside the tent. This is a great opportunity for young artists to see their work on display!

In the tents there will also be a Rhythm Garden. On June 9th, kids can create instruments from recycled materials. On June 10th artist Cheryl Capezzuti will be teaching children how to make puppets for the giant puppet parade held later that day.

On the stage in the Creativity Zone, there will be three performance programs daily. Gateway to the Arts strives to bring various cultures from all over the world to the children at the Arts Festival with their diverse multicultural programming. This year’s performances include dancing and music by Pittsburgh’s own Balkan Babes and the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble. There will also be Brazilian jazz and tango programs, plus many more! Performances are scheduled for 12pm, 2pm and 4pm daily.

Gateway to the Arts is known for their interactive programs, designed to engage families and children in the process of making art. Founded in 1957 by a string quartet from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the mission of the program quickly expanded from music into dramatic and visual arts. Executive Director, Lisa Hoitsma, says she believes ‘kids speak through music; that is how we understand the world when we are young.’ The language of art will be expressed with sound and color this year in the Creativity Zone at the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival.

For a sneak preview of what to expect from the family performances by Gateway to the Arts, check out their upcoming event ‘Get Rhythm‘ at the Hill House Kaufmann Center on May 19th when Caribbean jazz ensemble Resonance and Celeta Hickman will be performing and engaging kids in music and dance.

More and more people bike to the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival every year, and the Festival is ready for it.

This is the second year the Festival and Bike Pittsburgh have teamed up to offer free bike valet service for those getting downtown by bike. “Last year was the first year we had valet parking for the entire festival. We parked about 1,500 bikes, and we’re expecting that to go up,“ said Eric ‘Erok’ Boerer, Bike Pittsburgh’s Advocacy Director.

The bike valet service will be located at the entrance to Point State Park, near the intersection of Commonwealth Place and Liberty Avenue. Bike Pittsburgh is using a combination of hired staff and volunteers to make bike parking easy.

Erok: “The bike valet is completely free. It operates exactly like a coat check. You drop off your bike and you’ll get a ticket. Plus, you don’t need to bring locks, which is great for families.”

If you would like to bike downtown but are not experienced with cycling with traffic, there are many ways to avoid streets completely. If you’re in the city, consider trying out a public transportation/bike combo.

As of 2011, all Port Authority buses have bike racks, so you can depend on any bus being able to accommodate your bike. If there’s a hill you want to go down, but not up, or a section of the city you don’t want to navigate, have Pittsburgh’s transit system do the work for you. Boring Pittsburgh has made a video on how to use PAT’s bike racks, in case you’ve never used the racks.

Several bike/ped trails lead you downtown. If you park or take a bus to the South Side, you can hop on the South Side trail next to the river. Enjoy the river views all the way to Station Square, cross the Smithfield Street bridge into downtown. On many downtown streets, the lanes are wide and the traffic is low speed. However, if you are not comfortable riding in traffic, dismount and it’s a quick walk to the Festival.

You can also bike to the festival on bike-only and low-traffic paths from Oakland. Park near or take transit to Boundary Street off of Forbes Ave. The lower end of Boundary connects to the Panther Hollow Trail. You’ll bike underneath the Boulevard of the Allies bridge, past soccer fields and through a small neighborhood.

Signs will guide you to the Eliza Furnace Trail (aka “The Jail Trail”). From there it is a straight shot along the river into downtown. Another place to park is the Eliza Furnace Trail entrance, located off of Second Ave in Greenfield. There is limited parking however.

Those north of the city can take advantage of the North Shore Trail. Parking options include: Millvale Riverfront Park (off of route 28 in Millvale, near the 40th Street Bridge), Washington’s landing, and street parking near the Heinz Lofts. You can get to Point State Park via bike/pedestrian path of the Fort Duquesne bridge. You can also cross the 9th Street bridge and access the park using the Allegheny Riverfront Park.

You can also bike to Allegheny Riverfront Park from the Strip District. Get to 21st Street and walk towards the river. There you’ll find the trailhead to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, which connects to the park.

For more information on biking to and from the Festival, check out Bike Pittsburgh’s online Bike map.

This year, the Artists Market, one of the best known and most visible parts of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, will spill into downtown.  Booths will line Penn Avenue Extension and crowd the sidewalks of Gateway Center, bringing the throbbing heart of the festival right into the city.

Over 300 artists will hawk their original works at the festival’s booths, with pieces ranging from paintings to photography to ceramics.  “There will be art for the home, art that makes you think, art that makes you laugh,” says Sonja Sweterlitsch, Visual Art Coordinator for the Arts Festival. “’Eclectic’ is the word that keeps coming to mind.”

According to Sweterlitsch, most of the art available is “art for the home—art that people like to live with, to have as part of their lives.”  This ranges from the aesthetic—paintings, photographs, sculptures—to the functional, including jewelry, usable ceramics, and wearable fabrics.  All of it, though, is handmade, one-of-a-kind, and sold at the booth by the artists themselves.

Of the 300 artists participating this year, 40% are local, with the others traveling from across the nation to take part in a market considered among the best of its kind.  Some of these artists are showcased in galleries and museums; others make their living traveling from market to market.

In addition to perennial favorites and established artists, emerging artists will take their place among the booths.  Through the Arts Festival’s Emerging Artist Scholarship Program, eight new local artists will each be given a booth to display and sell their work under the guidance of an experienced artist mentor.  The first program of its kind, the Scholarship Program has since been imitated across the country, and previous scholars have gone on to establish successful careers.  Among this year’s scholars are Ryder Henry, whose spaceships and building models have been shown in neighborhood galleries across the city, and Seth Clark, whose mixed-media drawings of Pittsburgh’s abandoned houses give beauty to blight.

Though the festival spans 10 days, artists can rent booth space for only a week or less, ensuring new art and new blood for each weekend crowd.  “We want a different experience” for festival goers, says Sweterlitsch.  “We want people to come back.”

Artists are supported directly by each purchase made—they keep all proceeds from the sale of their art (minus the booth fee they’ve already paid).  In addition, artists have the opportunity to win $5,000 in prizes each weekend through juried competition.  Cash awards, Sweterlitsch says, “are another way we can support artists and encourage high quality in our market.”

The market will be open every day of the festival, with new artists rotating in throughout the week.  Each booth will offer a new opportunity to experience a different work of art, to engage with an artist, and to be part of the heart of the festival.

By Justin Hopper

For the photographs in the exhibition Girls ’N’ Guns, Amsterdam-based photographer Rachel Nieborg had her finger on the shutter; her collaborator, designer Ine Mulder, had her finger on the trigger. The photographs, on show at709 Penn Gallery from April 27-June 10, feature meticulously constructed sets similar to the still-life scenes Nieborg and Mulder’s Dutch countrymen might’ve painted in the 17^th century.

The scenes that Girls ’N’ Guns emulates were notable in their inaction, moments of materialistic stillness packed with invisible potential energy and the loaded symbolism inherited from Flemish forebears: A vase on a glass table, a duck freshly garnished, a desk with a book, all surrounded by baroque conflicts between darkness and light. But as each image was snapped, that arch stillness is cracked by Mulder’s air rifle.

“Ine was standing next to me with the rifle,” says Nieborg, “and ‘3, 2, 1’ she pulled the trigger and I pressed the shutter – to really catch the moment.”

In the resultant photographs, the stillness is surreal: The glass table is shattered, its teacups and vase suspended in mid-air; the duck’s surroundings splattered; the candle next to the open book exploded. Yet despite its explosive reaction to the still-life painting of the Dutch Old Masters, Girls ’N’ Guns was created as an homage – a revitalization of this formal style.

“At the time I was with an online gallery called Bright Young Things,” says Nieborg. “They were doing a series on the theme of Old Dutch Masters, and [we createdGirls ’N’ Guns as a way of] studying them, implementing them, and turning those still life paintings into an ‘action still.’”

Nieborg’s idea of the “action still” is an apt description. Like still life, Girls ’N’ Gunsclings on to a sense of potential energy – each reads like a story that the viewer has stumbled upon not knowing if they’re at the beginning, middle, or end. The series raises issues with a similar ambiguity. Are the photos a reaction to the male-dominated history of the Old Masters? An explosion of the centered confidence of those seemingly simple forms? A playful homage or full-on assault? To Nieborg, the lack of an answer is one of the fundamental attitudes of she and Mulder’s work.

“The viewer has to experience the art with his own feelings and approach, so I’m very careful not to ‘explain,’” says Nieborg. “In the past, [artwork] was very religious. For me, this is like a new form of religion – the freedom of looking at the art and finding your own meaning in the picture.”

June 1 – 10, 2012 – Point State Park | Cultural District | Hertz Gateway Center

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust proudly announces plans for the 53^rd annual Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, set to take place Friday, June 1, to Sunday, June 10, 2012, in Point State Park, Hertz Gateway Center, and throughout the Cultural District. The 2012 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival highlights include the return of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, a new multimedia show by Squonk Opera, the premiere of Bluegrass Day on June 9^th, and expansion of the Artist Market and greening initiatives.

The opening weekend of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival will be enriched by the 2^nd annual Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival (June 1-3), which is produced by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.  The indoor/outdoor jazz festival helps kick-off a 10-day celebration of the arts in Pittsburgh.  More information is available at PittsburghJazzLive.com.

“For over half a century, Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival has evolved but has remained true to its mission to bring the arts to the community and the community to the arts,” states J. Kevin McMahon, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “Along with the return of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, this year we are thrilled to bookend the ten day celebration with two uniquely American musical legacies. Hundreds of jazz musicians will perform as part of the Trust’s Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival on opening weekend and the all-new Bluegrass Day on June 9 will be part of the closing weekend festivities. It is a testament to community partners, especially presenting sponsor Dollar Bank, that all of this diverse programming is possible.”

“Dollar Bank is pleased to continue a long tradition of providing community events in downtown Pittsburgh,” said Joseph B. Smith, Senior Vice President Marketing, Dollar Bank. “We are especially delighted that the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will be returning this year.  Music Director Manfred Honeck will once again showcase world-renowned talent to the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival crowd.”  The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra show is made possible with generous support from concert sponsor, People’s Natural Gas.

This year’s enhancements and attractions include:

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is proud to continue producing the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival with sustainable environmental practices, which have earned the Festival a GOLD level accreditation with Pennsylvania Resources Council’s Zero Waste Pittsburgh initiative.  Generous support from Colcom Foundation allows the Festival to continue leading practices like a world-class composting and recycling system – one of the first and largest in the nation, which helps divert more than 80% of trash from landfills annually – and efforts like free bicycle valet service and water stations that encourage refilling personal containers.

3Rs:  The Art of Reuse, Recycle, and Repurpose
Demonstrating the convergence of art and sustainability, this project challenges artists to reimagine waste management receptacles as canvases for reclaimed materials used in an artistic way.  The originality and boldness of the designs attract visitors; once there, the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival’s “Green Team” on-site educators explain the benefits of recycling and composting, allowing the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival to continue diverting more than 80% of potential waste from landfills.  The reimagined receptacles are placed throughout the event’s footprint in Point State Park, the Cultural District, and Hertz Gateway Center and are made possible with support from Laurel Foundation.

Paddle Without Pollution
Paddle Without Pollution partners with Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival on Saturday, June 9^thfor a special clean-up event of Pittsburgh’s three rivers near Point State Park.  Paddle Without Pollution’s watershed stewardship initiative addresses the litter and other debris that degrades the rivers, streams, and lakes of Southwestern Pennsylvania. PWP’s innovative approach – utilizing kayaks, canoes, and non-motorized boats to reach otherwise unreachable debris while being sensitive to the environment – will remove 5 to 10 tons of garbage from local rivers, lakes, and streams in 2012. Anyone interested in participating in the clean-up efforts on Saturday, June 9^thshould register at PaddleWithoutPollution.com/events.

VISUAL ARTS

Artists Market
This year’s Artists Market footprint is expanded in order to provide opportunity for more than 300 artists to participate and to enhance the experience for visitors.  In recent years, Point State Park played host to Artists Market booths only on weekends; now, the Park hosts more total artist booths and does so during all ten days of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival.  Booths are also added along Penn Avenue extension near Hertz Gateway Center.  Changes within the Hertz Gateway Center plaza area increase free space to create a safer and more comfortable browsing space, with a large number of booths remaining.
The Artists Market is one of Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival’s cornerstones and is among the most-anticipated attractions every year.  It is comprised of artists carefully selected by a distinguished review panel and presents completely handmade work available for public purchase.  The 2012 Artists Market received more artist applications than any year in the event’s history.  The review panel comprised Jill Larson, Founder of FE Gallery; Artist and Curator Rick Bach; and Ellen Fleurov, Director, Silver Eye Gallery.

Juried Visual Art Exhibition
The annual Juried Visual Art Exhibition, held at 805-807 Liberty Avenue in the Trust Arts Education Center (James E. Rohr Building) is expanded as well, making room for 79 total accepted pieces.  Several large scale three dimensional works allow the show to flow between the building’s 3rd and 4th floors.  The Juried Visual Art Exhibition is curated by moxideDada.  Jurors include Linda Benedict-Jones, Curator of Photography, Carnegie Museum of Art; Murray Horne, Curator, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust; and Michael Olyjnik, Co-Director, Mattress Factory.

ACTIVITIES

Gateway to the Arts
In addition to artist demonstrations and hands-on activities available annually at the Festival, Gateway to the Arts presents comprehensive weekend attractions for the first time at three separate tents in the Giant Eagle Creativity Zone.  The “Main Stage,” “StoryTime Tent,” and “ArtMaking Tent” offer educational shows for all ages ranging from culturally-diverse music performances to story-telling to collaborative painting projects.

PERFORMING ARTS

Squonk Opera
Pittsburgh native Squonk Opera returns to perform an all new multimedia show on June 8, 9, and 10.  Celebrating 20 years since their first show; which featured choreographed cranes, roaring earth-movers, and screaming machine shears in a Pittsburgh junkyard; the ensemble of musicians and artists presents a live music and multimedia theatrical spectacle on the back of a flat-bed truck near Stanwix Street.

Bluegrass Day
The premier of Bluegrass Day at Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, slated for June 9^th, is made possible with generous support from Colcom Foundation.  A trio of distinguished bluegrass bands – Del McCoury Band, Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, and Greensky Bluegrass – lead the celebration of the American music genre.  Regional and local bluegrass musicians join the effort on Second Stage in Hertz Gateway Center.

Colcom Foundation’s support also allows the bluegrass element of Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival to extend beyond June 9^th.  A series of free bluegrass concerts will take place in Agnes R. Katz Plaza throughout the summer, to be announced later, produced by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival.

Daily Music Lineup
Friday, June 1st – The Wailers
Together with Bob Marley, the Wailers have sold in excess of 250 million albums worldwide.  As the greatest living exponents of Jamaica’s reggae tradition, the Wailers have played to an estimated 24 million people across the globe. Also, music from:  Wizdom

Saturday, June 2nd – Kathleen Edwards
On tour supporting her album, Voyageur, Kathleen Edwards continues to receive critical praise for her music.  The New York Times says her work “…embodies an evolving idea about what roots music can be.” Also, music from:  Paul Luc

Sunday, June 3rd – Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra provides musical experiences at the highest level of expression to enrich the community and to satisfy the needs and preferences of its audiences.
Also, music from:  Big With Seed

Monday, June 4^th – The Boogie Hustlers
After nearly a decade of performing and recording together, the Boogie Hustlers are recognized as a staple of the region’s music scene. Set to release their fourth album in late summer 2012, the band continues to meld original songs firmly anchored in the groove, yet garnished with numerous stylistic influences. Also, music from:  Silencio and Pete Bush and the Hoi Palloi

Tuesday, June 5th – Dawes
The Los Angeles-based band offers a blend of singer/songwriter reflection with folk, country, ringing guitars, soaring harmonies, and heartfelt melodies.  Constant touring and collaboration with some of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest artists has translated to staggering growth and evolution while still manifesting a distinctive, unforgettable voice.Also, music from:  Sara Watkins and Caleb Pogyor & The Talkers

Wednesday, June 6^th – Timothy B. Schmit
Groundbreaking vocalist, songwriter, and bass player Timothy B. Schmit – well-known for his work as a member of The Eagles and Poco – performs with his band songs from his fifth solo album, Expando, as well as gems by The Eagles and Poco.Also, music from:  City Dwelling Nature Seekers

Thursday, June 7^th – LP
Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter-artist LP is a gripping performer with a powerful, graceful voice.  LP also wields a rockin’ ukulele in front of a dynamic, versatile band. Her musical gifts, combined with a special spirit and exuberance, have the power to truly reach people. Supporting act for LP is Jonathan Richman, an internationally-revered singer/songwriter famous for his guileless honesty and playfully catchy compositions. Also, music from:  The Red Western

Friday, June 8th – Carolina Chocolate Drops
The GRAMMY Award winning trio has proven that the old-time, fiddle and banjo-based music they have so scrupulously researched and passionately perform can be a living, breathing, ever-evolving sound.  Also, music from:  Boulevard of the Allies

Saturday, June 9th – “Bluegrass Day” featuring:

Del McCoury Band
For fifty years, Del McCoury’s music has defined authenticity for bluegrass fans and a growing number of fans only vaguely familiar with the genre.

Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band
A GRAMMY Award winner and six-time nominee, Peter Rowan is a bluegrass singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades.

Greensky Bluegrass
Defining bluegrass for a new generation, this hard-working Michigan quintet has been performing upwards of 175 shows per year for 11 years all across America.

Also, music from:  Mon River Ramblers and Midnight Drive

Sunday, June 10th – Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers
Twenty five years after winning a Best New Artist GRAMMY Award and launching one of contemporary music’s most diverse and collaborative careers, Bruce Hornsby is still, blissfully, making joyful noise—and finding clever, expansive ways to chronicle the dynamic musical snapshots along the journey.  Also, music from:  Van Ghost

by Justin Hopper

In his video installation “Nummer Acht: Everything is Going to Be Alright,” Dutch artist Guido van der Werve walks nonchalantly across a white plane of ice. The sky framing him is the dull glow of a Nordic summer’s midnight. The immensity is daunting: of the icy floor, of the blue-hued sky, of the thousands-of-tons of icebreaking mega-ship slowly, methodically crunching behind van der Werve as he walks.

“Nummer Acht” (the eighth in the artist’s series of “summer night” videos) is sublime and overwhelming, but it’s also funny. The subtitle, “everything is going to be alright,” signals the ironic confidence of a man pursued constantly by the destruction of his past. In van der Werve’s work, we’re offered a microcosm of Global Navigators, a multi-venue show of contemporary Dutch artists whose work plays off of that people’s history of exploration and imperialism, and its present as investigators of new global and cultural terrain.

Global Navigators, curated by Wood Street Galleries’ Murray Horne, occupies that gallery as well as SPACE with work by eight artists working in old and new media. And as one might expect of the Dutch, the show’s work creates as many contradictions and questions as it solidifies ideas and offers answers. Wood Street Galleries’ two floors will offer only two pieces: “Nummer Acht,” given an entire floor for its massive visual and creaking audio presence, and Peter Bogers’ “Unleashed Content.” In Bogers’ piece, nearly three dozen screens form a full wall of ever-changing video images, all drawn from online shared shots – Youtube and similar sites. Grouped together by concepts and by fate, the images form tiny communities based on actions both grandiose and banal. Hundreds of images of people dancing in their living rooms, moving only their hands, or only their feet; a dozen videos of people playing the “knife game,” stabbing around their fingers on a table, all ending in a stabbed hand at synchronized video moments.

“Unleashed Content” brings us together with the world, showing – either joyfully or depressingly, depending on your point of view – the remarkable symmetry of the new global thought process: We’re all doing the same things. It’s a stark contrast with “Nummer Acht,” an almost impossibly individualistic image – or with Dutch-American artist Mark Boulos’ “No Permanent Address,” a documentary-esque video of the artist’s time spent with Marxist rebels in the Philippines, to be shown in SPACE gallery. Before arriving at the radically other visuals and ideas that “No Permanent Address” reveals, however, SPACE visitors must pass through the “Physiognomic Scrutinizer,” an entryway scanner created by Marnix de Nijs. As one goes through the metal detector-like frame, the Scrutinizer examines the visitor’s face and matches it, airport security-style, with a “similar” face from its database of famous and infamous characters and villains from history. Accusatory? Unjust? Or simply the way of the world in the biometric age?

Other artists at SPACE include Gerard  Holthuis’ J.G. Ballard-esque films of jumbo jets landing at the old Hong Kong airport, Folkert de Jong’s Styrofoam sculpture of the Dutch trading beads and mirrors for Manhattan, and Geert Mul’s “Horizons,” an interactive video installation that pictures all of a museum’s landscape paintings as having a single horizon.

Global Navigators reinterprets Dutch forays across the globe in terms relevant to the digital-culture age, a time in which collecting, recontextualizing, and reifying cultural ideas of landscape and history has as much meaning as machete-led voyages once did. No new lands will be named by this show, no flags planted in soil. But at a time in which an altered framework of understanding can change the course of a people, is the impact of these explorations any lesser?

Global Navigators is at Wood Street Galleries, SPACE Gallery, and 709 Penn Gallery through June 10.

The behind-the-scenes work surrounds every piece of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, including the massive effort to make the festival the greenest arts festival in the country.  Volunteers and festival staff will be on hand at every event location (including this year’s new artist-created recycling stations) to help sort recyclables and educate the public about maintaining an environmentally sustainable event—no small task, as this year’s festival will actually consist of four major overlapping festivals that will bring downtown Pittsburgh to life over the first ten days of June.  Not only will we have the Artists Market, stellar musical lineup, gallery shows and Public art we’ve come to expect, but we’ll also have the International Jazz Festival on multiple stages and Showcase Noir moving to an outdoor space, while the Distinctly Dutch Festival brings world-class art to the Cultural District.

As a festivalgoer, I’ll make sure to check out the Juried Visual Art Exhibition to see a showcase of some of the region’s finest artists, and will hit the Artists Market during both weekend afternoon sets from AcoustiCafé, but I have the first Sunday night circled, to make sure I’ll be in the park eating fried Oreos and watching the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.  Fried Oreos and the Symphony—there’s nothing else like it!

by Tom Sweterlitsch

As always, all concerts are free to the public and take place on the Dollar Bank Stage in Point State Park.  And remember…the lineup of musicians represents just one facet of the multidisciplinary Festival, which celebrates its 53rd year in downtown Pittsburgh this summer!  We’ll announce additional daily music acts in the coming weeks, along with other attractions.

Among this year’s highlights is the premier of Bluegrass Day, set for Saturday, June 9th, during which three distinguished bands will celebrate the uniquely-American tradition and ever-evolving genre on the Dollar Bank Stage.  Regional and local bluegrass musicians will join the effort on a secondary stage with other activities being planned.

The headline concerts will be augmented by additional live music on opening weekend, June 1 – 3, as musicians perform on three stages positioned on the streets of the Cultural District at the 2^nd annual Pittsburgh International JazzLive Festival, a 3-day event produced in cooperation with the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Friday, June 1st – THE WAILERS

Together with Bob Marley, the Wailers have sold in excess of 250 million albums worldwide.  Outside of their groundbreaking work with Marley, the Wailers have also played or performed with international acts like Sting, the Fugees, Steve Wonder, Carols Santana, and ALpha Blondy, as well as reggae legends such as Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Burning Spear.  As the greatest living exponents of Jamaica’s reggae tradition, the Wailers have played to an estimated 24 million people across the globe.

Saturday, June 2nd – KATHLEEN EDWARDS

On tour supporting her album, Voyageur, Kathleen Edwards continues to received critical praise for her music.  The New York Times said her work “…embodies an evolving idea about what roots music can be,” while Entertainment Weekly said her recent efforts channel “…gorgeously weathered heartbreak, straight from the gravelliest Ontario roads.”

Sunday, June 3rd – PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra provides musical experiences at the highest level of expression to enrich the community and to satisfy the needs and preferences of its audiences.  Last year, the PSO performed to a crowd of 15,000 at Point State Park.  It was the orchestra’s first performance at the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival since 1977.

Tuesday, June 5th – DAWES

A self-described “American rock ‘n’ roll band,” Dawes represents everything pure and true about that fundamental delineation – four talented friends making music together, fueled by a shared belief in the power of their songs.  The Log Angeles-based band offers a blend of singer/songwriter reflection with folk, country, ringing guitars, soaring harmonies, and heartfelt melodies.  Constant touring and collaboration with some of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest artists has translated to staggering growth and evolution while still manifesting a distinctive, unforgettable voice.

Friday, June 8th – CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS

The GRAMMY Award winning trio has proven that the old-time, fiddle and banjo-based music they have so scrupulously researched and passionately perform can be a living, breathing, ever-evolving sound.  Starting with material culled from the Piedmont region of the Carolinas, they pursue fresh interpretation, not merely recreation, of the work, highlighting the central role African-Americans played in shaping our nation’s popular music from its beginnings more than a century ago.  The virtuosic trio’s approach is provocative and revelatory.

Saturday, June 9th – BLUEGRASS DAY, featuring:

DEL MCCOURY BAND

For fifty years, Del McCoury’s music has defined authenticity for bluegrass fans and a growing number of fans only vaguely familiar with the genre.  McCoury is a living link to the days when bluegrass was made only in hillbilly honkytonks, schoolhouse shows, and on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.  Yet he and his band, including sons Ronnie and Robbie, remain a commandingly vital presence today.  Americana music icon Richard Thompson, who saw his 1952 Vincent Black Lightning turn into a bluegrass standard when McCoury brought it into the fold, has said, “I think that’s the best bluegrass band, period.  That’s it.”

PETER ROWAN BLUEGRASS BAND

A GRAMMY Award winner and six-time nominee, Peter Rowan is a bluegrass singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades.  From his years playing under the tutelage of bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe to his stint in Old & In the way with Jerry Garcia and his subsequent breakout as both a solo performer and bandleader, Rowan has built a devoted, international fan base through his continuous stream of original recordings, collaborative projects, and constant touring.

GREENSKY BLUEGRASS

Defining bluegrass for a new generation, this hard-working Michigan quintet has been performing upwards of 175 shows per year for 11 years all across America.  The band is unquestionably a team of friends traversing the country making music they enjoy.  Jambase.com has said, “Greensky Bluegrass hits timeless targets with deadly accuracy while simultaneously veering off the tried and true highway.”

Sunday, June 10th – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE NOISEMAKERS

Twenty five years after winning a Best New Artist GRAMMY Award and launching one of contemporary music’s most diverse and collaborative careers, Bruce Hornsby is still, blissfully, making joyful noise – and finding clever, expansive ways to chronicle the dynamic musical snapshots along the journey.  Superstar collaborations and more than 100 records speak volumes about Hornsby’s unique fusion of mainstream appeal and wild musical diversity.  “In the spirit of musical evolution, I’m always trying to keep my band on their toes,” Hornsby says.  “I thinkt he guys in the Noisemakers like the gig because there’s never a dull moment and we attempt to keep the spontaneity factor high.”

See you in June!

-Derek