April Arts Preview For Pittsburgh

By Susan Constanse

Along with the events and performances taking place throughout Pittsburgh, remember that there are gallery crawls taking place, in two art-rich neighborhoods. The monthly Unblurred, held on Friday, April 6, takes place in Friendship/Garfield. The downtown Gallery Crawl, which includes galleries and other venues in the Cultural District, is scheduled for April 27.

Box Heart

Structures: Paintings by Charles Caldemeyer

Box Heart Expressions
4523 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Hours: Tues 11 a.m. – 6p.m.; Wed to Sat 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Sun 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Dates: April 3 - April 28, 2012
Public Reception: Saturday, April 7th from 5-8 p.m.
Cost: Free
Website: www.boxheart.org

Charles Caldemeyer's mixed medium works merge encaustic, oil, watermedia with printmaking and drawing processes to achieve very detailed, formal works. In his solo exhibit, Structures, Mr. Caldemeyer arranges panels around a central axis, implying an interpretation of successive narrative levels.

The works that Charles Caldemeyer is presenting in Structures are vibrant and intricate, with a dream like quality. The progression of each panel progresses through a physical labyrinth, and the connections require time and examination to become apparent.

Most Wanted Fine Art

John Lysak and friends

Most Wanted Fine Art
5015 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Public reception: April 6, 7-11 p.m.
Grand Snafu performs at 9 p.m.
Cost: Free
Website: www.most-wantedfineart.com

Master Printmaker, John Lysak, will present prints created at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania at Most Wanted Fine Arts in April. Themed for the GA/GI (Geek Arts/Green Initiatives) festival, artists created imagery specifically for the exhibition, exploring robotics, digital media, green technology or eco-friendly and mind-expanding art.

The artists presented in the exhibit work in photo-lithography for digital and hand drawn images, water based screen printing, relief printing, letterpress printing, linocut, woodcut and intaglio printmaking. Handmade and fine art papers incorporating sustainable fibers have been used for the production of the prints.

Added bonus: The Grand Snafu will be performing as part of the opening reception.

The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination

Ryder Henry: 4 Lydia model city and Spaceships
Suzanne Trenney: Bionic Beings

The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination
5006 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Public Reception: April 6, 7-10 p.m.
Cost: Free
Website: www.irmafreeman.com

Another exhibit that is themed around the GA/GI festival is being presented by the Irma Freeman Center. The dual exhibit focuses on the work of Ryder Henry and Suzanne Trenney.

In Bionic Beings, Ms. Trenney examines an imagined future, where body parts are grown in gardens for transplants and the body is broken down into categories like plumbing and electrical. Partially a comment on the consumer nature of our healthcare system, the installation imagines a world where replacement body parts are available for sale.

4 Lydia model city and Spaceships, created by Ryder Henry, is an imagined model city assembled from recycled laminated paper-based packaging for foods, household miscellany and hardware items. Landscaping is composed of cardboard, laundry lint, sawdust, carpet fibers, acrylic paints, and a little of the hobby shop foliage. The spaceships are assembled from technological detritus, like reflectors and bits of plastic and metal, electric motors from old cassette and CD players.

August Wilson Center

Last Touch First

August Wilson Center
980 Liberty Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
April 6, 2012 - April 7, 2012
Ticketing: http://trustarts.culturaldistrict.org/production/29683/last-touch-first#tab=buy_tickets
Website: http://trustarts.culturaldistrict.org/production/29683/last-touch-first

The Pittsburgh Dance Council is presenting the US premiere of Last Touch First. Created by choreographer Jiří Kylián (previous director of Nederlands Dans Theater) and Michael Schumacher, the narrative focuses on the relationships of three couples. The set and costumes are richly sensual, contributing to an intimate atmosphere. The dancers exhibit an amazing physical control and strength in this dreamlike work.

Trust Arts Education Center

Second Saturday Workshops: Story Quilts & Figurative Watercolor Painting
Trust Arts Education Center
805 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Registration: http://www.trustarts.org/education/community/workshops/

Story Quilts (All levels)
Saturday, April 14: 11am - 2pm
Instructor: Tina Brewer

Figurative Watercolor Painting (Intermediate and Advanced Levels)
Saturday, April 14: 11am - 2pm
Instructor: Jeannie McGuire
Class fee for each workshop: $40

If you want a more hands on experience for your art consumption in April, there are a couple good workshops offered through the Second Saturday Workshop series. The series, developed by the Trust Arts Education Center, has hosted local artists and arts organizations in everything from DIY crafts to painting.

This month, the series is presenting two workshops. Renowned fiber artist, Tina Brewer, will be conducting a workshop on story quilting. Ms. Brewer's approach to quilting encompasses layered and embellished panels that tell personal stories.

While the quilting workshop is appropriate for all skill levels, Figurative Watercolor Painting is for intermediate and advanced levels. The instructor for this workshop, Jeannie McGuire, is a Gold Medal Winner of the National Watercolor Society. Through demonstration and reference materials, she will be concentrating on the development of composition to achieve emotional impact.

Bricolage

Dutchman

Bricolage
937 Liberty Ave, First Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
April 26-May 12

A pivotal work from the Civil Rights era, Dutchman is brought to the stage this month by a local theater company. The Bricolage production of Dutchman features Tami Dixon and Joshua Elijah Reese and is directed by Mark Clayton Southers.

This Obie Award winning play is a political allegory, depicting race relations during the early 1960's. The play, written by poet Amiri Baraka, premiered in 1964, and turned the New York theatre world on its head. The drama unfolds on a subway train, where a young white woman taunts a young black man into a confrontation both verbal and physical.

Susan Constanse is a painter, living and working in Pittsburgh. Examples of her work can be viewed on her site.