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5 Hot Spots to Check Out This Fall Gallery Crawl

Wed, Sep 20, 2017

Written by: Seth Culp-Ressler

It’s easy to tell time with Gallery Crawls. They often feel more reliable for determining the season than wildly unpredictable Pittsburgh weather. With that in mind, this Friday’s Crawl — falling square on the Autumn Equinox — couldn’t be more perfectly placed.

The Fall Gallery Crawl is always a fun one. After all, it’s the first taste of Pittsburgh's arts scene for many college students settling into the Steel City lifestyle. A warm (but not for too much longer!) welcome to them and any other new residents of the ‘Burgh.

Of course, the programming on offer this Friday will be a delight for the senses regardless of your Gallery Crawl attendance record. We’ve rounded up a few of the big, must-visit stops below, but make sure to explore the Cultural District for the pockets of activity hidden around. There will be a lot of treasure out there — see how much of it you can find.

MACULAR

Wood Street Galleries | 5:30 - 10:00

Perhaps the most intense spectacle of the night will be Macular’s exhibition at Wood Street Galleries. The Dutch art collective’s kinetic light installation makes its debut this Friday and promises to be a feast for both the eyes and ears. Wander through a world of spinning, pulsating and flashing light machines, punctuated in some cases by accompanying audio. Think of it as a chance to test the boundaries of your senses. Take note, however: the installation isn’t suited for those sensitive to flashing lights or strobe-like effects. Check out a sneak peek of what to expect here:

Undulator from Eric Parren on Vimeo.

 

LOUIS CATO BAND

Agnes R. Katz Plaza | 6:00 - 10:00

For those in search of a more musical experience, let your ears guide you to the eyes of Katz Plaza. There you’ll find Louis Cato, a Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter. Cato’s résumé is an impressive read, having worked with the likes of Beyoncé, John Legend, Snarky Puppy and more. You also might recognize him from Jon Batiste and Stay Human, the house band for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Nevertheless, this Friday Cato will be the star of the show, his music self-described as “soulful pop—‘If John Mayer was black’ is the vibe.” Don’t miss the show if that sounds like your groove.

IN PURSUIT OF BEAUTY

August Wilson Center | 6:00 - 6:45

For any photography buffs attending this go around of the Gallery Crawl, the August Wilson Center is the place to be. This week sees the opening of two shows: Went Looking for Beauty: Refashioning Self by Deborah Willis and On the Making of Steel Genesis: Sandra Gould Ford by LaToya Ruby Frazier. Willis will be giving a talk — titled “In Pursuit of Beauty” — earlier in the evening, but feel free to stop by the Center any time during the night to check out either individual’s photographs.

In addition to sharing the same physical space for these exhibitions, Willis and Frazier have another link: both are previous winners of MacArthur Fellowships, colloquially known as “Genius Grants.” Even further, a third MacArthur fellow, choreographer and dancer Kyle Abraham, will be performing at the August Wilson Center in November. That’s a lot of smarts under one roof. Swing on by, maybe some will rub off on visitors.

Deborah Willis

CSA PGH SMALL MALL

SPACE Gallery | 5:30 - 10:00

Those interested in taking some souvenirs home with them this Friday should steer their feet towards SPACE Gallery. That’s where CSA PGH will be holding its “Small Mall” art market. Traditionally, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, a program where groups of people pool their money together to purchase an entire season of crops from a farm. Participants receive a weekly share of whatever food happens to be harvestable. CSA PGH, however, isn’t Community Supported Agriculture, it’s Community Supported Art.

The process is quite similar — once a year, shares consisting of numerous unique art pieces produced by local artists are offered up for purchase. This Friday, the 20 shares for 2017 are being released to participants. Get there early enough and there may still be a few left for purchase. If not, the market will also be featuring more than a dozen artists selling their work to the general public. It’s the perfect opportunity to pick up the last piece of your living room decor puzzle, kick off a desk-decorating journey or simply support Pittsburgh’s wonderful local artists.

PGH CSA Small Mall

NEW HAZLETT THEATER & TEXTURE CONTEMPORARY BALLET

Trust Arts Education Center | 7:00 - 9:30

CSA PGH isn’t the only organization in town with a Community Supported Art program — New Hazlett Theater is in on the fun as well. The only difference is that while CSA PGH deals with physical pieces, New Hazlett focuses on performance art. This Friday, at the Trust Arts Education Center, participants in the current program will be giving short ten-minute previews of their upcoming Season 5 productions.

Intertwined with New Hazlett’s performances will be Texture Contemporary Ballet’s own ten-minute shows. The group will perform both choreographed work and improvised movement. For a full list of the night’s show times, visit the event pages for New Hazlett and Texture Contemporary Ballet.

Texture Contemporary Ballet

See the full schedule of events

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Tags:
  • free
  • art
  • gallery crawl
  • Cultural District