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Friday, July 26, 2002

By Mary Thomas, Post-Gazette Art Critic

Aliquippa Embraces Art -- a festival of visual and performing arts and community spirit that was begun as an antidote to mill-closing doldrums -- has extra reason to celebrate this year, and it's not just because it's reached its first decade.

	Aliquippa Embraces Art WHERE: Franklin Avenue. WHEN: Festival's tomorrow, beginning with 10 a.m. parade, until 8 p.m. Art and film fest continue 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24. DIRECTIONS: Take the Aliquippa exit from Route 51, pass the old train station on your right, make a left at the T at the bottom of the hill onto Franklin. INFORMATION: 724-378-2884.

Last year, with a change of management at the sponsoring Aliquippa Alliance for Unity and Development and the resultant elimination of the position of development specialist, the buzz was that the festival wouldn't be held again. But it survived budgetary and administrative scrutiny and, without missing a beat, reappears on cue at 10 a.m. tomorrow with the now-traditional parade and a theme, "American Pride."

Performances begin on two stages at 11 a.m. and continue until 8 p.m. Kat's Dance Center and Izzy Garbone (blues rock) start things off and the day closes with singer Jeff Cambell and rock band Modern Habit. In-between acts include the Ambridge Steel Drum Band, ventriloquist Helen Hammett, guitarist Peter King, Sister Sky's acoustic rock, blues by Immaculate Spring, gospel group Haynes Family Singers and Adverse R 'n B.

There will also be strolling street performers, art and craft vendors and demonstrations, food booths -- including barbecue ribs, Chinese, gyros, snow cones and picnic fare like chicken and potato salad -- and family activities by the Carnegie Science Center, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Children's Museum and other organizations.

New this year is a short film festival -- four hours of five- to 20-minute films that will be run twice Saturday, and a "history museum" that will feature documentary films, books, slides, photographs and artifacts relating to the history of Aliquippa. The latter is in the Renaissance Place, 392 Franklin Ave., and was organized by Don Inman, director of the Beaver County Industrial Museum.

Visual arts will be exhibited in the old G.C. Murphy Building, 464 Franklin Ave., including the funky installations in the raw second floor that set the Aliquippa festival apart. Among these, according to festival artistic coordinator Mike Nelson, are a "coloring book room" by Joe Wrychyk of Beaver Falls, an installation comprising weavings and yarn by Amber Coppings of Pittsburgh, sculptures that morph dinosaurs and insects by Gene Fenton of Indiana that were inspired by Japanese science-fiction films of the 1950s such as "Godzilla" and "Mothra" and sculpture by Bart Meiers of Bethlehem, a former student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where many of the early installation artists hailed from.

Also, several installations were created by members of "The Factor 4," middle and high school students working at The Outlet of Creativity in Rochester, including a "liquid room" that simulates a waterfall for visitors to walk through, a birthday party to which visitors may bring gifts and a reflection room with mirrors mounted over painted costumes that place the viewer in the work.

Children ages 6 and above have created art relating to the festival theme that will be carried in the parade and displayed afterward in the Murphy building.

The installations and other indoor visual arts will also be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 3, 10, 17 and 24. The film set will be shown, from noon to 4 p.m., and Nelson is trying to arrange for some artist demonstrations on those Saturdays.

For information call 724-378-2884.