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At the Galleries: Carnegie Museum gears up for its flagship exhibition
Friday, September 10, 1999 By Mary Thomas, Post-Gazette Art Critic
One of the fullest and most exciting visual arts seasons ever will herald the turn of the century in Pittsburgh, and perhaps kindle an arts renaissance that will perpetuate the celebration. The return of the Carnegie International after a four-year absence, a major exhibition at the Mattress Factory and an eclectic festival at Carnegie Mellon University have inspired a synergy among arts organizations citywide who are celebrating a double-header of internationalism and millennium fever.
Many of the exhibitions have accompanying lectures, panels and other activities that enrich the experience of the art. (Call the sponsoring venue for specifics, or watch future listings for program information and newly scheduled shows.)
The flagship of this fleet of exhibitions and events is the prestigious Carnegie International, three years in the making, which returns on Nov. 6 and stays through March 26 at the Carnegie Museum of Art. This important survey of international contemporary art will feature 41 artists, both emerging and established, from 22 countries. Mediums represented include painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, film, video and installation.
Also opening at the Carnegie on Nov. 6 is "The Pritzker Architecture Prize," an Art Institute of Chicago organized exhibition about the recipients of this notable prize awarded annually to a living architect. Original drawings, plans and models of some of the world's finest contemporary architecture will be displayed in The Heinz Architectural Center through Feb. 27.
"Whistler: Impressions of an American Abroad -- Etchings and Lithographs from the Carnegie Museum of Art," 80 rare works from the museum's collection that have been traveling since 1997, are on display at home through Jan. 23.
"Lapidary Art," 14 sculpted precious and semiprecious gems, continues at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History through Jan. 2.
On Nov. 6, at The Andy Warhol Museum, two exhibitions open that examine its famous namesake's "inseparable connection to photography": "Andy Warhol: Photography" and "Nadar/Warhol: Paris/New York," a comparison of the two men's approaches to celebrity-making that includes 44 works by Nadar (Gaspard Felix Tournachon) and 43 by Warhol (through Jan. 30).
"The Architecture of Reassurance: Designing the Disney Theme Parks," a probe into the philosophical as well as the physical Disney, continues at the Warhol through Oct. 10. A related lecture/symposium will be held on Sept. 24-25, and the exhibition has its own interactive community forum (www.warhol.org).
Next week, the WATS:ON Festival at Carnegie Mellon University presents a whimsical and invigorating slate of internationally known transdisciplinary artists, performers and speakers, ranging from Czech artist Magdalena Jetelova -- who will unveil a significant site-specific work -- to motorcycle designer Craig Vetter and the New York "clothespin-puppet" group La Pulcina Piccola (Sept. 14-16).
The Mattress Factory museum will open a substantial exhibition of new installation work by 10 artists from six Asian countries, Oct. 31-June 30, that will rewrite Eastern art stereotypes.
Coincidentally, three campuses focus on Asia this year, through cultural explorations that include the visual arts. After a Sept. 14-16 exhibition on Jetelova, CMU's Hewlett Gallery exhibits Indonesian artist Entang Wiharso (Sept. 23-Oct. 29), followed by an installation by New Mexican Margery Amdur.
"Portraits of Indian Trees," paintings by Arundhati Vartak, opens at CMUs Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation on Sept. 16 (to Feb. 29). Her sketches are already at Chatham College Art Gallery, through Sept. 25. The artist will speak at Chatham at 6 p.m. on Monday. Another Indian artist and Chatham professor, Prajna Paramita Parasher, will address India and women in the gallery next, Sept. 27-Oct. 9, followed by Pitt professor Michael Morrill and a traveling exhibition from the National Women's Hall of Fame, Seneca Falls, N.Y. (Nov. 3-30).
The imposing "Half-a-Century of Chinese Woodblock Prints: From the Communist Revolution to the Open-Door Policy and Beyond, 1945-1998," will be in the University of Pittsburgh's Frick Fine Arts Building, Sept. 24-Dec. 4. There are related lectures, a symposium (Oct. 15) and a co-sponsored Chinese 20th-century film series with the Carnegie Museum of Art.
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust-commissioned site-specific sculpture by Russian artist Alexandr Brodsky, "Palazzo Nudo," is nearing completion at the corner of Penn Avenue and Seventh Street, and an exhibition of his works and those of photographer Catherine Opie examines facades at the Wood Street Galleries, through Oct 16. Next at Wood Street is an installation by Mischa Kuball, who represented Germany at the 1998 Sao Paulo Biennial (Oct. 29-Dec. 26.).
Ceramics and gold of pre-European Colombia continues at The Frick Art Museum through Oct. 3, to be followed by an exhibition that looks at the end of another century, the lush "Post-Impressionist Prints: Paris in the 1890s" (Nov. 12-Jan. 9).
The 16th biennial Fiberart International opened last night, with 71 artists, at The Society for Contemporary Crafts (through Oct. 30) and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts (through Oct. 31). The Elizabeth Raphael Founder's Prize Exhibition -- this year's medium is wood -- follows at the SCC (Nov. 12-Feb. 26). "Romancing the Brain," an exploration of the intersection of art and science, opens at the PCA on Sept. 18 (to Nov. 21) along with Los Angeles photographer Pat York (to Oct. 31). PCA ends the year with their popular Off the Walls sale/exhibit.
At the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Gallery, tomorrow through Oct. 22, six notable local women artists address image and metaphor; The American Society of Media Photographers' entertaining annual exhibition runs Nov. 12-19; and the year wraps with an invitational ceramics show (Dec. 3-Jan. 15).
Margery King, associate curator of The Andy Warhol Museum, guest curates an exhibition of works by renowned photographer James Van Der Zee at Silver Eye Center for Photography (Nov. 2-Feb. 29). The Pittsburgh Filmmakers' Melwood Photography Gallery opens David Pohl's digital works, today through Oct. 30, and then portraits of experimental filmmakers (Nov. 5-Dec. 12).
Jazz lovers know the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild well, but its fine photography and ceramic exhibition and lecture series remains relatively undiscovered. It includes student work (Sept. 20-Oct. 20), ceramic installation by Arina Alincai (Oct. 21-Dec. 2), large scale color photographs by Kathy Vargas (Oct. 28-Dec. 12), Wesley Andregg's ceramics (Dec. 9-Jan. 25) and George Howard's photographs of frontier culture diversity (Dec. 17-Feb. 13).
The alternative Brew House Space 101 energizes fall with a puppet exhibition and festival (Sept. 17-Oct. 3), an exploration of personal issues by three women artists (Oct. 6-16) and Elin O'hare Slavic and Jane Marsching in a Space 101 prospectus exhibition (Oct. 20-Nov. 20). Elvira Finnigan's installation remains in the Transformer Room (outside) through Oct. 6.
Foreland Street Studio continues "Works in Progress" by a group of artists through Sept. 24, then John Alexander's "constructed paintings" (Oct. 2-31) and its fourth Print Portfolio exhibition (Nov. 20-Jan. 3).
Robert Bowden is at The American Institute of Architects Gallery through Oct. 15; architects' travel works will follow, Oct. 18-29. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is exhibiting former president John Johns through this month, with faculty Grace Morrow, Brian Colkitt and Dan Chinda scheduled for the remaining months of the year.
CMU professor Douglas Cooper returns to Concept Art Gallery (Sept. 16-Oct. 24) and then Felix de la Concha (Oct. 28-Jan. 15), whose well-received exhibition remains at the Carnegie Forum Gallery through Sept. 19.
Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery moves from its current group exhibition (through Oct. 3) to one whose six artists focus on form and texture Oct. 8-Jan. 8. Burton Morris opens the season at Mendelson Gallery (Sept. 18-Oct. 16) followed by an international exhibition. Gallerie Chiz also goes "international" with five contemporary Chinese painters and Budapest-born Zsolt Vudy Oct. 1-30, and Croatian Svebor Vidmar with transplanted Irishman Karl Mullen Nov. 6-27.
The Clay Place opens two exhibitions Sept. 17: James Simon (through Oct. 13) and Denise, Joshua and (son) Nathan Green (Nov. 10); shows Carol Brody's porcelain (Oct. 15-Dec. 8); and hosts The Pittsburgh Craftsmen's Guild Exhibition, "Straddling Two Millenniums" (Nov. 12-Jan. 5).
Diner enthusiast Steve Boksenbaum is at Studio Z Gallery through Sept. 15, director Kathleen Zimbicki shares space with Gene Fenton (Oct. 1-30), the inimitable Patty Gallagher installs Nov. 5-27, and Carl Lennartson exhibits Dec. 3-31. Also on the South Side, Occupant features Karl Brake through Oct. 8; Bob Ziller, Oct. 22-Nov. 12; and director Rick Bach, Dec. 3-Jan. 14.
The Pittsburgh Watercolor Society holds its 53rd annual international show, "Aqueous Open '99," at Watercolors Gallery Oct. 22-Nov. 21, after Elaine Heitzer (through Oct. 16). Governor's School students Casey Droege, Nathan Sauter and Kelly Wells will exhibit at Bloomfield Artworks (Sept. 15-29) and Droege's mother, Linda Wallen, will show recent work (Oct. 16-Nov. 20).
In Sewickley, International Images fits right in with the global connect with Bulgarian Rumen Rachev (Sept. 17-Oct. 30), followed by a group exhibition of gallery artists. Bird-in-the-Hand will have its annual Mexican craft show (Oct. 25-Dec. 24), but before that are paintings by Sue Keegan (Sept. 17-Oct. 20). Sweetwater Center for the Arts follows Ann Lopez's sculpture (to Sept. 24) with a breast cancer survivors' show (Oct. 1-29).
David Bowers brings his meticulous brush to James Gallery, Dormont, Sept. 17-Oct. 16, where industrial landscape painter Ron Schaefer will exhibit in November.
Highlights outside of the city include Mary Jean Kenton's "New Work and Garden Project" at the Harlan Gallery, Seton Hill College, Greensburg (today through Oct. 7). Scott Steberger exhibits at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, alongside architectural drawings of the museum building and a collaborative exhibition with the Westmoreland County Historical Society celebrating the town's bicentennial, all through Oct. 24. The Westmoreland's annual holiday toy show opens Nov. 26. In Latrobe, the 4th Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Art Exhibition will be at the Saint Vincent College Gallery from Sept. 17 to Oct. 31.
The Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, New Castle, holds its 18th annual national Oct. 3-Nov. 5, and is bringing in a private collection of Chinese ceramics Oct. 16-Nov. 15.
The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art has lively programming at four locations. Loretto has artifacts of Father Demetrius Gallitzin, "The Prince Priest of Loretto" (Sept. 18-Nov. 7), and the group regional "Triennial VII" goes up Nov. 19-Feb. 27. At Altoona, 150 years of railroad photography runs through Oct. 31. Johnstown's 67th allied artists annual begins today, through Oct. 31, with 20th-century folk art from private collections Nov. 5-Jan. 2. And Ligonier features Fran Hardy through Jan. 2, Joseph Keiffer through Oct. 31 and Frank Webb and Bob Bowden (Nov. 6-Jan. 2).
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