A detail of "Handling the Fruits of Diversity," part of E.M. Castonguay's exhibition "A Portrait of us" at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. Click photo for larger image.

One of the greatest gifts an artist can receive is an enthusiastic response to his or her work. When that appreciation leads to planning a reception around a painting, it's a high compliment.

That's what happened when Pittsburgher Stan Marshall saw Elizabeth Myers Castonguay's "Americ-Hands," a tribute to men and women who work with their hands. The wine-and-cheese "Celebration of Labor" reception, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. tomorrow in Castonguay's exhibition "A Portrait of us" at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.

The event is also one of several signs that the Center, for all of its recent troubles, remains vital, along with other current exhibitions, a holiday sale and plans for the new year.

Castonguay's exhibition impresses by its ambition, her technical proficiency and the sincerity with which she pursues her subject matter, in this case the commonality of mankind.

"The celebration of diversity by all humanity will be the only key to unlock the door to peace in a world currently plagued by prejudice, hatred and war. As an artist, I feel that it is my obligation to speak about the strength and beauty of this diversity," she writes.

The show occupies three galleries and is divided into "birth," "life" and "death and beyond" with imagery, and sometimes sound, that invokes a mood rather than literally interpreting.

Castonguay is an accomplished draftsman -- note the memorable portfolio of figure drawings in the first gallery -- and she makes rendering the hand look easy, which it isn't.

Here she experiments with the installation form, a difficult one to master but with potential for this artist, introducing light boxes, found material and even an abstracted scene of violence to expand the work with which she has most facility.

The imposing "multi-painting" comprising 22 canvases that caught Marshall's eye features "working hands" gripping the tools of their trades. All save one -- electrician, plumber, mechanic, boat captain, etc. -- belong to people who live in southwestern Pennsylvania.

The guest list for the reception includes such local labor notables as Jack Shea, Allegheny County Central Labor Council; Ben Fisher, co-founder of the national AFL-CIO; Paul Whitehead, General Council of the United Steelworkers of America; and Rich Stanizzo, business manager of the Pittsburgh Building and Construction Trades Council. If you'd like to attend, RSVP to 412-344-3597.

Among other exhibitions at the Center are "Drawing on the Figure," a Pittsburgh Society of Artists exhibition that was juried by Castonguay. Outstanding among 41 works by 30 artists in a variety of media are Leonard Leibowitz's exceptional etching and digital print combination "You've Got to Plow," and Judi Charlson's sensitively rendered monotypes "Mortification" and "Soul Transplant."

Also admirable are Kenneth Beer's monoprint "Cella," Lucienne Wald's enhanced digital photograph "The Fraternal Order of What," Marianne Marino's watercolor "On the Train," and Aileen Zollweg's painting "An Angel in America," which appears to be a new formal direction for the artist.

Castonguay is also one of many artists with work in the annual Holiday Sale which has a new twist this year in the separate gallery of work by Associated Artists of Pittsburgh members. Particularly handsome among the AAP works are small- scale but glowing landscape and still life paintings by some of the region's finest artists.

"Blue Flush," a painting by Jill Palermo, is one of three by the artist in the "Generation Art II" exhibition at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. Click photo for larger image.

A look at future stars is offered in "Generation Art II" featuring five emerging painters -- the designation broadly interpreted -- selected by Center assistant director Laura Domencic.

Jill Palermo's impeccable oil paintings seem to be inspired by micro- and macro-cosmic imagery, although the vibrant palette is her own. If works in an exhibition at Springboard Space earlier this year recalled tissue cross sections, made huge, paintings such as "Blue Flush" have the three-dimensionality of an electron microscope image. The scrambled rounds suggest movement and generation in a world that is constantly shifting.

Restrained use of unusual materials enriches bold mixed media works by Todd Scalise. In "King of Diamonds," taut rows of red rhinestones appear as red scars across the work's surface. Constraint rescues the "pharmaceutical applique" of "The White Hand" from gimmickry. The strongest work, "Apocalyptica," is disturbing with imagery, apparently including rape, murder, and victims leaping from the attacked Twin Towers.

Rounding out the show are Brian Holderman and Patrick Schmidt, who combine found and original material to very different effect. The former composes imagery in suggestive melange, while the latter creates fields of color that play with optical reception. Jill Daves' meditative marker markings are rhythmic, repetitive, somewhat calligraphic and obsessive.

The "Generation" exhibition came about, Domencic says, because so many good artists submitted art or were nominated for the Emerging Artist of the Year award, and she's happy that it's being held again. "To be able to showcase that kind of energy is extremely important [for young artists]" she says, and "[they're] a really important base that we need to tap into."

She was surprised that most of the artists didn't know one another and met during the installing. "What I like about the Center is that it can be that kind of crucible, work that kind of alchemy," Domencic says.

All of this is a full and lively plate for a venue that appeared to be in danger of collapse earlier this year. That it hasn't is an affirmation of both the significance of the Center to the city's cultural life and acting executive director Charlie Humphrey's reputation for integrity.

The holiday sale has been going so well, Domencic said, that extra hours have been added, and plans are progressing for 2005.

The Center will close to the public between Dec. 24 and Jan. 14, when an opening reception will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. for six new exhibitions.

Opening will be an exhibition of works by the famed surrealist photographer, filmmaker and painter Man Ray, in collaboration with Mendelson Gallery; the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society group exhibition "A Way with Words"; three solo exhibitions by artists Paul Bowden, Patti Beachley and Janet Kreiger; and a two-person show with artists Terry Young and Jenny Lee.

Winter classes will begin Jan. 18.

The Pittsburgh Biennial and Pittsburgh Masters V are scheduled to open in April.

The exhibitions continue through Dec. 23 at 6300 Fifth Ave., at Shady Avenue, Shadyside. Suggested donation is $5. The expanded Center hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow through Thursday, 1 to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, and noon to 7 p.m. next Monday through Thursday. For information, call 412-361-0873 or visit www.pittsburgharts.org.