Alloy PGH on NPR

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Premiered on NPR Thursday (8/27/15) at 5:45 AM 

Ricardo Iamuuri Robinson joins co-founder Chris McGinnis on NPR to discuss his work in the Alloy Pittsburgh project!

Ricardo Iamuuri Robinson's STEELFONICS is an installation that imagines a creative collective of black industrial steel workers whose contribution to the enormous expansion of the American steel industry has been all but invisible.  This exhibit bears witness to their legacy and hidden contribution to Pittsburgh's industrial past.

Moving Targets: An Exhibition of Extinction and Survival

Moving Targets: An Exhibition of Extinction and Survival by artists Steffi Domike and Ann T. Rosenthal with Ruth Fauman-Fichman is returning to Pittsburgh August 29 - October 1, 2015 at Christine Frechard Gallery, 5871 Forbes Ave. PGH, 15217.

After the artists joined Project Passenger Pigeon to commemorate the 2014 centenary of the extinction of the species, they realized that this historical period held particular significance for their own families: The disappearance of the North American passenger pigeon roughly coincided with the arrivals of their forbears to the continent. 

Join the artists and authors for the exhibition opening and catalog release for Moving Targets, on Saturday August 29, 5-9 pm which will include new works drawing on the artists' three-year research and creative process. 

Additional Artists' Talk with Catalog Authors will take place Sunday, September 20, 4-5 pm. 

The Residency: Part Two

INSPIRATION AND INNOVATION

Artists returned to the furnaces on July 24 - 25 to further explore how they will connect with the environment and to gain insight from innovators who have done so already. Addy Smith-Reiman and Anna Johnson visited with Alloy PGH artists to discuss the ecology of the carrie furnaces. Addy is an artist and project manager for Riverlife with a focus on place-based projects that celebrate local identity, shared histories and future use. Anna is a post-doctoral candidate at Pitt whose research focuses on the ecology of urban vacant lands and the application of sustainable urban landscapes. 

Addy Smith-Reiman and Anna Johnson

Anna Johnson speaks in the Iron Garden Walk

Artists RIcardo Robinson, Sarika Goulatia, and Oreen Cohen continued to experiment with process and material studies on site at Carrie Furnace.

The day concluded with the Alloy PGH Meet and Greet at Unsmoke Systems. A special thanks goes to Jeb Feldman for hosting the event and Lena Loshonkohl for allowing us to share the space with her exhibition, "Other Books Other Worlds"

Homemade pizzas at the community pizza oven, Unsmoke Systems. 

Artist Rose Clancy speaks about her plans for Alloy PGH 2015. 

Visitors enjoying pizza after artist talks. 

Alloy Abroad: From PGH to LDN

Co-founder of Alloy Pittsburgh, Sean Derry, recently returned to Pittsburgh from an exciting trip to London, UK, where he presented at the Tenth International Conference on the Arts in Society, "The Work of Art in the Age of Networked Society." The Conference ran from July 22-24, 2015 at Imperial College London. Read the abstract from Sean's presentation here, and learn about the impact Alloy Pittsburgh is making on the world beyond the Monongahela shores. 

From Exhibition to Institution: Expanding Regional Vibrancy in Pittsburgh’s Monongahela River Valley

Many leading city planners and economists attest to the power of art as a force for promoting social progress and economic vitality.  When part of a wider initiative, community-driven arts programming can increase local pride, build strong relationships and encourage synergistic partnerships that contribute to meeting community needs.  In 2013 Pittsburgh based artists Sean Derry and Chris McGinnis partnered with the Rivers of Steel Heritage Area to produce Alloy Pittsburgh, a site-based project motivated by a sincere belief in the capacity of art to contribute to the revitalization of Pittsburgh Monongahela River Valley. The success of their inaugural project has enabled Derry and McGinnis to work with the Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation on the development of a comprehensive arts programming initiative for the entire eight-county Rivers of Steel Heritage Area. Derry and McGinnis formalized their partnership with the Rivers of Steel under the new heading Alloy Arts, and embarked on a multi-faceted effort to build a sustainable arts program. This presentation will chronicle the creation of Alloy Arts  and the institutions experiences transitioning from a single community art project to a multi-faceted arts initiative offering contemporary art experiences throughout the Monongahela River Valley.

Sean Derry presents at Tenth International Conference of the Arts in Society.