{"id":647,"date":"2018-11-21T00:09:35","date_gmt":"2018-11-21T05:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/?p=647"},"modified":"2018-11-20T14:23:34","modified_gmt":"2018-11-20T19:23:34","slug":"moving-art-works-by-local-and-international-artists-brighten-downtown-t-stations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/distinction\/2018\/arts-entertainment\/moving-art-works-by-local-and-international-artists-brighten-downtown-t-stations\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving art: Works by local and international artists brighten Downtown T stations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wood Street Galleries<\/a>, an exhibition space on the second and third floors of the Wood Street T Station, is the perfect place to while away time waiting for the next train. It\u2019s also a shining example of how the arts helped to transform a once shabby Downtown into an entertainment destination.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Pittsburgh Cultural Trust<\/a>\u00a0opened the free art space at Wood Street and Sixth Avenue in 1992.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opening of Wood Street marked the beginning of the trust\u2019s efforts to revitalize the Liberty and Penn Avenue corridors with gallery and performing arts spaces,\u201d said Murray Horne, curator for\u00a0all trust-owned galleries, including nearby SPACE and 707 Penn Gallery.<\/p>\n

Exhibitions in the large Wood Street rooms range from group shows to gallery-sized\u00a0installations that\u00a0pulse with light and sound and invite immersion.\u00a0Showing through Dec. 31 are a new version of the installation piece \u201cnarrow.V3\u201d and the installation\u00a0\u201cDaydream V.5,\u201d which premieres here. They are by\u00a0Nonotak Studio<\/a>, a collaboration between visual artist Noemi Schipfer and architect\/musician Takami Nakamoto.<\/p>\n

Annual attendance is approximately 22,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe art shown at Wood Street Galleries reflects an emphasis on new media artwork … including digital art, virtual art and interactive art,\u201d Mr. Horne wrote in an e-mail.<\/p>\n

A block away at\u00a0SPACE gallery<\/a>\u00a0is the group exhibition\u00a0\u201cMachine Culture,\u201d which runs through Dec. 9. The show \u201cintroduces a group of young artists fascinated by the mechanical,\u201d Mr. Horne said.<\/p>\n

\"Pedestrians <\/a>
Pedestrians walk past the Wood Street Galleries which houses art installations by Nonotak Studios on Wednesday, Oct. 24 , 2018, in Downtown. Nonotak Studios is a collaboration between illustrator Noemi Schipfer and architect musician Takami Nakamoto. (Andrew Stein\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A skateboarder rides past the 707 Penn Gallery on Wednesday, Oct. 24 , 2018, in Downtown. The gallery is currently housing Pittsburgh artist Keny Marshall’s exhibition “Antumbra”. (Andrew Stein\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Cars <\/a>
Cars pass by the Space gallery which currently is showcasing the Machine Culture exhibition on Wednesday, Oct. 24 , 2018, in Downtown. Machine Culture is comprised of work from international artists with pieces that all have moving parts. (Andrew Stein\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Romare <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Sam <\/a>
Sam Chodosh of Squirrel Hill, checks out Pittsburgh artist Keny Marshall’s exhibition “Antumbra” at the 707 Penn Gallery on Wednesday, Oct. 24 , 2018, in Downtown. Marshall is known for his kinetic and sculptural works. (Andrew Stein\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Paul <\/a>
Paul McCluskey, of Mt. Lebanon, takes in the Daydream V.5 art installation by Nonotak Studios on Wednesday, Oct. 24 , 2018, at the Wood Street Galleries in Downtown. Nonotak Studios is a collaboration between illustrator Noemi Schipfer and architect musician Takami Nakamoto. (Andrew Stein\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\""Machine <\/a>
“Machine with Hair Caught In It” by Ujoo + Limheeyoung is seen at the Space gallery on Wednesday, Oct. 24 , 2018, in Downtown. It is part of the Machine Culture installation which is comprised of work from international artists with pieces that all have moving parts. (Andrew Stein\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\""Rivers <\/a>
“Rivers of Light,” by Jane Haskell, 1985, neon, glass block, aluminum, 5000 square feet, Steel Plaza Subway Station, Pittsburgh. Photo credit: Clyde Hare. Slug is haskell0117 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The image of Dave Bergman of Troy Hill, is reflected endlessly as he stands in the Daydream V.5 art installation by Nonotak Studios on Wednesday, Oct. 24 , 2018, at the Wood Street Galleries in Downtown. Nonotak Studios is a collaboration between illustrator Noemi Schipfer and architect musician Takami Nakamoto. (Andrew Stein\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pittsburgh <\/a>
Pittsburgh artist Keny Marshall’s exhibition “Antumbra” at the 707 Penn Gallery on Wednesday, Oct. 24 , 2018, in Downtown. Marshall is known for his kinetic and sculptural works. (Andrew Stein\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Art <\/a>
Art installation “Machine That Tickles the Wall” by Ali Miharbi is seen at the Space gallery on Wednesday, Oct. 24 , 2018, in Downtown. It is part of the Machine Culture installation which is comprised of work from international artists with pieces that all have moving parts. (Andrew Stein\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The outline of William Davenport of Sheraden, is seen as he takes in the Daydream V.5 art installation by Nonotak Studios on Wednesday, Oct. 24 , 2018, at the Wood Street Galleries in Downtown. Nonotak Studios is a collaboration between illustrator Noemi Schipfer and architect musician Takami Nakamoto. (Andrew Stein\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe kinetic qualities of gears in motion and motorized moving\u00a0parts produce both ironic and amusing results. Operating with varying\u00a0degrees of autonomy, control, function and dysfunction, these artists\u00a0orchestrate materials, re-configuring them into \u2018objects of fascination.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Annual attendance at SPACE is approximately 20,000. Exhibitions are selected to complement those at Wood Street and feature local, regional and national artists. The 11 with work in \u201cMachine Culture\u201d are based in the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Turkey, Israel, India, Korea, Canada and the U.S.<\/p>\n

A world premiere at nearby 707 Penn Gallery is part of the Cultural Trust\u2019s\u00a0Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts<\/a>.\u00a0The solo exhibition\u00a0\u201cAntumbra\u201d<\/a>\u00a0is the work of Pittsburgher Keny Marshall, a master of kinetic sculpture. He is also included in\u00a0\u201cMachine Culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing found objects and hand-built devices, [Mr. Marshall] constructs mechanisms that are often ridiculous parodies of technology,\u201d the\u00a0festival\u2019s website<\/a>\u00a0says.\u00a0\u201cModels of natural systems and collections of objects re-combined with transparent inner workings oppose the idea that the things you own should be controlled by someone else,\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhibition continues through Dec. 9. Admission is free at all three galleries.<\/p>\n

Gateway Center Station<\/strong><\/p>\n

Commuters can\u2019t miss the\u00a060-by-13-foot ceramic tile mural \u201cPittsburgh Recollections\u201d in the Gateway Center light-rail station Downtown. But most probably don\u2019t know it was made by a famous artist, Romare Bearden.<\/p>\n

Among the most important 20th-century African-American artists, Mr. Bearden was born in 1911 in Mecklenburg County, N.C., and died in 1988 in New York City. His maternal grandparents, Carrie and George Banks, owned a boardinghouse in Pittsburgh that he visited frequently, and he is a graduate of Peabody High School.<\/p>\n

The work depicts Pittsburgh’s history through bright, abstract forms, from Native Americans and early settlers through mill laborers to a future based in technology, science and education, all set against a flowing background of undulating hills and rivers. It\u00a0comprises 780 ceramic tiles, each 12 by 12 inches and \u00bc-inch thick.<\/p>\n

When the mural was commissioned in 1984,\u00a0Mr. Bearden\u00a0was already a well-established collage artist who\u00a0had earlier been given a retrospective by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The mural was removed and reassembled in 2012 after the Gateway Center Station was moved.<\/p>\n

Steel Plaza Station<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another 1984 commission is the late Pittsburgh artist Jane Haskell\u2019s\u00a0\u201cRivers of Light,\u201d a 5,000-square-foot installation of painted aluminum, glass block and colored neon lights, recently restored with LED lights.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s located on the V-shaped platform level of the Steel Plaza T Station and references Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle. The lights are connected to a timer and change from warm colors during the day to cooler colors in the evening. This change in color emphasizes the flow of the rivers from dawn until dusk and provides a new look for commuters at the beginning and end of their days.
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Contemporary Craft\u2019s BNY Mellon Satellite Gallery<\/strong>, located in the lobby of the Steel Plaza Station, features changing exhibitions organized by the Strip District art venue.<\/p>\n

\u201cHandwork,\u201d which continues through Jan. 5, comprises\u00a0untraditional \u201cquilts\u201d created with vintage tin and salvaged wood by Pittsburgh artist Kim\u00a0Fox. Ms. Fox grew up in rural Western Pennsylvania and that informs her aesthetic, subject matter and choice of materials. The pieces reference traditional quilt patterns and the ideas they represent, and the imagery reflects\u00a0organic themes of birds, bees, and the idea of home and place.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Cultural Trust galleries<\/strong><\/p>\n