Carnegie Museum of Art opens “Ordinary Madness”

For some it may seem like a trip down memory lane, for others it will be a gallery full of new discoveries but CMOA Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, Dan Byers says for him it is look at the everyday and finding it laced with the surreal, the uncanny and the extraordinary. The show “Ordinary Madness” highlights those juxtapositions by using pieces in the museum’s archives. “Some of them have not been on display for years,” says Byers. However, he says visitors may recognize some of the works from past internationals and from the rotating contemporary art collection housed in the Scaif Galleries. Byers says the show grew out of an interest in finding ways to sustain the city’s energy and engagement with contemporary art outside of the internationals. To put together the show Byers says he was able to “dig deep into the holdings.” Some of that was done by looking at pictures saved on computers but at other times he had to go down into the bowels of the museum to look at the works first hand. Byers says he found enough material to do the show “two or three times over” and he may launch a similar show some time in the future. Like many museums, CMOA is looking for new ways to use its archives and Byers says this is a great way to depart from the chronological perspective taken in the Scaif gallery. This show looks at works from 1945 to the present and includes paintings, sculpture, photography and video.

The show, which runs through January 9, will include two evenings of film screenings. The first runs from 6pm to 7:30pm October 22 and brings together works that focus on the irrational, ambivalent, and chaotic aspects of everyday experience and pop-culture phenomena. The second runs November 10, 6–7:30 p.m. and will highlight the junction between art and life and investigate the divide between reality and its distortion in myth, desire, and individual perception.

To help visitors through the exhibition, the museum has produced a fully illustrated, free “pocket guide,” containing color reproductions of many of the artworks on view and essays by Byers and other museum employees.

Listen to an interview with Dan Byers here.

Arts Festival Brings Green Message Downtown

The Three Rivers Arts Festival began in downtown Pittsburgh today.

The festival is weaving together several themes, including environmentalism and the interaction of the arts and technology.

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust spokeswoman Lauren Bracey says it’s a great coincidence that World Environment Day will happen during the festival.

“We didn’t have to become a green festival; we already were a green festival,” says Bracey.

She says for the past few years, the Three Rivers Arts Festival has sorted recyclables from trash and compost. Bracey says last year, more than 50 tons of garbage were recycled or composted, instead of being put in the trash stream.

Bracey says Guster, one of today’s most environmentally engaged bands, will play tomorrow night. Other music acts include the Dirty Dozen Brass Band on Sunday, the Venezuelan disco group Los Amigos Invisibles on Wednesday, and songwriter Kris Kristofferson on Friday night.

About 320 different artists will showcase their work in the artists’ market over the course of the festival. Bracey says the festival board also responded to patrons’ demand for more visual arts by bringing back a juried exhibition at the Trust Arts Education Center on Liberty Avenue.

Visit the Arts Festival website for more information.

Gourlay Brings Expertise to River City Brass Band

James Gourlay started playing the tuba when he was ten years old.

“Because the school janitor found a tuba in the attic of the school. I was forced to play it basically because I was really bad at soccer, and nobody would have me on their team.”

Now he’s a world-famous musician and the newly-appointed Music Director of the River City Brass band.

Gourlay says after giving 12 concerts with the band this March, it was an easy choice when he was offered the position.

The Scotland native says the brass band is one of the most flexible ensembles in music.

“The River City Brass Band is capable of playing anything from jazz and pop to much more serious and contemporary music,” says Gourlay. “So I’ll be trying, in my role as Director of Music, to balance the programs so that if you come to one of our concerts, you’ll hear something you really love.”

Gourlay says he’s already made a great relationship with both the band and the city of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Feeling Economic Crunch

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) has been forced to restructure nine positions within its administrative staff as a result of the floundering economy. The PSO's endowment has dropped about 30 percent over the past year. President and CEO Lawrence Tamburri says donations and ticket sales have likewise dropped. Cost cutting measures have already saved the group about $150,000 and projections show the restructuring will save about $400,000 per year. Despite financial stress, the orchestra will continue its regularly scheduled shows and tours. None of the restructured positions involved musicians.