Gallery exhibits featuring climate justice, femininity, queer identities, and more
On a recent Friday evening, our office Slack was full of chatter around a string of local art exhibits all opening at once. The problem? Every single one of them looked remarkable and featured artists we wanted to support, but there was just no way we could make it to all of them in one evening.
What a great problem to have, eh? Pittsburgh’s art scene keeps growing which means these issues are going to continue to arise. Luckily for all of us, openings aren’t the only chance arts patrons have to check out the work. Below, we’re featuring five current exhibits with closing dates at least a month in the future that we think are worth the visit.
In Dreams I Walk with You at Silver Eye Center for Photography
On view through Saturday, October 21
4808 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. silvereye.org
An impressive tally of 25 artists contributed photography to this show, all inspired directly by six themes that were the focus of virtual workshops facilitated by Silver Eye Center for Photography. All six workshops, according to the event description, “dealt significantly with reclaiming one's sense of self through creativity amid the uncontrollable circumstances of our pandemic era.”
Participating artists include Hannah Altman, Leah Andrascik, Justin Audet, Sandra Bacchi, Kim Beck, Cassidy Brauner, Nakeya Brown, Hernease Davis, Jordan Kawelo DeLawder, Peter Dubinski, Jauzzle France, Dylan Hausthor, Rosemary Haynes, Susan Isaacson, Agnes Essonti Iuque, Siri Kaur, Neil Kramer, Laura Larson, Jennifer Lothigrel, Claire Moclock, Mathilde Mujanayi, Asli Narin, Eleanor Oakes, Patricia Voulgaris, and Andrea Wenglowskyj.
Climate Awakening: Crafting a Sustainable Future at Contemporary Craft
On view through January 2024
5645 Butler St., Lawrenceville. contemporarycraft.org
Art meets climate justice in this new exhibit offering viewers the opportunity to engage with the issue of climate change by critically examining its impact through the lens of art. This four-person show, featuring an expansive display of textures, includes works by Susie Ganch, Courtney Mattison, Meghan Price, and Adrien Segal.
Divinity/Femininity at 937 Liberty
On view through Sunday, November 19
937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. trustarts.org
Zimbabwean contemporary artist Akudzwe Elsie Chiwa explores themes of migrant identity, femininity, and Afro-Feminisms in Divinity/Femininity, their first U.S. solo exhibition. Through their work, the artist reimagines erased histories and explores the question, “Do we have the right to define the divine?” Akudzwe currently lives and works in Wilkinsburg, and Divinity/Femininity was curated by Dominique Seneca, an independent curator and art historian who splits her time between NYC and Pittsburgh.
Otherworldly at ZYNKA Gallery
On view through Sunday, October 29
904 Main St., Sharpsburg. zynkagallery.com
We teased the opening of Otherworldly in our recent Sharpsburg post, and it’s now open to the public. This two-person exhibition features works by Sarah Jacobs and Evan Boggess whose surreal paintings question the meaning of life and are layered with objects of symbolism and personal experience. Works by both artists pair nicely together and their familiarity with one another dates back to when they were both graduate students at the Maryland Institute College of Art’s Hoffberger School of Painting.
The Museum of Queer Curiosities at AIR: Artists Image Resource
On view through Monday, November 20
518 Foreland St., North Side. artistsimageresource.org
Artists Image Resources is an artist-run, non-profit print and imaging organization whose mission explores the role of the artist in contemporary culture. For its latest exhibit, The Museum of Queer Curiosities, the space is highlighting themes of “confusion, authority, and trust – especially how it relates to queer identities.” The exhibition, curated by Feliks Pyron, pairs largely handcrafted pieces of art with screen printed labels, a simulation of found artifacts meant to mimic a scientific museum of discovery.