{"id":153361,"date":"2026-03-31T15:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/153361\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T15:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:20:17","slug":"april-art-shows-in-pittsburgh-include-baseballs-and-scraposaurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/153361\/","title":{"rendered":"April art shows in Pittsburgh include baseballs and scraposaurs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each month NEXTpittsburgh features new openings and special art events in our series,\u00a0NEXT in the Gallery<\/a>. Keep us posted on what new art is happening in your neighborhood and email lemccullough@mac.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

April art brings painted baseballs, ambiguous boundaries, digitalized gogottes and a fierce flock of scraposaurs as a spirited prelude to May\u2019s 59th Carnegie International<\/a> and June\u2019s Three Rivers Arts Festival<\/a> debut at the new Arts Landing.<\/p>\n

\"\"From left, clockwise, \u201cWindy Pine\u201d, \u201cBig Tree\u201d, \u201cFish\u201d by Hugh Watkins (Christine Fr\u00e9chard Gallery). Photos by artist.<\/p>\n

\u201cHugh Watkins: The Arc of Dreams\u201d on view April 3-29, opening reception April 11, 4-7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Since building an electric upright bass at age 20, Hugh Watkins\u2019 artistic endeavors have embraced four decades of painting, sculpture, photography, stained glassmaking, jewelry crafting, printmaking, exhibit designing and bas-relief pipe organ panel carving \u2014 all running parallel with a career as a professional bassist with Ploughman\u2019s Lunch, Floyd Beck, Afro Routes, King Fez and other cutting-edge Pittsburgh ensembles.<\/p>\n

Curated by Christine Fr\u00e9chard, \u201cThe Arc of Dreams\u201d<\/a> presents woodcut prints, abstract and en plein air acrylic paintings, a wood sculpture and several monoprints fashioned from a salvaged zinc printing plate for an early 20th-century piece of untitled sheet music.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cSchenley Park: White-tailed Deer\u201d by Sonja Sweterlitsch; \u201cOrnament\u201d by Lynne Feinberg (BoxHeart Gallery). Photos courtesy of BoxHeart Gallery.<\/p>\n

\u201cStillness: New Paintings by Sonja Sweterlitsch\u201d and \u201cLynne Feinberg Solo Exhibit\u201d on view April 1-May 8, opening reception April 4, 5-7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Continuing its 25th anniversary of art matchmaking, BoxHeart Gallery showcases 20 new paintings by Sonja Sweterlitsch<\/a> and the latest sculptural assemblages by Lynne Feinberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"From left, clockwise, \u201cMother of Dragons,\u201d \u201cLittle Susie,\u201d \u201cDino \u2013 My Dog\u2019s Better Than Your Dog\u201d by Dale Lewis (Pittsburgh Botanic Garden). Photos by artist.<\/p>\n

\u201cScraposaurs: Ancient Giants, Reimagined in Steel by Dale Lewis\u201d on view April 11-Oct. 31<\/p>\n

Promoting the timely message of recycling with an intriguing blend of whimsy and terror, the \u201cScraposaurs\u201d sculptures of Dale Lewis<\/a> deploy 14 large-scale dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures<\/a> fashioned from a melange of recycled metal and found objects including railroad spikes, salvaged rebar, tie-wire, used propane tanks and a Chevy pickup truck frame.<\/p>\n

Works range from \u201cDino,\u201d a 300-pound sculpture inspired by the pet animal in \u201cThe Flintstones,\u201d to a stainless-steel pterodactyl with an 18-foot wingspan and a towering 2 ton T-Rex sporting Boeing 747 cargo door latches and remnants from a John Deere rotary hoe.<\/p>\n

\"\"George Sosnak, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1978, featuring Harold \u201cPie\u201d Traynor, Bill Mazeroski, and Roberto Clemente, 1978. India ink on manufactured baseball. Courtesy of a private collector, supported by The Chrysler Museum of Art\u202f. Photo by Ed Pollard, Chrysler Museum of Art photographer.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlay Ball! The Art of George Sosnak\u201d on view April 23, 2026-April 4, 2027\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh native and minor league umpire George Sosnak (1924-1992) found his lifelong artistic calling while working a Boise Braves game in Idaho in 1956. A fan asked if he could paint her favorite player on a baseball. Sosnak took up the challenge and, using India ink, a magnifying glass and endless patience, produced the first of nearly 800 painted baseballs adorned with portraits, stats, highlights and even autographs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPlay Ball!\u201d<\/a> displays over 50 of Sosnak\u2019s colorful orbs, several dedicated to historic Pittsburgh Pirates players. \u201cHe did the most wonderful job of hand-painting a baseball,\u201d opined legendary Detroit Tigers manager Sparky Anderson. \u201cHe also did a good job of umpiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cHalophilic\u201d by Christine Lorenz; \u201cLandslide\u201d by Kristen Letts Kovak (Mark Rengers Gallery). Photos by artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmbiguous Boundaries: \u00a0Kristen Letts Kovak and Christine Lorenz\u201d on view April 3-May 30, opening reception April 3, 6-8 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Showcase of Sweetwater\u2019s 2026 Master Class Artists:\u00a0 Ron Donoughe and Kelsie McNair\u201d on view April 3-Dec. 19, opening reception April 3, 6-8 p.m.<\/p>\n

In \u201cAmbiguous Boundaries,\u201d<\/a> painter Kristen Letts Kovak and photographer Christine Lorenz embark upon a journey of collaboration and accommodation. Kovak explores the interplay of representation and abstraction, creating captivating states of uncertainty. Lorenz uses macro photography to examine salt crystals and single-use plastics at a molecular level; the results resemble galaxies and alien topographies that lie just beneath the visible surface of our everyday awareness.<\/p>\n

Simultaneously showing is new work by en plein air painter Ron Donoughe and stained glass maker Kelsie McNair, who will teach summer and fall workshops in Sweetwater Center for the Arts\u2019 2026 Master Class Series<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cRainy Reflections\u201d by Heather Kanazawa; \u201cSnow Garden\u201d by Seth Clark (JL Shorr Gallery). Photos by artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cStrata: Seth Clark and Heather Kanazawa\u201d on view April 4-May 30, opening reception April 18, 5-8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Seth Clark\u2019s two-dimensional paintings are created primarily with collaged paper and typically portray architecture on the threshold of ruin. In his sculptural artwork, scrap wood and other aged materials provide the viewer with a brief glimpse into the moment before structural collapse. Nearly everything appears to hang by a literal thread, calling attention to the rising instability of the American urban habitat.<\/p>\n

Heather Kanazawa\u2019s contemporary Expressionist paintings evoke deep-rooted, abstract memories and recollections of place. Influenced by Zen philosophy, she paints landscapes not as they appear but how they are remembered, in the process revealing the finespun poetry of the natural world.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cWelcome to the Jungle\u201d by Janel Young (Atithi Studios). Photo by Hounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cUndrafted: Janel Young\u201d on view April 18-May 23, opening reception April 18, 6-8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Designer\/muralist Janel Young\u2019s \u201cUndrafted\u201d<\/a> connects sports, community and the youthful spirit of the underdog. Young is a former City of Pittsburgh Office of Public Art commissioner and resident artist at Westmoreland Museum of American Art whose murals have appeared across the U.S. Most recently her \u201cA New Wave\u201d debuted on Riverlife\u2019s Shore Thing<\/a> floating platform between Roberto Clemente and Andy Warhol Sister Bridges.<\/p>\n

\"\"From top left, clockwise, \u201cLife, still\u201d by Jannick Wildberg; \u201cFormed\u201d by Peggi Habets; \u201cThalitha Koum I\u201d by Carolyn Frischling; \u201cThe Given\u201d by Linda Price-Sneddon (ZYNKA Gallery). Photos courtesy of ZYNKA Gallery.<\/p>\n

\u201cemBodyment:\u00a0 New Work from Carolyn Frischling, Peggi Habets, Linda Price-Sneddon, Jannick Wildberg\u201d on view April 18-May 31, opening reception April 18, 5-8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Employing multiple media and materials, \u201cemBodyment\u201d<\/a> premieres landscape and floral forms reshaped into surreal, boundary-blurring paintings by Linda Price-Sneddon, Peggi Habets and Jannick Wildberg that hover between the familiar and uncanny alongside Carolyn Frischling\u2019s digital stone sculpting inspired by primeval French gogottes.<\/p>\n

Group shows<\/p>\n

\u201cCollective Energies: A Collaborative PCA&M Staff Exhibition\u201d on view April 3-May 17, opening reception April 3, 6-8 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCollective Energies\u201d<\/a> features the work of 11 PCA&M staff members alongside the work of artists they admire and find community with. Paired up are Alyssa Kail\/Drew Kail, Audra Clayton\/Vanessa Kettering, Avery McGrail\/Jordan Reynolds, Bridget McKenna\/Anna McKenna, Catie Rogan\/Starling Wolfrum, Emily Stedge\/Liz Wells, Eva Catherine Kuhn\/Chloe Simpson, Katie Botterman\/Paige Burger, Kyle Houser\/Ron Copeland, Lucy Zhang\/Shuming Zhang, Lindsay Huff\/Rebeka Scotland Phillips.<\/p>\n

\u201cIntergenerational Echoes\u201d and \u201cTalented Kids Exhibition: Shaping the Future: Modern Artists Expressions\u201d on view April 4-25, opening reception April 11, 12-4 p.m.<\/p>\n

Now fully situated in their new Aluminum City Arts venue<\/a>, Manos Gallery hosts two shows \u2014\u00a0 \u201cTalented Kids Exhibition, Shaping the Future: Modern Artists Expressions,\u201d<\/a> a juried art show featuring works by 32 artists ages 5-18, and \u201cIntergenerational Echoes\u201d<\/a>\u00a0 spotlighting new work by Steven Bradley, Tabitha Brost, Rachel Cooper, Amie Costabile, Brock Flotta, Luanne Haak, Cheryl Hallouer, Rebecca Harvey, Stephanie Hill, Trish Housman, Breanna Larson, Chloe Lysiak, Monica Matthews, Alana Pantley, Amelia Sallach, Andrea Savinda, Lily VanDyk, Erin Waller, Dave Winter, Dave White, Michele Wild and Ari Wulff.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cMade on the Mountain\u201d features new work by 8 Wild-ish Women Artists (Spinning Plate Gallery). Photo courtesy of Michel Demetria Tsouris.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood Better Best Bested\u201d on view April 10-12, opening reception April 10, 6-9 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cMade on the Mountain by 8 Wild-ish Women Artists\u201d on view April 17-30, opening reception April 17, 5-8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Spinning Plate Gallery opens for two shows in April. \u201cGood Better Best Bested\u201d<\/a> features papermaker Kathryn Carr, photographer Francis Crisafio and painter David Goldstein anchoring a weekend enlivened by performances from RMR Jazz (April 10, 6-9 p.m.), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2025 performer of the year Ken Bolden (April 11, 2 p.m.), jazz cabaret vocalist Phat Man Dee (April 11, 7 p.m.) and novelist\/restaurateur\u00a0Robert Trakofler reading from his new book \u201cDark Matters\u201d<\/a> (April 12, 1 p.m.).<\/p>\n

\u201cMade\u00a0 On The Mountain\u201d<\/a> presents an eclectic exhibit of \u201cpots, platters, plates, pitchers, planters, painting, poems and a totem\u201d from Cheryl Boeckmann, Mary Pat Donegan, Dawn Durain, Lee Grice, Sheila McBride, Michel Demetria Tsouris, Dana Ventriglia and Judith Vollmer, members of a longtime Laurel Mountains women\u2019s art collective. The April 17 opening reception features music by\u00a0Paula Purnell and Long Train with an April 24 performance by singer\/songwriter Sarah Fina from 5-8 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cMonochrome\u201d on view April 18, 8 p.m.-2 a.m.<\/p>\n

The annual \u201cMonochrome\u201d<\/a> art show gathers 50+ artists celebrating the shadings and subtleties of black-and-white illustration, painting and photography with live music from Dopamine and Different Places in Space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cKeystone Kilnwars\u201d on view April 11-May 10, opening reception April 18, 2-5 p.m.<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media and Ceramics Takeover Wheeling co-present entries from a winning team of two dozen Pittsburgh artisans who defeated a Philadelphia team in the epic Keystone Kilnwars<\/a> ceramic smackdown held in Wheeling last month.<\/p>\n

Check these art happenings, too:<\/p>\n

April 2, 5-7 p.m. Radiant Hall Homewood (7800 Susquehanna St., Homewood) hosts a free studio mixer<\/a> giving a glimpse into the working world of professional artists. In May, Radiant Hall will open its fourth location at 308 Seventh Ave. in Downtown Pittsburgh with 21 studios and 24\/7 access. Interested artists can inquire at\u00a0RadiantHall.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 April 3, 4-10 p.m. Pittsburgh\u2019s longest-running visual art stroll, Unblurred: First Fridays on Penn Avenue<\/a>, returns with a lively evening of art openings, live performances, sidewalk markets and innumerable diverse food and beverage selections along the 4800\u20135500 blocks of Penn Avenue in Bloomfield\/Garfield\/Friendship.\u00a0<\/p>\n

April 11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Anna R. Koplik and Patrick Quinn present a blacksmithing symposium<\/a> at Contemporary Craft (5645 Butler St., Lawrenceville) featuring live demos and presentations.<\/p>\n

April 23, 5:30-7 p.m. Artists Brian Charles Johnson and Patrick Lee offer an artist talk<\/a> on the process of creating the \u201cOutliers\u201d exhibit running to April 25 at Mark Rengers Gallery, 549 Beaver St., Sewickley.<\/p>\n

April 25-26, 10a.m.- 4 p.m. Sculptor Cristina C\u00f3rdova<\/a> hosts \u201cA Bust, and the Weather of Surface\u201d<\/a> workshop exploring the intricacies of developing head and facial anatomy. Sweetwater Center for the Arts, 200 Broad St., Sewickley.<\/p>\n

April 27, 12-5pm. Clay Pittsburgh<\/a> sponsors a studio Ceramixer<\/a> at Fireborn Studios for pottery and ceramic enthusiasts featuring drinks, snacks, live music and silent auction of \u201cPrimo Pots\u201d from the last 30 years. 2338 Sarah St., South Side.<\/p>\n

April 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Each month Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council<\/a> convenes the Creative Hive, a casual and lively public meetup for artists, creatives, art educators, culture bearers and arts administrators. April\u2019s Creative Hive takes place at Pittsburgh Glass Center (5472 Penn Ave., Garfield). It\u2019s always free, but RSVPs are encouraged here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"From left, \u201cI will be water\u201d by Darya Kharabi (photo by Darya Kharabi); \u201cWhite Swan\u201d by Isabella Schubert-Jones (photo by Chris Uhren) (Brew House Arts). Ethan Marks, \u201cUntitled (Visible Torso)\u201d by Ethan Marks (photo by Chris Uhren).<\/p>\n

More April openings:<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Bill Boichel: Pittsburgh Film-Makers Fliers, Posters & Calendars, 1982-1984<\/a> (Bottom Feeder Books, April 4-26)<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Picture Mixer with Pittsburgh university students<\/a> (Silver Eye Center for Photography, April 4)<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Sara Jean Ruiz:\u00a0\u201cgrief is a beautiful name for a baby girl\u201d<\/a> (Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, April 4-June 30)<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Crafted in the Valley:\u00a0Contemporary Voices in Appalachia<\/a> (Sweetwater Center for the Arts, April 9-May 22)<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Point Park Senior Thesis Exhibition<\/a> (Artists Image Resource, April13-30)<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 \u201cI Remember It Better\u201d:\u00a0 2026 Distillery Residency Exhibition featuring Kaylani Brown, Liv Cocozza, Darya Jharabi, Ethan Marks, Sara Jean Ruiz, Isabella Schubert-Jones, Dominique Swift<\/a> (Brew House Arts, April 16-June 20)<\/p>\n

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