{"id":296879,"date":"2026-09-30T13:56:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/296879\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T13:56:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:56:12","slug":"pittsburgh-art-explores-masculinity-decay-and-public-utilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/296879\/","title":{"rendered":"Pittsburgh art explores masculinity, decay and public utilities"},"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\u2019s new in your neighborhood and email lemccullough@mac.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

October brings a final seasonal round of art walks and open studios along with pancakes and booze, moments without time, combustible art and an international book \u2018n\u2019 zine fair.<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic Utility Commission\u201d on view Oct. 30-March 7, 2027, opening reception Oct. 30, 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

A constellation of artists from England, France, Italy, the Republic of Georgia, West Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania examines the concept of \u201cpublic utility\u201d<\/a>\u00a0in terms of how society privatizes the human spirit and the public spaces we tenuously hold together.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cBrain Matter\u201d by Cecil McDonald Jr. (ALMA | LEWIS Gallery). Photo by artist.<\/p>\n

\u201cCecil McDonald Jr.: The American Beauty\u201d on view Oct. 24-March 6, 2027, opening reception Oct. 24, 2-5 p.m.<\/p>\n

Chicago multimedia artist Cecil McDonald Jr.<\/a> explores intersections of masculinity, familial relations and the impact on America of Black cultural artistic and intellectual pursuits. This exhibit<\/a> includes over two decades of photography, montage, film and a video installation titled \u201cPraise House:\u00a0We All Shine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" \u201cKendrick Lamar: The King of Swords\u201d by Charlie Wallace (707 Gallery). Photo by artist.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlie Wallace: The Stars Are Watching\u201d on view Oct. 30-April 11, 2027, opening reception Oct. 30, 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Charlie Wallace, a founding member of VaultArt Studio, presents an exhibit<\/a> that reinterprets the Major Arcana of the tarot as archetypes seen through the lens of contemporary celebrity culture.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cThe Spring\u201d by Chuck Olson (ZYNKA Gallery). Photo by artist.<\/p>\n

\u201cChuck Olson: Sense of Place\u201d on view Oct. 24-Dec. 20, opening reception Oct. 24, 5-8 p.m.<\/p>\n

A Legacy Master Visual Artist for the city of Pittsburgh, Chuck Olson has been exhibiting across the world for more than 50 years, his oeuvre defined, he notes, \u201cby the powerful example of Abstract Expressionism\u201d and \u201cthe importance of history and its accompanying conscience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cUnderworld\u201d by Maggie Bjorklund (Bunker Projects). Photo by artist.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaggie Bjorklund:\u00a0Glowing in That Waste\u201d on view Oct. 2-Nov. 15, opening reception Oct. 2, 6-9 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This exhibit<\/a> by Former Bunker Projects resident artist\u00a0Maggie Bjorklund<\/a> reflects on decomposition and the necessity of decay to the cycle of planetary life. The new works, says the artist, \u201cemerge from looking closely at my garden, the woods and the various dusty, buggy corners of my house \u2026 and, by extension, to the decay of my own body.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cLooking for a Way Out\u201d by David White; \u201cI See You\u201d by Inger Gay Brown; \u201cIn the Blue Realm\u201d by Gregory Puchalski (Manos Gallery). Photos by artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cInger Gay Brown:\u00a0 Where the Wild Looks Back;\u201d\u00a0 \u201cA Solo Exhibit by Gregory Puchalski;\u201d \u201cA Solo Show of Paintings by David White\u201d on view Oct. 9-30, opening reception Oct. 9, 5-8 p.m.<\/p>\n

New Kensington\u2019s Aluminum City Arts community houses a diverse array of art organizations including Manos Gallery, The Theater Factory, Alloy 13 Artisan Collective, Tri-City Historical Society, Costello Printing, Oakmont Candle Works, Gun Town Digital Productions, Donna Weckelry Photography, James Joseph Designs and Two Visions Art Gallery. This month\u2019s Manos Gallery lineup features solo exhibits by local artists Inger Gay Brown<\/a>, Gregory Puchalski<\/a> and David White<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cHear No Evil\u201d by Mahogany Martin; \u201cWaiting Room\u201d by Alexa Rivero (Offroute Art). Photos by artists.<\/p>\n

Group Shows:<\/p>\n

\u201cAlexa Rivero:\u00a0Eunoia\u201d (Oct. 2-11, opening reception Oct. 2, 5-8 p.m.); \u201cOffroute Off the Walls: A Pop-Up Art Sale\u201d (Oct. 17-18, 1-4 p.m.); \u201cMahogany Martin:\u00a0 Don\u2019t Look at Me\u201d (Oct. 23-Nov. 1, opening reception Oct. 23, 5-8 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Offroute Art<\/a>, a nonprofit supporting Pittsburgh\u2019s emerging artists ages 18\u201325, features a full month of solo and group exhibitions<\/a> paired with public programming and workshops.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cForged in Flames: 25 Years of Art on Fire\u201d on view Oct. 2-Jan. 18, 2027, opening reception Oct. 2, 6-9 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cForged in Flames\u201d<\/a> celebrates 25 of the most influential and innovative voices in contemporary glass art, each previously honored as featured artist for the center\u2019s annual Art on Fire fundraiser from 2002-2026. Across the street at Pittsburgh Glass Corner<\/a> (5431 Penn Ave.), an exhibition of AACG Visionary Scholarship Winners<\/a> is on view Oct. 2-30, with opening reception Oct. 2, 6-9 p.m., spotlighting local artists Kimberly Ba\u00f1es Muth, Isaac Beachy, Shona D\u2019Cruz, Christopher Figueroa, Isabel Green, Katrina Hude, Julia Jenkins, Priscilla Kar Yee Lo, Mitchell Kile, Haley Lindberg, Jan Loney, Curtis Reaves, Dean Wehrenberg and Lisa Zerkowitz.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost The Same\u201d on view Oct. 24-Nov. 14, opening reception Oct. 23, 6-9 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This multimedia exhibit<\/a> explores how repeated imagery and objects challenge notions of originality and authenticity and features Carolina Alamilla, Sam Berner, Michelle Browne, Leslie Golomb, Jaclyn Harris, atiya jones, Sean P. Morrisey, Talon Pionati, Kathryn Shriver, Sarah Tancred, Mary Tremonte, Tresa Varner, Heather White and Imin Yeh.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransparency\u201d on view Oct. 1-Nov. 13, opening reception Oct. 1, 6-8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Presented in partnership with Associate Artists of Pittsburgh, this show<\/a> considers transparency as both material and metaphor, featuring new work by Theresa Antonellis, Saige Baxter, Bill Brunken, Aimee Bungard, Thomas Callahan, Jacquelyn Cynkar, Norman Ed, Tim Fabian, Peggi Habets, Renee Keil, Kristen Letts Kovak, Craig Marcus, Sarah Simmons, Lucille Sturdevant, Zoe Welsh, Jannick Wildberg and Tazio Hilbert.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemind Me, My Dream\u201d on view Oct. 23-Dec. 18, opening reception Oct. 23, 5:30-7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Seventeen AAPI artists from JADED<\/a> use painting, sculpture, sound, film, wood, glass and textiles to present layered identities and stories<\/a> \u2014 Arieux, Anne Chen, Shimul Chowdhury, Sara Dtantirojanarat, Eriko Hattori, Sarah Khadraoui, Kiyomi Knox, Jules Lee, Justin Lin, Arthur Lindsay, Brent Nakamoto, Quartz\/Court, Kimberly Rooney \u9ad8\u5c0f\u8363, SEONI, Becky Sungja Kim, Zim Syed and Zoyakeko.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cWindcatcher\u201d by Anthony R. Vitale (Double Dog Studios); \u201cBetty Davis\u201d by Jennifer Rempel (Bost Building); \u201cRecast Distillation\u201d by Susan Palmisano (James Gallery). Photos by artists.<\/p>\n

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

Oct. 1, 6-7:30 p.m. GASP (Group Against Smog and Pollution) and the Battle of Homestead Foundation present An Evening of Poetry, Prose and Paintings on Pittsburgh\u2019s Past & Present Air<\/a> featuring poets Paola Corso and Edith Abeyta, ecology author Patricia M. DeMarco, Pittsburgh Labor Choir and paintings on Pittsburgh air quality and labor history by muralist\/portrait painter Jennifer Rempel<\/a>. (Bost Building, 623 E. Eighth Ave., Homestead)<\/p>\n

Oct. 2, 7 p.m. Velum Fermentation hosts the inaugural Pittsburgh Pancakes & Booze Art Show<\/a> featuring 75+ local artists exhibiting over 300+ original pieces of work amid uncountable legions of pancakes served and eaten. (2120 Jane St., South Side)<\/p>\n

Oct. 2, 6-8 p.m. Bellevue Forward hosts First Friday in Bellevue<\/a> spotlighting shops, caf\u00e9s and art businesses on Lincoln Avenue.<\/p>\n

Oct. 2, 6-10 p.m. Unblurred: First Fridays on Penn Avenue<\/a> enlivens the 4800\u20135500 blocks of Penn Avenue in Bloomfield\/Garfield\/Friendship with art openings, live performances, sidewalk markets, innumerable diverse food and beverage selections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oct. 3, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Double Dog Studios hosts a Plein Air Painting Challenge<\/a> judged by artist Philip Salvato, along with a Neighborhood Garden Open House from 1-4 p.m. featuring the sculptures of Carnegie artist Anthony R. Vitale (1924-2006), a trade welder who combined movement and steel to create fluid, evocative sculptures in the community. (317 Second Ave., Carnegie)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oct. 3, 3-9 p.m. Rivers of Steel\u2019s 10th annual Festival of Combustion<\/a> returns to Carrie Blast Furnaces for displays of blacksmithing, coppersmithing, welding and other metal-crafting arts along with participatory activities, tours of the historic furnaces and workshops on the history and contemporary practice of metal arts in Western Pennsylvania. (801 Carrie Furnace Blvd., Rankin)<\/p>\n

Oct. 8, 6:30-9 p.m. Irma Freeman Center for Imagination hosts JustART 2026<\/a> showcasing work from 50+ local artists exploring themes of social justice, with art sale proceeds benefiting artists and Just Harvest. (5006 Penn Ave., Garfield)<\/p>\n

Oct. 9, 5-10 p.m. Braddock Art Crawl<\/a> holds its Second Friday gathering along Braddock Avenue featuring Two29 Gallery, Gallery AFK, Braddock Photo Works, Ohringer Gallery, Ink Division, PearlArt Sound and Studio, Carnegie Library, Hollander co-working space and People\u2019s Strength Collective featuring new work by Gwen Settle, Silly Goose Garage and David Hicks.<\/p>\n

Oct. 18, noon-3 p.m. Photo journal OBSRV<\/a> holds a launch party for its new issue titled, \u201cYesterday, Today & Tomorrow.\u201d Edited by street photographers Jaime Bird<\/a> and Ashton Erler<\/a>, the magazine features Pittsburgh neighborhoods and people captured by 53 local photographers. (PearlArts Movement & Sound, 818 Braddock Ave., Braddock)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oct. 23, 8 p.m.-midnight. The Andy Warhol Museum\u2019s \u201cNight of Death and Disaster\u201d<\/a> Halloween gala commemorates one of Andy Warhol\u2019s most macabre yet prescient steps on his artistic journey \u2014 his \u201cDeath and Disaster\u201d photo series exploring the impact of images (automobile accidents, suicides, race riots, electric chairs, gangsters) taken from their original journalistic context and re-presented as works of art. (117 Sandusky St., North Side)<\/p>\n

Oct. 24, 1-6 p.m. Mon Valley Arts Crawl<\/a> convenes at 301 Fifth Ave., McKeesport, with a street full of art vendors, food trucks and live music\u00a0sponsored by Main Streets Allegheny<\/a>, a county program using arts to boost downtown business districts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oct. 30, 5:30-9 p.m. Pittsburgh Cultural Trust\u2019s monthly Downtown Gallery Crawl<\/a> is a free, multi-venue open house spotlighting live music, dance, spoken word and visual arts at 707 Penn Gallery<\/a>, 820 Liberty Gallery<\/a>, SPACE Gallery<\/a> and Radiant Hall Downtown<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Oct. 31\u2013Nov. 1, 10 a.m.\u20135 p.m. Pittsburgh Art Book Fair<\/a> celebrates 100+ local, national and international artists and publishers and the art books and zines they\u2019ve created. (Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland)<\/p>\n

Open Studios:<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Oct. 2, 6-9 p.m. Bunker Projects<\/a> (Katie Bullock, Nathan Wright, Higu Rose), 5106 Penn Ave., Garfield<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Oct. 3, 1-4 p.m. Brew House Arts<\/a>, 711 S. 21st St., South Side<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Oct. 10, 3-6 p.m. Radiant Hall Homewood,<\/a> 7800 Susquehanna St., Homewood<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Oct. 17, 3-6 p.m. Radiant Hall Lawrenceville<\/a>, 45134 Plummer St., Lawrenceville<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Oct. 24, 3-6 p.m. Radiant Hall McKees Rocks<\/a>, 734 Thompson Ave., McKees Rocks<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Oct. 30, 6-9 p.m. Radiant Hall Downtown<\/a>, 308 Seventh Ave., Downtown<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cGroteske Organik\u201d by Erik Von Bartholomaus (Bottom Feeder Books);\u201cVase 1\u201d by Isabella Maroon (Mark Rengers Gallery); \u201cWe Never Concealed a Secret, the One From the Other\u201d by Joe Sheridan (StopWatch Gallery). Photos by artists.<\/p>\n

More October openings:<\/p>\n

Verostko + Mason: Truth Seekers<\/a> (Tomayko Foundation, Oct. 1-TBA)<\/p>\n

This Moment without Time:\u00a0Isabella Maroon and Nicole Renee Ryan<\/a> (Mark Rengers Gallery, Oct. 2-Dec. 19)<\/p>\n

Thriller<\/a> (VaultArt Studio, Oct. 2-Oct. 31)<\/p>\n

Somnium in Somnio: New Works by Erik Von Bartholomaus<\/a> (Bottom Feeder Books, Oct. 3-31)<\/p>\n

A head of flames: because I want you too:\u00a0Julia Sell, Sean Masuda, Madison Bradfield, Madeline Swiger,\u00a0 Gwen Sadler<\/a> (Skypomp, Oct. 8-Nov. 1)<\/p>\n

Susan Palmisano:\u00a0Unintended Consequences<\/a> (James Gallery, Oct. 15-Nov. 25)<\/p>\n

Joe Sheridan:\u00a0Drawn to Chairs<\/a> (StopWatch Gallery, Oct. 17-Nov. 14)<\/p>\n

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