from their website:
About ArtDimensions
ArtDimensions Pittsburgh’s organizational mission is to help local artists make money from their works. Go to the Artists section to buy artwork. We support visual, performing, and media artists through our memberships. Members get marketing and sales support from ArtD's leadership. ArtD collaborates with nonprofit organizations to teach current artists about artistic techniques and business survival skills. Our favorite part though . . . is encouraging the general public to discover and celebrate local artists, they are the best neighbors.
The story of ArtDimensions Pittsburgh started from a community conversation between Friendship Development Associates, Inc., East Liberty Development, Inc. and local artist Susan Wagner in February, 2008. Dan Friedson moved to Pittsburgh a few years before to start a Community Economic Development Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Asked to come to this meeting by Friendship Arts District Manager, Matt Galluzzo, the question was, "How do we support the 400 artists living in the East End of Pittsburgh?"
After relating his experiences with ArtDimensions St. Louis. A few months later, East Liberty Development, Inc. offered Dan Friedson a former bank building on Penn Avenue and Highland to reclaim for arts entrepreneurship programming.
October, 2008, Friedson sponsored founders of ArtDimensions St. Louis, Davide Weaver and his then pregnant wife, Gina, to fly to Pittsburgh to create a Euphony Lounge in the former bank vault of the East Liberty PNC Bank. With only one week to gather supplies, tools, plan and build, the task seemed unattainable.
The vault itself was made of concrete; ceiling-to-floor, wall-to-wall. Davide built a wooden frame as an exoskeleton and began planning themes for the room the night of arrival.
Spray-painting the vault-walls with words, "Law, Politics, Technology, Music, Sex, Death, Love, Religion" we sat, scratching our heads . . . where were we going to get enough material to transform the vault with these themes, and oh yeah ... we absolutely needed some retro-furniture. Susan Wagner heeded our call and came through like our very own Fairy-God-Mother.
A week later, the Euphony Lounge was built, it's creators high on hot glue and paint fumes, but mostly on pride of a job-well-done. The Pittsburgh artists were drawn to the installation.
In St. Louis, experience taught us that the core group is what mattered, not the bricks-and-mortar. Enter Sean O'Donnell and Kahmeela Adams.
Sean O'Donnell is a Pittsburgh singer-songwriter, literary publisher, bag-pipe playing soldier-of-the-arts. From Day-1, Sean was at 6000 Penn Avenue to clean, paint, re-paint, and then recruit someone else to paint. His volunteerism, unsurpassable . . . without Sean, ArtD Pittsburgh would have been impossible. He recruited most of the talent for our first roof raiser in October of 2008. His band, Truth In Advertising fills us with laughter, his publishing company, Ophelia Street keeps us thinking, his dedication keeps us going.
Kahmeela Adams happened upon the Euphony Loounge in Pittsburgh while we were looking for material to complete the "Love Room" in the Euphony Lounge. Lucky for us, she recently completed a series of modern pin-up photography. About a month later she showed up with a wall-full of photos and has since provided much needed level-headed leadership. Without Kahmeela, ArtD Pittsburgh would have been improbable. Organizing artists is like herding cats, and Kahmeela has just the right magic.
Inspired to be multi-metropolitian, Sean, Kahmeela and Dan decided to reach out to Davide and ArtDimensions St. Louis . . . instead of re-creating the wheel, we duplicated it and ArtDimensions Pittsburgh was born.
This website will exhibit local artists and ArtDimensions members from other cities, like St. Louis where it all began. The group produces periodic new exhibits and shows. Any one interested in becoming a member in ArtDimensions of Pittsburgh please check out our membership form located on our site.
ArtDimensions Pittsburgh has a leadership team, The Roundtable Artists, who dedicate time, expertise and funds to transforming formerly neglected buildings into productive space for ArtDimensions members and their respective communities. The Roundtable Artists also manage the facilities, administer educational programs and organize new exhibits and shows once every two months. Roundtable Artists are distinguished by their volunteerism and stewardship.
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The Pittsburgh Art Blog
pittsburgh galleries is reborn anew as The Pittsburgh Art Blog. the blog features selected pittsburgh artists and upcoming exhibits with photos from the artists and galleries. since the major press outlets do not go beyond a directory listing of exhibits, blogs are needed to promote pittsburgh artists and their work. the blog also calls attention to the inferiority complex of pittsburgh art and how it's perpetuated by the major players in town. Started on August 20, 2007.pittsburgh area galleries and art venues are listed at the sister site www.PghGalleries.com.the blog and website are volunteer projects from fine art photographer and pittsburgh art advocate rick byerly, www.RickByerly.com.
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