AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT of financial planning for today’s arts and nonprofit organizations is The Benefit. Wherein, the organization offers a unique, one time only, 100% guaranteed-never-before-seen, very special night of superlative entertainment (often with a very special superlative entertainer) in hopes of raising funds to supplement the year’s projected ticket revenue. For an arts group — besides the anticipated fiscal reward — a major benefit of the benefit is that it offers a chance to try out something entirely new … a performance venturing beyond the company’s usual fare, perhaps even e ..read more

“I had always planned to make a large painting of the early spring, when the first leaves are at the bottom of the trees, and they seem to float in space in a wonderful way. But the arrival of spring can’t be done in one picture.” — David Hockney, painter   SIR DAVID CALLED IT RIGHT … the arrival of Spring in Pittsburgh can’t be done in just one gallery show or museum exhibit. That’s why April’s Roundup has 39 (and likely more) venues to experience local visual arts, starting with the seasonal remergence of street fairs and art nights. Apr. 5, 6-10 p.m. Unblurred First Friday. Sponsored ..read more

“There are things that are not sayable. That’s why we have art.” — Leonora Carrington (“Britain’s Lost Surrealist”) *   *   * Galleries & Exhibits 937 Liberty Gallery. To Mar. 17: The Wind Got Up in the Night and Took Our Plans Away. New work by Serbian photographers (Aleksandrija Ajduković, Milan Aleksić, Ivan Arsenijević, Boris Burić, Goranka Matić, Vesna Pavlović, Ivan Petrović, Katarina Radović, Mihailo Vasiljević, Srdjan Veljović) and photography collectives (Belgrade Raw, Jednostavno rečeno, Kamerades). 937 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 456-6666. Associated Arti ..read more

“I paint the way some people write their autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages of my journal, and as such they are valid. The future will choose the pages it prefers.”  — Françoise Gilot, French painter and ceramicist (1921-2023) __________________ 2023 SAW THE loss of two popular Pittsburgh artists who painted their autobiograhies in very unique and memorable ways. Timothy Kelley died suddenly and unexpectedly Dec. 15 at age 59, just hours before he was to open a new show (Coffee Talk Festivus) with Eli Johnson at Inkwell Tattoo. He was a longtime member of Associ ..read more

“Nothing could exceed the brilliancy and gaiety of the scene by day. But it was at night that the carnival was at its merriest. For the frost continued unbroken; the nights were of perfect stillness; the moon and stars blazed with the hard fixity of diamonds, and to the fine music of flute and trumpet the courtiers danced.” — The Great Frost from Orlando by Virginia Woolf *  *  *  *  * ALL THROUGH DECEMBER Pittsburgh’s visual artists (plus a few musicians) will transform the city into a sprawling winter carnival, starting with holiday markets and arcades and progressi ..read more

FILM PITTSBURGH presents Three Rivers Film Festival Nov. 8-15 at the Harris Theater, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Lindsay Theater and Waterworks Cinemas. It will be followed by Pittsburgh Shorts and Script Competition Nov. 16-19 at the Harris Theater. “Pittsburghers voted Three Rivers the Best Film Festival in town because of the incredible films and events we present,” said Kathryn Spitz Cohan, executive director of Film Pittsburgh. “And we can’t wait to share them with everyone this year.” Three Rivers Film Festival will screen 22 feature films in person, including the world premiere of the Pittsb ..read more

“Will robots inherit the earth? Yes, but they will be our children.” — Marvin Minsky, co-founder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in 1963 _________________ THE WORLD’S ROBOTIC FUTURE first appeared onstage in a small Czech village on Jan. 2, 1921, courtesy of a local drama society mounting a strange new work by an obscure playwright about machines taking over the human race. Within a year, Karel Čapek’s R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) had been translated into 30 languages and produced across Europe and North America, complet ..read more

“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you … I am here to live out loud.”  — Émile Zola * * * * * Galleries & Exhibits .5 Gallery.  Nov. 11, 6-9 p.m. Down the Rabbit Hole. New work by painter Bob Freyer. 407-1/2 Butler St. Etna. (412) 692-0483. 707 Penn Gallery. To Feb. 4, 2024: Death of a Lunar Cult. New work by painter Zach Brown. 707 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 456-6666. 820 Liberty Gallery. To Feb. 18, 2024: MS User. New video, installation, performance work by Anisha Baid. 820 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 456-6666. “Somewhere in the Plai ..read more

CONDENSING FIVE DECADES of an international music career into one 3-hour stage show is a daunting challenge few performers would undertake. Pittsburgh harmonica virtuoso Marc Reisman is giving it a shot. Thursday, Oct. 26, at Thunderbird Café & Music Hall in Lawrenceville, he’ll headline “Marc Reisman:  The First 50 Years”, an exuberant retrospective showcasing his broad array of musical compatriots and influences. Reisman’s invited guests include a diverse galaxy of Pittsburgh talent — Billy Price, Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers with Gil Snyder, Bill Toms & Hard Rain with ..read more

“Art is not a privilege, it’s a right. It’s a fundamental part of being human.”  — Carmen Lomas Garza, artist-illustrator *  *  *  *  * Galleries & Exhibits 707 Penn Gallery. Oct. 6-Feb. 4, 2024: Death of a Lunar Cult. New work by painter Zach Brown. 707 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 456-6666. 820 Liberty Gallery. Oct. 13-Feb. 18, 2024: MS User. New video, installation, performance work by Anisha Baid; opening reception Oct. 13, 6-8 p.m. 820 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh. (412) 456-6666. 937 Liberty Gallery. Nov. 19: Divinity/Femininity. Curated by Dominique Seneca, this ..read more