Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to reopen galleries in June
After being closed for more than a year because of the pandemic, the galleries and visual arts spaces of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will reopen on June 4.
The first installation, “We Are The Global Majority,” will appear in the Space Gallery on Liberty Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh. It will run through Aug. 1.
Created by the #notwhite collective, the exhibit will include works from a group of 13 female artists “whose mission is to use non-individualistic, multi-disciplinary art to make their stories visible as they relate, connect, and belong to the global majority,” as described by the Cultural Trust.
The group calls themselves “bi/multi-racial/cultural, immigrant or descendants of immigrants investigating the many ways we are seen or not seen.”
“This is definitely an honor to be the first installation,” said one of the artists, Fran Ledonio Flaherty of Hampton, who has a studio in Friendship. “It is very relevant to what’s going on in the world. Timing in art is everything. Art reflects life and life reflects art.”
The group was formed in 2016. Its members make decisions unanimously, Flaherty said. They are participating in a cooking series with the Frick Pittsburgh through the end of May.
The installation includes local and international artists of various mediums, from paintings to videos with a global theme.
“We try to do things that are current and relevant,” she said. “And are inspired by what’s happening today. We want to leave evidence of our experience as not white women.”
Flaherty, who is from the Philippines, collaborated with Melissa Shaginoff, an artist from Anchorage, Alaska. They found each other online. Flaherty’s work is an installation of 16, 12-foot-long panels of rice paper with beading pattern designs. Shaginoff’s work is a reproduction of graphite beadwork drawings with written messages. Beading is common in Filipino tribal communities and Alaska native communities, Flaherty said.
“So many artists have connected virtually,” Flaherty said. “Their installation will also be able to reach a broader audience. You have to find the silver lining in everything.”
The installation addresses the March attack at Atlanta spas that killed eight people, including six Asian women, , as well as the 2020 deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd at the hands of police. The former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin was found guilty on Tuesday of murdering Floyd.
They also want to recognize the 2.75 million deaths worldwide from covid-19.
“It is the hope that through our gathering of art and creative spirits that we may heal and empower one another to stand firmly in solidarity against white supremacy and hate and to share love and humanity as ‘The Global Majority,’ ” the group said in a statement.
A virtual party to celebrate the opening is scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 21. The online event will be part of the Cultural Trust’s Virtual Gallery Crawl throughout the Cultural District.
The trust also announced an exhibition, “2020,” for Space gallery from Nov. 19 through Jan. 30. “2020” is being funded by the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation and the Small Arts Initiative of the Heinz Endowments.
Registration is required and will be open soon at TrustArts.org.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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