Think bigger and live smaller: the Tiny Houses Experiment in Garfield

Think of your neighborhood. Think about what is good and bad. Look at the market rates and start figuring out smart ways to invest. Then be awarded with a grant from the Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development. Wait a minute, are you living in Garfield? 
I was thrilled to learn about this great idea that CityLab came up with. 
From their website:
<<cityLAB believes that building small houses could make a big impact, and we will begin studying how to bring Tiny Houses to Garfield in late 2013. The idea of Tiny Houses was one outcome of our 2011 6% Place book, which examined how Garfield and Garfield residents could benefit from a systematic effort to grow the neighborhood’s creative capital and attract new residents. cityLAB has recently been awarded a grant by the Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development to bring this idea to fruition.>>Thus, a brainstorming session, open to the public, was organized for December 3rd 2013, at the Assemble Gallery. CityLab organized the event as a workshop in which resident in Garfield and anyone interested in tiny houses could express ideas, concerns and desires about the subject.

(above: one of the slides presented at the brainstorming session, on Dec. 3rd 2013)

The workshop, attended by many people (almost too many, for the space, but the theme was really appealing) was divide in three intuitive exercises. In the first, we had to fill a questionnaire, and possibly add comments, regarding the matter of "living small". We where assuming a space which is around or less 1000 SF, but there are no established rules, and very little precedents. We were asked questions regarding which density we would like around us, which public services we would prefer, near our place. But also: need of parking, or shared services, or needs for a vibrant community of other tiny houses vs a in-fill strategy, with our tiny house compressed between existing buildings, way bigger.

The second exercise was more involving. We were given 12 stickers in shape of stars, and a sheet with different possibilities to spend our stars. Many ideas had different "prices", according to the space, the facilities, the things we wanted to put in a house. This was to understand the must of a tiny house, according to us. What you can and cannot renounce to.

 

The third was definitely hands-on, and it was interesting to see how, despite the big number of participants and the little available space, people really produced great results. We were given scissors, glue, and sheets full of photos. We had to invent a sort of article for a magazine, imagining that our tiny house should have been the cover story of that. We had to come up with a title, tag line and lede (great word find out by Dutch MacDonald, from MAYA design, who was leading the experiment and workshop). Then, we had to select our photos according to the things or features we would like to see in our tiny house. This was a great way to collect data, involving people in finding and expressing their ideas.

Dutch, leading the workshop, from the top of a ladder!

The workshop was absolutely flexible and open to changes. It was really an experiment, brilliantly conducted by Dutch and the CityLab crew. People expressed their availability in DYI, or their concern about money, environmental issues. No one was an expert, but interesting points were brought to the table: economics, society, and physical environment were themes deeply discussed.I was so glad I attended it. And now I can't wait what's next. Everybody will be very excited about learning more, most of all the organizers of the event - that really want to test the field and see "what's the weather like" over Tiny Houses in Garfield.To me, more than learning more about the Tiny Houses Movement, the event was also a great lesson on how to involve people, and how to collect meaningful data. It was really entertaining, but full of information. I am sure we'll hear again about this project. I will follow them again, and will keep you posted.

Check their website, to learn more about others Garfield-based projects and experiments!
And here to learn more about the Tiny Houses Movement.

Buffalo: beyond Art

     I came to Buffalo for Thanksgiving, joining my American family, and we visited the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. 

The courtyard of the Gallery

Until November 2nd 2014 there is a special section dedicated to Anselm Kiefer, the German artist. It is called: "Anselm Kiefer: beyond landscape" and you can bet there is a whole world beyond his paintings. It is also a matter of dimension, being the paintings at the Albright-Knox so gigantic. That is not all, though.

     Everybody talks about the monumentality of Kiefer's work, and of his personality. Even the insert in The Buffalo News starts the review about the exhibition with the concept of monumentality. What I was actually surprised to feel, in front of the three gigantic paintings (each is hung in a dedicated room), was the smallness - of the spectator, that is totally defeated by the bigness of the pieces. And I think also of the smallness of the artist, while he is creating that. I try to imagine how could working on those paintings be, with your tools in your hands. I can figure the buckets, the brushes, very likely stairs or stools. Anything that could help to make the Art bigger, and the Man smaller.

     If you want to understand the composition of Kiefer's places, you cannot get too close to it. It is as if the painting itself is keeping you a bit far. Far enough to think about the meaning beyond the landscape. 

The three landscapes are very different: the Gallery guests the view of a <<post-apocalyptic field>> (Milky Way) but also a field of flowers (Der Morgenthau Plan) and a seascape from a private collection. The three of them are not connected, apart from the same level of power. <<To have more than one in the same room is like listening to many symphonies at the same time>> said the director Janne Sirén to Gusto's critic Colin Dabrowski. I totally agree: Kiefer is very explicit and powerful, in his art. There is no need or possibility to add anything more, most of all: another Kiefer!

These paintings are talking about history, Nature, human condition and philosophy. Kiefer said: <<True art does not portray beauty alone. Beauty requires a counterpart>>. 

And in Kiefer's art, which I believe is true art, the counterpart is given by the mix of wonder and somehow sadness, produced by getting "in touch" with the subjects. There is something beautiful and deeply uncanny in each piece. 

The field in Milky Way looks like painted in winter, which is also a winter of the senses, and of our thoughts. It reminds of a cemetery without graves, with no names. It's like the death of something that will never be reminded.

The seascape is framed with thick pieces of lead, and even if you don't know it's connected to the four rivers at the edges of Germany, the composition is really turbulent. There is only a moment of quiet, in the waves, represented by a flat spot in the paint. But that being just out the perfect center of the composition, it puts everything in movement again, with no rest for the eyes. 

The flowers field in The Morgenthau Plan is a bit upsetting as well, in a way. You feel like a bunny in the field; you really feel overcame by the nature, remaining almost breathless in the flowers. But you could also put it as a try to hide in the nature, to be protected by that, even if in its fragility.

The monumentality (of Nature and History) and the smallness (of the humankind). These opposites fighting, creating a sense of vertigo, are the counterpart I can see in the beautiful Kiefer's art.

photo of the painting by Kiefer

from www.alaintruong.com  

Once out of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, we just had to cross the street to reach the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Such a concentration of art reminds me of capitals in Europe, like Paris. And I wish Buffalo to keep the good work up!

At the Art Center we visited the temporary exhibition Art in Craft Media 2013 (until January 19, 2014). It was a juried presentation of art made of wood, clay, fiber, glass and metal. The quality of each piece was stunning: all the artists were clearly masters of their art.

I loved the architecture of the space, so complex, maybe almost too defined in the shape of the areas, overall well proportioned. I remembered when the MAXXI, the Museum of Art in the XXI century, opened in Rome, couple years ago. It was designed by Zaha Hadid and many were the critiques against her job. It was considered to be not a museum, but a piece of art itself. People were saying it was impossible to display pieces of art, because of the exaggerate complexity of the space. They were saying: it's impossible to hung anything on the walls! But in the case of the space where the Art in Craft 2013 is hosted, there is a big difference: the areas are geometrically complex, defined by white walls, with high ceilings, but it is still flexible. The proof was given by the different sections arranged, one for each material. 

I really enjoyed being able to focus on each section, as if it was an exhibition inside the exhibition, and look at the pieces. 

Some were aesthetically gorgeous, transmitting a joy of life with no comparison. Others were deeply meaningful, expressing sadness or happiness. No piece was merely self-referring. No one. And ending the sequence with the great installation by Ben Perrone with the video of the interview to the author, is the proof that the exhibition is not only about aesthetics, but about ethics. His piece was the "War ongoing Project". These his words for the exhibit: “I proposed to fill the Media room with thousands of small black bags hung from individual filaments at different heights from a foot above ground level toward the ceiling. In every bag would be the names of the war dead, from the present wars to past wars. The bags are metaphor for the life unlived” (see more on buffalorising.com)

  Each bag contains a name of a dead soldier.

Every bag, is a life.

Ben Perrone video-interview

We started our morning with Kiefer, and his desire to go beyond the landscape, since beauty needs something more, and different. We ended our tour with another great proof that Art can, and has the duty, to go way beyond the media.

I recognize this is not always easy to achieve, but still is what we should always aim for, even as spectators. Because even if we are very small in front of the Art, we are there to judge.
And it is also because we watch art that... Art is Art. No Art without a public.

I would like to end this review with a request: do not accept art in a passive way. Try to be active, supporting the good and meaningful art, even just by reading about exhibitions in your town, and possibly by visiting them. Do not accept anything that goes: be incisive and always try to find a meaning in what you see. You don't have to be an expert, you just have to open your eyes and souls, and be very receptive. Do not let others be spectators on your behalf: go out, and try to learn from what you see (in museums, but in regular life as well). And if you feel there is nothing to learn from, or nothing to think about -and after- seeing a piece, then you'll know that's not a good piece of art.

Go beyond, always!

Arbor Aid 2013 ft. Tree Pittsburgh and Future Tentant

(Photomontage of the signage on the door - © Bea Spolidoro)

Pittsburgh rocks. And… woods! 

Today I went to the gallery Future Tenant - a space for art, on Penn Avenue (Downtown) to see a workshop. I knew they were making decorations out of recycled materials (which I believe: recycling is the nearest future not only for Christmas decorations). I went there to see what they were creating, but I also found this on-going exhibition that totally blown me away. I decided on the spot to write about that, instead of the workshop, despite I will mention it again in the post.

Little context first: Arbor Aid is juried art exhibition in which artists are selected and presents their works. The only requirement is: the artwork should be << made out of, related to, reclaimed urban wood. (…) The wood used in creating the artwork comes from downed or removed trees, materials from once-occupied buildings, or from other urban reclaimed sources. >>

<< Arbor aid was conceived five years ago by Tree Pittsburgh and late local woodworker John Metzler, founder of the Urban Tree Forge. Arbor Aid celebrates the possibilities presented to us by trees and resources within our city. >>

(quotes are taken from the board explaining the exhibition, in the gallery).

As I was reading all the info, the names, and the motivations of this exhibition, I was very pleased to learn about it. Then I took a tour in the small space, full of people recycling and creating new things.

Well, I am a fan of wood, and I can tell you that all the pieces were amazing either for their meaning, message or aesthetics. In all the cases, the techniques (very different from piece to piece) are remarkable. This is another proof that recycling can also be classy, very classy. 

I selected my favorite pieces and was kindly allowed to take pictures of them. Nonetheless, a photo will never substitute a visit in person. Just sayin'…

Modern lithograph, old technique. Hand carved. 

Above: Peter Johnson, 2013. See more here http://pgjohnsonsculpture.com/home.html 

a very elegant light, and a little guy, made out of a sort of cornice.

 Hearts of wood

Above: Wonderful bowls by Chuck Sawyer. 

Above: a water jug by Gary Raines 

And under a hanging door, used as a canvas for a view on Smallman and the 16th bridge, I find a little table where the Carnegie Museum of Natural History is trying to sensibilize the kids to the theme of Climate Change. And on how it affects PGH. For example, with the problem of the water overflown:

One of the problems is that the rain runs free from the top of the hills, down to the rivers. The Pittsburgh water system is not sized to manage the bigger flows, and the result is a mess, that goes into the rivers.

A thing we could do is trying to capture water before it reaches the sewage system or aqueduct. For example, with rain gardens, green roofs, or by creating parks and planting trees. The kids can try to stop the water falling, on a little game, by putting some pieces of sponge in the right place. 

Pretty amazing activity for kids, right? A cool alternative to video-games, and a sincere way to make the kids aware of their great city, with its big problems. 

I think many adults should play with that as well...

The adults, anyway, were already involved in something useful, at the Upcycle Make & Take Workshop. I was very busy in learning more (and as much as I can) as usual.

Thank you Pittsburgh!

Saint Nicholas Croatian Church. An hidden treasure, or not (hidden)?

Pittsburgh... who knew? I keep asking myself that, if not every day, at least once a week. The best is: you really don't need to be an "event-hunter" to find something to do here. You just have to open your mind, ears and eyes (and yes, maybe quickly check on the City Paper, just to make sure you are not missing the biggest events).

Saturday I went to Saint Nicholas Croatian Church (24 Maryland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15209) to see the murals done there by Maxo Vanka, a Croatian artist.

I heard about them over last summer, but never had the chance to visit them before. The Church is always open (during Church hours) but you can attend a wonderful tour every Saturday, at 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm. Erin (see below), a young volunteer passionate of Maxo Vanka and his work, will be great Cicero for an hour. You will learn all the story of the murals, understanding the many details in each drawing.

Few words on Maxo Vanka(1890-1963): this artist was a pretty famous artist in Europe, and a renowned professor of art. He moved to the Pittsburgh area "for love", following his wife, in the early 30's. Thanks to a common friend with Father Albert Zagar (who left Italy for the USA -and PGH- because of his aversion to Fascism) he was commissioned the first murals in 1937. Maxo vanka wasn't Catholic, but very spiritual anyway. He well knew the Bible and the friendship with Father Zagar did the rest, leading to the amazing final result that you can see in the Church.

The most interesting thing to see here, more than the technique used by the artist, is the iconography he painted. And the themes. All the murals are very strong and in some ways even disturbing, uncanny. Maxo Vanka depicted the struggles of the Croatian community leaving the old world for the new one. At the sides of the altar, for example, you can see a wonderful scene of the Old World, on the left, and of the new one one the right. 

The New World represented is Pittburgh, with the smoky mills and the bridges.

In the center, a great Virgin Mary with the baby has very Croatian lineaments, remember something like a mother: Mother Croatia, likely. She is also dressed with the colors of the official flag. 

Traditional characters from the Catholic tradition are thus put together and amongst common people, working in factories or dying on battle fields (during the World Wars - another big theme well represented at Saint Nicholas).

Other themes are present on the walls, such as the big injustices of life, and the big gap between the richest people and the poorest. On opposite walls you'll see two very different dinners, for example, full of meaning:

The walls are completely filled with images, all "talking to each other" from wall to wall. All the facing murals are composed in a way to create a stunning architecture, made of meaning and values. It is indeed a transparent architecture, that can become true and real only in hour minds, but most of all, in our hearts. I truly believe that this is a masterpiece, able to teach us so many things even almost 80 years later. And unfortunately, the Injustice (see the figure below, with the gas mask, and the not balanced scale) is a pretty diffused still now. 

Some will remember also of the even more famous Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo's husband, and his murals. Those of Rivera where really angry and powerful, very political. Maxo Vanka never forgets where he is painting, and why. Maxo Vanka's murals are really spiritual and the "terrestrial" component is never overcoming the celestial one. The people pictured, even if in the struggle, are always asking for help, or praying. 

The balance between the Earth and the Heavens is magnificent. You can see the religious component in the upper paintings (the pietas and the crucifixion) and in the vault. The evangelists, the archangels, the Saints and all the other figures from the Bible are present: in the whole, Vanka's work is complete and instructive, as per the best tradition in past art. The working-class is depicted in the walls surrounding the space of the community. Very impactive to see.

If you want to see more details online, you can check the official website here. But I highly recommend to go there in person, to see something special. I don't know if this is a hidden treasure, considering that the Church is perfectly visible from Route 28, and immediately there at the Millvale exit. 

Nevertheless, sometimes the most exposed things are the most "hidden", because we never take the time to stop and think about them.

How many hidden treasures would you be able to find, in the next months? I am sure that you can find some inspiration by visiting Maxo Vanka's work. It's a great start.

Pump(kin) it up! Pumpkinfest in Deutschtown

Today was the day of Pumpkinfest, a family-friendly festival held in East Park in the Northside. The event was organized by Citiparks Pittsburgh.

Pumpkins were the main theme, along with many hands-on activities, art and decoration contests, games. But I did see much more than orange veggies. 

That festival was another proof that Pittsburgh is the right place to be now, and will be the best place to be very soon.

The reason why I am saying this is hidden in the following photos, and I will explain it later in the post.

Look carefully at these photos, first: 

To me, the event was very important for many reasons, but the most important is that all the kids –from 1 to 15,16,17… everyone was playing with everyone else. There was no distinction in color or ethnicity: I had the impression the all the world was playing there, at the same time.

I think this is very important because the North Side is certainly not a simple neighborhood, and Pittsburgh itself is not a easy city, in some ways. I keep saying that there are still many things to fix here, but every day spent in Pittsburgh gives me hope for the future.

 The kids that in 2013 are playing together at the park, among pumpkins and goats, will be living and working together in 15-20 years from now. It is very likely that they will be doing that in a natural way, with no preconception, sincerely and happily, as they are doing now.

We currently keep seeing segregation in many cities and we read bad stories on the newspapers. This is hideous, but we have to face the problems of our society and try to fix them. Possibly starting from the youngest members because they are the future.

One of the principles of sustainability is to make sure that the next generations will be able to enjoy the same resources we are enjoying now, if not even more. We are responsible NOW for how well the next generations will be living.

We are finally taking care of our environment (even if we could definitely do more) but we should also think that the society as well has to be improved. We must consider how important is to make sure that the next generations will live in a cleaner world, and in a healthier society. To ensure this, we have to act now, with a steady process of raising awareness towards these themes. A city is made of people and places. We must be stewart of the environment AND of our community.

The Pumpkinfest was a great occasion for kids (and adults) to share together spaces and good times. That is a great way to raise awareness on many issues - there was plenty of stands by many community-based associations or groups involved in the care of the environment. 

I was very glad to see so many people and such a successful result. It was possible to play and learn more on many things: even how an ambulance works!

 (the dummy in the ambulance really looks like Silvio Berlusconi!)

I am glad to be in Pittsburgh and I am convinced that this city makes me a better person every day. 

I wish this could keep happening in the future, for an increasing number of people. Pittsburgh is a great lesson of "we can do it". 

So let's get inspired and let's carve our lives beautifully, as we would do with a pumpkin. And, why not, let's even be carved by the very youngest people, which are usually more reasonable than the adults...