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.