Friday, May 9, 2014
As announced at this morning’s Pittsburgh Cultural Trust press conference, the June 6-15 festival includes a number of enticements, including the premiere of the new Squonk Opera work, Pneumatica (“made of air, powered by air, and about air”); a new immersive theater work by Bricolage Productions; and the fun-sounding Complaints n’at Choir (on which more in a second).
And here’s the main-stage concert line-up, as previously reported in CP’s music blog.
The fest’s public-art component looks beefed up compared to recent years. It includes some large-scale sculptures by Alexandre Arrechea; Candy Chang’s “Before I Die” project; and something called the "People’s Clothing Archive and Library Initiative No. 1: o:ne:ka’," which needs your help.
Locally based artist Edith Abeyta needs at least 3,000 T-shirts to complete the recycling-themed "People’s Clothing Archive." The large-scale sculpture will be located at the portal to Point State Park (the walkway over that artificial pond). Abeyta will arrange the T-shirts over a frame to spell out the Seneca word for “water.”
Abeyta, who last year relocated to North Braddock from Los Angeles, will take T-shirts (short-sleeved or long) in any style or condition. She is currently accepting donations in one of two ways. Donors can drop off shirts at Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse (at 214 Lexington, in Point Breeze, by Construction Junction), or they can call Abeyta herself to arrange a pickup. (Her number is 412-295-1795.)
She’ll also be accepting T-shirts at Point State Park itself in the four days before the festival begins, June 2-5.
Now, about that Complaints Choir. It’s Pittsburgh’s version of an international project to set everyday people’s complaints (about anything) to music, then stage group singalongs. As led locally by musician and artists Christiane D., Complains n’at has been soliciting complaints at events like the Trust’s spring Gallery Crawl, and local composers are busy crafting them into songs. They’ll be performed daily at the art fest, at a different Downtown location each day.
In its 55th year, the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival remains free to the people. More info is here.
Tags: Three Rivers Arts Festival , Pittsburgh Cultural Trust , Complaints Choir , Edith Abeyta , Christiane D. , Squonk Opera