PF/PCA Exhibitions

For every new season of shows at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, a corresponding sign is created for display on the lawn. This vinyl banner, at 8' x 12' in size, is extremely large and a visual cue that commuters traveling on Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood have come to expect from PCA to announce the newest season of exhibitions. Arguably the most important banner of the year highlights the Artist and Emerging Artist of the Year exhibitions.

In September 2017 I photographed and interviewed the Artist of the Year and Emerging Artist of the year, Jo-Anne Bates and Haylee Ebersole respectively, in their home studios. I also photographed Haylee's sculptural work later that same month. The resulting assets were coupled with press releases and media kits, and utilized in ads, the yard banner at PCA, invites, and their exhibition catalogs.

Promotional imagery created for social media to generate interest in and attendees for the Artist of the Year, Emerging Artist of the Year, and Women of Visions Inc opening reception and award ceremony.

The night before the opening reception, in advance of the hectic day to come, we hosted a private preview night at PCA for our board members, the artists' families, select members of the media, and other VIPs. The preview night was an idea I began plotting while: a. amassing an invitation database from the personal lists provided to me from Jo-Anne and Haylee; and b. pursuing and scheduling interviews and coverage with the press. This intimate event came together with the assistance of the Exhibitions & Programming department and Special Events Manager Joy Sato. And although Jo-Anne and Haylee had been in preparation for their Artist and Emerging Artist of the Year exhibitions for almost a year, this evening was the first time they met in person - a moment I'm glad I was able to capture.

On December 5, 2017, we received word that renowned multidisciplinary artist Ben F. Jones, whose work was then on view at the Carnegie Museum of Art, accompanied by art historian Kilolo Luckett would be visiting PCA to browse the current exhibitions. The Director of Exhibitions and I conducted a private, personalized tour of the works and I was able to shoot a few photos of these two very special guests, as well.

Become Camera, a video installation and performance art series by Samir Gangwani, opened December 9, 2017 in The Melwood Gallery. Become Camera explored Gangwani's experience as a heavily surveilled “brown man with a beard” who is all-too-frequently watched, followed, and profiled as a terrorist. The surveillance theme was reflected in the visual assets created for promotion, including a 11" x 17" poster and social media graphics.

On install day for Become Camera, I paid Samir and the Exhibitions team a visit at The Melwood Gallery as they were installing security cameras and monitors. I'd originally intended to just shoot a few photos for social media promo, but I quickly realized, as I looked around at the equipment, that video footage made more sense. The resulting clip, edited specifically for Instagram, was a cheeky nod to the theme of the show, including the use of the 1984 Rockwell classic "Somebody's Watchin Me."

I was on-hand the evening Become Camera opened to shoot photos and video of Samir's intense performance. In nothing but his underwear, feebly painted white to "blend in" with the walls, and wearing a surveillance camera on his head (which was very much on and live streaming), Samir spent the entire opening (3 hours) hiding in plain sight, pressing himself up against the walls, becoming more and more agitated as people noticed him, and running away at full speed to hide again and start the cycle over.

Note: these photos may be NSFW depending on your job. Be advised.

scapes, a solo exhibition of large digital images by emerging artist Amanda Jolley, opened at The Melwood Gallery on September 29, 2018. scapes was the first exhibition I had the opportunity to opening; opening roughly six weeks after I began my directorship. Jolley's landscape-inspired art was used to create the assets, most of which were used for social media PR. I photographed the install process for pre-opening promo, and I shot a few photos at the opening, as well.