“Is that…mold?” I turned to my boyfriend with a mixture of incredulity and delight at what I saw on the wall of Cleveland’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Mold does not typically inspire such a response. Taupe spores propagated into soft shapes, indistinguishable from light splashes of watercolor on a swath of muslin. For this piece, Out of an instance of expiration comes a perennial showing, Colombian artist Gala Porras-Kim extracted mold spores from the British museum. She then placed them on a sheet and brought them to MoCa Cleveland.

One of the destructive elements against which museum curators fight mightily was brought front and center as something that the curators here were responsible for protecting and preserving. I couldn’t stop talking about “the mold piece” for a week straight.

If you look at enough contemporary art, you can get somewhat numb to its tropes. Oh, great, another way to juxtapose the archive as liberation with the deconstruction of preconceived hierarchy of cultural values and assumptions of artistic worth. Blah. Back to doomscrolling. However, Porras-Kim’s work elicits a real, disruptive reaction, which in the current contemporary art landscape is worth its weight in gold.

Archival Disruptor Gala Porras-Kim to Debut New Work at Carnegie Museum of Art

In the full show at moCa, A Hand in Nature, Porras-Kim showed an ability to work both big and small. The pieces she makes call to mind both the overwhelming sublimity of ancient structures and the granular bureaucracy of the archives that hold them. I was hooked on her vision. It was a wry take on the ethics of museum collections combined with a deeply felt interest in objects. She created enormous paintings that imagined what the world looked like from the inside of a stone monolith. I rarely see single-artist museum shows that show such a wide variety of mediums in such a cohesive way. Then, less than a week later, I learned Porras-Kim would be coming to Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Art for a show in their Forum Gallery.

Porras-Kim’s subject matter is not a new one. Many artists have questioned the institutions that hold their work. The Carnegie has done this themselves with Amie Siegel’s Panorama in 2023. What sets Porras-Kim apart is her bold, earnest, and curious approach.

Art Can Be Both Beautiful and Provocative

In A Hand in Nature, she presented many of her paintings with letters she wrote to museums in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and South Korea asking the curators to consider the ritual nature of the objects they hold. Perhaps it sounds a little supernatural, but one gets the sense that Porras-Kim can feel the objects’ souls. The most talented artists are attuned to medium—a painter should love and wrestle with paint, a sculptor should know stone intimately. Porras-Kim is gifted at multimedia, participatory, and time-based work.

Gala Porras-Kim Takes the Carnegie

The reflection at the threshold of a categorical division, opening on February 27, will see Porras-Kim using objects from the archives of the Carnegie Library, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and Carnegie Museum of Art. The Carnegie holds a deep, meticulous archive of work from the three institutions within it.

So, Porras-Kim has had the opportunity to dive into a plethora of museum items. “Some of the works are about how the collection moves between different parts of the Carnegie and how choices were made over objects and where they are situated today (library, CMOA or CNMH),” Porras-Kim told TABLE.

Art and Objects

The work in The reflection at the threshold of a categorical division looks at identical or similar objects across the three institutions, some designated as “art” and simply “objects.” Porras-Kim created several large-scale two-dimensional works like The Weight of the Patina of Time, using graphite and colored pencils to depict snuff bottles, ivory sculptures, and gems.

Porras-Kim’s father is a historian. So, she spent much of her childhood getting to look at the archival materials her father was pouring through. She often found herself making pencil drawings based on what she saw. “I drew a grey blob that I marked ‘dinosaur poop.’ These days, I feel like I do basically the same thing,” she remembered.

She noted that “the taxonomy of these things dictate the choreography of how people interact with them.” In the center of the Forum, she placed a sculpture made of windows from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The window was taken out as part of an ongoing restoration in the Met, and they offered it to Porras-Kim. In the Carnegie, she placed it in the center of the Forum, where the light hits it.

Engaging with the Collection

One of the traps that plague many shows dealing with both what’s in the archive as well as the rules governing that archive, is a sort of over-analysis where there’s little consideration of the actual work. Porras-Kim’s work does the opposite. It asks us to step back from “academic word salad” to really feel and think for a moment, based on the physical reality of what’s in front of us. For example: How does it make any sense for a museum to have bodily remains in its collection? Is it acceptable to display objects of religious reverence in a white cube, deprived of the environment that sheltered them and provided greater meaning?

For The reflection at the threshold of a categorical division Porras-Kim also took a survey of museum workers around the country to ask what the “least likely to be on view” element of their collections was. She then generated images of those objects, with a letter accompanying it asking why these particular objects weren’t on view. “There could be infinite taxonomies. The mold has its own way of looking at the hierarchy of the world,” Porras-Kim said.”These new taxonomies are additive.”

What Art Can Be

Art shouldn’t just be for insiders, and it shouldn’t just confirm your existing belief system. It should in fact encourage you to think differently about what you see. Porras-Kim’s work recontextualizes the objects. It’s worth seeing, even if you think art isn’t “for you.” Porras-Kim’s work pushes the boundaries of what art is in the first place. The winter is drab, the news cycle is depressing. NASA announced a city-killing asteroid has a 3.1% chance of hitting earth in seven years. Art should provoke something in you. It can be a question, a twinge of confusion, or a moment of awe at what’s in front you. Life is short. Let objects make you feel something, whatever institutional label they’re under.

Story by Emma Riva
Cover image: 530 national treasures (detail), 2023, colored pencil and flashe on paper, Courtesy of the artist.

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Pittsburgh—celebrated for its legacy arts institutions, thriving artistic talent, and industrial ingenuity—is poised to become a national and international destination for craft. The city and the surrounding Appalachian region boast a strong historical tradition of craft. This vibrant ecosystem elevates the craft tradition, rooted in ceramics, glass, fiber, metal, and wood. Today, Pittsburgh’s craft community has an unprecedented opportunity to shine and establish itself as a global hub for craft excellence.

Why Craft? Why Pittsburgh?

Craft—the meticulous transformation of materials into functional and artistic creations—has deep roots in Pittsburgh’s history and culture. The city’s industrial past laid the groundwork for an enduring appreciation of skill, technique, and craftsmanship. Today, that legacy is carried forward by institutions like Contemporary Craft. Under the leadership of Rachel Saul Rearick, Contemporary Craft has broadened its programmatic offerings and is set to expand its physical footprint in 2025.

“I whole-heartedly believe in the statement that Pittsburgh IS Craft,” says Rearick.”Historically, this city created materials and products that quite literally shaped the world. Today, artists live and work here using the same materials. And places like Contemporary Craft and the Pittsburgh Glass Center invite artists from all over the world to work in our facilities and engage with the region.”

Similarly, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, under the leadership of Heather McElwee, recently completed a transformative capital campaign, resulting in a significant expansion of its facilities and programming.

Extending Outside the City

These institutions are just the beginning. Pittsburgh’s location in Western Pennsylvania further strengthens its position as a craft hub. To the South East in Fayette County, Touchstone Center for Crafts stands as a serene retreat offering workshops and residencies for artists across the craft spectrum. Additionally, Pittsburgh is conveniently situated within a day’s drive of major metropolitan areas like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago—creating opportunities to attract visitors, artists, and collectors from these markets and even more broadly. Its accessibility allows for the seamless exchange of ideas, materials, and markets, making it an ideal crossroads for craft enthusiasts and professionals.

The region’s craft assets extend beyond institutional support. Universities such as Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh offer programs that integrate traditional craft techniques with cutting-edge technology, fostering innovation and attracting new talent. Additionally, PennWest University, with its Edinboro branch, carries a legacy of more than 100 years of craft-based education, offering robust programs in ceramics, metalworking, and other traditional arts. Greater Pittsburgh is also home to numerous independent studios and galleries. These places provide spaces for artisans to further refine their practices, showcase their work, and engage with the community.

Pittsburgh’s geographic location and rich craft ecosystem create the perfect conditions for the city to emerge as a premier destination for craft. By leveraging its industrial heritage, investing in its institutions, and promoting its accessibility, Pittsburgh has the potential to solidify its reputation as a global hub for craft excellence.

A Vision for the Future

Pittsburgh’s craft community has all the components to make the region a global destination for craft: regional history, skilled artisans, strong institutional support, world-class facilities for making, and a deep appreciation for tradition combined with innovation. However, to truly solidify this claim, it will take collective action and investment from individuals, businesses, and philanthropic organizations.

Individual Support

• Buy Local: Support local artisans by purchasing handcrafted goods from craft fairs, galleries, and online platforms.
• Learn and Participate: Take a class or workshop at Contemporary Craft, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, Touchstone Center for Crafts, or the Union Project. By participating, you not only gain a deeper appreciation for craft but also support its sustainability.

Business Engagement

• Corporate Partnerships: Companies can commission custom works from local artisans, enhancing their brand identity while supporting the craft community. 
• Workplace Programs: Businesses can sponsor team-building workshops or events that connect employees with craft, fostering creativity and collaboration.

Philanthropic Investment

• Fund Expansion: Support the growth of institutions like Contemporary Craft and the Pittsburgh Glass Center through donations or endowments.
• Create Opportunities: Establish scholarships and grants for emerging craft artists to study, innovate, and showcase their work.

Craft as a Catalyst for Cultural Tourism

Beyond the intrinsic value of craft, elevating Pittsburgh as a craft destination could have profound economic and cultural benefits. Cultural tourists spend more and stay longer than the average visitor. By investing in craft, Pittsburgh could attract visitors from around the globe. Visitors ould feel the draw the promise of unique, high-quality experiences in a city where art and industry converge.

Take Oaxaca, Mexico, as an example, which has become a global destination for craft tourism. Its annual Guelaguetza Festival, along with markets and workshops, draws tens of thousands of visitors each year. In 2022 alone, the festival generated an estimated $45 million in economic activity for the region.

Imagine a future where Pittsburgh hosts an annual international craft festival, drawing artisans, collectors, and enthusiasts from every corner of the globe. Picture a robust network of craft trails guiding visitors through studios, workshops, and galleries across the region. Envision a time when Pittsburgh’s name is synonymous with craft excellence. The city could leverage its industrial roots and creative ingenuity to create an economic and cultural renaissance akin to what Oaxaca has achieved. With strategic investment and community collaboration, Pittsburgh could transform its craft sector into a beacon of global recognition and local pride.

Call to Action

Pittsburgh has the potential to lead a craft renaissance, but it will require collaboration, vision, and commitment. As the CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, I urge every individual, business, and philanthropist to join this movement. Together, we can craft a future where Pittsburgh’s artisans are celebrated, its institutions thrive, and its reputation as a global hub for craft is firmly established.

Let’s make it happen. The tools are in our hands.

Story by Patrick Fisher, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
Photo of work by Elise Birnbaum

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Supporting living artists is a powerful statement about what we value as a society. There are many talented artists working in Pittsburgh eager to share their work—it’s just a matter of knowing where to look. Engaging with living artists signals a commitment to fostering creativity and recognizing the benefits of art in our daily lives. It’s an affirmation that we value the voices and visions of those who interpret and document contemporary issues. By purchasing their art, attending their exhibitions, and engaging with their projects, we directly support their artistic practices. Here are four contemporary artists living and working in Allegheny County whose practices you can help nourish.

4 Local, Living Pittsburgh Artists Whose Work You Can Support

Ashley Jones

Ashley Jones maintains a studio at Radiant Hall’s Homewood location. In addition to being a working artist, Ashley is also an art educator. Currently she serves as an art faculty member at St. Edmund’s Academy in Pittsburgh and she previously served as Assistant Professor of Fine Arts and Gallery Director at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Ashley’s work is an exploration into the histories and contemporary challenges of Black identity in America, which she has pursued across several projects. The body of work she may be most recognized for is Colorism: Looking Outside the Brown Paper Bag, through which she has created 3,192 portraits on wooden panels, cardboard boxes, and brown paper bags. This body of work has been Ashley’s effort to confront the history and present-day practice of colorism among African American women. The body of work consists of three sub-series, Hair Identity, Stop Putting Me in a Box, and The Brown Paper Bag Test.

Through her collective body of work, and by creating portraits of individuals she has met through her career as an artist, Ashley aims to honor and tell the stories of people who have often been ignored and marginalized, while also offering a different visual perspective of Black life.

Parker Donaldson

Educated as a portrait sculptor, Parker Donaldson’s practice evolved to include physical and multi-sensory conceptual media installations. His current body of work includes a series of six hand-formed busts of individuals that Parker met while visiting a local senior living facility. The series will expand to include another six.

A through-line in Parker’s conceptual work is his exploration of ideas rooted in the social and cultural past, juxtaposed in context to the present moment. Parker is curious about how our access and ability to re-experience moments from the past affects our sense of temporality and whether nostalgia creates dislocation within time.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Parker moved to South Africa and obtained his BFA in sculpture from the University of Cape Town in 2020. While attending the University of Cape Town, Parker also met his wife, fellow artist Akudzwe Elsie Chiwa. Parker has also spent time living and working in Atlanta and Nashville.

Darian Johnson

Darian Johnson is a painter, sculptor, and illustrator. He demonstrated a propensity for creative expression since childhood. In 2017, Darian began working with VaultArt Studio, where he received guidance and mentorship to further develop his artistry.

It was after working with VaultArt Studio that Darian developed his unique identity as a painter, which includes recreating iconic Pittsburgh cityscapes and renderings of 80s and 90s pop culture painted through the lens of nostalgia and surrealism. A vivid color palette also unites Darian’s bodies of work.

Darian’s work is routinely on display as part of Unblurred, a monthly art crawl hosted along the Penn Avenue Arts and Business District. He also was part of a group exhibition this year at 820 Gallery, which coincided with the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Through these exhibitions, Darian has cultivated a devout group of collectors, both locally and internationally.

La Vispera

La Vispera is an artist collective consisting of Kelly Jimenez and Alejandro Franco. The collective was born through their shared affinity and passion to create works that examine and address the global ecological crisis. Originally from Colombia, in addition to Pennsylvania, Kelly and Alejandro have lived in Florida and Missouri.

La Vispera‘s current body of work centers around single-use plastics, which they use to compose figurative and abstracted compositions reminiscent of stained glass. Their process was born out of necessity, combined with curiosity, after they moved from Miami to St. Louis without any studio equipment or art supplies. They noticed that packaging material of all sorts was abundant and began intercepting materials that were otherwise en route to the landfill. The artists took these transient and problematic materials and decided to give them new significance. By spending time and effort to recover an undervalued material through labor, La Vispera hopes to make an allegory of the efforts we need to make to preserve a healthy ecosystem.

La Vispera is currently participating in an artist residency program administered by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, which will culminate in the creation and installation of an interactive museum experience.

Story by Patrick Fisher, CEO, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
Photography by Laura Petrilla

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When we talk about galleries in Pittsburgh, it’s tempting to follow deep-seated Pittsburghese habits and talk about what used to be. Oh, it used to be a hub of collecting, when the Fricks and Carnegies bought up gleaming hordes of the world’s greatest paintings. Among artists, sometimes this train of thought becomes that Pittsburgh used to be cheap and fun in the days of the Beehive and Electric Banana, before corporate and tech came in.

While there’s some reality to that, one of life’s universal truths is that everyone wants to like something before it was cool. In the 2020s, some major city gallerists are making the trajectory I did as a writer: the reverse of moving to the Big Apple to chase your dreams. Some of the Pittsburgh’s newest galleries are newcomers trying to uplift regional artists while still bringing in new talent. Some are the creations of native Pittsburghers.

Pittsburgh’s Newest Gallerists Share What Drew Them to the City

There’s been a sort of chain reaction of galleries popping up in Pittsburgh, and the domino begins with Lexi Bishop. Bishop ran Here, a small contemporary art gallery in Mexican War Streets, from 2020 to 2023.

Bishop frequently brought in out-of-towners, something that allowed what can at times feel like a cloistered arts community to broaden what they are looking at. Some of Here’s most memorable shows were the beautiful undulations of Canadian painter Kizi Spielmann-Rose’s No Fixed Itinerary, the quiet dignity of New York-based Andrea M. Smith’s Praying for Wings, and the gallery’s finale, the cozy quirkiness of Lydia Rosenberg’s Lamp Store. (Coincidentally, a review of Lamp Store was my first piece in TABLE. Time flies!)

Prior to founding Here, Bishop was Associate Director of Nino Mier Gallery’s Los Angeles outpost and then went on to work at Christie’s Auction House in New York. She came to Pittsburgh with her then-partner and started Here, which closed its doors in 2023 due to not recouping money spent on art fairs and her own changing professional interests. Bishop is not done with the art world, though, as she is now working on a project archiving Pittsburgh’s art history and imagines one day reopening the gallery in Garfield.

To be clear: Bishop by no means “discovered” art in Pittsburgh. There’s a robust arts community and a bedrock of non-profit galleries like Bunker Projects and Silver Eye Center for Photography. Even without the presence of any galleries at all, Pittsburgh would always have makers and creative people. But Here changed the conversation, providing a link between Pittsburgh’s art scene and the wider art world.

Romance: A Pittsburgh Homecoming

Margaret Kross, who now runs Romance, an apartment gallery in Shadyside, grew up in Pittsburgh, so it wasn’t news to her that there could be art here. But she knew Bishop and respected what she did. After working at Paula Cooper Gallery and then moving on to help run the emerging artists program at the Whitney, Kross found herself wanting to return to the world of operating a gallery.

When she moved back to her hometown, she decided to run the gallery out of her own apartment. She enjoys the intimacy it provides and the close relationships with both artists and viewers she gets, even if it means you look at what kind of soap she has in her personal bathroom. “I believe deeply in the role of museums bringing art to a wider audience, but I also think the experience of seeing art in a context outside of the white cube is a very special one,” she said.

A Gallery Coming Into Its Own

It’s been exciting to see Kross’s curatorial vision develop. Chinese artist Emilia Wang’s Heaven Potato, on display in December and January, felt like the gallery coming into its own. Wang’s show of Japanese scrolls and multimedia sculptures was an ambitious concept that fully delivered in scale and scope, making use of the unique lighting Kross has to offer from her French doors. Kross has also found creative ways to use a small side room and her basement—the most group recent exhibition saw a full-room installation from Craig Jun Li in her basement, bathing it in macabre scarlet light.   

Romance just completed its first art fair, NADA Miami, in 2024. Kross is optimistic about the gallery’s future. She pointed to the fact that Carnegie Mellon’s graduate art school eliminated its tuition and the development of the former Miller ICA—Carnegie Mellon’s art museum—into ICA Pittsburgh will create more support for visual art in the city. 

“The support for the arts here I think has a lot of room to grow. I would love to see more artists be able to live and thrive here and have more connectivity in the conversation here to broader dialogues,” Kross said. “I hope that Romance being here will contribute to that. It’s not because the local is provincial that I believe this connectivity is needed – rather, I think that’s a stereotype that needs to go by the wayside. Bringing in more national and international dialogues will let people see that Pittsburgh isn’t so siloed.”

April April: The New Kid on the Block  

Lucas Regazzi and Patrick Bova ran a successful art program out of their apartment in central Brooklyn but craved a simpler, slower pace of life. They knew Kross and Bishop from shared professional circles and wondered if they could move their gallery, April April, to Pittsburgh.  In September of 2024, they did just that, packing up their car and moving to a storefront in Regent Square. The street April April sits on feels like a Hayao Miyazaki movie with cobblestoned streets, overgrowth, and quaint historic homes.

Bova and Regazzi are an affable and friendly couple, often seen with their puppy, Dewy. They have a real enthusiasm for Pittsburgh and the local community that comes through in the way they speak about it. “So many reasons for us why we came to Pittsburgh! Zero regrets,” Bova said. “Pittsburgh truly feels like home.”  Like Kross, they live in their gallery space, but their apartment is in the back. Their space was once a family-run store, where the owners lived behind it.

An Exciting Time for Pittsburgh Galleries

Bova and Regazzi’s debut show, Paul Peng: Intentions, opened to a full house, and set off their curatorial program with a show both zany and absurd as it was sensual and delicate. They also brought their catalogue to NADA Miami and other small fairs like Art Toronto, where Regazzi is from. “Pittsburgh has been so welcoming to us and our program — grateful and humbling. The curiosity from folks has been nothing short of energizing!” Bova said. Their decision to kick off their programming with Peng, a local artist and Carnegie Mellon graduate with many connections in the DIY side of the art scene, came from visiting his studio while they were still in New York. Since that opening, they’ve shown Hong Kong-born Marisa Kriangwiwat Holmes and a group show with three high-caliber international artists, Kai Jenrette, Cyrilla Mozenter, and Irene Avaalaaqiaq Tiktaalaaq.

To anyone with ambitions of running a gallery in Pittsburgh, Bishop offered this advice: “Engaging with the community is the single most important thing you can do. Work with, not against, the existing art community. Be intentional about your program and who you show. Less is more.” So, keep the support going and attend an opening at Romance or April April for your next night out—after all, looking at art is free, and in a world where so many people are lonely, galleries provide a necessary community gathering for shared experience. Pittsburgh is better for its artists. In this new boom, let’s keep the energy going.

Story by Emma Riva
Cover photo by Chris Uhren

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As the warmer temperatures of spring slowly creep in, Pittsburgh’s theater performances also heat up. Get tickets while you can for the season’s newest performances from the world-class cultural institutions our city has to offer. Whether you’re looking to stimulate your mind with a play, feel the exuberance of a musical, or experience a sultry night at the opera, you’ll be able to find something to warm your spirit up as the first flowers start to grow in the ground.

Plan a Night Out with Pittsburgh’s Spring Theater Performances

Kimberly Akimbo

Benedum Theater, March 4-March 6

Kimberly Akimbo is the tale of a young woman with a condition that ages her rapidly, making her appear elderly when she’s really only sixteen years old. This Tony Award-winning musical will be downtown at the Benedum Center for one weekend only, making a great date night or family night out.

Birthday Candles

City Theatre, March 8-March 30

City Theatre is also feeling the existential weight of aging this spring, as Noah Haidle’s Birthday Candles follows a woman’s life one birthday party at a time. The play asks viewers to reflect on how birthdays are a marker of not just how much things change, but also how much they stay the same.

Lang Lang with the PSO

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, March 19

The New York Times called pianist Lang Lang “the hottest artist on the classical music planet,” and now he’s coming to Heinz Hall once again to perform the Grieg Piano Concerto for Pittsburgh audiences.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Pittsburgh Public Theater, March 19-April 6

Edward Albee’s high-intensity marital drama is a must-see whenever it’s performed, but particularly in a time when social and political discourse feels so full of strife. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Is a masterclass in how pent-up resentment eventually explodes and how hidden grudges and tragedies always come out in the end.  

Madama Butterfly

Pittsburgh Opera, March 22-30

Puccini’s Madama Butterly is a classic opera, but this production in collaboration with the Cincinnati Opera and Utah Opera uses an all-Japanese cast and all-Japanese production team to update its vision of East Asia. The set design also uses futuristic, science fiction-esque aesthetics to highlight the dreamlike nature of operatic performances and reinvent the setting.

Spring Mix: 5 for 55

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, April 4-6

At the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will have some of their most seasoned artists perform both classical and contemporary choreography. This “Spring Mix” event in honor of the ballet’s 55^th anniversary will showcase ballet’s versatility through the ages.

9 to 5

Little Lake Theatre, April 10-27

Dolly Parton turned 9-5 daily grind into a rollicking musical number in the title track for this workplace comedy musical. Take some time away from the struggles of the work day, sit back in your chair, and enjoy the musical adaptation of the 1980 film that inspired Dolly’s hit.

Story by Emma Riva
Photo by Philip Groshong, courtesy of the Cincinnati Opera

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