TECH SHOP TO BIOFUELS TECHNOLOGY RULES! @ GA/GI

TechShop is a playground for creativity. Part fabrication and prototyping studio, part hackerspace and part learning center, TechShop provides access to over $1 million worth of professional equipment and software with the experts to teach YOU how to use them. Each  facility includes laser cutters, plastics and electronics labs, machine and wood shops, a metal working shop, welding stations, a waterjet cutter and even a center for sewing textiles with industrial machines or doing embroidery! Members also have access to spacious project areas with large work tables available for completing projects and collaborating with others. And lets not forget about the free coffee and fresh popcorn that are always available. Most importantly, at TechShop you can"Build your dreams."

Andy and Les, The TechShop boys

Les Gies and Andy Leer will be on hand at Edge Studios with info on TechShop membership and a mega cool demo of their shop's capabilities. Let's just say you'll to "use your head" for this one. And see some of TechShop's handiwork at the Pittsburgh Glass Center too. They've created a presence at our Lights! Camera! Fashion! trunk show and sale (scroll down for details on that event) See Les and Andy, the TechShop boys @ Edge Studio on Friday, Apri 5th @ 5411 Penn Ave 6 pm - 9 pm. TechShop @ GA/GI is sponsored by SPROUT.

ALSO AT Edge Studios...Meet Joe McLaughlin of the PITT/CMU Quality of Life Center with his Lego wheel chair"; Barbra Paul from the Pitt Mobile Science Lab speaking on the science of nutrition and Donald Jones Roboworks, Artist/Inventor.
 

 ...AND DON'T MISS OPTIMUS Technologies

The "Maximus" (we say) of biofuel research located at 4814 Penn Avenue. "The manufacturers of next-generation biofuel systems" (they say). Potaytoes or Patahtoes Optimus will demo how it's done with their "Vector System," a bolt on modular diesel to biofuel apparatus built specifically for commercial and industrial diesel engines.

Their goal is to provide clients with a seamless transition to renewable fuels that is the least disruptive to daily operations, cost effective and environmentally responsible. They claim to top anything Rudolph Diesel invented: "A few good ideas about 100 years ago." (And that's just for starters!)
You'll also meet their special guest Zero Fossil dedicated to the development of sustainable power generation systems that utilize the free energy around us...sun, wind, water, and even human power.

...AND in FACEBOOK and other GA/GI NEWS......

New Facebook event pages have sprung up to showcase events for GA/GI Unblurred.  Pick one of several events below; then click to get there--and "Like" them!
GA/GI Unblurred, April 5th on Penn 

Tango at the law office of  Richard J. Walkers  9:30 pm-1:30 am

Knit the Bridge@ GA/GI

Tee Rex  joins GA/GI

Geek Art /Green Innovator's Festival  (main page)

Irma Freeman Center's Safe Light exhibit @ GA/GI

Most Wanted Fine Art Edinboro Print Department Reception 
 
Side-Walk-Chalk-athon @ GA/GI (TBA)

We finally got a look at  Dennis Childers' band "Darkroom" who will debut at GA/GI and preform experimental meditation music within an art installation. Band members: Steve Sciulli, Paul Michael Ferraro, Dennis Childers, and Dean Catani. Dennis and Steve are former members of Ploughman's Lunch. Dennis and Nick Childers (father and son) are also the artists of their exhibit "Safe Light."

Darkroom with Steve, Paul, Dennis and Dean

  It's all at the Irma Freeman Center....We also welcome the following businesses and galleries opening for April 5th GA/GI @ Unblurred event: Artisan Tattoo with "Venom of the Sun, Poison of the moon"; Garfield Artworks "Unfinished Business"; At the law office of Richard J. Walters they dance the Tango; The East End Community Thrift Store kicks off their Unblurred evenings calendar; Plumb Media has an Empowered in Pittsburgh book signing; Toros Tavern had stand up Comedy; last gasp of winter sales at That's Sharp Boutique; Clay Penn makes a comeback; Yoga Hive "flows" to retro Beatles' music; and the Artist in Mission Gallery makes a special opening for the evening. For more details click on our "schedule of events" tab at the top of the blog. 

  

YES! YOU CAN BUY THAT DRESS: GA/GI FASHION UPDATES FROM THE "LIGHT" SIDE

Kristin Barker, GA/GI Fashion

 Fashion is her passion.....Kristin Barker our festival Fashion Director is working over time with Angie Fec of Sew Addicted and other fashionistas to create LIGHTS! CAMERAS! FASHION! at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, 5472 Penn Avenue. They're dealing with the "red tape" and other logistics to make this fashion trunk show and SALE vending event a total Glam Bomb! Check out Barker's line-up! GA/GI will have  six incredible Glass Center artists, LaVerne Kemp' accessories; plus our special guests Crazy Hot Clothes and ModCloth and Sew Addicted will grace our fab "runway" with models showing in 40+ looks. Bella Cappelli will be styling.

James Gyre, Performance DJ

James Gyre, performance DJ will be spinning during the trunk show. Get ready to buy your favorite looks and soak in the the glam as Lights, Camera, Fashion! shines at the PGC!

Also on site at PGC-- Consciousness by Eunsuch Choi an exhibition of world-class glass work. Visit April 5 @ GA/GI Fest through June 16, 2013.

From Eunsuh Choi glass art exhibit @ PGC

TINY BUTTONS and INCARNATE FILM @ MR.ROBTO BUILDING @ GA/GI

This just in from Leah Picker, Special Events Coordinator at Roboto! "Inch by Inch--Block by Block," - a 1" button art show at The Roboto Project @ 5106 Penn Avenue exhibits 250+ one-inch buttons collected from the last couple decades and explores how buttons have been used not only to say something powerful, silly or sarcastic, but are in fact tiny canvases, that showing off a myriad of wonderful art! Some buttons will be available for sale at Roboto along with a button swap, and a chance to make your own custom button.  Music by Onodrim and Unstitched.  Exhibit at 7pm, music at 9pm.

Annalisa Barron

Upstairs, above Roboto will be a special presentation by filmmaker Annalisa Barron, from Penn State called "Incarnate" featuring a marionette who must come to grips with the meaning of life and a collection of salvage from a torn down Shop-n-Save.

 

EVERYWHERE A "GA/GI" --EVEN FROM THE SIDEWALK

Art by Jeff Schreckengost

Studio 5013 windows at 5013 Penn Avenue will feature OZMA instruments: Guitars made of found and reclaimed materials by Jeffrey Schreckengost. For April's GA/GI installation, Jeffrey recreates his workshop, and gives us a glimpse of new OZMA creations. facebook.com/OzmaInstruments.

Eco Equation by Dave Edwards

Plus look for other great art in windows and outdoors like Dave Edwards of Art Energy Design's public right next door to Awesome Books @ 5111 Penn Avenue.  

Meet Dave himself on April 5th at the Pittsburgh Glass Center--5472 Penn Avenue, where he'll be outdoors showcasing POWER FLOWER & LIQUID LIGHT. His 12' tall model of the now famous solar and wind harnessing sculpture will be powering an internally lighted stream of water in an exhibition called Liquid Light. Watch as water is transformed into a crystal clear state called "Laminar Flow" which has the ability carry and bend light. GA/GI goers can get some fun hands-on playtime and make a splash that will not be forgotten... like thunderbolts of lighting! A video sneak preview of the show is in our right column.

ASSEMBLE TO KICK OFF MONTH OF ECO FUN @ GA/GI

HYPER LOCAL ART SHOW : ASSEMBLE PITTSBURGH from assemblepgh on Vimeo.




On April 5th, join Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse(PCCR) and artist Erika Johnson for the opening night of BIO: a reuse ecosystem at Assemble, 5125 Penn Avenue. Everyone is invited to participate in crafting this installation of reclaimed, rescued, and repurposed materials exploring the interconnections among people, creatures, objects, and communities. Assemble and PCCR will cohost free, fun reuse activities all month. Proceeds from art sales benefit PCCR and Assemble. 

And the fun continues all month long with the following events: Opening Party -- April 5 (during Penn Arts Unblurred): select and connect materials to co-create the BIO environment. Biodiversity Learning Party -- April 10, 4:30-7:30pm: art and science unite for an all-ages learning experience. Crafternoon -- April 20, 1-4pm: free creative reuse workshop for kids! Drop in anytime. Make & Talk -- April 24 from 7-9pm: join Erika for a grown-up conversation about art, science, and reuse, then make-and-take your own biomorphic creation using PCCR's abundant selection of repurposed materials. But it all starts GA/GI night at Unblurred on Penn...so be there!

GLOW LITTLE GA/GI FEST GLOW BRACELETS

We've ordered hundreds of these for our themed evening of "Penn Avenue Illuminated"  You'll glow all evening long on Friday April 5th! Pick up your glow stick bracelet at selected GA/GI  locations and leave us suggestions for next year!

TEE REX HAS FOOD, FUN and TEE TIME @ GA/GI

The Tee Rex Facebook Event Page for April Unblurred on Penn Avenue announces a killer Spring kick-off  at this year's Geek Art/Green Innovator's Festival. They  plan to price their entire collection of 2012 quality, hand printed Tees by local designers so that they're "irrationally affordable."  If you buy two, you get one free, so we expect them to fly out the door. Other offerings  for the evening include special GA/GI Fest guests that include Dozen Bake Shop coming with treats (even vegan) and sweets; Brassero Grill will serve top shelf Mexican cuisine from their outdoor food truck in the "simple concept of a  taco or  burrito."  Tee Rex is also hosting the folks from East End Brewery and you'll meet the people from "Dreams of Hope," an organization of allies, who provide a welcoming environment and programs for gay, lesbian and transgendered youth. So don't miss Tee Rex @ 5440 Penn Avenue on your lists of GA/GI go-to's on Friday, April 5th.

MOST WANTED DIGITAL RAP and VIDEO GAME DESIGNERS @ GA/GI

Impossebulls

Most Wanted Fine Art @ 5015 Penn Avenue is hot, hot, hot on GA/GI eve, April 5th with a slate of exhibits and performances. John Lysak and his students from the Edinboro University Print Department will host their annual show. Also on hand is MWFA's house band Snafu, and specials guests the Impossebulls, a digital rap group managed by former Public Enemy member, Chuck D.

Said Nina Sauer, of Most Wanted Fine Art, "We're happy to add components that help reinforce the GA/GI festival's tech and art mission; at the same time we increase awareness about all the great things we do on Penn Avenue." 

Also on the gallery's meaty plate is this!...




It was 5 years ago, when two chatting strangers came up with the concept of a global competition for video game designers. Soon it was running out of the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at Carnegie Mellon, one of GA/GI Fest's first partners as well. Today the competition is sponsored by by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), and the name for the event is the Global Game Jam! Sabrina Haskell Culyba of Schell Games has been one of the organizers of the Pittsburgh session for the last three years along with her fellow IGDA members Gabe Yu and Manoj Anand. The event has "grown to one of the largest in the United States with participation world-wide leaping to 11,000 in 2013." 

The Pittsburgh competition was held this past January at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Newbies and seasoned gamers alike formed 24 teams “all in” for the 48 hour game building event. On the GGJ site of a "First Hand Account," it was noted: "Beyond students from AIP and Carnegie Mellon University, were aspiring and professional artists, computer scientists, game designers and developers who brought their laptops, accessories, sleeping bags, deodorant, creativity, collaborative spirit, and good humor.”


The joy, and verve of Pittsburgh's Global Game Jam will be shared at GA/GI on Friday April 5th during Unblurred on Penn Avenue. Most Wanted Fine Art will host a GGJ showcase being brought in by Haskell, Thom Och and Heidi McDonald. On Friday night in MWFA's lower level, they share gamer's art, sketches and preliminary work on Saturday, April 6,winning games from the competition, and other video game fare can be sampled and played by festival goers.

MWFA Gallery is open 6-11pm  Friday, April 5 and Saturday April 6 from Noon to 4 pm
for further info visit
the event FB Page here.

GGJ World Games Competition Sites 2013

 

GASP AND BREATHE PROMOTE CLEAN AIR AT GA/GI

GASP is excited to open its doors to the GA/GI Festival! Stop on in on Friday, April 5th and see what awesome new things GASP has cooking! 

Since 1969, GASP has been fighting to bring you the clean air you deserve. As part of GASP, the Athletes United for Healthy Air Program empowers local athletes to fight for healthy air. It doesn’t matter if you’re walking your dog through Frick Park, running down Penn Avenue, or taking a dip in the Mon, if you’re on the move, you need clean air!

At GA/GI Fest during Unblurred on Penn, GASP tells us they will celebrate the re-launch of their Bike Monitoring Project funded with a Google grant. This innovative, volunteer based project takes state of the art Dylos Air monitoring equipment, GPS software, a bicycle, and your leg power and allows them to count air particulates along your favorite bike routes. Particulate matter can lead to respiratory, cardiovascular, and even neural problems. They need two wheeled eco warriors willing to take monitors with them on their cycle commutes. The data gathered will be used to understand where the problem places are in the Pittsburgh area which will fuel the dialogue needed to suggest improvements and solutions. They will have sign up sheet for the monitors at GA/GI, and GASP wants to see your name on it. So,if you have a bicycle you can exercise, be eco-friendly and aid GASP in it's mission.  

GASP will also be displaying the hard work of students from Pitt’s Computer Science Department, who have been working diligently to digitally map out the particulate counts. Be at GASP's Pittsburgh head quarter's @ 5135 Penn Avenue @ GA/GI Fest on Friday, April 5th to get the full scoop on how clean your air really is....And while you’re there, be sure to ask about their other fantastic programs: the Athletes United for Healthy Air Toolkit, AQI school flag program, Clean Air Dash, an upcoming festival this fall and BREATHE, partnering with  GASP on one of the most important environmental health initiatives ever undertaken by the Heinz Endowments.

LARGEST ROOF TOP IN THE WORLD HAS PLANS @ GA/GI

Showcasing architectural plans for the High Point Project during the festival is David Bear, the organizer of The High Point Pittsburgh Investigation . Centered at the Studio of Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University, High Point Pittsburgh is an on-going project exploring the possibilities for transforming the one-acre rooftop of the 64-story USX Tower into a publicly accessible, four season facility that will function as a world-class visitor center and downtown attraction while also demonstrating cutting-edge sustainable design and technologies.

The proposed two-story structure would cover the entire roof area and top of the building, creating more than 60,000 square feet of interior space on two levels and be made entirely of steel and glass. See the plans and meet the organizer, Mr. Bear on Friday, April 5 at Edge Studio. See High Point Pittsburgh Video at the left of this blog.(Event hours TBA)

IF CENTER OPENS SAFE LIGHT @ GA/GI

SAFE LIGHT, a Father-Son, multi-media collaboration between Nick and Dennis Childers, exhibiting digital prints and an experimental video installation. It's part of  GA/GI Fest at the monthly First-Friday gallery crawl on Penn Avenue. There will be snacks, drinks and live music.

The safelight was once a tool used to help photographers see when printing in traditional black and white chemical darkrooms. As the name suggests, it kept light-sensitive paper safe from exposure while making it possible to print with film enlargers in darkness, shrouding a room with just enough dim red light to see. This Father-Son multi-media collaboration explores this concept through digital prints, alternative digital photo methods and an experimental video installation sculpture.

Exhibition Hours for GA/GI Friday, April 5 from 7-10 pm  Sat, April  6 from 2-5 PM. Visit the Irma Freeman Facebook event page for other exhibition times.

GA/GI SNEAK PREVIEWS

Verde Mexican Kitchen and Cantina

Cemeon's art at BFG Cafe

The clock is ticking down as new folks line up their programs for the GA/GI event on Friday, April 5th and 6th. Here's a few more of the Friday night highlights. GA/GI meets Tech Shop! Pittsburgh and Bakery Square's newest technology create-make-n-take venue will be on hand at Edge Studios 5411 Penn Avenue. They are paired up with robotics artist Donald Jones, who designs and builds assemblage robot sculptures from found and recycled materials. Jones’s cycling robot "Cycle Sam" will return along with Banner Bob, Maintenance Mat and many new robotic creations. For more on Jones visit Jones Robo-Works, here. The Big Fat Greek (BFG) Cafe @5335 Penn Avenue tells us they've got a five-artist show planned curated by sculptor Susan Wagner. It will include artists Loretta Helene, L.J. Sweitch, Paula Weiner, Wagner herself and Illuminated art by Cemeon.  Plus look out for cool festival stuff happening at Verde Mexican Kitchen and Cantina at 5491 Penn Avenue....More on all of this later!