Doing All The Work

Local artist David Bernabo’s sustainable and impactful multidisciplinary art practice began 20 years ago, influenced by Pittsburgh’s punk scene. His DIY approach to artmaking led to numerous successful projects, and lessons in being adaptable, open, and curious. For this session, Bernabo will share his methods for starting and maintaining an independent art career while balancing a full-time job. Topics that will be covered in Bernabo’s talk include: networking, finding opportunities, “real talk” about how projects happen, self-study, risk-taking, and keeping an open mind. The session will conclude with Bernabo discussing his latest endeavor, Bright Archives, an independent archival production house created with archivist Katherine Barbera, and the importance of preserving and documenting one’s own artistic oeuvre for future work.

This session is geared toward artists at any stage in their career who are considering an independent practice, or enhancing the one that they have.

About David Bernabo

David Bernabo is a musician, artist, and independent filmmaker. He currently plays in the bands Watererer, How Things Are Made, and Else Collective. His film work documents studio practices of composers and artists, western Pennsylvania food systems, and histories of iconic arts institutions like the Mattress Factory. He is most noted for Moundsville, a documentary co-directed with former Wall Street Journal writer John W. Miller, which screened on PBS for three years, and the biographical documentary Just For The Record about avant-garde composer “Blue” Gene Tyranny. He has exhibited 2D, video, and installation art at SPACE, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Miller ICA, and 707 Penn, and he co-founded and co-curated the Lightlab Performance Series (2013-2019) with taylor knight and anna thompson of slowdanger.

He is a founding partner at Bright Archives, an independent archival production house. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University. www.davidbernabo.info.

Additional Information

Session Recording

This session will be recorded and shared with participants on October 18, 2024. The session will be viewable until January 18, 2025.

Access & Accommodations

This session will be held online via Zoom. Closed captioning will be available throughout the presentation via the online platform.

To request additional accommodations for this event, please submit your request in writing on the event registration form. A Shiftworks staff member will follow up with you directly about your request. We will attempt to implement requests for reasonable accommodations to the best of our ability, but cannot guarantee that all requests will be met. Alternate accommodations may be suggested by staff. All requests must be made by Monday, September 16, 2024.

For any questions, please contact Ashley Anderson at ashley@shiftworkpgh.org.

Cancellation and Refunds

All sales are final unless the session is cancelled by Shiftworks. In the event of cancellation, registrants will be issued a refund for the full amount to their original form of payment.

Registration

Registration for this session is $20 per person; advance registration is required.

Scholarships are available for those needing assistance with cost of attendance. To request scholarship assistance, please contact Rachel Klipa at rachel@shiftworkspgh.org.

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