Online events for artists and community

Pittsburgh, PA — Office of Public Art today announced online programming for November and December. The events are designed to bring artists and community members together in digital space as activities move indoors for the colder months.

Portfolio Reviews

An evening of Artist Portfolio Reviews will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM. Registration is $12.00 per review, with a limit of two reviews per person. Registration is first come, first served. Registration closes Sunday, November 28, 2021. The reviewers include: Pittsburgh-based artist Ginger Brooks Takahashi; D.S. Kinsel, a creative entrepreneur and co-founder of BOOM Concepts in Pittsburgh; Njaimeh Njie, Pittsburgh-based photographer, filmmaker, and multimedia producer; and Juana Williams, a community-based curator and writer from Detroit, Michigan. To register, please visit: https://opapgh.org/event/portfolio-reviews-fall-2021/.

Yoga Paint Party @home

Alecia Dawn of YOGAMOTIF will lead a three-part at-home virtual yoga and art series from November 29 through December 13, 2021. The sessions are a continuation of the work of the Pittsburgh Creative Corps (PCC), a joint initiative of the Office of Public Art and Riverlife launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The work of the PCC encourages community connection and engagement through the creative practices of artists. The Yoga Paint Party™ @home mixes movement and making in a playful atmosphere of process art. A twist on YOGAMOTIF’s signature workshop, participants will receive a bundle of supplies to immerse themselves in the process at home where they will watch the painting bloom underfoot and enjoy an art making journey complete with a memorable keepsake. Classes will be held on Mondays from 6:00 – 7:30 PM, November 29, December 6, and December 13. Tickets are Pay What You Can ranging from $95 – $150 for all three sessions, and include the cost of materials and shipping. Ticket sales are open through November 15, 2021. Packages will be shipped the week that registration closes. Tickets and more information can be found at: https://opapgh.org/event/yoga-paint-party-home/.

“As 2021 comes to a close, we continue to expand our online program offerings and engage new audiences throughout the Pittsburgh region and beyond”, said Rachel Klipa, Program Manager at the Office of Public Art. “Our return to limited in-person programming over this past summer allowed us the opportunity to work with Alecia Dawn of YOGAMOTIF at the Allegheny Overlook Pop-up Park. Offering this three-class Yoga Paint Party online allows people to try something new while allowing us to experiment with unique programming to stay connected to the community.” 

About the Portfolio Reviewers

Ginger Brooks Takahashi

Ginger Brooks Takahashi’s collaborative project-based, socially enraged practice is an extension of feminist spaces and queer inquiry, actively building community, and nurturing alternative forms of information distribution. She is co-founder of queer and feminist journal LTTR; projet MOBILIVRE BOOKMOBILE project; the touring musical act MEN; and General Sisters. She has presented work at the Oakland Museum of California, 2019; Jewish Museum, 2016; Tensta Konsthall, 2015; Brooklyn Museum, 2013; Museo Tamayo, 2010; New Museum, 2009; and Serpentine Gallery, 2008. She received her BA from Oberlin College and attended the Whitney Independent Study Program in 2007. She is an adjunct professor in the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University.

D.S. Kinsel

D.S. Kinsel is co-founder of BOOM Concepts, an award-winning creative entrepreneur, and cultural agitator. He expresses his creativity through the mediums of painting, installation, curating, non-traditional performance and #HASHTAGS. Kinsel’s work focuses on space keeping, urban tradition, hip-hop, informalism, and cultural re-appropriation. He has participated in numerous artist residencies at The Homewood Residency Program, Carnegie Mellon University Digital Arts Studio, and Pittsburgh Glass Center. He served as curator of #ACTIVISTprint at The Andy Warhol Museum, and recently served as the senior producer at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater.

Njaimeh Njie

Njaimeh Njie is a photographer, filmmaker, and multimedia producer. Her work documents contemporary Black life. Njie’s work has been featured in CityLab, Belt Magazine, and the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Storyboard Blog. She has presented at TEDxPittsburghWomen, Harvard University, and Carnegie Mellon University. Njie is the recipient of several awards namely, the 2019 Duquesne University/August Wilson House Fellow, and the 2018 Emerging Artist of the Year by the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. Njie earned her B.A. in film and media studies in 2010 from Washington University in St. Louis.

Juana Williams

Juana Williams is a community-based art curator and writer residing in Michigan. Her practice predominantly focuses on deconstructing cultural and social issues, transgressing traditional boundaries of art criticism, and countering anti-blackness within the arts. Williams is the Director of Exhibitions at Library Street Collective. She previously served as the Exhibitions Curator at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA). Prior to joining UICA, Williams held positions at various art institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and the Detroit Institute of Arts. She holds a B.A. in art and an M.A. in art history, both from Wayne State University.

About YOGAMOTIF

YOGAMOTIF is a creative wellness studio that offers art and yoga classes to youth, pregnant people, and the community at large. Grounded in the collective healing of Black mothers, we do this work through mindfulness, self awareness, and creativity-based practices. Whether working with youth in out-of-school time classes, pregnant bodies in prenatal yoga, or creative communities in Yoga Paint Party workshops – YOGAMOTIF joyfully prepares each student for life’s labor and the art, inspiration, and babies they might birth.

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