One of her lovely drawings inspired children in the “I Made It Market” last week. Here is the story in her own words:

When I missed the deadline to apply for a booth, I decided to participate in the Creativity Zone with “I Made it Market” art projects for kids. I have done several venues with Carrie Nardini and Nina Barbuto’s “I Made it Market” in the past. I choose to use my Dollar Bank drawing because Dollar Bank is main sponsor of the Three Rivers Festival, and it was the  most personal way for me to acknowledge that.  It just seemed appropriate, and I knew kids would enjoy painting the large print of my drawing. I wasn’t quite prepared for how many kids would want to do that! Lots of them!! (I was short some brushes.) I created the drawing of Dollar Bank on Fourth Avenue a while back. It’s one of the first buildings I noticed for its scale and wild exuberance when moving here from Boston. It’s funny that when you move somewhere you notice places and  buildings  that are not always the most iconic places yet they become iconic for you. I am always surprised how many people don’t know that building. I still love it!  

Carol’s next great adventure is with the Pittsburgh Society of Artists where she is the publicity chair. She is busy publicizing “Art Day With PSA” a free event June 18 at Trader Joe’s plaza in East Liberty. More Art Day info

Carol Skinger’s Drawing – Images by Renee Rosensteel

Tonight we will have two energetic bluegrass bands performing on the Dollar Bank Stage in Point State Park. Pittsburgh’s own Mon River Ramblers will play at 6:30pm followed by Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder at 8pm.

The Artist’s Market will also be open until 8pm all weekend, in Gateway Center Plaza and Point State Park. Make sure to come check out our Emerging Artists that we profiled over the past few weeks, as well as all the other fantastic artists and craftsmen showing their wares!

Also make sure check out all of our fun activities in the Creativity Zone where Creative Reuse is building a plastic castle on the green in Point State Park. I Made It! Market is here all weekend as well, with their handmade arts and crafts. There are a ton of great things to see and do in the Creativity Zone this weekend, so be sure to check it out.

Don’t forget that all the galleries are open downtown until 8pm during the arts festival, so if you need to cool off step into any gallery to see some amazing art. Or you could check out some of the free films playing at Harris Theater today.

There is so much to see and do at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, and there are only two days left to see it all! Be sure to check out all of the photos on our Flickr page. You might find some familiar faces in the crowd!

Hope to see you at the Festival!

Take the Survey

I treasure the situations that allow the melting pot to happen…There aren’t that many places where you don’t have to have money, you don’t need to be a certain age, and you don’t need a reason to be there other than to have fun.

I feel a wonderful warmth when people stop me to talk. I hope that you, too, have the chance to dive in and TAKE THE TIME to be part of the community this weekend.

Community – Images by Renee Rosensteel

People riding bicycles leave their bike at valet service at the entrance to Point State Park. Volunteers from Bike Pgh carefully tag each bike and keep bikes safe as visitors enjoy the festival. “People know us,” said Bricker, “They know that we are not going away, and they trust us.”

This is the second year for the valet service, but Bike Pgh is not new to the idea.  We’ve done between 12 and 20 valet events since 2005,” said Scott Bricker, executive director of Bike Pittsburgh, “We were one of the first bike groups in the country to start offering this service.”

The valet served nearly 300 bikes last Saturday, its busiest day so far. “Replacing car trips reduces congestion in the city, congestion, decreases carbon dioxide emissions, burns calories and saves riders money,” said Bricker.

The idea began four years ago when the festival first implemented green initiatives. “There were no bike racks that year,” said Bricker, “We wrote a blog post about that and the Cultural Trust responded. They reached out to us and invited us to get involved.”

Bike Pgh Bike Valet at Three Rivers Arts Festival – Images by Renee Rosensteel

An esteemed panel of jurors judges the artwork and awards the artists. This years ‘Best in Show’ went to Dennis Childers for his “Window” photography and video installation. Childers photographed the window across the street from him downtown over a length of time and throughout the seasons. When grouped together in the exhibition, the windows seem to be an opening into another world. The progression of time is fascinating to see and the transformation of such an ordinary space is intriguing to witness.

Also notable are artists Mia Tarducci Henry, who received the Juror’s Choice Award for “Give and Take” an oil painting on canvas. Ben Matthews received the Juror’s Choice Award for his piece “Ghost Wall: Whiskey and Eggs Revolt.” Carrie Smith also received the Juror’s Choice Award for her “Intercept sculptural installation.

The variety of art and creativity on display at the Juried Arts Exhibition is a breathtaking experience. This show has long played an important part in the history of the Three Rivers Arts Festival and is one of the best places to purchase a truly unique piece of art for collections. The Juried Arts Exhibition can be found at the Cultural Trust Arts Education Center on Liberty Avenue. It is open everyday until 6pm from now until the end of the festival. This is a show that is not to be missed this year at the Three Rivers Arts Festival.

Under a tent in the Creativity Zone kids are hard at work crafting crowns and swords, and just about anything else they can imagine, out of tinfoil, plastic tubing, forks and spoons and whatever else is found in the many colorful bins that line the tables. On the field in Point State Park, a castle is slowly being built out of old water bottles and plastic lids, anyone can come and contribute to the construction. There is no lack of materials to use, thanks to Creative Reuse.

Creative Reuse Pittsburgh was founded in 2007 as a resource for companies to get rid of the recyclable materials they no longer needed. Anyone can donate their odds and ends that have nowhere else to go, such as old office supplies. Originally funded by the PA Resources Council, the company is now its own entity that has expanded in the past few years. Their retail space in Construction Junction in Point Breeze, is moving in July to a larger space next door and they will be having a party to celebrate on June 25^th.

Creative Reuse expanded into the festival circuit early on, recognizing the valuable potential for imaginative arts and crafts their materials could produce. This is their fourth year at the festival, in the tent in the Creativity Zone, and anyone is welcome to come make something from the assorted materials available. Whatever you make is yours to take home with you, or to leave on display to inspire others who may come along.

Stop by Creative Reuse this week at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, in the Creativity Zone at Point State Park.  And don’t miss ‘The Big Remake’ on June 25^th in Construction Junction!

Keep an eye on our Flickr Slideshow this week for new photos of Creative Reuse, updated daily!

Danna Eve Rzecznik creates functional sculptural vessels by inspired by nature. The artist cites both domestic and wild influences on her work; the beauty of nature mingled with the nurturing skills taught by the women around her at an early age.  Learning to sew from her grandmother, and her mother baking pies, helped influence the creativity of her hands in her future work.

Danna’s style is inspired by ‘the tension between pleasure and tedium of everyday domesticity, and the imagination experienced in child-like play.’  Her art is a vivid blend of colors and textures applied to everyday objects, like a cup or a teapot. Beautiful and functional, her art is also craft that anyone can use.

Danna lives in Pittsburgh and has an extensive history with the arts scene in the region. She has worked for the Carnegie Museum, Society for Contemporary Craft, and Gallerie Chiz.  Danna achieved her BFA from Edinboro University and attended Carlow University for her degree in Art Education.  Danna currently works at the Father Ryan Art Center in McKees Rocks, teaching pottery to youths.

You can see Danna’s art at the Three Rivers Arts Festival starting Wednesday this week, where she is one of this year’s exciting Emerging Artists.

Danna Eve Rzecznik
June 8-12
Plaza Booth 95

Photograph by Emily O'Donnell

The sound of strings warming up floated through the evening air. A gentle melody is formed with the hum of crickets and the murmur of the three rivers surrounding the park. The crowd stretched from the stage all the way out to the artist’s tents, filling the green space with attentive listeners. They had all come to Point State Park to see something that had not happened in over thirty years. The Pittsburgh Symphony returned to the Three Rivers Arts Festival to play a concert, free to the public.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director, Manfred Honeck, conducted the musicians. They opened with Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 followed by works by Johann Strauss Jr., Hummel, Khachaturian, Shostakovich and Dvořák.

The concert concluded with a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, complete with thunderous canons which were shot off backstage to punctuate the music, smoke filling the air as the sun set on a beautiful opening weekend of the Arts Festival.

Check out our slideshow!

http://www.flickr.com//photos/culturaltrust/sets/72157626902029438/show