Artists from Around the World Gather to Sell Wares
PITTSBURGH - From jewelry to ceramics, painting to metalwork, more than 300 artists from around the world will gather at the Three Rivers Arts Festival's 2008 Duquesne Light Artists Market. The Market opens at noon on Friday, June 6, 2008, with 144 artists. New artists arrive on June 12, 13, 17 and 20, making the Duquesne Light Artists Market a fresh experience several times over. The Market operates daily noon - 8 pm, June 6-22, at One, Two and Three Gateway Center Plaza in downtown Pittsburgh.
Three Rivers Arts Festival Executive Director Elizabeth Reiss said, "From our beginning 49 years ago, the Three Rivers Arts Festival has focused on supporting working artists. With the help of sponsors like Duquesne Light, we're able to continue fulfilling that mission."
Marketplaces like the Duquesne Light Artists Market provide artists with a substantial source of income. Many of the artists in the Market travel the country each summer to sell their wares, with markets such as this one representing a substantial source of income. 30% of the artists at the Market are from Pennsylvania. The average artist makes $6,000 in sales during his or her three- to 12-day stay. Overall, the Duquesne Light Artists Market generates $2.4 million in sales for working artists.
The Duquesne Light Artists Market is a juried exhibition requiring artists to meet stringent requirements. Participants are screened by a distinguished panel of local artists and artisans. All work for sale in the Market must be handmade by the artists themselves, and they must be present in the Market all times - no proxy salespeople are allowed, which gives festival-goers the opportunity to converse with the artists in a personal setting, to discover the when, the where, the how and the what behind the pieces they find most captivating.
Visitors will have the opportunity to see the techniques behind creating fine arts and crafts at Turning Ideas into Art, when artists from the Artists Market and local arts organizations demonstrate crafts from woodworking to ceramics, giving lucky observers the chance to get involved. Different demonstrations will take place each hour from noon - 8 pm on Saturday, June 7, and noon - 6 pm on Sunday, June 8, 2008, in the tent on Liberty Avenue just outside the Duquesne Light Artists Market at One, Two and Three Gateway Center Plaza.
"People are sometimes surprised by how much original pieces of art cost," said Sonja Sweterlitsch, Artists Market coordinator. "By providing an opportunity for visitors to interact with artists and see them at work, we hope we can demonstrate the time and skill that goes into producing the quality of artwork for sale at the Duquesne Light Artists Market."
In addition to numerous artists from the Duquesne Light Artists Market, the following local organizations will also present demonstrations:
• Pittsburgh Glass Center - glass beadmaking using flame
• Woodturners Anonymous turning on a laithe, a machine that spins blocks of wood
• The Union Project - using a potters' wheel
• Touchstone Center for Crafts - blacksmithing
• Calligraphy Guild of Pittsburgh - calligraphy
Calendar Listings
The Three Rivers Arts Festival presents the Duquesne Light Artists Market. 12 noon - 8 pm, June 6-22, 2008. One, Two and Three Gateway Center Plaza, Downtown Pittsburgh.
Turning Ideas into Art at the Duquesne Light Artists Market. Fine art and craft demonstrations. 12 noon - 8 pm, Saturday, June 7, and 12 noon - 6 pm, Sunday, June 8, 2008. Duquesne Light Artists Market, One, Two and Three Gateway Center Plaza, Downtown Pittsburgh.
About the Three Rivers Arts Festival
The mission of the Three Rivers Arts Festival is to connect the community to the arts. The 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival runs from June 6-22, 2008. For more information, call the Festival at 412.281.8723 or visit our website www.artsfestival.net.
Download this press release
Three Rivers Arts Festival Executive Director Elizabeth Reiss said, "From our beginning 49 years ago, the Three Rivers Arts Festival has focused on supporting working artists. With the help of sponsors like Duquesne Light, we're able to continue fulfilling that mission."
Marketplaces like the Duquesne Light Artists Market provide artists with a substantial source of income. Many of the artists in the Market travel the country each summer to sell their wares, with markets such as this one representing a substantial source of income. 30% of the artists at the Market are from Pennsylvania. The average artist makes $6,000 in sales during his or her three- to 12-day stay. Overall, the Duquesne Light Artists Market generates $2.4 million in sales for working artists.
The Duquesne Light Artists Market is a juried exhibition requiring artists to meet stringent requirements. Participants are screened by a distinguished panel of local artists and artisans. All work for sale in the Market must be handmade by the artists themselves, and they must be present in the Market all times - no proxy salespeople are allowed, which gives festival-goers the opportunity to converse with the artists in a personal setting, to discover the when, the where, the how and the what behind the pieces they find most captivating.
Visitors will have the opportunity to see the techniques behind creating fine arts and crafts at Turning Ideas into Art, when artists from the Artists Market and local arts organizations demonstrate crafts from woodworking to ceramics, giving lucky observers the chance to get involved. Different demonstrations will take place each hour from noon - 8 pm on Saturday, June 7, and noon - 6 pm on Sunday, June 8, 2008, in the tent on Liberty Avenue just outside the Duquesne Light Artists Market at One, Two and Three Gateway Center Plaza.
"People are sometimes surprised by how much original pieces of art cost," said Sonja Sweterlitsch, Artists Market coordinator. "By providing an opportunity for visitors to interact with artists and see them at work, we hope we can demonstrate the time and skill that goes into producing the quality of artwork for sale at the Duquesne Light Artists Market."
In addition to numerous artists from the Duquesne Light Artists Market, the following local organizations will also present demonstrations:
• Pittsburgh Glass Center - glass beadmaking using flame
• Woodturners Anonymous turning on a laithe, a machine that spins blocks of wood
• The Union Project - using a potters' wheel
• Touchstone Center for Crafts - blacksmithing
• Calligraphy Guild of Pittsburgh - calligraphy
Calendar Listings
The Three Rivers Arts Festival presents the Duquesne Light Artists Market. 12 noon - 8 pm, June 6-22, 2008. One, Two and Three Gateway Center Plaza, Downtown Pittsburgh.
Turning Ideas into Art at the Duquesne Light Artists Market. Fine art and craft demonstrations. 12 noon - 8 pm, Saturday, June 7, and 12 noon - 6 pm, Sunday, June 8, 2008. Duquesne Light Artists Market, One, Two and Three Gateway Center Plaza, Downtown Pittsburgh.
About the Three Rivers Arts Festival
The mission of the Three Rivers Arts Festival is to connect the community to the arts. The 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival runs from June 6-22, 2008. For more information, call the Festival at 412.281.8723 or visit our website www.artsfestival.net.
Download this press release
