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!

The surrealist nature of Alexis Covato’s work makes me feel like I am in a brightly colored dream. Playful images have an odd twist to them, making the viewer slightly uneasy when they see an image like clowns in a car, holding knives and chains, or the mug shot of Alice after she has left Wonderland. However it is hard to look away from these images, and the longer I look, the more I can appreciate the skill put into them.

Covato says that ever since she was little she has been interested in fitting together pieces of the world around her. This jigsaw quality is evident in the fragmentation of her work. Her abstractions are like mosaics, with transparent layers of paint fitting together to convey otherworldly images. Inspired by oddity and iconography, many of her paintings have a theatrical quality.

The artist, who goes by the name Lex, says that she is primarily interested in “the emotional quality of what the body can convey.” She is currently working on a series of tattooed deities, in a convergence of spiritual and psychological exploration.

Pop culture itself is Lex’s medium and she explores the many facets of society through the canvas upon which she paints. Constantly at work on upwards of six paintings at a time, she has worked as an artist for eight years. Having displayed in several local galleries and arts shows, she is excited to display her work at the Three Rivers Arts Festival in June. Stop by her booth and see for yourself the oddity and wonder of Lex Covato.

Lex Covato
Plaza Booth 84
June 3-7

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 91.3 WYEP and Three Rivers
Arts Festival are pleased to announce CD Live! presents Cowboy Junkies
at 8 pm, Tuesday, October 6, 2009, at the Byham Theater in downtown
Pittsburgh. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 7.

Cowboy Junkies formed in 1985 when Michael Timmins (guitar), Peter
Timmins (drums) and bassist Alan Anton, one of Michael’s oldest
friends, began jamming in a garage. Joined shortly thereafter by
Michael and Pete’s sister, Margo Timmins, the band released its debut, Whites Off Earth Now!!,
in 1986 on their own Latent Recordings label. The band toured the
Southern and Southwestern US in support of the record, soaking up the
music of Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers along the
way, which, in turn, inspired their second album, The Trinity Session, self-released in 1988.

Recorded with a single microphone in Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity in one 14-hour session – at a cost of $250 – The Trinity Session
featured spare, lilting originals alongside Jennings, Williams and
Patsy Cline covers, as well as a haunting version of the Velvet
Underground classic “Sweet Jane.” With “Sweet Jane” getting
considerable airplay on college and commercial radio and reviewers
lauding the band’s fresh sound, word soon began to spread and before
long, the Junkies had signed to RCA Records, which reissued The Trinity
Session to a wider audience and platinum sales. The band’s subsequent
albums chronicle the band’s evolution, a process Michael describes as
gradual and organic.

Cowboy Junkies returned to
Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity for a day in November 2006, joined
by Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant and Vic Chesnutt to revisit the
repertoire of The Trinity Session
in celebration of the original recording’s 20th anniversary. Captured
by filmmakers, Pierre and Francois Lamoureux, the resulting
documentary, Trinity Session Revisited, was released as a DVD/CD in January 2008.

Cowboy Junkies are joined by special guest Lee Harvey Osmond. Tickets
($35) go on sale Friday, August 7, 2009, at 9 a.m. at the Box Office at
Theater Square, by phone at 412.456.6666, and online at pgharts.org.

Calendar Listing
CD Live! presents Cowboy Junkies with special guest Lee Harvey Osmond.
8 pm, Tuesday, October 6, 2009, at the Byham Theater. Doors open at 7
pm. Tickets: $35; online at pgharts.org, by phone 412.456.6666 or the
Box Office at Theater Square. CD Live! is a project of Three Rivers
Arts Festival, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and 91.3 WYEP.

About CD Live!
CD Live! widens the creative expression of the Pittsburgh music scene
while advancing the artistry of musicians from around the world. This
collaborative project of Three Rivers Arts Festival, The Pittsburgh
Cultural Trust, and WYEP-FM was formed to build new music audiences and
to welcome these listeners to the Cultural District.

Click on the image at left to download a full-size, print-quality version of this promotional photo.