Tag Archives: Rust Belt

Artists from University of Wisconsin and Beyond Light Up Braddock this Weekend

Braddock, Pennsylvania.Image via Wikipedia

I really want to highlight this event for this weekend – I am going to try to stop by on Friday or Satruday evening.  I met the founder of the Unsmoke Artspace a few years ago and I have really enjoyed seeing his dedication to Braddock and the region.  Braddock Light is an exhibit that will include artists from the University of Wisconsin and other locations – all who work with light as an artistic medium.  I have attended a variety of events in Braddock over the past few years and each time has provided an opportunity to see interesting works of art, the architecture of Braddock and meet some interesting people.  Here is a picture from a light installation in Braddock in 2006.

Braddock Light

Who: over 35 light and video artists from the University of Wisconsin – Madison,
Pratt MWP and the Pittsburgh area.

When: dusk till midnight, Friday April 24 and Saturday April 25

Where: Unsmoke Systems Artspace, 1137 Braddock Ave, Braddock PA, 15104
Braddock, PA – Join us for the 2009 light art exhibition hosted by Unsmoke
Systems. The two day event is a unique and exciting art event that exhibits
works of art from artists around the region For the past 20 years, the University
of Wisconsin-Madison has been hosting national exhibits for artists who use
light as a medium. This year they have decided to take it on the road, to Braddock and
come and transform Unsmoke Systems. This event is presented by the University
of Wisconsin – Madison Art/Glass Dept. and Unsmoke Systems.

Some other blogs that have posted about Braddock Light: Oranje,  Pittsburgh Art and Gallery Info, Graduate Contextual Practice – (I am not sure exactly what this blog is about but I love the blog design and there are some great pictures posted here too) and the Pittsburgh discussion group on Flickr.

Some other blog coverage of Braddock:

  • This American Dream looks at Braddock going Greeen
  • Rust Wire has a nice summary of some recent press on Braddock – Rust Wire is doing a great job blogging about the Great Lakes “rust belt” cities – I had a change to catch up with these bloggers at the last month in Milwaukee – check out their blog for more great info.

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Pittsburgh is for 2nd Homes and Historic Grocery Stores

Null Space, Chris Briem’s blog with lots of interesting info – often about Pittsburgh, links to this blog post from Otherstream – a blog from a North Carolina resident who has just purchased a 2nd home here in Pittsburgh – mostly just because he loves Pittsburgh.  I wanted to share an excerpt of his post Why Pittsburgh…

So now on to the bigger and more interesting question of why I would consider a place like Pittsburgh, and how I could assume I might like it better there than, say, San Francisco, given all the relief I felt upon living that particular urban area. It’s a valid question, and it’s one that even my husband asked me at one point.

…

Pittsburgh gives me that “urban” that I crave. I fell in love with the city on my first visit in 1997, and I love it a little more each time I visit. Unlike most sunbelt “boom towns”, the texture is decidedly urban, with a diversity of building types, people, and incomes. Unlike San Francisco and other “sophisticated urban areas” , the mood is neither expensive nor pretentious. And unlike such rust belt icons as Cleveland and Detroit, there’s an actual economy; in fact, Pittsburgh has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.

Otherstream has some more great posts about Pittsburgh.  The author also writes a blog about old grocery stores, Groceteria.com, which is very well put together website with tons of interesting information.  There are even some pictures of some Pittsburgh grocery stores on the site – SureSave in Bloomfield, Swartz’s on Carson Street, and Breakers in Dormont.

Congratulations on your new Pittsburgh home! Continue reading →