This year marks the 100th year for the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (AAP), making it one
of the oldest artist communities in the country. The AAP organized several different exhibitions around the area to showcase the work of its members. As a long-time member of AAP, Carol Brode, a former board member and gallery director and educator, was invited, along with colleague Kathleen Mendus Dlugos, associate professor of art at Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC), to conjure up an exhibit that would travel throughout the year to a number of college galleries.
By Stephanie Wytovich
Staff Writer
This year marks the 100th year for the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (AAP), making it one
of the oldest artist communities in the country. The AAP organized several different exhibitions around the area to showcase the work of its members. As a long-time member of AAP, Carol Brode, a former board member and gallery director and educator, was invited, along with colleague Kathleen Mendus Dlugos, associate professor of art at Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC), to conjure up an exhibit that would travel throughout the year to a number of college galleries.
The exhibition is a beautiful display of mixed media, some with the inclusion of text, others with a bark frame around an exquisite painting. There are various references to death and rebirth, and there appears to be a slight edging towards the subconscious, with a slight emphasis on the Macabre. Examples are seen in the pieces by Lucienne Wald which demonstrate x-ray vision to the human body; in fact, her chilling piece “Professor Emeritus” won an award, and in my opinion, is one of the most enticing pieces within the gallery.
“We chose the theme of past/present with the idea of asking AAP member artists to reflect on the organization’s long history, its relationship with the Carnegie Museum of Art and Pittsburgh,” said Brode. “Some artists chose to focus on the work of previous AAP artists, in ‘homage’ to them, while others interpreted the theme to reflect a more general view of ways the past can influence the present.”
Artist Kevin Kutz has several pieces in the Exhibition, my personal favorite being “Ode to Olds.” This piece was constructed primarily in charcoal, and depicts the Heinz Chapels in different angles, with varied styles.
“The right version began with charcoal from a studio fire I had three years ago, so if you notice a slight umber that is what that is from,” Kutz explained. “I [wanted to] challenge myself to do a cut-away view to convey the interior and windows.
The left (reverse) version is a monotype-print and developed with inks.”
“My drawing professor Herbert Olds at Carnegie Mellon [University] (CMU) was doing these fantastic works in the early seventies with these crazy ‘corpuscular’ sparkly textures that I sometimes strive to achieve. It is a quality similar to his, but achieved in a different manner,” he added.
What is particularly interesting about this piece is his inclusion of words and the slight blotches of color that is used throughout. Kutz stated that the color was used to imply pieces of stained glass and was achieved my mixing food dye with slight amounts of charcoal. Kutz also said that “In the text I mention several Pittsburgh artists [as well as] some of my intentions.” Said Kutz. “What I like about this type of drawing is that I have no idea how it will come out. It sort of evolves on its own, and though it is representational, it is abstract as well. This painting could be considered neo impressionist.”
The Harlan Gallery is but the first stop for this traveling exhibition. In May, it will be shown at Robert Morris University (RMU), and then later on at Westminster College. The exhibition will remain at SHU until Thurs., Mar. 25, and the gallery hours are as follows: Mon.-Thurs. 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Fri. 1 p.m.-3 p.m., and Sun. 1 p.m.-4 p.m.