Three Rivers
Virtual art festival invites you to look and buy
Rain is usually the big concern when the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Art Festival opens. For the first time in the event’s 61-year history, it doesn’t really matter if it storms because the festival is online.
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust kicked off the festival Friday when its website (www.TrustArts.org/ TRAF) launched the juried and other digital art exhibitions and a virtual Artist Market.
Organizers announced in mid-April that the 61st festival would be virtual for the first time due to the new coronavirus. It runs through June 14 and features new ways of showcasing the work of nearly 400 artists in digital images, polls and live-streamed concerts.
Visual artists said they are thankful for the online exposure but that it’s just not the same as being there in person. Festival lovers are apparently willing to give a try. The website and social media pages collected over 7,000 views on the first night, according to Sarah Aziz, director of festival management for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. That level of engagement continued over the weekend, she said, with nearly two-thirds of visitors clicking on the Artist Market.
Virtual Artist Market
Artists would normally pay a fee to be part of the Artist Market but that was waived for the virtual format. Whereas the artists are usually grouped in sessions of no more than 175, this year the work of all 350 artists will remain on the website for the full 10 days.
Watercolor artist Brett Mason of Beechview said the Three Rivers Arts Festival is the biggest event he does each year. “It’s like the Primanti’s sandwich of outdoor events here.”
Mr. Mason updated his website with a message for festival viewers. So far, he has seen an uptick in web traffic, he said, and he made his first sale of the festival Sunday evening.
“It’s definitely cool that they put the time and effort in to do this,” he said. “Any exposure given the circumstances is good.”
He also said that he’d be happy to welcome anyone interested in his work into his studio to see it in person or possibly take work to their house.
“You have to be businessminded,” he said.
Painter Jay Durrah, a Western Pennsylvania native who now lives in Washington, D.C., has seen an increase of traffic on his website since the festival began, he said, but he hasn’t sold anything yet. He’s taken part in the festival a few times and always looks forward to it, Mr. Durrah said.
“It’s different. I’ve been promoting through Instagram and my Facebook page mostly.”
This would have been abstract painter Mah Leah Cochran’s first time at the Downtown Pittsburgh festival. She says she didn’t know what to expect but is pleased with the increase in social media interaction and website traffic.
“It’s been awesome,” said the Gahanna, Ohio-based artist. “I’ve benefited from a sale already.”
The Three Rivers Arts Festival is known for showcasing many art styles and media. There are paintings priced at over $1,000 and small-scale works like handmade cutting boards and scarves. The artisans with smaller works may have an easier time with the transition because their items are easier to ship and many already have an online business.
Fourth-year participant Kelley Skillin makes and sells stuffed animals as Katydids Kritters in Sterling Heights, Mich.
“I already rely on online sales,” Ms. Skillin said. “My website traffic increased by 850% on the first day.”
Sales have not followed yet, but she is still hopeful. She usually does 10 festivals between June and August, making summer her busiest time of year.
“We’re sad we won’t be in Pittsburgh this year,” Ms. Skillin said.
Digital exhibitions
Three art exhibitions accessible on the festival’s homepage are the “Transverse” juried exhibition,
“Anthropology of Motherhood: Culture of Care” and “Compass Roses: Maps by Artists.”
“The juried exhibition is the art festival’s oldest tradition,” Ms. Aziz said.
The juried show has six awards: Four are jurors’ choice, one is best in show and one is people’s choice, with a monetary prize of $500. The winners will be invited back to display their art in next year’s show.
“It’s a good alternative,” exhibit coordinator Ivette Spradlin, a Troy Hill resident, said of the digital shows. “People have more experience seeing art online now because of social media.”
The virtual format does not do justice to works like “Fractured Lens” by Jennifer Schurman, which has a light show. Others like “Station 17” by Natalie Condrac have a lot of small details you can’t really see in the photo.
“Anthropology of Motherhood: Culture of Care” curated by Amy Bowman-McElhone and Fran Flaherty, is usually installed Downtown as a multipurpose space for nursing moms and families with young children. This year, the art gallery that also acts as a young family’s retreat amid the summer heat, has work displayed digitally. It’s different because the environment itself is part of the exhibition’s experience.
“It’s viewed more traditionally,” Ms. Flaherty said of the exhibit’s digital format. “We are traveling the show to Carlow University in the fall. Other artists may be added as well.”
The “Compass Roses: Maps by Artists,” curated by Nadine Wasserman and Renee Piechocki, expands
TRAF from Downtown to places all over Pittsburgh.
“For each map, the artists were asked to consider and interpret Pittsburgh in any way they wished,” the curators said in a statement. “The content of each map is therefore unique and might contain readily recognizable places or imaginary ones or those that have been forgotten or are unfamiliar.”
Sara Tang’s map showcases bookstores in Pittsburgh, each drawn with impeccable detail.
“Rainbow Roads: Allegheny County’s Color Belts” by Jeffrey Krsul is based on a map from the 1940s by an engineer with the Allegheny County Department of Public Works. Each colored line indicates a looping series of roads that lead commuters around Downtown to avoid traffic.