For Immediate Release                                                                               Contact: Carol OÕSullivan

April 8, 2010                                                                              412-681-5449; pghfilmmakers.org

 

Pittsburgh Filmmakers Announces Spring Exhibits

 

(Pittsburgh, PA) – Filmmakers Galleries presents two new shows for Spring 2010. They are both on view from April 30 through May 23. Patterns: echo shift and rescript is an exhibition of works on canvas, paper and panel by Pittsburgh-based artist and educator, R. E. Levine. Running concurrently is the Senior Thesis Photography exhibit, a student showcase with work by Loren Gold, Leigh Ann Letta, Chris Ruppenthal and Emily Sniegocki. All four students graduate this spring with a BFA from Point Park University. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 30, 6:00 - 8:00 pm. It is free and open to the public.

 

Patterns: echo shift and rescript has as its underlying theme the nature of patterns – their iteration, shift, interruption and redirection as well as their function.  This exhibit is LevineÕs exploration of the decorative, kaleidoscopic, and confounding nature of patterns, in a variety of contexts.

 

The ÒEcho ShiftÓ series uses oil crayons, ink washes, language, and stamps – drawn, scraped and overlaid on canvas to create a shifting landscape of shallow space.  In another series, multiple wood panels are fitted together and a dark background creates ribbons of fractured circular motifs shifting from space to space.

 

ÒHundred HappinessÓ investigates mark making in multiples.  The random pattern of the imprints left by Sumi ink-soaked rubber bands on mulberry paper is juxtaposed with the more rigid rows of Chinese calligraphic block stamps.

 

Levine uses Tokyo newspapers from 1931-34 to illuminate the redirection of an entire nationÕs pattern – the Òimperial rescriptÓ of pre-World War II Japan.  Newspaper sticks hold 20 handmade books of period paper overlaid with newsprint, abstract design, and language from Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan (Herbert P. Bix). A video loop of the pages is overlaid with a history of the incident that changed the direction and re-patterned a nation.

 

Levine received both her BFA and MFA at the American University in Washington, D.C. An accomplished artist whose work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions for more than 45 years, Levine was co-director and coordinator of the National Endowment for the Humanities; co-director, coordinator and deputy director for programs at the National Endowment for the Arts; and manager of traveling exhibitions for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C., as well as an adjunct faculty member at American University. She has exhibited her own work locally, nationally and internationally, including Italy and the Czech Republic. Her website is www.relevine.com.

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The BFA in Photography is a collaborative program between Point Park University and Pittsburgh Filmmakers, where students take the majority of their photography courses. Students presenting their work this year are:

 

Loren Gold   Her work is based on a personal journal. Her images illustrate her life experiences and transitions.  She tells stories with single photographs, multiple exposures and sequential imagery collaged on the same page.

 

Leigh Ann Letta   She creates abstract imagery in much the same way abstract expressionists used paint on canvas. She breaks the image down to the formal aspects of photography, building her pictures with light, color, natural elements and time.

 

Chris Ruppenthal   He directs and shoots scenarios that reference film stills. His work illustrates different genres and depicts a variety of characters. He plays with dramatic lighting and intense moments, and is inspired by the work of Gregory Crewdson.

 

Emily Sniegocki   She photographs contemporary ruins. And although her images are quite elegant she sees tragedy not beauty in these scenes. She is frustrated by the increase in abandoned properties and businesses in our environment.

 

ÒEach one of these artists is motivated by different experiences and influences,Ó explains Associate Professor Sue Abramson, head of the photography program at Filmmakers. ÒCombined, their work encompasses issues confronting artists in contemporary times.Ó

 

 

 

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Filmmakers Galleries, located at 477 Melwood Avenue, North Oakland, are open Monday through Thursday, 12:00 - 7:00; Friday, 12:00 – 6:00pm, and when films are shown in the Melwood Screening Room.