Pitt students with artist collaborators in front of their hanging knotweed piece

CAPA students with "Mother Nature"

Michael O in the knotweed path

Hope everyone comes to the opening tomorrow,
Saturday, December 12 from 2-4pm.

Great day of installing the exhibition at the Mattress Factory.

PGH Green Bridge Project: Press Release

The Pittsburgh-Green-Bridge Project is providing an opportunity for budding artists in PIttsburgh. This opportunity encourages the creation of effective, environmentally sensitive artwork.  The Pittsburgh-Green-Bridge Project is a collaboration between students at CAPA High School and the University of Pittsburgh, the Mattress Factory, artists Constance Merriman, JoAnna Commandaros, Karen Page, Heather White and David Pohl, and the residents of Pittsburgh’s urban community and Greenspaces.  This interdisciplinary project includes study, observation, documentation, discussion, implementation and celebration.  


The collaboration has been centered around Japanese Knotweed.  Japanese Knotweed is an invasive species not native to Pittsburgh, and is currently impacting Schenley Park. The groups teamed with restoration ecologists to clear a pathway and collect the knotweed.  An installation reflecting the experience of the artists, students and the community will be exhibited at the Mattress Factory.


The opening for the show is on December 12th from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the lobby of the Mattress Factory.  The show will  be open for viewing on December 13th from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

14001 Tropaeolum, Clematis 340

14001 Tropaeolum, Clematis 340
Originally uploaded by horticultural art

13937 Tropaeolum majus 320

13937 Tropaeolum majus 320
Originally uploaded by horticultural art

13999 Tropaeolum, Clematis 340

13999 Tropaeolum, Clematis 340
Originally uploaded by horticultural art

Postcard Design (Front)

The Story of Cap and Trade

The Story of Cap and Trade

What is The Story of Cap & Trade?

The Story of Cap & Trade is a fast-paced, fact-filled look at the leading climate solution being discussed at Copenhagen and on Capitol Hill. Host Annie Leonard introduces the energy traders and Wall Street financiers at the heart of this scheme and reveals the "devils in the details" in current cap and trade proposals: free permits to big polluters, fake offsets and distraction from what’s really required to tackle the climate crisis. If you’ve heard about cap and trade, but aren’t sure how it works (or who benefits), this is the film is for you.

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PGH Green Bridge on Flickr

Don't forget that we now have a Flickr Pro account, so you
can upload as many photos as you want (and 60 second videos as well)
Here

Front postcard designs by Zoe

Back postcard design by Aeron

Dec. 2, 2009 at CAPA - making knotweed paper and working on a giant "mother earth with knotweed" puppet

Hello Folks,
I am posting this for the students as we are having difficulty accessing the blogspot at CAPA --
we can see some of the images and the posts but are having a hard time posting.

So, today the students made some knotweed paper. We are using the Hollander beater. First
we made some cotton pulp and then added some knotweed pieces. Later we added some flax
pulp as well. Maybe tomorrow we will try to make 100% knotweed pulp!

Connie visited today and was extremely helpful with her suggestions for the "image" of the mother
nature sculpture that will become a paper mache head for our giant puppet. Also, we discussed the
ongoing "saga" of our installation. The CAPA kids will make the knotweed path -- we can
add the puzzle pieces as well as crushed knotweed and maybe some "turtle" shells made of
paper mache. The giant puppet - if we get it done - can great the visitors outside in the
parking lot.

We also discussed the use of the knotweed paper -- oh, so many ideas . . . so little time!!!!

The CAPA kids want to return to Schenley Park to make a "illuminated" performance piece of
students walking through the hillside drawing. We are trying to make that possible.

Meanwhile, Connie also suggested that we consider photos from the first two knotweed
gathering sessions.

Personally, I think that all of this is proceeding very well --and once again, I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE
TO BLOG!!!! We are screen-printing patches and posters . . . . making knotweed paper, stamping on
knotweed branches to break it into smaller pieces for the path . . . . KNOTWEED, KNOTWEED, KNOTWEED--
DARN IT, I'm seeing it in my dreams . . . .

Two students made great designs for the announcement today. While several others have been
creating images that we can screen-print onto poster or patches for the opening.

This should be a EXHILATARATING WONDERFUL EVENT!!!!
WE HOPE THAT EVERYONE WILL ATTEND, BRING FRIENDS AND FAMILY, ETC.