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.

PGH Green Bridge on Flickr

, originally uploaded by PGH Green Bridge.

We now have a Flickr Pro account, so there's no limit to the amount
of photos that can be uploaded, or sets that we can have  there.

So post away. Remember, when you upload photos to Flickr to tag
them with "PGH Green Bridge" "eco-art" "installation art" etc...

And you can post directly to this blog from Flickr as I did with this photo.

Here's the link to PGH Green Bridge on Flickr.

PGH Green Bridge: Postcard & Poster design

When I set up this blog I quickly designed

a simple header for the top. I knew a little bit

about the project~ that one of it's core ideas,

is to build a bridge between two green spaces.

So I decided a simple 3 panel image where

the type could be placed would suffice, and I

would use a simple palette of greens for the

background and the type. The two green boxes
are connected by the space in the middle.
The white space could represent a bridge.

I imagined that this header could be used as
a springboard for other design ideas about
connection(s). And I imagined that students 
would redesign the header after there was some 
imagery that could be used to fill in those green 
boxes. 

The type could be rearranged in a variety of ways: Stacked

upon each other, running all togther in one box, etc...

As we begin to think about a design for the postcard

and or poster, it would be useful to think about how

we could go about branding the PGH Green Bridge

Project. 

A brand is a name or trademark connected with a product or producer.^[1] Brands have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, now being described as "cultural accessories and personal philosophies". Souce: Wikipedia

So I have come up with a similar layout which could be developed along

with the header. It is based on the same 3 boxes which represent the concept

of connection. The size is based on a standard postcard size of 4 x 6 inches,

but a poster could be made increased in size but keeping the same dimensions.

(For example: 12 x 18")

Along with a brief description of the project, (Connie will provide this or we'll
use what is already on the blog) the card needs to contain the following information...


The Mattress Factory PGH Green Bridge Project was made possible by support from the Surdna Foundation. Education programs at the Mattress Factory are supported by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, The Grable Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Richard King Mellon Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

~ David

Tuesday at CAPA

Hello folks,

This coming Tuesday, November 24, David Pohl and Connie Merriman will be coming in to talk to the kids about the concept and design of the flyer/announcement for the upcoming exhibit at the Mattress Factory. All students are invited -- esp. the Pitt students. If you can attend this session, it is from 1pm to about 2:30 or so with some time to collaborate in the printmaking studio. Also, we will be posting ideas on this blog site.

Meanwhile I am also posting a link to an African artist whose work we have looked at. His name is El Anatsui and can be found on Google images and the web. There is an article about his work in a fairly recent issue of the New York Times Sunday Magazine.