Passports to become ART PEOPLE PGH

After years of working as Passports: The Art Diversity Project, the two grassroots organizers--Christine Bethea and  Brenda Brown-- are going to redirect their artistic roots. Over the last several years, the group has been focused mainly on arts administration, concentrating on special events such as the Geek Art/Green Innovator's Festival @ Unblurred on Penn Avenue, which they produced and which has had a successful six year run.

Said Bethea, one of Passport's former principals," We are looking forward to being what we are first and foremost: Artists. We want to get back to creating art ourselves, and in particular expanding by doing more public art and utilizing other established and emerging artists. Joining the Bethea and Brown as a lead artist, will be Hill District icon, George Gist who, since 1967 has created murals and other art in several rust belt cities including Pittsburgh and Detroit. Gist's work on the New Granada is one of the city's first public mural projects.

"We feel George, his art, music and history bring a lot of dimension to the group," said Brown.

Gist with his Mural on the Granada in the Hill District

FOUR MORE YEARS!

GA/GI or the Geek Art/Green Innovator's Festival has grown to become the main event that Passports Art Diversity Project (PADP) produces, held in April of every year as part of Unblurred on Penn. Now up four years from our first, we are now directing, GA/GI 5! Visit here.

Passports will be hosting their annual meeting this December to look at other events and possibilities to benefit Pittsburgh's artists.

3rd Big Year for Geek Art / Green Innovator's Festival! "Jump" to 2012

Try our video maker at Animoto.

Once again, Passports/ARTica in partnership with Penn Avenue Arts presents GA/Festival! Our 3rd big year...learn about it here.

Hitting It Out of the Park

The evening of Thursday, August 18, Passports was proud to deliver a quilt created by Christine Bethea to the Roberto Clemente Museum curated by photographer, Duane Reider.. It took one year to complete the work. Both the museum and Ms. Bethea's organization Passports are supported by Pittsburgh Gateways.

Adding tech assistance were artists, Brenda Brown and Susan Constanse. To see other work by Ms. Bethea, an award winning quilter, registered with the Heinz History Center, visit Quilter's Candy.

Passports/ARTica Ends and Begins Another Great Year!

We're proud of all our accomplishments in 2010. Some of the best being the creation of Pennsylvania's first Eco, Art and Tech Festival--GA/GI (pronounced GAH-gee) as a key event of  World Environment Day. Our Green Team helped a number of emerging artists move forward in their careers.through exhibiting and doing demos at the event. This year, in addition to the festival, we've teamed up with Pittsburgh Gateways to build a fiberarts business that will produce a series of fiberart quilts based on the history of Pittsburgh's Hill District. And  we're working with the Roberto Clemente Museum to complete a quilt for fundraising. Meanwhile the ARTIca shop will be totally overhauled by Grove City Student Sam Perry. We've put out a call for  artists to program it for the upcoming year, looking forward to showcasing  fiberartist Cathleen Bailey in June with an exhibition called "Sparkle."So many great ideas! We'll keep you posted.

Passports/Artica to Host Grove City College and Sam Perry for SamSamLand Exhibition in April 2011 @ GA/GI Festival

"Welcome To SamSamland: Don't Wear Black to My Funeral" will be a gallery and music event curated by Sam Perry of Grove City University. SamSamland's key focus is the balance between celebrating and mourning life. This will be done through the exploration of trauma and its effect on the individual and community. SamSamland serves as a freeing space for victims of trauma and their family and friends as well as an educational experience for all those involved. Recycled materials will be used for all of the pieces, showing that beauty can be created out of everyone's damaged goods. For more information, check out samsamland's blog or search "Welcome to SamSamland" on Facebook.

LIFE Pittsburgh and Passports Green Art Projects

Passports has been working with Life Pittsburgh for three years to produce art created from recycled items! Seniors have stamped vintage fabric, rolled paper beads made of magazines and wrapping paper, repurposed old string, sewed, pasted and collaged their way into producing many incredible works of art for the walls and common spaces of several local senior day cares. Other Life Centers hosting art by Passports are in the Hill District and on the North Shore. The Organization founders, Christine Bethea and Brenda Brown, have plans to work with other companies that cater to the senior population in the region, in the near future.

Shown here: Panels gracing the dining room of Life's Senior Center in Green Tree.