CRAFT- O - TRON !!!!!!!

Check this out!!!!!


“THE REBIRTH OF THE VENDING MACHINE! The Travelling Pittsburgh Craft-O-Tron gets plugged into a new purpose!!"

Steel Town's Etsy's new marvel: "Tronny" the retired cigarette vending machine turned Craft Vending Machine has completed its makeover and has been stocked with a dazzling variety of some of the best handmade items in the 'Burg!! Check out the progress and get a sneak peek of the crafts here: http://artist.to/pghcraftmachine/

The lights will be turned on and the Craft-O-Tron will begin its new mission: to spread the news of the handmade scene in Pittsburgh and begin its journey through the city's cultural events, hot spots, and beyond! This craftstoric event will take place at the machine's temporary home: Wildcard in Lawrenceville.

It will be caught on video and posted on the facebook page.

Be sure to become a friend of the machine and follow it's trek and message: Buy local! Buy handmade!

artfully urban..

Slideluck Potshow is a non-profit organization devoted to building and strengthening community around food and art. Casey Kelbaugh, dt Their objective is also to promote public appreciation of the visual arts and to provide art education opportunities to school-age children in New York City. Participants in the slideshow exhibitions are encouraged to take creative risks, in terms of content and presentation, and to not just show their portfolios. This is not a way for self marketing. Each slideshow exhibition has a section with a theme, as well as non-themed section.
At each Slideluck Potshow event, the exhibition is preceded by a potluck-style dinner. Attendees bring food and drink, as the evening begins with two hours of dining on the home-cooked delights of the participants, while drinking and mingling. This brilliant combination is what was attempted at the G.R.O.W.W. potluck/craft nights. Where Slideluck brings it to the next level is through the Slideluck Youth Initiative, an after-school workshop targeted for New York City public middle and high school students. It is designed to increase education and participation in the visual arts. SLYI has formulated a 12-week curriculum that includes lessons from guest photographers and field trips to local photo studios or galleries, and culminates in a student slideshow exhibition.
I want to get in touch with the founder Casey Kelbaugh and talk to him about starting one in Pittsburgh. I feel that we could pull off a really successful one injunction with the I Made It! Market.

i (keep) making it. ..

Back In PGH. Some Updates.. I have returned to the I Made It! Market, which I helped start with Carrie Nardini. She has been keeping it going since I went to LA three years ago. She has helped it to grow to beyond belief. Now, some things to look forward too!!! Next Saturday we are joining up with Pop Up Pittsburgh to put on a mini-market for the Hilltop communities of Mt. Washington(yes we have one in PGH too), Arlingon, Elliot, Beltzhoover, and etc. That is happening May 15th. THEN! We are having a nothor mini-market May 22 at Venture Outdoors Fest! Then in June, we have a lot going on. We are joining with WYEP, WildCard, and the JCC!
I hope to see you there!

i made it! market!

Ya for I Made It! Market! This was featured on the Keystone Edge website.

makers and shakers

Before I get to the gut of it, Ive been making some things happen around these parts. As some know, I am really good at instigating things and getting into trouble. Back in the burgh, Carrie Nardini and I started a nomadic market, I Made It! Market. The market has been continuing since I've left. The whole idea behind the market is to give people to opportunity to sell the things they make. "Do you make things? Do you want to sell the things you make? Sell it at I Made It!"
That's a common phrase from my mouth. "By you coming to the market, you've made it too!"
I saw it as an opportunity to create event in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is a city with many little neighborhoods and is not so foreign from LA as one would think. Pittsburgh is a bunch of broken puzzle pieces that fit but don't flow. As small and manageable as that city is, its not self aware.
With the I Made It! Market in Pittsburgh we are able to interlace through exposure and repetition. I see it as an example of urban acupuncture.
As I am now in Los Angeles, I have stumbled accross a gallery, a potential space. Inmo Yuon has decided to let me in on use planning of the space. So what do I do? Put an I Made It! Market! The exception fo the rule is that its not nomadic though the space is pretty ephemeral. I joined forces with Los Angeles Craft Mafia and we have about 15 vendors. Morgan from the craft mafia has stared a blog and has made this fantastic poster for it.


Please join us on FEB 9th at Billy's Coffee Shop at 5th and main street downtown Los Angeles.


Downtown is amazing. It's soo Pittsburgh. It's sooo raw with real Dirt. Real fear. Real urgency. I love it.

There are some new blogs on the side one in particluar, the Solstice Creative, by dearest Doug. He has also brought to my attention that the Library of Congress has just uploaded like 3000 photos on to flickr. THANKS LOC!