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September 2021

The Art Circle Issue

Pulling Back The Curtain At The CMoA 

Hi there, 

I don’t know about you, but I’m a proud, card-carrying member of the Carnegie Museums. I’ve always felt an innate connection to art — and it doesn’t matter the medium. Poetry, installations, painting, sculptures, abstract. Immersing myself in the creative works of others enlivens my spirit. Over the years, I’ve also relied on art as an emotional outlet, using it to help me process difficult feelings or document an especially meaningful time in my life. 

That’s why I couldn’t wait to share this week’s newsletter with you because it’s all about art. More specifically, our latest Art Circle event. The Art Circle is a collaboration with Casey Droege, the head boss of Casey Droege Cultural Productions (CDCP), an artist-run, woman-owned business. Next week, we’ll be taking you behind the scenes at the Carnegie Museum of Art. 


Dana Bishop-Root, Director of Education and Public Programs, and Alyssa Velazquez, Curatorial Assistant in Decorative Arts and Design, will give attendees an exclusive look into the inspiration, process, and execution of two current exhibits: Locally Sourced, which spotlights the work of 19 Pittsburgh–area artisans and makers, and Extraordinary Ordinary Things, which presents a selection of pieces ranging from the evocative and extraordinary to the practical and every day. 

Even better, I got the chance to sit down with Dana and Alyssa for all the nitty-gritty details and what to expect. Did I mention the event includes a glass of wine?

Until next week, 
—Meredith

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The Inside Scoop w/Dana Bishop-Root & Alyssa Velazquez

In the leadup to our exciting Salon Art Circle collaboration with the Carnegie Museum of Art and a rare look into what it takes to bring an art exhibit from concept to installation, we caught up with Dana Bishop-Root, the mind behind all of the CMoA’s brilliant programming, and Alyssa Velazquez, a talented curator with an eye for art that resonates. 

M: Can you give some context and background about Extraordinary Ordinary Things?

AV: The big idea behind Extraordinary Ordinary Things is that humans have always customized basic functional objects, revealing stories about makers and users and the cultures they inhabit. This reflective statement is much different than the previous installation of the Ailsa Mellon Bruce galleries, which were a catalog of time period and style. 

Two of the biggest questions our department asked ourselves throughout the curatorial process were: ‘What new stories can our collection tell?’ and ‘What is a responsive museum?’

M: What about Locally Sourced?

AV: Locally Sourced is both an answer to the larger question ‘What is a responsive museum?’ and possesses its own questions: ‘Where does your daily cup come from?,’ ‘Is it locally sourced?,’ ‘Why or why not?’ Can you tell I like asking questions? =) 

Designed to feature 19 local makers, designers, artists, and creatives, Locally Sourced is as much a showcase of contemporary Pittsburgh as it is a prompt for regional conscientious consumerism.

M: Without revealing too much, what can attendees expect?

DBR: We’re very excited to host The Salon, and what we will be sharing is a deep dive into, ‘What is a curator thinking?’ from a curator, [Alyssa], who organized Locally Sourced and who was the curatorial assistant for Extraordinary Ordinary Things

When you go into a museum, it’s not top of mind that everything in the museum has been chosen to be there. So how do we shift that to understanding that things have been chosen and there’s a reason they were chosen and there’s a reason they’re in relationship to each other. So this hour together will really go into how the choices are made and what is the process of exhibition-making.

M: What do you hope attendees will take away from a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into curating CMoA’s exhibits?

AV: If when attendees reach for their morning cup of coffee or water the next day and do a double-take at the glass they are holding, then you’ve gotten the “behind-the-scenes” experience into the world of decorative arts and design that I would want one to receive — all objects and their settings or environments are so much more than meets the eye.  

DBR: I think, too, that the next time someone comes into a museum, they’ll bring their own experiences of the world and their own aesthetics with them — and to think about how those experiences and those relationships are interacting with the choices that have been made by the curator to make an exhibition.

M: Why is connecting with others through art so important?

DBR: We’ve been talking about choice and agency. As we think about the curatorial process, it’s the idea that art is a meeting place. It’s a place you can come to yourself to be in the place that you’re in, whether you’re in a place of grief, or joy, or in isolation, or in creativity — and art welcomes you. It allows you to share your lived experience, to share where you are with it and for that to be reflected back. I think of art as another kind of mirror, it offers a way for us to look at ourselves through a different lens. 

Art also allows us to connect with each other across our differences, and I deeply believe this. If we show up to art with what we have, then art becomes its own kind of mediator. It’s a mediator between us. It fills in the space in between, it gives us something to talk about that’s outside of ourselves. Where we might not feel as comfortable doing that if there’s not something in between. 

AV: It gives us something tangible to touch. And isn’t that the whole point, to feel?  

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]

Join us, Dana, and Alyssa on September 30 as we Go Behind the Exhibit at the Carnegie. Register here!

Join The Salon

Laugh, learn, and connect with the brilliant women of Pittsburgh. 

The Salon is a place to dabble in the unknown. We provide an admittedly eclectic (but community-led!) range of programming. One week, it might be an academic discussing the gender pay gap. Next, it might be wine tasting and hipster puzzles. Sign up for a membership to indulge in new things with us! And if it makes you a bit nervous — that might be a good thing.

Our events, conversations, and moments of inspiration all happen at Arsenal Motors — a beautiful co-working space in Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh designed to make you feel at home while you do your best work.

Join Our Community.

Salon Events & Happenings


BIPOC Meet-Up
Tues, September 28th, 6 - 7 pm
@ Zoom

There are not enough opportunities for BIPOC women to connect in Pittsburgh, so we’re creating them. If you self-identify as a woman of color, join us and Salon member anu jain for a virtual evening event focused on building community and uplifting each other. Open and free to all. Register here!


Women In Fashion | Body Talk
Wed, September 29th, 6 - 8 pm
@ The Salon

Women in Fashion series, a conversation series tackling timely topics within fashion. Elysia Panda, founder of Style412 is the series curator and will tackle topics around sustainability, size inclusivity, and more. Each month, we will invite special guests to share their insights on a topic, while sparking conversation and connecting within the industry. Register here!


Go Behind the Exhibit, The Art Circle
Thurs, September 30th, 6 - 7 pm
@ The Carnegie Museum of Art

Get the inside story on creating an exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art for a special tour that pulls back the curtain of the museum exhibits, Locally Sourced and Extraordinary Ordinary Things. Register here!


What Do You *Really* Want? Workshop with Amy Bucciere
Sat, October 2nd, 10 - 3 pm
@ The Salon 

What do I *really* want? Explore, question, confront, and discover your desires in this unlocking workshop with Salon member and Founder of Miror, Cassie Guerin and relationship therapist Amy Bucciere. Register here!

Small Business, Consultant & Gig Worker Meet-Up
Tues, October 6th, 3 - 4 pm
@ Zoom

Interested in networking, mentoring, and learning with other consultants, solo professionals, and entrepreneurs? Join Salon Member Emma Kieran for our first Salon’s Consultants Meet-Up to talk with other consultants — both new and seasoned — and to discuss business practices, ask questions, and learn from those in similar and different industries. Open and free for all every 2nd Tuesday of the month. Register here!

Also ICYMI...

The Northside is adding a one-mile cultural district known as The Corridor to the neighborhood. 🎨And they’re celebrating with a free event on September 30 featuring The Warhol Museum, The Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh Parks, & the National Aviary. 🙌   

Did you know Sharpsburg is home to a woman-owned pet and plants shop? 🪴Check out Sara’s Pets and Plants, an adorable, light-filled store that offers delightful greenery and animals looking for their furever home. 🐇  

If you need me this weekend, I’ll be at the Trax Farms Fall Festival 🍂enjoying hayrides, food trucks, and picking out a prize pumpkin for my porch. 🎃

Port Authority is going electric. ⚡By 2023, two percent of the fleet will have ditched fossil fuels. But they want to move faster — and they need the community’s help with rallying more funding. 🚍#ClimateActionNow

Lights, camera, selfie. 🤳Grab your phone and head to the Selfie Pop-Up on S 6th Street for an immersive, one-of-a-kind, art-inspired experience. Think neon signs, color blocking, feathers, leopard print — and of course, killer lighting. 📸

This Saturday, take an art tour through Etna while enjoying live music, great food, and the outdoors. 🎭 Two must-stops: Wild Child restaurant owned by chef Jamilka Borges and Kiya Tomlin’s clothing boutique. 💖

Ideas for unwinding this weekend...

📖 What we’re reading: Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict. The historical fiction novel tells the story of love, power, and the woman who may have had untold influence over Andrew Carnegie.  

🎧What we’re listening to: I’m throwing it back to Christina Aguilera’s 1999 self-titled debut album and putting it on repeat because — well, I can. Little-known fact: She lived in Wexford for a period of time growing up and even attended North Allegheny High School. 

📼 What we’re watching: Boys on the Side, a 1995 dramedy — much of which is set in Pittsburgh — that highlights the power of female friendships. Starring Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, and Drew Barrymore.

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September 2021
The Art Circle Issue



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