Soon after Linda Mitchell moved to Pittsburgh from Detroit, she began scouting sites for a homespun art gallery to fulfill a lifelong dream. After securing a space along Uptown Mt. Lebanon’s business corridor, Mitchell, a first-time business owner, celebrated along with 200 others, the opening of
Planet Art Gallery at 632
Washington Road on May 20.
The 900 square-foot gallery features a backroom for painting, bookbinding and papermaking classes. PAG features original handmade work by more than 36 artists, including turned wood, pottery, painting, hand-tinted photography, polymer clay jewelry, fused and blown glass, fiber art, and found object assemblage created from computer circuit boards.
Mitchell is already pondering programming the space in creative ways, perhaps as a live music and poetry venue. On June 9, potter Joseph Sendak will be featured throwing pots in the gallery.
Recruiting artists from western and central PA as well as Ohio, through friends, artist guilds and craft fairs, PAG represents an investment of $50,000 in the local artist and business community.
The Mitchells' vision extends to the gallery’s façade where the boomerang-style sign, made by local company
Seiferth, features a logo designed by Gregory. Other design features include an ornate tin ceiling and hardwood floors. “We moved in and painted the ceiling red,” says Mitchell. “Feedback has been very good. People are excited about the local aspect."
Source: Linda Mitchell, owner, Planet Art Gallery.