The East Edge Arts Revival is gathering momentum in Wilkinsburg’s Park Place neighborhood.
Located at 207 Franklin Ave., in a 2,000-square-foot house donated by CP Development, East Edge is gearing up to host an inaugural exhibition at its Park Place Art Center in August. The three-story property includes gallery space, a kitchen and studio area and a garden with plants donated by
Mildred's Daughters Urban Farm.
Spearheaded by Laura Miller and Chris Mucci—both under 26—East Edge hosted a buzz-generating open house in July. The pair met at the neighborhood’s new
Drawn In Café—nearby on Franklin—and are developing artist residency and membership programs, exhibitions and events, and children’s after-school programs.
“We want to be integrated within the neighborhood instead of being a separate institution. The community is bringing wonderful energy to the project. Natural synergies are forming,” adds Miller, who is working with the
Park Place Neighborhood Association and
Wilkinsburg Borough. “There’s an arts revival Downtown, on the Northside and around the universities. The East End has been surprisingly left out. It’s a very rich neighborhood for cultural events.”
Miller developed a passion for community-based art spaces while participating in an
Art in Context course at
Carnegie Mellon. “I feel extremely fortunate. Pittsburgh is warm and approachable,” adds
Mucci, a graduate of Maryland Institute of Art, relocated to Pittsburgh in February. “The community has given us their honest approval and welcomed
us with open arms, donating baked goods and plants and opening homes.”
East Edge is seeking grants and donations for ongoing renovations, which include plaster patching, painting, installing bathrooms and a kitchen, and constructing display areas.
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSources: Laura Miller, director, and Chris Mucci, assistant director, East Edge Arts Revival
Photograph copyright Brian Cohen