Pop Filter Hot Pick: Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District

Every four months, Downtown becomes the destination du jour, as Pittsburgh's Cultural District teems with cutting-edge visual art, performance, theater, dance, family-friendly activities, and plenty of chances to experience the Burgh's creative side. And with some 4,000 people culture jamming, we'd day it's officially the place to be and be seen.

What's new for 2011? Step into a hypnotic installation of digital light projections and natural phenomenology in White Light–Black Light, the U.S. debut of new work by Finnbogi Petursson and Jan Tichy at Wood St. Galleries. Then turn on thousands of lights on an electromagnetic field just by making a cell phone call.

Over at Tonic, discover organic mixed media paintings inspired by Jill Lena Ford's recent trip to Morocco, and at the August Wilson Center, view sculpture by Thaddeus Mosley.

Need something to hold your swag? Head to 929 Liberty Ave., where Handmade Arcade crafters will upcycle old tees into new and purposeful tote bags. At 709/709 Penn, don't miss Ian Brill's Transmission and Jill Larson's After the Sky Has Fallen, while at Future Tenant, examine work by video artists featured on the cable access show, Acid Rain.

Ready to warm up? Sip hot libations at the Institute of Culinary Art, then head to the Trust Arts Education Center for club dance classes and hot moves by Cuidado Tango and Alba Flamenca. While there, listen to voices of children sharing hopes for the New Year with Saturday Light Brigade's Storyboxes, and check out sketches created during a Downtown-wide six-hour drawing marathon.

The heat is on at Katz Plaza, where Pittsburgh's premiere Fire Art performance group will wow (and warm!) crowds using burning poi, snakes and swords.
 
Presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the Gallery Crawl is free and open to the public. For a map of events, go here.

Read all of the Pop Filter picks.