Pop Filter Hot Pick: The Sprout Fund marks 10 creative years with TENACITY retrospective

When we think about Pittsburgh's legacy in terms of groundbreaking innovation, our list might be topped with inventions from the everyday to the life-changing, such as the polio vaccine, air brake, Ferris Wheel, and even the pull-tab on cans. From pioneering work in the fields of radio broadcasting to transplant surgery and steamboating, Pittsburgh's list of firsts is a very long and prestigious one.

Now in a much transformed Burgh, it's impossible to have a conversation about innovation without mentioning The Sprout Fund. Seeding innovation at its the grassroots level, the Penn Avenue-based organization has invested $4 million in early-stage projects, organizations, innovators, and activities since its inception in 2001.

Happy first decade

So how to mark 10 massively successful years supporting game-changing artistic, entrepreneurial and community-based projects in Pittsburgh? What began as a retrospective vision for a "10 artists, 10 minutes each" presentation has evolved into a one-night-only festival-style powerhouse featuring the city's most compelling and cutting-edge performances. Move over Hothouse, TENACITY is in (down)town.

Taking the form of a live retrospective of original performances, top Sprout-supported performing arts groups and individual artists will come together on stage for one night only on Friday, Dec. 9, at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture Downtown. Think live revue or talent show, but very heavy on the talent.

"It gives us the chance to focus on performance-based arts and have a more explicit partnership with the Cultural District and August Wilson Center," says Mac Howison, with The Sprout Fund. "We are a grassroots community investor that crosses over into the arts. For TENACITY, we curated the best of the ten years to focus on cutting-edge work by many artists who have received national attention. It's also an exciting opportunity to provide the artists with the professional caliber facilities and full technical support from the August Wilson Center and Clear Story."

What's on tap at TENACITY?

Audiences will be treated to a scene from the Tony Award-winning play, Take Me Out, by barebones productions, a classic 1930’s radio drama by Bricolage, a screening of Mombies, a comedic short about zombie parents in Lawrenceville, and a balletic vignette from Gravity+Grace, Frank Ferraro’s opera inspired by early-onset Parkinson’s disease. The Hiawatha Project will stage a scene from Camino, its mythical story of immigration, detention and identity, while BRICKS for Young Adults will share first-hand stories of young lives impacted by cancer.

Surprise celebrity guests will compete in a live puppet-making contest during Tom Sarver’s Art Olympic Theater, the always charismatic artist Alexi Morrissey will read his "love letter to Sprout" and musicians David Bernabo and Barrett Black will perform original compositions. Also featured will be nationally-acclaimed poet Vanessa German, the rollicking Accordion Pool Party Orchestra, shorts by ambulantic videoworks, and dance by Zafira Studios and HYBRID.

With professional sound and light design provided by South Side-based Clear Story, TENACITY will tell a story of transformative growth and output within Pittsburgh's cultural landscape. Showcasing both established and emerging artists and performance companies, the unique event will demonstrate The Sprout Fund's focus on seeding the work of local artistic innovators, which in turn, has helped to cultivate regional talent and make Pittsburgh a vital arts environment.

Howison, one of six staff members, says the initial vision was "all about the number 10," with a loose framework to provide each performer with 10 minutes in the limelight. The show evolved to feature 11 artists and approximately 14 artistic contributors, during what Howison calls a "rapid-fire festival-style" production. When curating acts for the 90-minute showcase, Sprout's staff took a close look at their impressive 10-year portfolio, selecting performers and performance pieces that date back to the organization's infancy in 2002, and some that reflect emerging recently funded works.

Tenacity and talent

One of The Sprout Fund's most visible manifestations can be seen throughout the city and region, via its long-running Public Art Program, which has brought some 55 murals to local communities, from Downtown to Dormont. Beyond these vibrant colorful walls, which are rich with layers of beauty and storytelling, are countless additional projects that got off the ground thanks in part to Sprout's support.

The organization's impact can be seen, felt and heard in a range of transformative artistic, civic and educational initiatives such as Auberle’s new outdoor classroom, the ongoing children and technology-based SPARK program, the regional biodiversity efforts of Spring, and the accomplishments of nonprofits such as Bike Pittsburgh, which are working tirelessly to enhance alternative transportation and quality of life in Pittsburgh.

"We're at a crossroads and it's an exciting point. We're looking forward to some changes in to 2012, such as a greater focus on SPARK, and work with new media, young adults and families. Our  community grantmaking will take a lot a different forms," adds Howison. "This is a natural growth point for us. The grassroots community we helped to foster is growing up, and we have grown along with the community of young adults we have supported."

Sprout's uniquely "community-decided" investments--which have taken a variety of forms, from modest Seed Awards to large-scale regional initiatives--have nurtured the kinds of innovative ideas that can enact change. Sprout not only funds broad goal-driven projects, but its grassroots approach directly and indirectly results in valuable professional development opportunities for individual artists.

Thus, the ripples have been both quiet and behind-the-scenes and front and center in the public eye. At TENACITY, the one-of-kind organization will take a night to both reflect and push forward.

Tickets are $125 each or $200 for a pair. Doors open at 7 p.m.; curtain at 8 p.m. Tickets include a pre-show reception and a post-show party featuring music by the Turpentiners. Proceeds benefit The Sprout Fund.

Purchase tickets now.

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