Avian Adventures: Parrots of the Caribbean

Mover over Jack Sparrow, there's a new (plumed) pirate in town.

Sailing into Pittsburgh's North Shore on Memorial Day weekend, the new Parrots of the Caribbean free-flight bird show is sure to have avian fans squawking at The National Aviary. The Northside destination's newest indoor attraction, Parrots of the Caribbean opens on May 26th in the Aviary’s Helen M. Schmidt FliteZone Theater.
 
You may have heard legends about pirate ships traversing Pittsburgh’s three rivers, but this feathered flock of pirate parrots is sure to turn heads. The dynamic free-flight show features an avian-sized pirate ship occupied by a feisty flock of parrots and macaws, two ravens, one cantankerous flamingo, and even a special appearance by that other famous Pirate Parrot.

Hop aboard for a voyage from the Caribbean back to Pittsburgh, led by one of the most unique crews of pirates imaginable. But remember, this colorful crew runs a tight ship (despite getting lost!), demonstrating the many important responsibilities required to sail the seven seas--from raising the ship’s anchor and Jolly Roger, to hunting for buried treasure.

The new show coincides with the reopening of the Aviary’s rooftop Sky Deck theater, which features stunning birds of prey in free-flight demos, including majestic Lanner falcons, black kites and awesome acrobatic eagles.

Big George's Wylie Avenue: Wisdom of The Hill

The names of renowned jazz, literary and art trailblazers such as Stanley Turrentine, Ahmad Jamal, August Wilson, and Teenie Harris instantly spring to mind when thinking about the rich legacy of Pittsburgh's historic Hill District. Now, local poet, playwright and oral historian Kelli Stevens Kane is bringing the powerful voice of a long-time female resident of the Hill District to an understanding of the dynamic neighborhood.

During Big George's Wylie Avenue: Wisdom of The Hill--the inaugural event for her new reading and conversation series--Kane will read from her original oral history manuscript, which celebrates the legacy of the Hill District via stories told by people who knew her late grandmother, Hill District matriarch and Wylie Ave. resident, Georgetta Holmes Stevens (aka "Big George"). During the open community dialogue, Kane will encourage audience discussion around concepts of family, community and home.

When describing the personal context to her research, Kane says: "Big George used to visit funeral homes whether or not she knew the deceased person. In trying to figure out why, I managed to collect a treasure trove of stories about what made my family and community strong in her area. We have August Wilson's Hill, we have Teenie Harris's Hill; and now we have this portrait of the Hill from a woman's perspective."

Kane is also author of the play, I Never Laughed So Much at a Funeral, and the poetry manuscript, Hallelujah Science. Together, her works embody four generations of her family rooted in Pittsburgh's Hill District. A 2011 August Wilson Center and Cave Canem Fellow, Kane recently performed at NYC's Cornelia Street Cafe and Bowery Poetry Club, Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and at TEDxWomen Pittsburgh.

Kane will be introduced by her uncle, civil rights activist Tim Stevens. Trinity A.M.E. Church is located at 2700 Wylie Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. The public reading is free and will be videotaped.

Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival

Jazz has long played a significant role in Pittsburgh's rich cultural history, with many pioneering figures calling the city home, from composer Billy Strayhorn and drummer Roger Humphries, to rising star trumpeter Sean Jones.

A new jazz festival organized by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is marking its second anniversary with a powerhouse lineup of indoor and outdoor concerts. Dubbed the Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival, the event's second installment runs June 1-3 at 30 venues located throughout Downtown's Cultural District.

A showcase of regional talent--as well as a creative platform for pairing emerging and established artists and an opportunity to build new audiences for the genre--the festival also features a JazzLive Crawl, three outdoor stages and a visual art.

The weekend of music, art and community will bring together 240 artists--including 140 local luminaries. Featured musicians include Monty Alexander, Poogie Bell, The Clayton Brothers, Fort Apache with Andy & Jerry Gonzalez, Robert Glasper, Alan Harris, Lalah Hathaway, Sean Jones, Soul Cycle, Jeff “Tain” Watts, The Average White Band, and many others.

Don't miss a special appearance on June 2nd by the prolific young trumpeter, composer and bandleader, Sean Jones, who will debut a new commissioned piece. Born in Warren, Ohio in 1978, Jones has taught at Duquesne University, and resides in Pittsburgh. Featured on Nancy Wilson's 2007 Grammy Award-winning Turned to Blue, Jones has released five albums, and performs both nationally and internationally--in addition to serving as a lead trumpeter for the prestigious Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Ley Line: artists map the city

Anyone who has walked Pittsburgh's diverse terrain--from its unique city steps and verdant urban parks, to its meandering alleys and historic cemeteries--knows that there is a certain kind of transformative effect that can take hold during a good long exploration on foot.

Art, mapping and mythology will converge on Friday, June 1st, when the exhibition Ley Line opens at Assemble. Co-curated by Justin Hopper and Emily Walley, the interdisciplinary project aims to generate new opportunities for experiencing and thinking about the city's physical and mythological terrain.

Working as a creative team, participating artists examined a line of locations running through South Oakland, and then responded by creating multi-media artwork based on both the area's natural and built environments, and its history, memory and myth. Participants include painter Ashley Andrykovitch, artist, architect and Assemble gallery director Nina Marie Barbuto, music, dance and video performers David Bernabo and Host Skull, writer Justin Hopper, collage artist Anne Roecklein, photographer Lisa Toboz, and installation artist Emily Walley.

The show's theoretical framework is the concept of Ley lines--alleged alignments of geographical, man-made and historical sites, such as ancient monuments, megaliths, ridge-tops, gravesites, churches, footpaths, and water-fords--phenomena examined in 1921 by the amateur archaeologist Alfred Watkins. Watkins believed that such alignments were the "fingerprints remaining of once-sacred sites built and connected to create a network of ancient highways across the island."
In the 1960s, the concept became associated with spiritual and mystical theories about land forms.

Riffing on both the physical and the psychic underpinnings of ley lines, the show's curators invited artists to study a path that begins at St. Paul Cathedral on Fifth Ave. The imagined line continues through the former site of Forbes Field, runs past Andy Warhol's childhood home, and heads to a humble cliffside shrine to the Virgin Mary, before it drops down to the former Jones & Laughlin mill and spills into the Monongahela River. Throughout March and April, the team denoted, walked, examined, and discussed an imaginary line through South Oakland, both individually and collectively.

The physical response to this unique process represents a wide range of media, including paintings,  installations,  stop-motion videos, movement performances, photographs, text, and collages. Together, the body of work explores myth and memory, a sense of place, biodiversity, travel literature, spiritualism, local history, and the divide between Oakland's permanent and transient residents.

Don't miss the free opening reception on June 1st from 6 to 10 p.m., during Unblurred.

Showcase Noir: African American artist market

?The summer season of arts festivals, al fresco dining and outdoor concerts in the city will officially kick off with a number of cultural happenings taking place throughout Downtown during the first weekend of June.

From the high-profile Three Rivers Arts Festival anchoring Point State Park and Hertz Gateway Center from June 1st through June 10th with an artist marketplace, live concerts and art exhibitions, to JazzLive heating up the Cultural District and Penn Ave., your cultural antenna should be tuned to Downtown.

One more Downtown destination to add to your culture jamming itinerary is Showcase Noir, an African American artist and designer market setting up shop at the corner of 8th St. and Penn Ave. Organized by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Showcase Noir celebrates the creative practice of artists and designers from the African Diaspora, including emerging and established artists working at both the local and national level.

Featured pieces for sale include painting, sculpture, photography, fiber art, jewelry, pottery, and multi-media work. Free and open to the public, Showcase Noir exhibition is open Saturday, June 2nd, from noon to 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 3rd, from noon to 7 p.m.