Industrial Grit
"Industrial grit" can have a number of connotations, especially in these parts. From the enduring spirit of our region's work ethic and overall perseverance to the literal coal dust that still drifts from passing trains, settling on porches and windowsills in the Mon Valley, our steel heritage is as much a part of our present as it is a part of our past—even if it is not as ubiquitous as it once was.
With that in mind, this week we have two takes on that theme to present—Industrial Grit and Graffiti, a new short film that explores an artist residency and community engagement program of the same name that Rivers of Steel launched last year, and In the Wide View, a new exhibition on view at the Bost Building that presents panoramic images of industrial landscapes from the Big Steel era.
Together these experiences span southwestern Pennsylvania's industrial heyday and a post-industrial reckoning that explores new ways of understanding modern visual communications.
For the Industrial Grit and Graffiti film, Rivers of Steel commissioned Chop 'Em Down Films, Los Angeles-based filmmakers who are embedded in the world of street art. Through this collaboration, we're not only able to offer a nuanced perspective of a program that mixes metal arts and graffiti arts, but we're also able to engage global viewers to see what's special about this region's creative output.
With In the Wide View, it's clear that the photographers who documented these epic landscapes had a sense of the global impact of the region's industrial output. At the time, it must have been difficult to imagine that such vast infrastructure could ever go away, but yet these black-on-gray vistas were captured for posterity—offering us the opportunity today to bridge our experiences with theirs.
We welcome you to indulge in both.
And if you are one of our region's artists working in folk or traditional arts—or if you know someone who is—be sure to check out the grant opportunity below!
