FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHAT:Inspired by Pittsburgh ceramic artist Edward Eberle’s black and white motifs, Contemporary Craft’s new
salon-style speaker series – titled The Space Between – invites two local thought-leaders representing
different viewpoints and backgrounds to discuss the role of creativity within their respective fields.
Loosely organized around themes of language, the body, and food, each of the three scheduled events
joins together fascinating and buzz-worthy local cultural producers in an evening of inspiring andrevealing conversation.
In the first part of each program, speakers will talk briefly about their background and the way they
approach the creative process. Topics may include the concepts and themes in their work, personalconnections to craft, the use of language, color, and/or movement, and individual processes andtechniques. The speakers and audience will then engage in an informal discussion inspired by thepresenters’ creative journeys and Contemporary Craft’s current exhibition, the Edward Eberle
Retrospective (on view through March 11, 2017). The audience is invited to arrive early to experience the
Edward Eberle Retrospective in preparation for the program.
	
  
	
  
WHEN/WHO: Thursday, December 1, 2016 - 6pm
Alexandra Oliver, art critic + Anqwenique Wingfield, vocalist
Theme: Language
Alexandra Oliver completed her PhD in art history at the University of Pittsburgh in 2014. She is an art
critic and avid Wikipedian. In her day job, Alexandra serves as Research and Development Manager at
Radiant Hall Studios, a nonprofit with a mission to create and preserve affordable studios for Pittsburgh
artists.
Anqwenique Wingfield is an extremely versatile vocalist and educator specializing in opera, classicalmusic, jazz and soul. She is the founder and director of Pittsburgh based artist collective Groove
Aesthetic and studio manager of BOOM Concepts: BOOM Studios//Hilltop. In 2014 contemporary jazzband KINETIC (lead by Dr. Joe Sheehan) released debut album "World of Wonder," Anqwenique is thelead vocalist. She was named as one of Whirl Magazine’s 13 Under 30 in 2015 and one of the New
Pittsburgh Courier’s Fab 40 under 40 in 2013. As a teaching artist, Anqwenique has shared her talents
and experience with many young singers and musicians in the Pittsburgh area, she was recently hired as
the education director of Opera Theater Pittsburgh.

- more -The 	  Space Between, 2 Thursday, February 9, 2017 – 6pm
Hannah Aitchison, tattoo artist + Maria Caruso, dancer and choreographer
Theme: The Body
Hannah Aitchison is an internationally-recognized, multi-award-winning tattoo artist. She has lived andworked in Chicago, Los Angeles, London, and now Pittsburgh. Her background includes 20 years of
tattooing adventures, and a style that embraces both classical and modern day illustration, inspired by her
background in commercial and graphic arts.
Maria Caruso, Founder and Director of Bodiography and Chair of the Performing Arts Department at La
Roche College, is well known for her leadership as well as her choreographic strength in focusing on
humanity in dance. Nominated in 2012 by Examiner.com as one of 25 finalists in the "America Inspired"contest, she continues to utilize dance as a means of expression capable of raising awareness aboutsignificant subject matter. Acknowledged at the 2016 Future Health Technology Summit at MIT as a
genius of choreography and selected as a 2016 Pittsburgh Business Times Fast Tracker, she has been aforce in the cultural landscape. A native to the city, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in
performing arts and dance from Florida State University at age nineteen and shortly after earned a Masterof Science Degree in Professional Leadership with an emphasis on management for non-profit
organizations from Carlow University.
 Thursday, March 9, 2017 - 6pm
Adam Milliron, food photographer, and Bethany Zozula, chef
Theme: Food
Adam Milliron is a Pittsburgh based food, beverage, and product photographer. His studio specializes inphotographing food, products, visions, ideas, lifestyles, and concepts – helping some of the world's largest
brands tell their stories.
Bethany Zozula is Executive Chef at Whitfield at Ace Hotel in East Liberty, one of only a handful of
local restaurants run by women. Previously, she was executive sous chef at Eleven in the Strip District.
WHERE:
Contemporary Craft	
  2100 Smallman Street	
  Pittsburgh, PA 15222
The gallery is located at 21st and Smallman in the Strip District’s historic produce terminal, Contemporary
Craft’s home since 1986.	
  	
  ADDITIONAL INFO:The Space Between series is free and open to the public with a $5 suggested donation appreciated at thedoor.
The Edward Eberle Retrospective will be on view in Contemporary Craft’s main gallery through March
11, 2017. Over the past three decades, Eberle, a Pittsburgh-based ceramic artist, has explored and tested
the limits of porcelain, with his prolific body of work ranging from classically inspired vessels to alteredand deconstructed sculptures. This career retrospective brings works from the mid-1980s to the present
into dialogue for the first time. Visit www.contemporarycraft.org for more details or to access thecomplete exhibition press release.
- more -The 	  Space Between, 3
ABOUT CONTEMPORARY CRAFT
Presenting contemporary art in craft media by regional, national, and international artists since 1971,
Contemporary Craft offers cutting edge exhibitions focusing on multicultural diversity and nonmainstream art, as well as a range of studio workshops, community outreach programs, and a retail store.
Through its mission of engaging the public in creative experiences through contemporary craft, theorganization offers meaningful art opportunities for more than 145,000 people a year through four corevalues: providing vital support for artists; filling critical gaps in public education; sharing cross cultural
perspectives; and using art to build community. Contemporary Craft is located at 2100 Smallman Street
in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, PA. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The
satellite gallery is located in the “T” station lobby of BNY Mellon Center in downtown Pittsburgh, and isopen daily from 6:00 am through midnight. Exhibitions and informal, hands-on art activities in the DropIn Studio are always free to the public. For more information, visit www.contemporarycraft.org or call412.261.7003.

	
  
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