Pittsburgh… In November, Digging Pitt (Pittsburgh PA) will begin a joint effort with Agni Gallery (New York, NY) and Panza Gallery (Millvale, PA) to present The Blogger Show. The exhibits showcase the work of thirty artists whose common interest is in clarifying artistic discourse through their blogs. All of the exhibits will take place between November 3, 2007 and January 12, 2008. Free and open to the public.

Stay current on artists and details on The Blogger Show Blog

The Blogger Show Blog is—

A place to get acquainted with the artists and their blogs A forum for discussion A central clearinghouse for details and updates about the exhibits and other projects from art bloggers.

The Blogger Show

Digging Pitt Gallery began Digging Pittsburgh Arts in June 2006. The experience has been enriching for the gallery. Through active participation in the blogging community, Digging Pitt has brought new artists to the flat file archive, with results like the Pittsburgh Alumni show, and now, the Blogger Show.

Many of the bloggers put an enormous amount of time and thought into expressing their dedication to the arts. Posts range from journals to coverage of local art exhibits to political issues. The most frequented sites add an element of activity in the comments section. Most art bloggers welcome comments and encourage lively debate.

It isn’t just the artist bloggers, although there are quite a few of them. It is also the art lovers that have marshaled their personal resources to express their thoughts about what is happening in this ephemeral community. James Kalm points out in his Brooklyn Rail article, ( Gangs of New York ) that the nature of the blog reflects the current pluralism that is a hallmark of contemporary art, with so many disciplines and aesthetic systems coexisting.

Tim O’Reilly defines… Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform. Chief among those rules is this: Build applications that harness network effects to get better the more people use them. (This is what I’ve elsewhere called “harnessing collective intelligence.”)

Arts bloggers are using this technology to redefine the role of arts in American culture. The interactive aspect of blogging has encouraged the growth of artistic discourse in unexpected ways, with a shift in who and how art is discussed. One of the most significant contributions of artist bloggers to this dialog is an honest appraisal of process and theory. Using the platform of the internet to express these thoughts has included a multitude of elements. Many artists load images onto their blogs. Another aspect of the online community that has yet to make its impact felt is in the arena of regional arts that makes an exhibit in Detroit is accessible as one in New York.

The artists in the exhibits at Agni, Digging Pitt and Panza Galleries represent a range of visual disciplines and aesthetics. The one commonality is active blogging. Some use blogging as a platform for discussing issues facing visual artists while others treat the blog as a public journal. Whatever approach or combination of approaches, all have brought a level of clarity to artistic discourse. These exhibits are a reflection, in physical space, of the ephemeral blogosphere. And by its very nature, an extension of the guiding philosophy behind Digging Pitt’s flat file archive.

Excerpt from Bill Gusky’s article (Artblog Comments) Read more A number of artists have entered the blog arena, writing about art and the art world as they participate in it through their visual work. There have always been artists who write about art, and at times their writing has been highly influential; Donald Judd is one name that leaps to mind. As a new art narrative emerges, writers of all stripes – critics, historians, curators and even art bloggers—will play a large part in shaping, interpreting and defining it.

This exhibition focuses on the work of artists who are active art blog writers. The work you see here emerged in the studio in near-simultaneity with the artist’s written expressions. These twin efforts – art making and blog writing—sometimes appear to flow together and intertwine beautifully, and at other times almost seem to be in diametric opposition.

The relationship between written word and the created artwork suggests the erratic flow of a culture in which propaganda freely mingles with news journalism and science is polluted with articles of faith. It seems at times that the only appropriate response to the apparent untrustworthiness of all our societal and cultural expressions is a schizophrenic call-and-response in which everyone probes for even the merest scintilla of truth using tools of decidedly mixed sincerity. The questions that emerge and the answers that may or may not accompany them will hopefully provide valuable insights into ongoing cultural developments that are incredibly difficult to discern amid the maelstrom of media that beset us all, but that must ultimately be discerned if we are to gain an understanding of where we’re headed as a culture.

Agni Gallery (New York NY) Nancy Baker (Raleigh, NC) – Tire Shop Martin Bromirski – (Richmond VA) Anaba Sharon Butler (Mystic, CT) – Two Coats of Paint Lisa Call (Parker, CO) – New Work and Inspiration F. Lennox Campello (Washington, DC) Mid Atlantic Art News Rose Clancy (Pittsburgh, PA) – paperWorks Kevin Clancy (Boston MA and Pittsburgh PA) – soft soft pink pulls through the ivory void Susan Constanse (Pittsburgh, PA) – Oranje Warren Craghead – drawer Mark Creegan (Jacksonville Florida) – JaxCal.org Christiane D (Pittsburgh PA) – Christiane D Roberta Fallon (Philadelphia PA) Fallon and Rosof’s Artblog Ann Gordon (Detroit MI) – Detroitarts Cable Griffith (Seattle WA) – Cable Griffith David Grim (Pittsburgh, PA) – Serendipity Bill Gusky (Canton, CT) – Artblog Comments Tracy Helgeson – Works by Tracy Helgeson Stephanie Lee Jackson (Brooklyn NY) – Pretty Lady JT Kirkland (Washington, D.C.) – Thinking About Art Mary Klein (Minneapolis, MN) – stillifes Eva Lake (Portland, OR) -Eva Lake Steven LaRose – (Ashland OR) Steven LaRose Michael Lease (Richmond VA) – Annabelle’s Aspirin Joanne Mattera (New York NY) Joanne Mattera Art Blog Rob Matthews (Philadelphia PA) – Matthews The Younger John Morris (Pittsburgh, PA) – Digging Pittsburgh Arts Loren Munk (Brooklyn NY) – James Kalm Elizabeth Perry (Pittsburgh, PA) – Woolgathering David Pohl (Pittsburgh, PA) – find the time to rhyme Libby Rosof (Philadelphia PA) Fallon and Rosof’s Artblog Chris Rywalt – (Wood Ridge NJ) NYC Art Marc Snyder (Pittsburgh, PA) – Fiji Island Mermaid Press