Arts & Cultural Spotlight |
Brew House Distillery Residency Highlights Importance of Supporting Emerging Artists in Pittsburgh
A bright May sun was setting over the warm concrete of Pittsburgh’s South Side when I pulled open the heavy glass door of Brew House Arts’ gallery. The cackling of a roomful of voices hummed into my ears and over the rows of black folding chairs assembled for the occasion. The seven artists who would be speaking during an artist panel talk that evening sat in a neat row along the title wall for the exhibit. “On The Edge Of” in large, white text sat in a neat line over their heads with each of their names in a column below that: London Williams, Shyann Maragh, Alli Lemon, Karen Lue, Mathias Rushin, Lisa Toboz, and Ajunie Virk.
“On The Edge Of” is the exhibition for Brew House Arts’ Distillery Emerging Artists Program, one of Pittsburgh’s most coveted and longest artist residencies. The Distillery program is a year-long studio residency designed to help seven Pittsburgh-based emerging artists establish a professional artistic career by supporting a rigorous studio practice and providing professional development opportunities.
“When we talk about the program, we usually say that it offers studio access, an artist cohort, mentorship, professional development, and the exhibition,” says Brent Nakamoto, the program’s manager. “I think that many organizations offer some of these benefits, and what sets our program apart is really the length of the program and that we offer all of these things together.”
The year-long duration of time — a true rarity in residency programs — and depth of support that these artists receive is obvious in this final showcase of their work. The bold visuals of the exhibition contrast each other in a dazzling array of shape and medium. An installation that includes stacked cinder blocks by Mathias Rushin sit across from a technicolor, digital animation by Ajunie Virk which sits catty-cornered from a grid of large black-and-white photographs by Karen Lue. Across the room from those photos are large-scale depictions of loose, abstract dreamscapes by Alli Lemon. Beyond that: a charming, checkered floor pulls London Williams' work into the space and asks visitors for a dance. Beside London Williams' celebration of a Black Queer Utopia sits an open suitcase full of old letters and blurry polaroids by Lisa Toboz, and beside that is a large portrait by Shyann Maragh of a young woman eating her own neon pink brain for breakfast.
The thread that ties these pieces together? The daring, self-explorative narratives that weave their way through each piece: a mother’s death, learning to live with long-term illness, a profoundly anxious relationship with sleep, the grinding need to hide and reshape oneself for survival, the refusal to accept limits.
During the panel discussion, the artists spoke of the benefits of being able to sit with the iterations of their work across many months instead of the much shorter stints they’ve been used to in the past. Their process, thoughts, and self-confidence as an artist, they shared, grew both more firm and more flexible. Mathias talked about the importance of “building trust with myself” and “creating to understand” that was supported by working with mentors and feedback. Ajunie mentioned that the residency “did the opposite of glorifying the artistic practice” and instead gave her a realistic, long-term experience of what creating work feels like over time. Lisa added that “sometimes it doesn’t feel good to make art, and you just have to push past that”, acknowledging that the residency allowed her time to do this. London said that he came straight from a grad program and is “finding my own pace, learning to be OK with the type of artist that I am and giving things time and space” since creating art is “an evolving thing.”
Moving forward, it’s hard to realize that necessary opportunities like this one might be at risk. Federal level funding cuts have already torn through local arts and culture organizations, producing more instability in an already unstable sector. The cultural capital provided to Pittsburgh by these artists and arts organizations like Brew House is hard to divorce from Pittsburgh’s attractiveness and livability as a whole. It’s opportunities and showcases like this one that put Pittsburgh on the map, making it an appealing place to move to, work in, stay in, and contribute to.
I asked each artist how their life was structured or needed to be restructured to complete this residency and whether they expected to continue making art here in Pittsburgh. Here are a few of their comments:
“I think about this a lot. I think there are a lot of different ways to have an art career and not one of them is right or wrong. The one that I’ve chosen for now is to have a full-time job in addition to my work as an artist. I’m actually realizing now that it is really, really hard — sometimes I wish I could devote more time to art and I just can’t.” — Karen Lue
“I’ve been creating since I can remember so I will definitely continue to do that. It might not be in Pittsburgh, but Pittsburgh was the first place where I decided to take my art seriously and I think that’s special. I’m very, very grateful for the studio and for this residency. This was my first time having a studio, so I really wanted to soak it up. My commute was ass but I found a way to get here most of the time.” — Shyann Maragh
“I never wanted to be a starving artist so I have a day job where I can work from home which makes creating much easier. In the world we live in today, it's just really hard to sustain yourself. There's so much backlash against what is important and art is not considered important. When you have support, it's possible to create. I will keep creating in the city. I've been here mostly my whole life.” — Lisa Toboz
“I’m an artist regardless of where I am. Opportunities like this one don't really happen for a lot of people that are like me. So having a residency – I couldn't waste a second … I think that I will continue to make work in Pittsburgh. It’s hard, though. I wish we had better public transportation.” — Mathias Rushin
“I have had a studio – to me, that's like a very important piece of my life. I will sell my car before I don’t have a studio. If anyone in here has the ability to create more affordable studio spaces in the city — there are a lot of studio spaces, but there are not many that are affordable for artists. I think it is something we really need more of.” — Alli Lemon
—
View “On the Edge Of” by visiting Brew House Arts at 711 S. 21st Street in the South Side through Saturday, June 7, 2025. Gallery hours are 2-7 p.m. on Thursdays, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
To learn more about Brew House Arts’ Distillery Emerging Artists Program and future events, visit brewhousearts.org.
If you’re an artist seeking new opportunities, don’t miss the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council’s monthly Jobs & Opportunities roundups, where we feature openings for artist residencies, grants, fellowships, and more.