Commercial Break....

Geek Arts/Green Innovators (GA/GI) Spot from Kris Mortensen on Vimeo.

What's LIVE @ GA/GI

A sampling of performances! Dilworth School World Beat Drummers, Life In Balance, and Cello Fury (Formerly Cellofourte)



World Beat Drummers performing @ GA/GI Day 10 am to Noon @ Union Project 801 N. Negley Avenue in Highland Park for the first segment...
Then for GA/GI Night 5-11 pm @ 4800-6100 Penn Avenue...Life In Balance. Cello Fury, (also shown in video). Also The Rusty Nails Bag Piper---Brett Boye, DJ Stevey B. of iParty; then to round out the evening---DJ James Gyre @ our 9:30 pm fashion show "Pedal to the Metal!"
Also $7 for a special 7 pm performance "Tap into the Possibilities" @ the Dance Alloy Theater!

Banner Week on Penn Avenue!

Pick up Penn--a community clean-up campaign--organized by Festival Associate and FDA Intern, Meaghan Maher; valiantly executed by Matt Galluzzo, Art District Manager and Jason Sauer of Most Wanted Fine Art with a crew of eager volunteers, topped off a banner week on Penn Avenue! The Penn Avenue Arts Initiative put some steam behind the festival all last week hosting City Paper and On Q for interviews with FDA Staff and Festival Partners; then Sunday, Rust Belt Radio caught us to get some words in about the upcoming event. Listen and watch for everything to come out this week in the media as we start the countdown to GA/GI!

Shown here, Ryder Henry, a local artist working on one of our GA/GI banners. They are recycled discards from the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. Thanks Paula Weiner! Also thanks to Nancy Schuster and Mable Bozeman and family for their participation. And a ^5 to Bob Ziller, who let us use his space and Warholesque poppy patterns to get this task done and done beautifully! Colors from Westmoreland Paint in the Strip District. Also Shown, Mega Photographer Heather Mull, shooting @ the Pittsburgh Glass Center for City Paper.

Coucilman Bill Peduto has gone GA/GI! Join Us This Saturday, March 27 for Pedutube!

We weren't shy when Councilman Bill Peduto asked us if there was "any way to assist" the Geek Art and Green Innovators Festival. As anyone can imagine, mounting a first-ever-festival is no joke, so we've been looking for pledges and partnering the way all business is currently done in America, making a connection with Bill Peduto--on Facebook! Councilman Bill tells us he's "backed more green legislation than any other member of city council." We're delighted that he's signed on to help raise funds for the city's first eco, art and technology festival--GA/GI!

Via "Pedutube," Bill has helped raise nearly $10,000 for local organizations and promoted their causes to new audiences in a fun and unique way. We discovered that two of our GA/GI partners--the Union Project and Friends of the Urban Forest--have been part of this wonderful program!

Here's how it works: Join us on Saturday, March 27th at Cappy's on Walnut Street in Shadyside at 10 pm with special guest DJ Muddy! Or if you can't make it, you can still be a part of PeduTube by using this form (click here) and requesting a YouTube video for a $5 donation... Or be a sponsor of GA/GI by pledging a nickel, dime or quarter for every dollar we raise. Thanks for your support....and we'll see you there for fun, laughs, friends and more GA/GI 411!

GA/GI Gets Posters, Wallpapers and Hula Hoopers

We can hardly wait to open an e-mail from Pierce Marrato @ Touchfaster! He's been designing many of our wonderful marketing materials for GA/GI including a poster now in progress. We've also had the assistance of another incredible designer, Debbie Holt from Unique Picturap (no "e" no "w"). Debbie creates wonderful papers with business logos and family pictures. (She'll put your grandmother on paper and make her a rock star!) Debbie's work will be the main signage in and around the Glass Lofts and along the Avenue.

And let's hear it for hoops! Hoop Union from the Union Project will be hooping it up at the intersection of N. Pacific and Penn Avenue around 5:00-7:00 pm; showing us how to get our bodies moving for spring with exercise that's fun and healthy for the whole family! They'll showcasing the most beautiful display of hula hoops we've ever seen!

How Many Universities Does it Take to Make A Festival?

....So we started counting...a bevy of dancers from Point Park, Dj's and artists from Indiana State University; an intern and an entire Mobile Science Laboratory on wheels from the University of Pittsburgh, A professor/jewelry maker and a city planning doctorate from Penn State; a professor of a print shop and his top students from Edinboro University, volunteers from Chatham University; entertainment, robotics specialists from Carnegie Mellon University and a film crew from Duquesne University with others still coming in.....Thanks to all of you for your support! We'll keep the column running...

GA/GI: Homegrown and You'll Love the Flavor!

The 4800-5500 blocks of Penn Avenue are about to play host to Pittsburgh's First Art and Technology Festival! So what's an emerging urban neighborhood to do? We're planning to spruce it all up! Community and fans of the festival will come together for a neighborhood "Pick-up Penn!" We'll get rid of the bulk of debris left on the streets from Pittsburgh's recent "snowmageddon." Then on March 27 and 28, over 100 artists have vowed to take on a public art project that (if you don't already know) will be a huge and beautiful surprise!

Glaceau is a vitamin water company so cool, as they "remodel" their online look, they are using Facebook* as their homepage.

"Don't be alarmed!" the first line greets you when you get there! (With us, quite the opposite occurred.) Any company with enough self esteem to not sweat a few changes in their marketing plan, but in fact anticipate possible reaction of surprise, is our kind of sponsor! Glaceau, sporting a whole look and several awesome new flavors, will be keeping us hydrated through a number of events leading up to, during and after the Geek Art/Green Innovators Festival. Pop into one of our information sites to pick up a samples on April 2: the Pittsburgh Glass Center @ 5472 Penn Avenue; The Glass Lofts @ 5491 Penn Avenue or ou Eco-Tech Info Center @ 113 N. Pacific Avenue. Welcome GLACEAU Vitamin Water to Team GA/GI!

*To view the Vitamin Water site under "construction click here, for FB page click here.

Birds, Trees and Robots for the Little Ones @ GA/GI DAY

Did you notice that the GA/GI Fest is at two special times? That's just so we can give children K-5 their own special Geek Art/Green Innovators event in the morning before "Unblurred" on Penn. We call it GA/GI Day! The Union Project at 801 N. Negley in Highland Park will play host to a variety of kid-friendly activities from 10 am to noon; starting with a performance of the World Beat Drummers from Dilworth Elementary School followed by creative movement by Dance Alloy's Ayisha Morgan-Lee; then visit with David Edward's Power Flower, Replay My Play designer Sibel Deren ; hear puppeteer Flora Shepherd read "The Lorax" by Dr. Suess, plus enjoy a healthy snack with drinks provided by our new sponsor Turner Dairy Farm. Turner Dairy Farm will also be part of our Twilight F armer's Market @ GA/GA Night starting at 5 pm at Grow Pittsburgh 5429 Penn Avenue.

Birds, Trees and Robots graphics by Pierce Marrato @ Touchfaster

GA/GI In the Making: Alberto's Island Vessel

Look what Team GA/GI member Alberto Almarza has been up to...He's collaborating with artists at the Pittsburgh Glass Center. See his plans, his art, and hopefully--this finished project!

We (Heart) Bikes @ GA/GI Festival!

Tim Kelly in collaboration with Bike Pittsburgh and in conjunction with Car-Free Fridays and "Unblurred" on Penn--are rolling out one of the most important components of the Geek Art/Green Innovators event--our "smokeless" parade!

"Bicycles are a mode of global transportation and an important component of historic technology," said Kelly. "Somewhere along the line and in the United States in particular, they got relegated as toys, but that idea is rapidly eroding. As everyone looks to reduce their carbon footprint...bikes are back in a big way!"

Walk or bike while showing your love for this smart, healthy, & fun mode of eco-transportation and show support for green innovation in Pittsburgh. There will also be organic t-shirt giveaways, pizza at the destination spot, plus you can paint your bikes if you like, & more!

THE ROUTE:The "smokeless" parade begins/ 6:30 p.m. at the Kingsley center, 6435 Frankstown Ave, proceeds along the E. Liberty Bike-way, left on Negley, right on Penn ave, finish Spak Bros Pizza 5107 Penn Avenue/ where bike parade participants can join in the GA/GI Festival fun! Interested? Tim Kelly is your Contact: Timito@gmail.com

GA/GI Where Bold Fashion, Flycicles and Waffles Rule

Rebecca Strzelec, an associate Professor of Penn Sate, Altoona who formerly lived in St. Louis, grew up thinking that the Cardinals were the only team in baseball because of her father's love for the organization. Years later, she has retained her fascination for all things baseball, much of it manifested in bold, colorful, and extraordinary wearable art. You'll see some of her most stunning work built layer by layer in various plastics and photosensitive resins at the GA/GI Fashion show "Pedal to the Metal." Other fashion headliners include our eco-tech founders: Jonano, Amisha Gadani, Neighborhood Academy, Rebellious Nature and Heather Joy Puskarich and Webelowear along with our latest fashion friends Hey Betty! vintage clothing and collectibles/ Kelly Lane Designs "Clothing with color", Little Earth accessories from salvage, LaVerne Kemp hat couture and Jorge Myers hand-painted style.

The Flycicle generated from the mind of Wes Johansen who states: "The future is upon us, but it's not quite how we imagined it. Where are the flying cars and robot wives? This is not the Utopia that was once promised by the slick suited corporations of the fifties. The social and economic problems of society still persist. Technology has proven to be a frustrating savior." You'll enter his visionary installation: Yesterday's Tomorrow on April 2.

The Waffle Shop is a neighborhood restaurant that produces and broadcasts a live-streaming talk show with its customers, operates a changeable storytelling billboard on its roof, and runs a take-out window that sells food from countries engaged in conflict with the U.S. The shop is a public experiment that brings together people from all walks of life to engage in dialogue and the co-production of culture. Starting at 11 pm, after the Geek Art/Green Innovators Festival on April 2, bring in your program or enter wearing your GA/GI gear, blab about your GA/GI "experience" and get $1 off your plate of waffles! Waffle Shop is at 124 S. Highland Avenue 15206.

Images left to Right: super-sized necklace by Strzelec, Wes Johansen on Flycicle and the set of the Waffle Shop.

"One Book One Community" Part of the Eco-Tech Tale @ GA/GI"

The Eco-Tech Building (aka the Bloomfield Garfield Activities Center) will be bursting at the seams with green info that's good for the whole family. We're playing host to Urban Tree Forge, Global Links, Creative Reuse, Find the Rivers, Bike Pittsburgh, The Student Conservation Association, The Pittsburgh Technology Council, "Save the Igloo" and the Pittsburgh Chess Club. Our most recent partner is the Allegheny County Library Association with their new initiative "One Book, One Community."

We knew that reading was fundamental...but it's also a "green experience," says the ACLA. The goal of One Book is to establish common ground across communities by bringing individuals together for stimulating conversation and to broaden perspectives. "What better opportunity than when Pittsburgh has been chosen as the host city for World Environment Day."

The 8th selection for One Book is "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson, a story of one man's humor-filled adventures along the Appalachian Trail.

The Geek Art/Green Innovators Festival will be one of several community partners and venues that will support the One Book Program throughout 2010. For more information call the Allegheny County Library Association. 412-921-1123.

GAGI Sponsors March International "Green Drinks" in Pittsburgh! Everyone Welcome!

Green Drinks International is a self-organizing phenomenon that began several years ago, and has gone global! Now there are "green drinks" happening from Argentina to New Zealand! Please come to meet, greet and share your thoughts for a greener Pittsburgh!
(See our official membership badge in the left column)

SAVE THE DATE! Green + Art + Technology Networking Event!

Friday, March 19, 2010 6-9 p.m

Time: March 19, 2010 from 6pm to 9pm

Location: Shadow/Ava Lounge (Near the East Liberty Carnegie Library)
Street: 5972 Baum Boulevard

City/Town: Pittsburgh, PA 15206-3815

Website or Map: http://www.gagifestival.blogspot.com

Event Type: green, drinks
Organized By: Geek Art and Green Innovators Festival
Committee

(Just two days after St. Paddy's Day....)
A must-do event for anyone in the green, art and technology industries! Mix, mingle and network with peers in your field! Plus a short presentation by Team GAGI (pronounced GAH-gee). Find out how Pittsburgh's premiere green, tech and arts event is all coming together; Hear about the exciting development updates on the Penn Avenue; Plus opt in for a special screening of "Of Engineered and Pioneered in Pittsburgh," ( Also available at the Senator John Heinz History Center.)