a piece in itself
An ever-evolving medium, performance art takes on a variety of forms, styles, and breadth of subject matter. While the arts in Pittsburgh continues to evolve, representation of this contemporary practice is severely lacking. The PAF series, now in its fifth year, has introduced the medium, wrought with intensity, delicacy, visceral and ephemeral experiences, to a growing audience, engaged local artists, and satisfied fans of performance arts.
In 2014 the Performance Art Festival (PAF) began as a piece in itself, a multi-venue weekend event with simultaneously performing artists from all over the east coast. It was clear after PAF 2015 that the festival had outgrown the building at 5106 Penn, and the event has since traveled the city of Pittsburgh. The 2016 festival was then offered a home at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s flagship SPACE Gallery downtown during the Three Rivers Arts Festival. In 2017 PAF turned to artist-run spaces Glitterbox Theatre and Babyland, and developed PAF Films, screening at Pittsburgh Filmmakers. Since this campus-style approach, the fest has become a bi-annual event to further collect funds and support for artists! |