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!

About the Curator

 

Abagail Beddall

Beddall's focus on performance art has guided her practices for over a decade. Her interest in interweaving international and local perspectives drives the Performance Art Festival series. Beddall’s curatorial work often coalesces around themes of systems of value, interconnectivity, multiculturalism, activism, and the body. She is known for organizing carnivalesque worlds that blur the line between art, artist, and audience.

Beddall began the PAF series with Bunker Projects, an artist residency and gallery that she co-founded. She has worked in exhibitions with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (PGH), Andy Warhol Museum (PGH), the Corcoran Museum (DC), taught Art at the Smithsonian Institute (DC), Millvale Community Library (PGH), and lead workshops at Antalya International University (Turkey), the Manchester Craftsmanship Guild (PGH), Penn State (University Park), and Bunker Projects (PGH).