News Around the Neighborhood
Sabira Cole Film Festival + Reel Q Screenings
Submitted by the Sabira Cole Film Festival
Fan Do Brazil
Tuesday, July 27
7:00 pm
Join City of Asylum and the Sabira Cole film festival for a screening of Fan Do Brasil and a live post-screening discussion with filmmakers Stephanie James and Stephen James.
Film synopsis: Rui Moreira, famous Brazilian dancer and choreographer, is also the artistic director of “FAN”, Festival of Negro Arts in Brazil. In a country where blacks are still victims of social injustice, this festival is an opportunity to revisit the contribution of Afro-Brazilians to the culture and economic development of the country, and to offer artistic expression to a quest for identity. which is reminiscent of that of the Afro-Caribbean.
Futuro Beach
Wednesday, July 28
7:00 pm
Join us for the regional premier and unreleased screening of “FUTURO BEACH,” a film by Karim Aïnouz, hosted by ReelQ.
Film synopsis: Part gay romance, part inquisitive self-journey, FUTURO BEACH is a stunning examination of lives lost and found. Donato (Wagner Moura) works as a lifeguard at the spectacular but treacherous Praia do Futuro beach in Brazil; Konrad (Clemens Schick) is an ex-military thrill-seeker from Germany vacationing with a friend. After Donato saves Konrad from drowning, but fails to save his other friend, initial sexual sparks give way to a deeper, emotional connection. Donato decides to leave everything behind, including his ailing mother and younger brother, Ayrton, to travel back to Berlin with Konrad. There, he finds both confusion and liberation, and his journey for love soon turns into a deeper search for his own identity. Eight years later, an unexpected visit from Ayrton, brings all three men back together as they struggle to reconcile the pain of loss and longing, instinctively drawn to each other in search of hope and a brighter future.
Subha Das Trio
Subha Das Trio
Sunday, July 18
6:00 pm
Join us for an evening of toe-tapping, good fun.
There are two ways to join us for this evening of live music—virtually from home or under the tent on Sampsonia Way. Tent capacity is limited and fills up quickly, so act fast to join us in person.
Pittsburgh’s Subha Das Trio performs an eclectic array of music, drawing from jazz standards, pop, r&b, funk and high energy fusion music. This performance will also feature some original works from legendary Pittsburgh guitarist, Ken Karsh.
Featured Musicians: Subha Das, drums; Kurt Lorence, bass; and Ken Karsh, guitar
Kenia and Her Trio
Kenia & Her Trio: Celebrating Bossa Nova
Thursday, July 15
7:00 pm
“Singing, swaying, Kenia is Brazil, scatting, lively, absolutely irresistible,”
– Spirit to Spirit: a Portrait of Jazz in the New Century, Manchester Craftsman’s Guild.
Hailing from Rio de Janeiro, vocalist Kenia has become one of the foremost exponents of Brazilian song in the United States. From her debut on the great trumpet player Claudio Roditi’s, “Red on Red,” to her upcoming 2020 Mooka Records release, she has epitomized the breezy elegance, refinement and groove of the best of modern Brazilian music. In 2008, Kenia won the Brazilian Press Award for Best CD of the Year, and was nominated for a Grammy for her release, “Simply Kenia.” Along with eight critically acclaimed solo releases (and counting), Kenia has performed at national and international festivals from the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival to the Bonaire Heineken Jazz Festival in the ABC Islands.
Celebrating Bossa Nova
Bossa nova is a youthful celebration of romance and beach culture popularized by greats like Antônio Carlos Jobim, João and Astrud Gilberto, Sérgio Mendes and Stan Getz. Originating in 1950’s Brazil, the samba-style base of Brazilian music and rhythms mixed with American jazz and a new style of Portuguese lyrics. Kenia’s ability to translate these complex rhythms of her native Brazilian homeland into her own unique creations is renowned. Her beautiful, sultry voice – accompanied by the guitar of Eric Suseoff, bass of Tony DePaolis and drums of Tom Wendt – will transport the audience to the sun-kissed beaches of Rio de Janeiro.
You’re Invited to a Northside Community Celebration!
The time has come and we’re ready to celebrate! We’re thrilled to announce that the first phase of the North Promenade Rehabilitation Project at Allegheny Commons is officially complete. Please join the Parks Conservancy and our partners at the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny Commons Initiative, and the Northside Leadership Conference for a community celebration and dedication on Tuesday, July 20, beginning at 6:00 pm.
The evening celebration will include remarks from local leaders, live music, strolling performers, local food vendors, and activities for people of all ages!
The North Commons project recently rebuilt the wide Promenade path, furnishing it with benches, energy-efficient period lighting, and so much more! This project follows the award-winning reconstruction of the historic Northeast Fountain, a focal point of the Promenade.
Click here to register in advance and receive event reminders leading up to the upcoming celebration!
PHLF: A Virtual Tour of Sewickley
Tuesday, June 29
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Fee: $7.50
This tour will be conducted via Zoom Conference. Click here to purchase a ticket to RSVP and you will receive a login e-mail on June 29. Please log in at 1:45 p.m. to allow us enough time to let you into the tour.
Located 12 miles west of Pittsburgh, Sewickley is nestled between hills to the north and the Ohio River to the South. Taking its name from the Native American word for “Sweet Water,” Sewickley was incorporated as a borough in 1853 and dubbed “the Queen of Suburbs” in 1895.
The tour focuses on the commercial and residential neighborhoods of the Borough’s Third Historic District, in central Sewickley. Here you will see excellent examples of many of the architectural styles popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including work by a number of regionally and national important architects who lived and worked in the area. Featuring places of worship, civic buildings, and handsome homes, the tour will demonstrate why this historic community continues to delight.
PHLF: A Virtual Tour of South Side’s Main Street Revitalization
Tuesday, June 15
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Fee: $5.00
This tour will be conducted via Zoom Conference. Click here to purchase a ticket to RSVP and you will receive a login e-mail on June 15. Please log in at 5:45 pm to allow us enough time to let you into the tour.
When Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation initiated its Birmingham Self-Help Community Restoration Program in the South Side in 1968, it started a profoundly consequential relationship with the neighborhood. Dozens of old buildings were renovated; a long stretch of East Carson Street was designated both a local and national historic district; the business district became part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street program; and PHLF became a partner in a state tax incentive program that contributed substantially to the South Side’s economic revival.
More than fifty years later, the buildings that first inspired PHLF to work in the South Side still give it a distinctive character; at the same time, much has changed. Encompassing both the South Side’s historic core and its farthest reaches to the west and east, this tour shows that historic buildings and contemporary planning and design can live companionably to sustain a neighborhood.
Celebrate Juneteenth on Juniata Street
Community Celebration on Saturday, June 19 on Juniata Street. See flyer below for details.
From Pittsburgh to Beirut: A Night of Literary Connections
Presented with RealTime Interventions and
Rusted Radishes, Beirut’s Literary & Arts Journal
From Pittsburgh to Beirut
Wednesday, June 9
7:00 pm
How can a literary journal survive when a country’s economic free-fall makes paper impossible to buy?
Tune in for a Pittsburgh-meets-Beirut event that celebrates of music, literature, and paper. This program is organized to support Rusted Radishes, the pre-eminent literary & arts journal of Beirut, whose upcoming issue “Money,” explores (and is hindered by) the extreme economic trauma in Lebanon.
The evening also spotlights RealTime Intervention’s upcoming virtual show The Birth of Paper. A work written in Pittsburgh and performed live from Beirut that honors the postal service as an ancient, global technology of connection.
Featuring readings, spells, melodies, literature, and paper arts, this is an evening of literary collaborations and connections from across the globe.
Artists and performances live from Pittsburgh and Beirut, including Celeste Gainey, Crystal Woodling, Nur Turkmani, Patricia Ward, Milia Ayache, and Rima Rantisi.
Letter from the President – June 2021
Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss within the cup,
And I’ll not ask for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove’s nectar sup,
I would not change for thine.
Ben Jonson
From To Celia (1616)
Welcome to June. I hope you enjoyed May before it hurried past.
Good news, everyone! With increased vaccination rates comes the imminent possibility of in-person gatherings. Thus, we have decided to hold our Independence Day block party once again. Please mark your calendars for this event (note that Independence Day falls on July 4 this year). I suspect that the format will be similar to past years, but we will follow whatever official CDC guidelines are in place. Details on food and beverages will follow in an eNewsletter. I hope to see you all at the party.
This also means the re-introduction of full membership meetings. As many of you know, the AWCC typically does not hold membership meetings during July and August, so we’ve scheduled the first live membership meeting for September. It’s my sincere hope that, by that time, we will have achieved a very high rate of full vaccination and there will be no need for masks. Again, though, we will follow CDC guidelines.
My last bit of information to impart concerns a September wine-tasting event. AWCC will sponsor Pours and Plates that month, to be held at Holmes Hall. You will be receiving more information on this fund-raising event as the plans firm up.
With that, I wish you all a wonderful June.
Bob Griewahn
President, AWCC
AWCC Informational Meeting – June 8, 2021
Via Zoom (details)
Tuesday, June 8 at 7:30 pm
- 7:30 – Gather, Say Hello, Meet New Neighbors
- 7:35 – Update: City of Pittsburgh Zone 1 Police (Officer Burford)
- 7:40 – Update: City of Pittsburgh, Mayor’s Office (Leah Friedman)
- 7:45 – Update: Councilman Wilson’s Office (Mohammed Burny/Faith Mudd)
- 7:50 – Update: Representative Wheatley’s Office (Thomas Graham)
- 7:55 – Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (Erin Tobin)
- 8:00 – Treasurer’s Report (Aaron Bryan)
- 8:05 – Executive Committee Reports
- Independence Day Block Party
- September In-Person Membership Meeting
- “Pours and Plates” Possible Autumn Event
- 8:25 – Much Ado About Nothing
- 8:30 – Conclude