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First Ever Three Rivers Arts Festival
20,000 people attended the first ever Three Rivers Arts Festival held at Point State Park. The festival was a four day showcase filled with art and had a musical performance by the American Wind Symphony barge.
Photo Credit: The Carlton Restaurant -
The Second Festival
More than 100,000 people attended and the festival expanded with visual art exhibitions in Downtown Pittsburgh buildings filled with 420 regional artists. -
The more the merrier! 10 days were added
The festival decied to add more days to the event from eight to ten days. This time around children's art was included and it drew in 150,000 people with 3,000 enteries from 700 artists. -
Rainy days at the fest
During the week of the festival it rained nine out of the ten days and forty artists protest seventeen others who were chosen without jury process. -
TRAF
The Three Rivers Arts Festival introduces a mural that was painted by visitors. The event inlcuded 25 cents for a person to get paint and a brush to make their mark on this mural. -
The Trend of Banners
Banners became the new trend this year and the festival opened with the Pittsburgh Savoyards performing "Pirates of Penzance" -
The theatre joins the Arts Fest
The Artists Market makes an appearance as the "Open Show." Senator Eugene McCarthy reads poetry and the Pittsburgh Playhouse actors put on the show "Guys and Dolls." -
Family becomes the theme of the festival
The "Children's Activity Center" was introduced and paved the way for a variety of family oriented activites. Robert Breer nationally known artist, exhibits his large moving scultpures -
Sky sculpture takes over!
A fellow Pittsburgher by the name of CIndy Snodgrass designed the first ever sky sculpture that soared aboved the festival and the Mendelssohn choir performed. -
Invasion of sculptures at the festival
The sculpturescape exhibition leaves a permanent mark on the city from Clement Meadmore's "Up and Away" which is still on display at the PNC Bank Plaza; Kenneth Snelson's "Forest Devil" which is now in the Mellon Square; and fellow Pittsburgher John Henry is in Frank Curto on Bigelow Boulevard. -
Boogie Fever
The new excuetive director John Jay during this time ends the festival with a disco party for more than 3,000 people on the Boulevard of the Allies. The festival also introduced the "Festival Fringe" program that offered local performers the chance to audition to perform on the main stage. -
Balloon Race
An aerial balloon race was the main attraction at this year's festival and it included fabric sculptor Anne Healy and musician Steve Reich.
Photo Credit: Harry Pherson/flickr -
The Festival Grows
The Three Rivers Arts Festival continues to grow into 6 sites and includes poetry by Allen Ginsberg and John Ciardi. Dance pieces by Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane. Plus a 10 foot wide boardwalk was featured in the park by Jody Pinto called "Project for the Origin of the Ohio." -
The Fest meets Jazz
Jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald was the first big national music headliner plus the festival added a film festival to it and it featured artist muralist Richard Haas.
Photo Credit: svennevenn/flickr -
Gay controversy
Director Jay resigns after talking about "beefy construction crews" that Out magazine brought to light. He was then replaced by John Brice. The wonderful Ella Fitzgerald returns to the stage with an expanded lineup featuring the Four Freshmen, Tito Puente and Lar Lubovitch Dance Company.
Photo Credit: @Doug88888/flickr -
More headliners added to the Festival
The new headliners included Roberta Flack, Koko Taylor and Phillip Glass. Debra Fraiser creates a "wind walk" made from colorful nylon fabric that was featured in the park. -
Another expanison to the festival
The Festival is now expanded to Grant Street with 5 buildings showcasing "Illumination: the Quality of Light." The musical performance for this year were The Four Tops, Sergio Mendes, Stanley Turrentine and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. -
Smokey Robinson attends the 3RiversArtsFest
An estimation of 70,000 people attended the festival to see Smokey Robinson. Vicky A. Clarke curated a Tom Otterness sculpture show and the festival chairman Jim Roddey has a peephole artwork in a crate moved to South Side gallery. -
Pittsburgh Now: 8 Artists are featured at the Festival
Local artists are represented in Pittsburgh Now: 8 artists. The main concert featured Ray Charles, Steve Earle, Kronos Quarlet, and Huey Lewis. -
Sculpture at the Point
Scupture at the Point features unusual installations by 9 national artist including Californian Nancy Rubins stacks of worn-out household equipment lashed on to trees and Ping Chong's stuffed white-tail deer bodies on the Fort Duquense Bridge pier. The musical performance were the Neville Brothers and Buckwheat Zydeco, plus there was an performance art called "Inside the Edge" series. -
Festival Cont'd
Jeanne L. Pearlman showcases her "Contemporary American Landscape Painting" that includes atomspheric work by April Gornik. And the musical performers were Judy Collins and Chuck Mangione. -
New Controversy
There was controversy over a 15 foot tall fiberglass sculpture called "Hunky Steel Worker" by Luis Jimenez at the Point. The piece was sadly ground off and was sent to Station Square. Phillip Glass returns to perform. -
Splading Gray arrives!
Peformance artist and Actor Spalding Gray showcases his monologue by interviewing 4 people from the audience.
Photo Credit: Daniel Rehn/flickr -
Festival Cont'd
Hachivi Edgar places 24 identical metal signs in Point State Park to raise the question... Who owns history? -
The Film Festival leaves the Arts Festival
The Film Festival breaks away from the 3RiversArts Festival and Suzanne Lacy's sober installation in the park contains 180 brass plates with the names of Pennslyvania women murdered in domestic violence. -
Fetival Cont'd
Adrienne Heinrich collaborates with African American women who recall events of their lives for a sound installation. -
Rain rain go away.
Heavy rain damages booths washing out the first 2 days and 2 weekends. Arnie Zane a photography died due to aids in 1988 is the highlight. -
Festival Cont'd
The Arts Festival reaches out to a community with 6 neighborhood projects called "Points of Entry" which later becomes a hardbound book. Later that night there was a Geogre Benson concert that attracted approx. 40,000 people. -
Festival Cont'd 1997
The installation of "Mother Tongue/The Name of Land" blends conceptualism and fun in Point Park, while the another japanese artist named Masami Teraoke was inspired by the old ribald prints and advertising at Wood Street. -
Festival Cont'd 1998
The art displayed was brought to people by the late Louise Nevelson and Keith Haring, while the musicaln performance is by Anthony Braxton and Al Jarreau. -
Festival Cont'd 1999
The musical guest were Judy Collins, The Skyliners, and David Murray Tenet. -
The New Year
Detroit artist Tyree Guyton recreates his Heidelburg Project in Point State Park and Hannah Wilke showcases her lymphoma-invaded self-portraits. -
Festival Cont'd 2001
Elizabeth Reiss succeeds the departing Pearlman. The Iconic sculptor and video artist Nam June Paik exhibits his work. The musical performance was Lucinda Williams. -
Festival Cont'd
The Juried Visual Arts Exhibition morphs into the Annual Exhibition showcasing Pittsburgh artists. Patrick Dougherty creates his sculpture "Bivouac" in Point State Park. The musical performances were from Sonic Youth, Wilco, and Maceo Parker. -
Festival Cont'd
Steven Siegel makes a sculpture out of recyclables at the Point and Wilco returns with Patti Smith as the musical guests. -
Festival Cont'd
Stacy levy's "River Eyelash" flows into the waters off of the Point. And the musical guests are Drive-By Truckers and Aimee Mann. -
Festival Cont'd
The 4th River Project presents cutting-edge work from emerging local theater and performance artists. The musical guests for the evening were Tom Verlaine, The Eels, and The English Beat. -
TRAF moves locations
The Three Rivers Arts Festival vacates Point State Park due to renovation nad moves to Stanwix Triangle. The musical guest included Avett Brothers and Black Moth Super Rainbow. Also Brett Yako creates public art in Market Square. -
Festival Cont'd
Huge shipping containers of art make Market Square look like a construction zone and the New York Dolls play in Stanwix Triangle. -
TRAF is under new direction
The Three Rivers Arts Festival finally returns to it's home at Point State Park and is now under the direction of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust which is continued on til this day.
Photo Credit: 3riversarts festival.org
