PITTSBURGH ARTIST ROCHELLE BLUMENFELD RETURNS TO THE THREE RIVERS ARTS FESTIVAL AFTER FIVE DECADES OF CREATING ART

In 1960, a very young Rochelle Blumenfeld packed her car with six of her abstract paintings on canvas and headed to the point with her husband Irving to participate in Pittsburgh's first Three Rivers Arts Festival. As would later become a festival tradition, it rained…but this rain became a storm, which sent many of the exhibits floating down river! Although the festival got off to a soggy start, Mrs. Blumenfeld continued to exhibit her artwork for ten consecutive years. In 1970, she was honored with nine other artists whose work had been accepted every year since the festival's first show.

Since that first exhibit, Mrs. Blumenfeld has spent the last five decades collecting awards and showcasing her art in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe. Most notably her work was included in the 1976 Bicentennial Show held in France - "Americans in Paris"; her work has also appeared at the Copley Society, Boston; Dunferline, Fife, Scotland and the Westmoreland Museum of Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Many of Rochelle Blumenfeld's paintings can be found in private, corporate and public collections including the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she also had a one-person show.

Now, as one of only four remaining original artists, Rochelle Blumenfeld will again be showing her artwork as part of this year's Three Rivers Arts Festival in a collaborative exhibition entitled Celebration of Spirit presented by One Oxford Centre.

Mrs. Blumenfeld will be showing to the public for the first time her 13-piece dance series exhibition inspired by the African-American ballet Revelations. "Painting Revelations made me feel part of the dance, part of the hope and faith. It's universal theme of faith and deliverance stays on within me. It has helped me to deal with life's challenges." Mrs. Blumenfeld commented. This series builds on her usual Abstract-Expressionist style, revealing strongly figurative elements emerging from and interacting with her abstract representations of motion, light and space. In these paintings, Mrs. Blumenfeld has captured the sheer energy, raw spirit and emotion of the dance and has shown that feelings of hope, inspiration and exhilaration have no cultural boundaries. This work has been the subject of WQED-TV's "On Q" in November of 2002.

As a part of "Celebration of Spirit", the Mary Miller Dance Company and ethnomusicologist Anicet Mundundu will have performances on June 10th and 11th at 12:30pm and 5:30pm each day. These performances will begin outside One Oxford Center and finish on the second floor in front of the gallery. The choreography will utilize outside and inside space along with escalators and elevators as it travels to its final destination. Dressed in simple costumes that are based on the same color scheme as Mrs. Blumenfeld's paintings, the dance reflects the energy and spirit conveyed on canvas. Through this collaborative effort, the artists hope to show how the ideas of one artist inspire many.

Mrs. Blumenfeld's paintings will be on display from June 4th through the 19th in a gallery located on the second floor of One Oxford Centre. Opening reception is Friday, June 4, 5:50pm to 8:30pm. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 11:00am to 6:00pm and Saturday 11:00am to 5:00pm. For more information or if you would like to arrange a docent tour with the artist for your group, call 412-441-1282.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: Lisa Mason, studio-e entertainment, 412-427-2987

Pictures from this Show