In RE: A Ride Through Lovecraft Country / October 22, 2020 by Kitoko Chargois | PearlArts Studios

If you’re looking for something spooky to watch as we delve deeper into October, look no further than Lovecraft Country! While incredibly terrifying at parts, Lovecraft Country is much more than a horror show. LoveCraft Country is an examination on Race in America. This month in In Re: our team weighs in on Lovecraft Country.

In RE: Holding Space for Black Trans Lives / August 5, 2020 by Guest User

Welcome back to In RE! This week, we all dedicated our time to watch DISCLOSURE, a Netflix documentary that dives deep into Hollywood's representations of transgender people and its impact as described by trans creatives, actors, directors, and more.

In 2019, the Human Rights campaign called fatal anti-transgender violence in the United States "A National Epidemic." Last year, 91% of transgender people fatally killed were Black, 81% were under the age of 30, and 68% lived in Southern US states. It is still a national epidemic today. (Source: HRC.ORG)

In RE: How Do the Arts Survive Digitally? / July 9, 2020 by Kitoko Chargois | PearlArts Studios

Welcome to our new blog series! Every two weeks, we’ll be picking topics pertaining to movement, sound, art, and current events and discussing them! We invite you to join the discussion in the comments below. This week, we will be discussing an article from The Conversation by Caitlin Vincent: Giving it away for free – why the performing arts risks making the same mistake newspapers did. As COVID-19 continues to force the necessity of social distancing and bans on large gatherings, the dance and theater world is still scrambling to adjust. When Allegheny County went into lockdown in early March, the move was sudden and unexpected. All of our live engagements with STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos and planned events at PearlArts Studios were cancelled or postponed. It’s been 5 months since that lockdown, and while the county went to green phase and cautiously began reopening, it was not long before we slid back into the yellow phase due to rising cases of Coronavirus. It has been important to us to keep moving, creating, and setting the groundwork for the future. With social distancing, utilizing outdoor spaces, masking up, and running admin remotely, we have been able to make space to adapt to a digital reality. In this week’s in RE: our team weighs in on Caitlin Vincent’s article on how offering digital content for free is affecting our industry.

Across the Floor: Anniversary Edition #1 / May 5, 2020 by Kitoko Chargois | PearlArts Studios

STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos (SPdp&SS) was born purely from a desire to dance. When dear friend and colleague Jamie Murphy brought up the idea of getting dancers together to make work, Staycee Pearl was inspired. “I guess you can say I just couldn't stay away from dance,” she said. “It just happened so easily I couldn't resist. I also wanted to create a vehicle that supported like-minded artists both emerging and mid-career.” When then Executive Director of the Kelly Strayhorn Theater Janera Solomon offered her a residency at the theater to start the dance company, it was a done deal. From there, Staycee and Husband/Creative Partner Herman Pearl amassed a talented team of dancers and designers and set upon building a vision. The result was a new way of doing movement and sound for their partnership. Here’s how circlePOP defined a new era for Staycee and Herman Pearl’s creative ventures.

PearlArts Round-Up #6: 6 Ways to Support Pittsburgh Artists (At Home!) / March 26, 2020 by Guest User

Looking to shake up your routine? We’re delighted to share our team’s recommendations to nourish you and your loved ones safely at home. This month we are showing some extra love to inspirational work by Pittsburgh-based artists who are producing resourceful and entertaining content online. Please enjoy and stay safe, everyone!

PearlArts Round-Up #4: New Sound in Pittsburgh / February 25, 2020 by Guest User

By Ally Tayag Ricarte
PearlArts Studios

Thank you for all who attended the debut of Eko Chamber Collective at the Warhol Sound Series! From Herman 'Soy Sos' Pearl's inspiration for the ensemble to the post-performance feedback, we have been so grateful for the opportunity and support from the Andy Warhol Museum.

We’d like to extend our gratitude to Ben Harrison, Jessica Beck and Keith at The Warhol Museum for bringing this event to life and Richard Nicol of Pittsburgh Modular for sharing his synthesizer as well as shooting video documentation of the work. We are thrilled for the continued interest in Pittsburgh sound artists and musicians and cannot wait for the next show!

About Eko Chamber Collective:

Eko Chamber Collective features an eclectic roster of Pittsburgh-based musicians including Herman Pearl, aka Soy Sos, (electronics), Brittany Trotter (flute), Anqwenique Kinsel (voice), Sadie Powers (bass), Paul Thompson (bass), and Brian Riordan (live processing). The collective is a live electro-acoustic ensemble that utilizes spatialized performance techniques that cater to reverberant spaces. With the use of a multi-channel sound system, the group creates an immersive sound environment by collaborating with the acoustics and architecture of spaces rather than working against them, and this site-specific performance has been developed with our entrance space in mind. Audience members are encouraged to move about the performance space, as the ensemble’s compositions are created to lend themselves to unique sonic experiences, which unfold differently depending on one's vantage point.

PearlArts Round-Up #2 / November 25, 2019 by Guest User

We’re bringing in the holiday season with some new recommendations from our PearlArts team!

PearlArts Round-Up #1 / October 22, 2019 by Guest User

As we enter the colder season, we’ve got some exciting material for you to enjoy in the comfort of your own homes. Every month our team will be sharing their favorite reading, listening, and more inspirational material!