Preposterous Portraits: Master Carvers Make Pumpkin Carving A Mountainous Affair.
Step Right Up to “The Big Top”…This Year’s Carving Theme Centers Around the Circus.
Nearly everyone loves the circus and this year’s massive festival carving will feature “The Greatest Growth on Earth”—giant pumpkins—in a collective scene of under-the-tent showmanship involving circus animals—lion, tiger, elephant. Headline carvers: Dean Murray, making his eighth consecutive appearance at the event, will lead a team of experienced and award-winning artists including: Chris Foltz, Matthew Stoddart and central PA’s own, Danny Kissel. They take on the titanic task of sculpting nearly 10 tons of pumpkin into a seamless scene—stacking, staging, cutting and arranging pumpkins—large and small—together to make the final image appear continuous. The carvers, all renowned performers in the field of “temporary art,” arrive days before the event to begin picking, scraping, etching, chiseling and fashioning raw pumpkin into fleshy 3-D imagery. Individually, the quartet has performed around the world, on television and in major festivals everywhere—and have collected multiple titles in international competitions across varying carving disciplines [food, wood, ice].
Mingle with a Master…Brendan Conaway, aka the “Pittsburgh Pumpkin Guy,” Will Showcase his Techniques and Talents all Weekend Long.
For over a decade, Plum native Brendan Conaway has been mastering the art and agility of carved pumpkin portraiture and the skills necessary to transform October's signature gourds into grimy orange, and wildly picturesque, oddities. Many in the region see him perform annually at area harvest festivals and occasionally on TV teaching local personalities, such as Pittsburgh Today Live's Celina Pompeani, how to sculpt pumpkins properly! A showman with a warm charm and overwhelming eagerness to share his craft with the public, the engaging artist appears and performs all weekend long at the festival. He invites aspiring carvers and those just curious and appreciative of the craft to come watch, learn and enjoy the experience! Oh, he'll also be the featured artist behind the festival's lone "jumbo" jack-o-lantern—an anticipated 2,000+ pound, cucurbit canvass. In case you're wondering, when he's not carving? Brendan runs his interior paint business, aptly titled: Pittsburgh Painter Guy.
Coloring the Cucurbits and More…Pumpkins, Burlap, Straw, Stalks…our Artists Spray’em All!
Scattered within the event footprint and around/behind its massive carving display will be humongous hay bales reflecting the expressive artistry of talented painters Max “GEMS” Gonzalez, Shane Pilster and Scott Brozovich. The trio will “spray and shape” the bales into different character portraits complementing various festival motifs.
In addition to painting a few giant pumpkins, the artists will colorfully cover and craft several mammoth straw bales, stacked and shaped, into event-themed characters, animals and other figures of temporary art.
About the Artists:
Max “Gems” Gonzales: known as “GEMS,” Max is originally from the southwest side of Chicago and graduated with honors from Carnegie Mellon University’s Fine Art program. Once considered by police as the City’s “most wanted” graffiti artist, he has since refined his talents to develop a more structured career as a practicing painter, muralist, curator and art educator. He has presented, lectured and conducted workshops regionally including University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Winchester Thurston High School, Youth Places and The Environmental Charter School. Max is also a member of Boom Concepts, Flower House Gallery, Wicked Pittsburgh, Hemispheric Conversations Urban Art Project, and Pullproof Studios. Currently, he works for Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh as a Labs Mentor, servicing local teens with workshops and art programming.
Shane Pilster: is an artist, muralist, curator, graphic designer, and web developer. Bridging his expertise in graffiti and urban arts with community involvement, he prides himself also as an educator, advocate and mentor. Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, Shane has called Pittsburgh home since 2004. Working with Rivers of Steel since 2012, he created its Graffiti Art Program and interactive workshop curriculum to showcase the post-industrial history of Carrie Furnaces. In addition to organizing and curating the legal painting areas of this National Historic Landmark, he has organized art components and live demonstrations at events such as Homestead First Fridays, Thrival Festival and the Three Rivers Arts Festival.
Scott Brozovich: A longtime fan and practitioner of the arts, David Scott Brozovich is a visual artist that specializes in murals, live painting and event curating with a particular passion for the medium of spray paint. Starting in 2017, Scott has been part of multiple art exhibitions and has curated multiple arts and music events alongside Wicked Pittsburgh and fellow artist Max “Gems” Gonzales. Now a full time, freelance artist, he has more recently focused on mural productions performing work for multiple residential spaces across the Midwest and East Coast.
One Fall Tops Them All…
WTAE Project Bundle–Up Pumpkin Drop!
We’ve teamed up with WTAE Channel-4 and the Salvation Army to assist this worthy service effort—that provides new winter coats, hats, scarves, mittens and boots to thousands of underprivileged western Pennsylvania children and senior citizens annually—with one gigantic splash of a promotion.
Here’s how it works: we fill a 10’-diameter, 3’-deep inflatable pool with water and numbered ping pong balls. A reasonable donation gets you one ball in the pool and one chance at winning a fantastic prize package. We release the pumpkin into the pool and the prodigious plunge wildly disperses the balls. The one traveling farthest from the pool gets the goods. C’mon, take a chance and get into the game…to donate and discover the prizes—click here!
Drone View of 1,900 Pound GIANT PUMPKIN Falling 140 Feet to the Ground Into a 3-Foot Pool of Water!
Gourd-geous Glass
Vessel Studio Glass Adds Sparkle, Fire, and Flair to the Festival
Glass Blowing Becomes Intriguing Spectacle for Spectators of all Ages.
Pumpkins and glass…the artisans of Vessel Studio Glass are true champions of the glassblowing craft, demonstrating and showcasing the timeless, free-blowing technique. The studio owners and husband/wife team of Drew and Jeannine Hine bring their crew, furnace, plenty of talent and engaging showmanship to the event…enlivening crowd enthusiasm and wowing faces young and old as they turn molten glass into intricate and beautiful Fall-themed pieces of art.
Their shows are performative, instructive, educational and entertaining…and this year, they will be integrating their talents with those of our master carvers to produce some rather unique and expressive creations with real pumpkins.
Plus, the Studio brings and eclectic display of their hand-blown products to sell, all at special event pricing…flamboyant pieces that brighten any space or to make the perfect and extraordinary gift for your special someone. We promise: they’ll fire you up!
Cozy Carriage Rides…An Enchanting, Old-Fashioned Clomp and Stroll!
A Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride Adds Charm To Your Day!
The talented trainers and carriage drivers from Misty Lane Farms Performance Horses will have several of their teams on hand to create one idyllic setting and memorable gallop to your memories for the weekend. Two iconic carriages will be featured including a truly inviting “Cinderella-style” ride and a more traditional, direct-from-the-farm wagon—each pulled by a team of magnificent Percheron horses.
The carriages will run from 10 a.m., to 5:30 p.m. both days of the festival. But giddyap and don’t wait when you arrive.The activity is extremely popular and capacity on each carriage is limited. Proceeds from each ride benefit festival charitable partners.
SUPPORTING SPONSORS:
EXCLUSIVE TV and RADIO MEDIA PARTNERS:
