Where can you find art, music, and great conversation? You need to turn to the South Side of Pittsburgh and explore the new Arts & Innovation series. Volume 1 was March 12 at Acoustic Music Works. The venue was packed with people from South Side and beyond with lively conversation. Volume 2 will be held July 30 and will feature the music of Jessica Lee, Mark Strickland and Hugo Cruz, and so much more.
Jessica Lee and Mark Strickland opened Volume 1 with a set of jazz and blues. At the break South Side Business District Manager Susan Anderson highlighted some of the amazing artists and activities happening on the South Side. Raymond Morin shared the post, present, and future of Acoustic Music Works which moved from Squirrel Hill to the South Side in 2025. Laura Kay Coffey spoke about the neighborhood—hopes, happenings, the wealth of talent and artistic energy in South Side. She also talked about her journey to the South Side and her own photography which includes photography-based painterly art images. Some of Laura’s work was displayed that night in a pop-up art show. Read Connolly, one of the people from the reopened iconic Club Cafe, wrapped up the presentations during the break with a discussion of the reopening of the iconic music venue.
After the break, inspired by the presentations, the conversations continued with even more energy and enthusiasm and so did the music, as vivacious percussionist, Alex Shallenberger, a local music teacher and musician, joined Jessica and Mark, for more jazz and blues. People left with energy, enthusiasm, ideas, and new and reinvigorated connections.
Susan Anderson sees the potential for bringing people back to the South Side of Pittsburgh by tapping into the power of arts and culture. She sees the South Side as Pittsburgh’s Main Street and is working diligently and effectively to grow Carson Street into an increasingly engaged, vibrant arts and music row. There’s positive movement in that direction. Susan says:
Arts and culture have long been catalysts for economic growth and community revitalization. People are drawn to authentic experiences, and the arts create opportunities for people to explore a neighborhood, visit businesses, and build meaningful connections. By highlighting the South Side’s creative assets, we can support existing businesses, attract new visitors, and showcase the district as a place where creativity, entrepreneurship, and community thrive together. The arts help tell the story of a neighborhood and create reasons for people to return again and again.
The idea for the series began when Norton Gusky approached Laura Kay Coffey to see if there might be an opportunity to have an event series on the South Side of Pittsburgh. Laura Kay moved to the South Side four years ago, shortly after retiring in Springfield, Illinois. She searched for and found in the South Side, an affordable city and neighborhood with a lively arts and culture scene. Along the way Laura Kay has connected a host of dynamic neighborhood initiatives and happenings including the work led by South Side’s Business District Manager Susan Anderson to bring businesses back to Carson Street. Laura Kay outlined her connection to the South Side:
I live in the South Side and love the creative, vibrant atmosphere here. It’s incredibly inspiring. There is art all around our neighborhood. We have the Brew House, City Theatre, music venues, murals, mosaics, culinary artists and more. These are all part of why I fell in love, and stay in love, with this neighborhood.
The neighborhood is brimming with art and with artists. This spring, 57 South Side artists exhibited in a show at Brew House Arts who paint and sculpt and draw and weave and make films and…take photographs…and more. That show was titled the Art of Pittsburgh’s South Side and the art was astounding. And then even beyond what people traditionally think of as art, art is all around, especially the South Side.
Connecting with people is an art. Connecting people with each other is an art. Making pierogis is an art.Making soup a major event, taking care of and celebrating goats, telling stories. Listening to stories. BEING the story. Being a good neighbor. Creating beautiful days in our neighborhood. Yarn bombing, cleaning up trash, putting art in empty storefronts, running a flower shop, making textiles. ALL art.
Beyond that… Creating a Community Action Network and bringing neighbors together and having real impact. That’s an art. Revitalizing a business district, that’s art, too, and an important one.
South Side is the neighborhoodiest neighborhood I’ve ever neighborhooded in and I wake up every day filled with gratitude that I landed here.
The South Side like many urban neighborhoods has had ebbs and flows. When I first moved back to Pittsburgh in the 1980s the South Side was a hotbed for music, art, and innovation. However, in the last decade there’s been a decline in the art and music scene with a perception that the South Side is a dangerous place at night. Susan Anderson saw the potential for bringing people back to the South Side of Pittsburgh by tapping into the power of Art and Culture. She explained the philosophy behind the Art and Innovation series:
In a world where technology has made it easier than ever to communicate but often harder to build meaningful human connections, creating opportunities for people to gather in person is more important than ever. The Arts & Innovation Series is designed to encourage people to step away from their screens, leave their homes and offices, and engage with one another in a comfortable, welcoming, and non-threatening environment. Through shared experiences centered around music, art, and conversation, we hope to foster the kind of authentic connections that strengthen communities, spark new ideas, support local businesses, and remind us of the value of simply being together. Ultimately, innovation begins with people, and meaningful connections are often the catalyst for the best ideas, partnerships, and opportunities.
Arts & Innovation: Volume 2
The next event is scheduled for 5:30 pm on July 30 at Ms Kitschy Witch & Friends, a fashion/art/event/classroom and more space. The site is new and unusual and so it fits right into the series theme. South Side Arts & Innovation Volume 2 will be different from other South Side musical happenings in several ways. It’s a Happy Hour event. It’s in a new retail and space that features the art of numerous artists; there will be an immersive fashion show all night long as well as presentations and a more formal fashion show during the musical break; and there will be opportunities for engaged discussions with residents, artists, business owners, and visitors intended to inform and inspire movement forward. It’s an investment in the city and in the South Side.
Susan Anderson outlined the vision for this type of event:
A Happy Hour format creates an approachable and welcoming environment for people to participate. It gives residents, business owners, artists, and visitors an opportunity to connect after work, discover new venues, and experience the South Side in a relaxed setting.
For the July 30 event Jessica Lee will perform with Mark Strickland on guitar and Hugo Cruz on percussion. At the break there will be an interactive fashion show with clothing from Ms. Kitschy Witchy and an opportunity to hear more about what’s happening on the South Side from Susan Anderson. After the break audience members will have a chance to play percussion instruments that Hugo Cruz will bring to the event. Jessica explained what the audience should expect:
Having a large repertoire of Jazz, Blues, Inspirational, and American songs is important for these events. “Music with a message” is a theme with songs chosen for the meanings they convey, and sometimes these songs are selected “in the moment” given the energy and people in the room. Songs are also chosen to give people both something they remember and something new to experience, and to highlight the particular talents of the musicians included in the event. For example, Cuban percussionist Hugo Cruz will join us at the next event, and I will be choosing songs that will showcase his abilities and interests and that allow us to include interested attendees in experimenting with playing percussion instruments with Hugo and our musical combo.
According to Jessica Lee the idea for this type of event started before Covid with a series Jessica initiated in Downtown Pittsburgh. When Norton Gusky introduced her to Acoustic Music Works and Susan Anderson she knew she had landed on a rich lode of art and innovation.
My positive experience with producing “Entrepreneurial Thursdays Jazz & Blues Happy Hour” on a weekly basis for over 10 years downtown PGH led me to believe a happy hour series could also be helpful for bringing people – young to old – to the South Side. With the downtown happy hour series, we met 5:30-8 PM on a weekly basis at a beautiful Jazz Club (Dowe’s on 9th) and featured interviews with entrepreneurs at the musical break. The series was well attended and attracted people from all parts of the region to the downtown happy hour. People made new friends, heard new ideas, and “got jobs, got funding . . . and got married!” The networking was laid-back, the music was excellent and included a 2nd set jam session, and the entrepreneurs were interesting and motivated to make positive change in the region. I have also produced many customized music happy hour events showcasing charitable organizations, utilizing a multi-arts format that have included interpretive dance, visual arts, and spoken word. The South Side series showcases music and musicians, arts and artists, entrepreneurs, community and economic development leaders and more – all in a relaxed happy hour environment where all are welcome.
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