When the rest of us were focused on fighting the polar vortex and the snows of January, a group of more than 70 Pittsburghers were focused on making art every day as part of the annual Fun-a-Day project. Much of that work will go on display starting Friday, March 7.
Fun-a-Day, in its sixth year in Pittsburgh, encourages people to make a pledge to be creative every day during the month of January.
“The goal isn’t to have the highest quality work,” said project organizer Emma Rehm. “The goal is to do something fun every day, and you have to recognize that when you’re doing creative work every single day, some of it is not going to be good and that’s okay.”
Rehm said some participants make a different work of art each day, and others work on a single piece of art over the entire month.
It is also intended to serve as an outlet for those who are intimidated by the art world, where work is often scrutinized. There are no requirements to participate and no judging to get in or to be displayed.
The idea behind the project is that it is sometimes difficult to maintain creativity during January, the middle of winter. If people stay motivated to create art every day, the results are “totally wild,” Rehm said.
“I’ve got my hands on a handful of projects, and there are some really talented people in this town who would never for a minute consider themselves artists,” Rehm said.
While some participants produce art regularly, most “would never call themselves artists, and this is the first or maybe only art show they would ever be in,” Rehm said.
Rehm, who is a writer by day, doesn’t consider herself an artist, but participated in Fun-a-Day. She collaborated with her sister to illustrate a daily journal about each other’s lives.
“It’s really a good way to push my creative boundaries,” Rehm said.
Rehm’s work and other’s can be viewed for free from March 7 to March 28 at The Mr. Roboto Project on Penn Avenue.
