709 Penn Presents Jo-Anne Bates' MONOTYPE PRINTS, 7/25-8/31

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents a visual art exhibition of vibrant and abstract mixed-media monotype prints. Artist Jo-Anne Bates was inspired to create the works in Monotype Prints: An Exploration of Color from her travels in South Africa nearly ten years ago. The exhibition is on view at the Trust's 709 Penn Gallery July 25-August 31, 2014, and an opening reception takes place July 25, 2014, from 5:30-8 p.m.

Bates, a Pittsburgh-based artist, was inspired by "the incredible colors and textures of the land, the people, and their clothing" throughout her travels in South Africa. She visited such places as Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Seal Island, Soweto, Pilanesberg, Robben Island, Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, and Kruger National Park, among others.

"Most of South Africa is warm year round with some gentle rain showers. This allows for the lush colors of the landscape," says Bates. "The cloth [South Africans] weave and dye is often turned into very colorful clothing, which they often wear. The colors were so vivid that it made a lasting impression on me and subsequently my work."

Jo-Anne Bates has had an extensive career as an artist and arts educator. After 29 years with the Pittsburgh Public School System, Bates has devoted her time to her artwork and serving on various committees, such as the Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art, Education Committee, Pittsburgh, PA; and Chairman, Friends of Art for the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Bates is professionally affiliated with such organizations as the Pittsburgh Print Group, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh National Conference of Artists; Manchester Craftsmen's Guild; Society for Contemporary Crafts; and Women of Visions, Pittsburgh, PA; among others. Bates has received numerous awards for printmaking, and she has held solo exhibitions in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and West Virginia.

About 709 Penn Gallery
709 Penn Gallery is a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The gallery is located at 709 Penn Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Gallery Hours: Wed. & Thurs. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun.11 a.m.-5 p.m. The gallery is free and open to the public. For more information about all gallery exhibitions featured in the Cultural District, please visit TrustArts.org.

About the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh's most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country's largest landmasses curated by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh's quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Cultural Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts. For more information, visit TrustArts.org.

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