January 20: Nina Marie Barbuto, assemble

Looking for a really cool thing to do? Look no further, Nina Barbuto has brought to Pittsburgh one of the most interesting ideas I have ever seen: assemble!

Nina Marie Barbuto

I initially met Nina when I joined the I Made It! Market last year, when I first joined as an artist at WYEP's Rock the Block. Although I had never met her before, I knew that there was something special about Nina. She was the only girl I had ever seen wearing yellow stirrup pants with that level of confidence and poise. Nina approached me with the warmth and kindness of an old friend, and continues to do so to this day. That's what you get when you interact with her: kindness, genuine goodness, and colorful inspiration.

A project at Assemble

assemble, a new venue in the Penn Ave Arts District, is a place where one can engage their intrigue through hands on activities about art and technology.  Physical and nonphysical social and creative connections are fostered through film screenings, happenings, workshops, lectures, and community activities.  assemble will activate the community with the contributions and presence of the audience and makers. With specific times for young and old makers alike, learning or making does not have to end when the work or school bell rings, it can become integrated into every aspect of life and time in the day. Founded on the concepts of sustainability, community, science, architecture, new media, and lowtech/hightech art, assemble will be a place for CREATION!

A maker/instigator/learner, Nina moved back to PGH from LA where she was running around from desert to beach. Nina has a M.arch from Sciarc from the MediaScapes program. She wants to grow buildings and make things happen. 

assemble

Nina and Carrie Nardini started I Made It! Market before she ran away to grad school in LA. Nina came back to PGH, one thing led to another...and Assemble came to be!  Assemble is a community space for arts and technology, located at 5125 Penn Avenue in the heart of the Penn Avenue Arts District. Their programs include monthly openings during the Unblurred gallery crawls, as well as workshops, lectures and community activities with a focus on providing quality creative programming for the children of our neighborhood.

This is what it looks like to make a difference in a community

 Assemble will activate the community with the contributions and presence of the audience and makers. Assemble is a not-for-profit organization with an active, contributing board. Email Assemble at assemblepgh@gmail.com; they are looking for a weekend program manager! Check them out online, "like" them on Facebook, and follow on Twitter to ensure you are up to date on what's new and exciting.