Tom Judd: Shall We Gather at the River

I have been with Concept Gallery for over 20 years but I never spent much time in Pittsburgh until our Daughter started attending Pitt last year. I found myself completely intrigued with the City every time we visited. When Concept invited me to do an exhibit in November, I was really excited to make it about Pittsburgh.

Like many great cities, Pittsburgh is a contradiction. My approach is never too literal, or about the facts of a place, but more an effort to discover the soul of the city. Pittsburgh’s early story was particularly dramatic, becoming an industrial center surrounded by farm land in the middle of the country.  The photographs from this time are astounding. The smoke stacks and black smoke engulfing the city. But even then, the city seemed to have a longing for greatness in its architecture and public buildings and institutions. I tried to imagine families moving from farms to the city  to work in the mills. What is most amazing of course is the city it has become. Culturally rich, diversified, and just visually interesting in every way, and with a population of people that seem proud of their city. 

I named the show “Shall We Gather at the River” an old gospel song, because it seemed to speak about a city surrounded by rivers.