As the summer 2023 term of Pedantic draws closer, we’re thinking back to our first cohort and the guides that helped make Pedantic a special experience for our inaugural residents.
Our Operations Assistant Lindsay Herring recently reached out to one of the guides from that term, Edith Abeyta, and asked a few questions about their time as a guide and how it influenced their practice.
What is it about Pittsburgh that makes it a remarkable space for an explorative residency such as Pedantic?
The scale of Pittsburgh makes it possible to connect with many different neighborhoods, locations, artists, and people each of which is unique. With over 130 municipalities in the county and over 90 neighborhoods in Pittsburgh visitors/guests from other places can be at the river, in the hills, and walking in a forest in a matter of minutes. Traveling across the city one can go from the 21st century to the 19th century in a short car trip. How many cities can boast of time travel?
What stood out to you during your time as a guide?
Getting together in person with Pedantic residents and introducing them to artists and places during a pandemic in a safe manner was exceptional. Can art, thinking about art, and talking about still happen in a pandemic - yes it can !
Did the residency spark anything for your own practice?
The opportunities to connect and converse with other people who are thinking about and doing art is a plus. It opens up ways of thinking, looking, seeing, and making that are different, maybe new, and are sparks for ways to approach my own practice. Expansion is the word I would use to describe my experience.
