I’ve decided to dedicate most of my 2026 studio time to a new series of paintings. Some will be experimental and abstract, but the majority of my ideas center around memories of my art experiences in the Pittsburgh area. My series of paintings about the history of the Black Sheep Puppet Festival was a start in this direction. Now, I’m thinking about the arts developments along the Penn Avenue Bloomfield / Garfield in the 2000’s.
Memory of The Quiet Storm is my first completed painting in the new series. The Quiet Storm was a vegan & vegetarian cafe on Penn Avenue in Garfield from 2001-2013. From its inception, it was a haven for the creative community. When I was in town, I was there at least once a week, eating a burrito, drinking endless amounts of coffee and meeting with friends to make plans for arts events. Many of the planning meetings for my puppetry projects, Art Olympics and The Tom Museum happened there.
My painting is a memory of the early days of the cafe, when live shows happened in the evenings. It was a wild, lively scene. On one occasion, I performed with puppets as part of a menagerie of activity for the Hope-Harveys release of their Fundemonium album. The characters, decor and viewpoint of the painting are from memory. The passage of time may have exaggerated the scene a bit. Some of the signage in the painting is inspired by found online images.
Memory of The Quiet Storm will be featured in the 2025-2026 Featured Artists Exhibition at Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. The show runs March 21-May 29, 2026. The AAP Gallery is located at 100 43rd Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201.
Memory of The Quiet Storm, 60″ x 36″, acrylic on canvas, 2026. Detail, Memory of The Quiet Storm.Detail, Memory of The Quiet Storm.Detail, Memory of The Quiet Storm.Detail, Memory of The Quiet Storm. Detail, Memory of The Quiet Storm.Detail, Memory of The Quiet Storm.Painting in progress, Winter 2026.
Mothman, inspired by the legendary 1960’s sightings of a giant moth-humanoid creature in West Virginia, will be on display in Puppets and Performance (Tom Sarver, 2024).
October has long been puppet season for me. For many years, it was the time of the year when I was organizing the Black Sheep Puppet Festival, an epic national festival of puppetry performance that happened at the Brew House on the South Side of Pittsburgh (1999 through 2008). The festival was always around Halloween. The puppets were often creepy. The cobwebbed Brew House, in need of major repairs at the time, added to the ambiance.
Flash forward to 2024. Early in the year, the crew at You Are Here Gallery in Jeanette, PA contacted me about participating in a community puppet festival in the small town about 45 minutes southeast of Pittsburgh, near Greensburg. I visited You Are Here and saw the first floor gallery and workshop space on the second floor. The organization is a refreshing burst of arts activity on a small town main street. Mary Briggs, Jen Costello and Natalie Condrac talked about a lineup of festive activities that they were planning for October, culminating in the Jeanette Halloween parade. I agreed to conduct a community puppet making workshop and to exhibit in a gallery exhibition of puppets.
Puppets by Tom Sarver that will be on display at You Are Here gallery, starting October 5th (created 2009 through 2024).
This Saturday October 5th from 6 PM to 8 PM is the opening of the You Are Here exhibition Puppets and Performance. I will be showing an assortment of small puppets. Other exhibitors include D.T. Burns, Sasha Schwartz, Sherri Roberts, Joann Kielar, Maddie Macek, Ayne Terceira and Lindsay Goranson. The show is curated by Natalie Condrac. The show runs through Saturday, November 16th.
Kristen Sarver, Tom Sarver, Joann Kielar and Albert Pantone, with Joann’s Traditional Wife puppet at the Puppets and Performance opening reception. Exhibiting artist and puppeteer Sherri Roberts, performing at the opening reception of Puppets and Performance.
I’ll be conducting a two-day workshop in puppet making, Monster Under Your Bed – Community Puppet Making Workshop, on Saturday October 12th at You Are Here Gallery (1 PM to 4 PM) and on Saturday October 19th at Jeanette Library (1 to 4 PM). The workshop is for adults and families with children ten years old and up. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult guardian. The workshop is free but preregistration is required. More information about the workshop can be found here.
Tom Sarver creating Mothman in his workshop.
On Friday, October 25th, You Are Here will be holding Puppet Open Mic Night, with hosts D.T. Burns and Natalie Condrac. Puppet making workshop participants are encouraged to come and perform with their puppets at this event. More information here.
On Wednesday, October 30th, 2024, the Jeanette Halloween Parade takes place, starting at 7 PM on Clay Avenue. I’ve heard this is a wild event and another great opportunity to show off a puppet!
Exploring puppetry is a great way to tell stories, meet new people and get creative. You don’t need special skills to get started. Everyone is invited to check out the activities.
And if you are in Jeanette Wednesday through Sunday before 2pm, I would recommend stopping by Peinetti’s Bakery and coffee shop!
Tom Sarver 