Art notes: Weekend rich with art openings

Sept. 16--The opening reception for "Mindful: Exploring Mental Health Through Art" -- an exhibition that aims to break down societal stigmas and promote understanding of mental illness through creative works -- will be held 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Society for Contemporary Craft, 2100 Smallman St., Strip District. (free; suggested donation of $5).

Fourteen local and national artists are exhibiting 33 artworks in the show.

A dialogue with exhibiting artists will continue from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday along with a drop-in studio and the Pittsburgh premiere of the international pop-up bake sale, the Depressed Cake Shop, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with several local bakery participants. Fiber artist Meredith Grimsley will permanently alter her work in the gallery during a special performance. Saturday admissions and programming are free courtesy of RAD. The exhibition continues, with additional art and community programming, through March 12. Information: 412-261-7003 or www.contemporarycraft.org.

What's in the air?

A free public reception for "In the Air: Visualizing what we breathe" will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Pittsburgh Filmmakers' Galleries, 477 Melwood Ave., Oakland. During the past year, four of our premier regional photographers, who also claim national reputations -- Brian Cohen, Scott Goldsmith, Lynn Johnson and Annie O'Neill -- have recorded people and places that illustrate the environmental, social and economic effects of air quality in Western Pennsylvania. The exhibition continues through Feb. 26. Information: 412-361-0873 or http://filmmakers.pfpca.org.

Fungi visual feast

"The Mysterious Nature of Fungi" opens with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation in the Hunt Library, Carnegie Mellon University. A brief curators' talk will be given. The exhibition continues through Dec. 17. Information: 412-268-2434 or www.huntbotanical.org.

Mattress Factory part II

"Factory Installed Part II," new installations by artists-in-residence Lisa Sigal, Bill Smith, Rob Voerman and Marnie Weber, will open with an artists' reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Mattress Factory, 500 Sampsonia Way, North Side. Admission is $15; members and Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh and Point Park University students, free. The exhibition continues through spring. Information: 412-231-3169 or www.mattress.org.

Black masculine identity

A free, public reception for "Dandy Lion: (Re)Articulating Black Masculine Identity" will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Silver Eye Center for Photography, 1015 E. Carson St., South Side. Brooklyn- and Philadelphia-based independent curator Shantrelle P.Lewis will give a gallery talk beginning at 6:30 p.m. "Dandy Lion" highlights young men in city landscapes who defy stereotypical and monolithic understandings of black masculinity by remixing Victorian-era fashion with traditional African sartorial sensibilities, according to the press release. The exhibition continues through Nov. 14. Information: 412-431-1810 or www.silvereye.org.

Post-Gazette art critic M. Thomas: mthomas@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1925.

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