Mavuno
Festival & Exhibition
Mavuno 2023 Festival and Exhibition is a free 2-day event starting on Friday, September 15th, with a program and opening reception in the community room at Sweetwater Center for the Arts, followed by a festival on Saturday, September 16th.
Mavuno 2023 welcomes back Barrel and Flow founder, and TV host, Day Bracey, and will feature an array of exhibitions, shops, and experiences that span various art forms, as well as food and a beer garden (must be 21+ and requires a separate paid ticket). Plus, live music from local artists NASH.V.ILL. and Icy Pisces.
In Life… Mavuno Exhibition Opening Reception Join us as we celebrate our annual Mavuno festival and exhibition this fall, with an opening reception of, In Life… in Sweetwater’s Gallery on Friday, September 15th from 5-8 p.m. This year’s show is curated by local artists, Deavron Dailey and Janet Watkins. Participating artists include Alecia Dawn Young, Deavron Dailey, Douglas J. Webster, Ernest Bey, Janet Watkins, Marlon Gist, Marce Nixon, and Norman Brown. Mavuno was created over 27 years ago by Black artists and educators in the Sewickley community to promote, highlight, and recognize Black and BIPOC artists in the area and beyond.
This evening will also include a special recognition in remembrance of Mavuno founding member and Pittsburgh area artist, Elizabeth A. “Betty” Douglas. Several of pieces of Betty’s artwork will be on display, along with a remembrance speech courtesy of the Women of Visions Collective. For more on Betty’s life and accomplishments, please click here.
The evening will also include a lineup of live poetry readings organized by Sweetwater board member Bonita L. Penn. Poets include Veronica Corpuz, Gwendolyn A. Mitchell, Doralee Brooks, and Bonita L. Penn.
Participating Artists: Alecia Dawn Young, Deavron Dailey, Douglas J. Webster, Ernest Bey, Janet Watkins, Marlon Gist, Marce Nixon, and Norman Brown
Our 2023 Mavuno Visual Art Curators are mixed media artist Deavron Dailey and ceramic artist Janet Watkins, studio mates at the Union Project. Learn more about Deavron and Janet and what Mavuno means to them by clicking here.
Vendors This festival aims to foster dialogue in the greater Pittsburgh community and create opportunities for these artists, while providing 100% of sales to 15+ confirmed individual vendors including Bobbie Bonita Art, 2CPremium Coffee, Auberle, PGH Dumplingz, and Royally Fit.
New this year The festival will feature special guests, The Manchester Craftsman Guild, renowned for their arts education commitment for over 50 years. There will also be an appearance by the Pittsburgh Glass Center’s Hot Wheels mobile glass-blowing truck, Hot Wheels.
Mavuno is free and open to the public as part of RAD days.
2023 Mavuno Festival Presenting Sponsor
Beer Garden Try samples of beer from all the participating brewers with a ticketed entry to the beer garden for attendees 21 years of age and up. The list of brewers includes Monaca Brewing, Fermata, Altered Genius, and Dope Cider House.
The Mavuno festival is free, but the beer garden is a separate $20 ticket in advance or $25 at the door.
We’d like to thank Sewickley Eye Group for sponsoring this year’s Beer Garden.
Sewickley Black History Tour Experience the Sewickley Black History Tour and embark on a captivating journey into the past. This immersive tour sheds light on the remarkable achievements and hardships faced by the African American community in Sewickley.