You Are Here is a small, independent gallery and cooperative located in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. I first exhibited with You Are Here when my piece, Emergence, was juried into their Biennial exhibition, juried by You Are Here and Maureen Kochanek “in an effort to address issues and preconceptions affecting female lives and bodies.”
I’ve also participated in the Women in Arts Pittsburgh Invitational Exhibition, and the Women in Art 2026 exhibition, juried by Erin Diriggi.
I enjoyed reading about Erin in the prospectus, and would like to share more here as I see how hard those at You Are Here are working to serve the community and those of us who exhibit our work, and I would like to share more about what brings the incredible talent in this small space together.
Taken directly from the prospectus for the Women in Art Juried Exhibition, You Are Here 2026:
“Erin D. Riggi is an educator, artist, and arts advocate whose work bridges studio practice, public scholarship, and curriculum leadership. She serves as Visual Arts Department Chair and full-time faculty at Greensburg Central Catholic High School, and as College in High School Faculty through Seton Hill University. Her career spans K–12 and higher education, with over a decade of experience developing arts programs that foster creativity and academic growth. An accomplished speaker, Erin has lectured on topics including Abstract Expressionism, religious iconography, and the cultural perception of women in art. Her creative and curatorial work has been featured in several exhibitions throughout the region.
A recipient of the National Liberty Museum’s Teacher as Hero Award and the Pennsylvania Art Education Association’s Outstanding Secondary Art Teacher of the Year, Erin is recognized for her innovation, leadership, and advocacy. She has served on multiple nonprofit boards, including the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, and approaches her work through a philosophy of servant leadership, empowering students and communities through meaningful artistic engagement.”
My piece, Mother of Exiles:The Queen of Freedom’s Golden Door, was juried into the exhibition, and received an Honorable Mention award. Thank you! I was recently interviewed by Patrick Varine with TRIB Live. Patrick is an easy-going guy who was great to speak with. He selected a few images for the article from a shoot by Photographer Melissa Lew to utilize for the article. The shots included are from Resilience, a three-dress thesis I created. Chocolate, Woman With Chocolate, is a piece that I created by collaging the pages of a Chocolate cookbook onto clear plastic sheeting, and machine and hand-sewed the dress, and a handbag, then wore it piece barefoot on stage.
The Artist Statement for Chocolate, Woman With Chocolate is below:
Chocolate, Woman with Chocolate displays a societal expectation. Primed for marriage and motherhood, the barefoot kitchen Goddesses of decades past, faithfully followed the dog-eared pages of coveted hand-me-down cookbooks. Prim and proper, projecting a balanced and perfect life while masking internal vulnerabilities, but what do women really want out of life? Perhaps, Chocolate!
Chocolate, Woman with Chocolate
Resilience at Harris Theatre
George Mason University, 2004
The article Patrick wrote can be seen here:
I have created a capsule collection utilizing the image digitized from the original painting of Emma Lazarus, with layers of painted and written word. This collection prompts many thoughts of those who have fled war torn lands, seeking freedom and nourishment, and an opportunity to build a new life. We were once a and of hope and prosperity, and we have a chance every day to begin again.
This is the artist statement for the series I have created inspired by the iconic imagery inspired by the Statue of Liberty and the words of Emma Lazarus:
The United States was founded for and by immigrants. We must remind ourselves every day that we come from a rich and fine tapestry of international travelers, researchers who have experienced many places around the globe. These are the creative and inspiring people who are imaginative thinkers. They are hopeful. They hold legendary recipes in their minds. They are the craftsmen and women. They are the teachers of memory and culture who will leave their mark of inspiration – but only if we are lucky enough to have this kind of beauty in our lives. They are the history tellers. We must let the document it. We must not erase it. We cannot keep the fusions, the books, the preparations for family holidays, traditions handed down from elder generations to grandchildren and beyond without having our loved ones in our lives and in our homes. We cannot erase the documentation and the history and expect to keep the product of it. We cannot expect to keep the stories while also erasing the lines, and the words in the passages that some find uncomfortable. It is those parts that we must learn from and grow from. It is the change that is needed that we must heed. That we must prevent, not repeat. Not pretend that we can protect our children from if we ignore it.
We are driving culture and love out of our lives. We are losing connection with parts of our own identity along the way. This universally changes who we are, what our communities are, and what we allow this country to be. Who our children and grandchildren will be may have already been decided. We still have time to change what this world and this country become for them. Every day offers us a chance to start over. If you feel that today is lost, please remember that you can begin tomorrow.
Thank you to You Are Here for having me again. I look forward to working with you all again in the future. Keep up the good work!
You can see and support the amazing work that You Are Here is doing here:
