Mixtape in Garfield using space for different entertainment experiences
Mixtape, the music-themed cocktail lounge in Garfield, continues to transform.
It’s been a Halloween-inspired space dubbed House of Burton, a holiday bar called Tinseltown and The Tipsy Elf, an “Alice in Wonderland” venue with the moniker Wonderland: An Immersive Adventure, and is currently decked out as a 1980s retro arcade, Super Mixtape 64.
Since October, all of these pop-up creations have also been the backdrop for performers at the venue that hosts various forms of entertainment, including dance parties, disc jockeys and drag shows.
While the changeover is in progress, guests who come for the other entertainment get a sneak peek at which pop-up will be next.
“We’ve received great response from people who love to see what we are creating next,” said Grace Emmerling, co-owner of Mixtape. “They love to see the transformation. It’s become a space for lots of social media photo opportunities.”
Emmerling said one of the coolest parts is seeing people capture those images dressed in costume to fit the themes — which is why they call the pop-ups immersive installations. Guests become immersed in the space, Emmerling said.
The first two pop-ups were done in collaboration with Hidden Media Network, a company based in Australia that connects with venues on pop-up bars and experiences. Hidden Media Network reached out to Mixtape and designer Johnmichael Bohach, who has done set design for the Pittsburgh Opera, Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse and Prime Stage Theatre.
He helped with House of Burton and Tinseltown.
Emmerling said Mixtape realized it could produce the pop-ups on its own. The first two the venue did solo were Wonderland: An Immersive Adventure in February and early March and the current Super Mixtape 64, which opened in April.
It was a risk to coordinate on occasion with Hidden Media Network because of the time difference, Emmerling said. Doing it themselves also gives them complete control from the design to the materials to the food and drink menus — they can create the cocktails and mocktails — to selecting actors and artists.
For Super Mixtape 64, Mixtape collaborated with Pittsburgh Gaming Expo and Barcadia for the video games, Cupcakes PGH and Mami’s Bakes for food and Fairytale Princess Visits for actors and artists.
Bohach and co-designers Chris Kosin and Josh Koshar met with Emmerling to discuss future pop-ups. Sometimes it takes a few days to switch over the space and other times it takes a few weeks.
“We put all of our energy into doing this,” Kosin said. “This is a great space. We take common items and make them something else.”
Some of the decor is purchased and others, they create. Some of the props are used from one pop-up to another.
“We love this current pop-up because it is bright and looks visually different than the other ones,” Bohach said. “It is a process but we love collaborating with each other and other local businesses.”
The walls are concrete, so they’ve found creative ways to install decorations. They are visionaries and problem solvers, Bohach said. Some designs are done by hand and others are computer-generated. The goal is to be as welcoming and diverse in the pop-ups as Mixtape is with all of its entertainment.
“We want it to have a different feel every time,” Koshar said. “You have to be adaptable. We have gotten an amazing response to this one. People like these temporary experiences. People have told us this one feels the most playful.”
Anyone can decorate, but this has to be different and it has to be cohesive from front to back, Kosin said.
“You know you did that when people say ‘I see what you did there,’” Kosin said.
Next up will be a partnership between Mixtape and Hemispheric Conversations: Urban Art Project (HCUAP). This will be spearheaded by HCUAP team member Max “GEMS” Gonzales with assistance from Pittsburgh muralist Shane Pilster, Emma Riva of Up Magazine, a street art magazine and Petrichor Magazine, a text and image publication and Caitlin Bruce, author of “Painting Publics” and “Voices in Aerosol,” books on public art.
International and national artists Paula Tikay, Melon James and Dakpak de la Selva will display their work in photographs and prints. The backdrop will be graffiti art created by Gonzales, Pilster and several graffiti “old heads,” who are local graffiti legends Gonzales said.
“We inquired about doing a pop-up art show and were invited to do a whole installation,” Gonzales said.
It will pay homage to the Shadow Lounge, a former hip-hop venue in East Liberty, with murals on the walls and spray paint cans as light fixtures. It will be ready for the First Fridays on Penn event in Garfield on June 7.
For the First Fridays on Penn event in July, the display will showcase work by local artists.
“We want to continue the legacy of this space,” Emmerling said. “I love that it is a space for community engagement. I love the ability to connect and work with a variety of local talent and amazing people to create a living canvas for unique events and community building. Guests never know what might be next.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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