Emma Honcharski and Chas Wagner

Emma Honcharski and Chas Wagner first connected when Chas asked Emma to speak about Dinner Bell Mag for a monthly speaker series at Bottom Feeder Books in Fall 2022. The two are co-founders and co-directors of the Pittsburgh Art Book Fair, which recently held its inaugural event at the Carnegie Museum of Art in September 2023.

Emma Honcharski is an artist, writer, and media strategist from Ossining, New York and has lived in Pittsburgh since 2014. She has collaboratively published a food writing and art publication (Dinner Bell Mag) since 2019. Currently, Emma is the Engagement Manager at NEXTpittsburgh and Executive Assistant at Benci Productions. She joined the board of Bunker Projects in 2023. She is also working towards an MBA and MA in Food Studies at Chatham University, with a thesis project focused on alternative spaces for food and togetherness. 

Chas Wagner is a curator and community organizer living in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. He started The Print Party in 2020—a curatorial and retail platform for independent magazines, showcasing titles across sport, design, art, and fashion. He is actively involved in work with local organizations such as PA Master Naturalist of Allegheny County, East End Food Co-Op, Troy Hill Art Houses, Tissue Farm, Pittsburgh Bibliophiles, and Bike Pittsburgh; and is a co-founder of the Allegheny Sport & Outdoor Film Festival. His projects gravitate toward large community gatherings, inspired by his time living in Boston, Brooklyn and Upstate New York.

Their exhibition, Buttery Spread, is on view November 9 – December 30, 2023

Lena Hansen

Lena Hansen is an arts professional passionate about art and archives. During her time as the Associate Director at Aicon Contemporary, New York, she cultivated a robust roster of artists, putting emphasis on artists typically underrepresented in the New York art scene. She has curated multiple exhibitions, such as Judith Has Arrived (2021), Notes from the Motherland (2021), I Shouted My Laughter to the Stars (2022), and Feast of the Gods (2022). Lena’s curatorial practice has focused on contemporary art by South/Southeast Asian artists both from within and outside the United States. After several years working in the commercial art world, Lena is now pursuing a Masters in Library and Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh. She was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Her exhibition, Blank Tape, will be on view January 18 – March 9, 2024

Through a series of mixed media works including photography, animation, and installation, Blank Tape looks at how surveillance technology has become integrated into our daily existence. Whether through celebration, protest, or attempts at creating an alternative life, this exhibition will explore the various ways we make sense of our existence in the contemporary world.