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Sunday, June 01, 2003

By Caroline Abels, Post-Gazette Cultural Arts Writer

The Boss expected a quick and tidy war, one with few casualties, a common sense of purpose and a triumph of the democratic ideal over chaos and submission.

	This year's No. 1 force: Janet Sarbaugh of the Heinz Endowments. Click photo for larger image. (Lake Fong, Post-Gazette)

But as the deadline loomed on the selection of the Top 50 Cultural Forces in Pittsburgh, there were problems at the U.N. -- the United Naysayers. These 20 critics and reporters from the Post-Gazette's Arts & Entertainment department felt there was no way the process could avoid the politics and drawn-out anguish that characterized previous Top 50 conflicts.

They deemed the Boss's prediction of civility as nothing more than a distraction from domestic issues facing the department.

So, as they returned to the battlefield -- a glass-walled conference room on the second floor of the PG building -- they knew they'd be embedded in there for hours and that inspectors from the newsroom would have to break up the coming fracas and clean up the empty pizza boxes.

As they took their seats, critics and reporters brought up age-old questions: whether the list was open to nonarts groups such as the aviary and zoo (no), whether it was about a person's achievements over the past year or few years (the former) and whether we could return to the old way of structuring the list: a 1-through-50 roll call rather than a grouping of 10 categories (no way).

The Boss -- head of the A&E department -- didn't have time for such 20th-century nonsense. He ordered the troops to work, and soon exchanges like the following were taking place:

Critic One: "What did [name] do in the past year?"

Critic Two: "He didn't die."

Critic One: "Well, put him on the list!"

Despite such frivolous talk, the group eventually buckled down to do what it does each year: provide readers with an enlightening map of the cultural community. By grouping the city's most potent cultural forces -- some of them obscure but nevertheless inspiring -- a picture of the cultural community emerges that shows the city's arts scene to be lively and diverse.

And, as always, the leaders were chosen for their influence, initiative, artistry and/or accomplishment. One person who has excelled in all categories is this year's No. 1 force, Janet Sarbaugh of the Heinz Endowments.

The Top 50 cultural forces:

For Janet Sarbaugh, awarding arts grants amounts to the best job in the world
Innovators from within
Innovators from without
Nurturers
Standard Bearers
Luminaries
Underdogs
Pennies from Heaven
800-pound gorillas
Bad news bearers
Exporters
Plus:
Expatriates we're proud to call our own

About this project ...

The list of Pittsburgh's Top 50 Cultural Forces was compiled by the Post-Gazette Arts & Entertainment staff: Caroline Abels, cultural arts writer; Susan Banks, TV listings editor; Rosa Colucci, news assistant; Andrew Druckenbrod, classical music critic; Lake Fong, photographer; John Hayes, staff writer; Nate Guidry, jazz critic; Bob Hoover, book editor; Brian Hyslop, associate editor; Diane Juravich, page designer; Patricia Lowry, architecture critic; Adrian McCoy, staff writer; Ed Masley, pop music critic; Scott Mervis, Weekend editor; Rob Owen, TV editor; Christopher Rawson, drama editor; Patricia Sheridan, staff writer; Mary Thomas, art critic; Marylynn Uricchio, associate editor; Barbara Vancheri, staff writer; Jane Vranish, dance critic; Allan Walton, assistant managing editor/A&E; and Ron Weiskind, movie editor.