Awesome Pittsburgh is only possible because of the people who make it happen – from the grantwinners and trustees to the volunteers and other patrons of awesome who keep this thing going month after month. We decided it was time to find out more about these folks in a new feature called Awesome Asides, where we find out what really makes awesome Pittsburghers tick.

Our first profile features Jeb Feldman, a trustee of Awesome Pittsburgh since its founding in 2011.

Who are you? What do you do for a living?
I’m a New Mexican desert kid who now lives in the shadow of a steel mill in Braddock PA. I live in an old schoolhouse which doubles as Braddock’s only gallery and artist studio spaces. I’ve spent the last 8 years in Braddock working to create or attract positive activities or investment. I’ve found that it’s terrifically satisfying to me to have the opportunity and space to work on creating a better hometown.

Do you have any Sunday morning rituals?
I’m almost always in Frick Park on Sunday morning with my dog. After grabbing some coffee I can wander around mostly foggy headed while the canine lopes around on the trails and in the trees. The woods are a great outdoor spot for waking up.

What food or meal could you eat 7 days a week?
Without coffee I’m not sure that I’d even be awake to eat food. Not sure I’ve got a favorite food that completes a meal but I can snack on pistachios and carrots all day long.

What’s the last book you read/piece of music you listened to?
Music: Usually Pandora is playing whatever it wants but I’m still not over listening to Kendrick Lamar.
Book: I just finished a book called the Professor and the Madman. It’s a great book about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. I’m still amazed that English great writers in the 18th century didn’t have a dictionary to reference. I’m reading the latest Lapham’s Quarterly now. Revolution is a great theme to build a curated publication around.

Favorite time of year and why?
Spring is the best. Everything is coming out of the winter including people from their hibernations, days get longer, and it all comes with an awesome collective optimism. People all begin to start thinking about all the projects and things they want to do with long productive and happy warm days ahead.

Why are you glad you are a part of Awesome Pittsburgh?
I like the idea of being involved in micro-funding since macro-funding can be so unwieldy. Having a small group of people pitch in together to do this on a monthly basis is an ingenious way to make this happen. I like that we can affect and benefit greater Pittsburgh by providing this as a local resource for projects here. I also personally really like seeing all the projects that people in the area would like to see happen here.

Can you name a project (whether it be an applicant or grant winner) that you found to be most awesome?
Without specifying a project, I’ve always appreciated the projects that are a little more renegade and are intended to make Pittsburgh cooler through quirky or pleasing interventions or amenities that may not even be overtly attributable to someone.We’ve got a lot of room in Pittsburgh to do cool things if people are interested in using this space.