July 2005 Archive

Trend-spotting at SPECTOR

[Ed note: Recently artist/gallerist Shelley Spector wrapped up a month-long series of open portfolio reviews in which an artist could sign up, pay $20 and have 15 minutes of Spector's time -- to show actual work (not slides), to talk about exhibition opportunities at the gallery or elsewhere and to get real world feedback. Here's a post announcing the portfolio reviews, something we at artblog thought was a terrific idea for the gallery and for artists. I was curious how things went so called Spector up to get a briefing. Here's part of our chat.]ledbetter, laura RF So, how was ... More » »

Who’s got the power? LINC 2

Libby told you about our day in the trenches brainstorming for LINC Philadelphia. Her report was comprehensive so here is just a little bit of people-watching information and some (perhaps) random thoughts about the art scene as reflected in what I saw and heard.lincFor starters the earnestness quotient was off the charts. Everybody seemed to be speaking from the heart — both the official speakers and the audience participants. There was little of what I considered posturing or outright political maneuvering in what seemed to be an open discussion of issues by experts (who knew about things like tax code, ... More » »

I heart Heart as Arena

[Ed Note: This post has been corrected to add some facts. Corrections are in bold.] Brent Burket artblog‘s New York correspondent wrote to say his blog is up and running. It’s called Heart as Arena (a phrase from a Basquiat painting Burket saw at the Brooklyn Museum’s Basquiat exhibit). Here’s the link to Heart as Arena, and here’s why you should bookmark it. Burket, who’s a collector and writer and avid art fan with connections to organizations like Creative Time has a great eye, a broad taste for contemporary art and he’s smart about putting this and that together. Plus, ... More » »

Dumb and dumber

The reason the McEneaney can’t go next to the big dumb Peter Doig is it’s bad policy to make your big dumb Peter Doig look even dumber (this is in answer to the end of Roberta’s previous post).

Where’d Lowe go?

I was at the PMA recently and noticed the absence of Philadelphia artist Tristin Lowe‘s “Untitled” (Dysfunctional Chair)” in the contemporary gallery where it had been lurking between a Jeff Wall photo light box and a Gerhard Richter painting. Here’s my post from last November when I discovered Lowe’s insertion into the collection — a first local placement in the contemporary galleries in recent memory. And here’s another post by Rob Matthews, who works at the PMA, describing more about the dysfunctional chair. I guess there’s only room for one local artist in the contemporary rooms because after I waltzed ... More » »

Vaca for Libby

I’m off to Massachusetts including a day at MASS MoCA. Hooray. Looks like lots of good shows there. Meanwhile, I will leave the blog to Roberta who always has lots to say (image, my would-be wheels. The car covered in Bromo Seltzer bottles plus “Fifi” the poodle are from the Kinetic Sculpture Race, on display at the American Visionary Arts Museum).

More LINC ink

The ladies do not like to take meetings.lincBut the LINC meeting at Fleisher yesterday (see Roberta’s previous post) had a lot going on. Besides, we got to see and meet lots of people (there were more than 150 people attending!). Everyone who showed up is on our list of good citizens who want to make the art life better for all involved, all including dancers, actors, video artists–everyone in the arts (in the Fleisher chapel, early in the day).LINC presenters told us about programs their own cities developed, and here are my brief-brief versions of the presenter highlights: Los Angeles ... More » »

Time out for LINC and PHL art

Libby and I are off to an all-day seminar sponsored by LINC (Leveraging Investments in Creativity) a 10-year multi-city project. We’re going to hear about making Philadelphia better for art and making Philadelphia art better. And we’re hoping it’s not just a lot of hot air. We’ll let you know. More on LINC here. The local LINC honchos are Melissa Franklin of the Pew Fellowships and Beth Feldman Brandt of Stockton Rush Barton Foundation.yamamoto, namiMeanwhile here’s a little color for you, a photo I took July 11 when I was at PHL International airport, Terminal E. It’s a glass case ... More » »

The great outdoors–not

Edward M. Epstein’s pen and wash “Delaware Vistas, Condensed” show at aSFe (art studio for experiments) have the look of the British tradition of travelog paintings mixed with politics, in this case the commentary being the loss of uninterrupted, unpolluted natural views. The work instantly brought to mind Steve Mumford’s “Baghdad Journal,” which ran in artnet.com.epstein, edward m. I get the sense that Epstein’s vistas are composites of the Delaware Valley landscape, given the poses of the nudes appropriated from Renoir (see top image), the old-fashioned sailing ship behind the hamburger joint (image left), and the miles of what look ... More » »

Weekly update — PAFA lets its light shine

[Ed. note: Today's Weekly has my review of the PAFA exhibit "Light, Line and Color." Here's the link. And here's the story. For more, see Libby's post on the show.]copley, john singleton“Light, Line and Color,” the vast exhibit of works on paper from the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, is a delight. With 237 works chosen from more than 12,000 pieces-some of which have never been exhibited-the show is respectful of the Academy’s tradition (there’s a show within a show of figure studies), but playful too, demonstrating the collection’s quirks as well as its depth. In ... More » »