March 2006 Archive

Coincidence? I think not

an AP picture of a bombed out building, taken on the same day that the Whitney held its press opening Say what you will about the Whitney, it’s incredibly relevant. The proof to me was in the newspaper the day after we came back from New York, an Associated Press photograph of this bombed-out building in Iraq looking a whole lot like the bombed-out walls of the Urs Fischer piece, The Intelligence of Flowers. At the time, the AP photograph stunned me, because it was real life, because of the sorrow of the men there, and because of its similarity ... More » »

Art, activism and Darfur

Debra Kapnek, Child of Darfur, panel painting A neighbor of mine, Jim Remsen, stopped by last week to pitch a story about the Darfur Speakers Tour, April 2-9 in various churches, synagogues and schools in the Philadelphia region. Jim was acting as volunteer press coordinator and everyone else involved locally was volunteering, including an artist, Debra Kapnek whose monumental painting of a Darfur child will appear at each event. The 8′ x 6′ photorealist panel painting based on a photograph taken by former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle will be a haunting backdrop for the speakers. (See more on Kapnek ... More » »

Redecorating art

Near Berserk, silk screen on fabric by Eva Wylie Art about decoration is a better proposition than decorative art. It’s about something. And that’s what the show “A Delicate Constitution” at the Art Alliance is about, featuring work by four artists who explore undercurrents in decorative motifs, especially as pertains to the ladies’ heavily decorated purviews of hearth, home and herself. untitled silk screen on wall, by Wylie Eva Wylie, a member of Vox Populi Gallery, has silk-screened friezes on the wall of imagery borrowed from popular-culture sources like the internet and magazines. The result looks pretty at first blush, ... More » »

Fair sale-ing

In the past week both Scope and the Armory in New York announced that their sales were through the roof. The Armory boasts “$62 million in sales, a 37% increase over $45 million in sales at The Armory Show 2005.” And here’s SCOPE’s brag: Scope New York shattered all previous sales and attendance records for the ever-growing field of alternative art fairs, bringing in more than $7.5 million in total sales at conservative estimates, and attracting more than 14,000 visitors. When the doors opened at noon on March 10, collectors…[bought] out the inventory from at least three galleries within the ... More » »

Weekly Update – Strauss’s Whitney

This week’s Weekly includes my review of the Whitney Biennial. I know, you’ve read about it here and here to say nothing of there and there. Zoe Strauss is the reason to go. I guess I can’t say it enough. Read the article on the art page. Here’s the copy below with some pictures. Just WhitneyPhiladelphia artist Zoe Strauss’ Biennial 2006 submission steals the show. At the heart of the Whitney Museum’s Biennial 2006 lies a small dark room where bright images flash on the wall in a slide show of photographs by Philadelphia artist Zoe Strauss. The quiet chapel ... More » »

Barnes gets some real money

Bernard Watson, Gov. Ed Rendell, Rebecca Rimel Originally uploaded by sokref1. Governor Ed Rendell speaking at today’s press conference. Dr. Bernard Watson of the Barnes Foundation is at left and Rebecca Rimel of the Pew Trusts is right. Click picture to see it bigger. Curiousity got the better of me so I went to the Bellevue’s Grand Ballroom to see what Gov. Ed. Rendell and the Pew Trust‘s Rebecca Rimel had cooked up for the Barnes Foundation and were ready to announce at a press conference at 2 pm. Cutting to the chase, we were given a press release that ... More » »

Sit up straight, stop frowning

Birch Bark Ass, by Matt Fisher A show of paintings and drawings of modest size at UArts Gallery 817 (upstairs from Rosenwald-Wolf) is definitely worth attention. The show called “Posture and Expression” was curated by artist Rob Matthews. The title lets you know right off the bat that the show has some lessons to teach; it also lets you know that this show reflects some of Matthews’ own art-making concerns. It’s old-fashioned didacticism made me think of all the injunctions from my mother to sit up straight and stop frowning. I still slouch and I still frown. Can’t help it. ... More » »

Barnes announcement today

Thanks to Tyler Green at MAN we learn that today at 2 pm Governor Rendell will make an announcement (of some sort) about the Barnes. Here’s the info from the Governor’s website in case you want to run over there to hear the (presumably) breaking news: Governor Rendell’s Public ScheduleMarch 28, 2006 2 p.m. Governor Rendell to make announcement regarding Barnes Foundation Bellevue Grand Ballroom 200 S. Broad St. Philadelphia Not that we’re obsessed or anything. We just like to be in the know. And you do too.

Space ship design

The beta-test of the video projection on the Visitor’s Center. Hilary Jay, director of The Design Center at Philadelphia University and co-founder of DesignPhiladelphia, the international design festival opening April 1, wrote us last night with some news about one aspect of the 9-day event that I’m excited about — the projection of video on the old Visitors Center building in Love Park. You know, that space ship-like glass, metal and concrete affair on the corner of JFK and 16th that’s been empty for years. Outdoor movies at night? Free, public, pretty? Excellent. Klip Collective, the local activist design team, ... More » »

Daffodils up, optimism down

optimism? Originally uploaded by sokref1.Graph from today’s NY Times showing steep decline in US optimism on Iraq. Click image to see it bigger. I just wanted to share this graphic from a story by David D. Kirkpatrick and Adam Nagourney in today’s NY Times. The Kirkpatrick/Nagourney story uses anecdotal evidence to indicate people are changing their minds on the Iraq war. (This is not news, but the numbers in the chart are what’s new.) The article gives the last word to John Warner, a Virginia Senator and not particularly dovish: “At the Capitol recently, Senator John W. Warner, a Virginia ... More » »