June 2007 Archive

Look! It’s Libby and Roberta at Vox Populi

Click To Play To get rid of the big movie window, just reload the artblog page. We visit “This is not the Future” a group show at Vox Populi where each member selected an artist to be in the exhibit. Props to David Kessler, video guru extraordinaire.

Pittsburgh–Dale Chihuly at the Phipps

Like a benign infestation, the glass art of Dale Chihuly has taken over the entire Phipps Conservatory at Carnegie Mellon University. The Phipps, a network of indoor botanical gardens with various environments from desert to rain forest to butterfly garden is a great walk under normal conditions. It’s like the indoor spaces at Longwood Gardens (Phipps doesn’t have the huge outdoor walks that Longwood does however). Chihuly, known for his Medusa-like flames of colored glass and large fluted vessel shapes, installed his work as if the pieces were flowers and other botanical objects. They’re in water ponds that have been ... More » »

Construction, real and imagined, at the FWM

Storefront, by FWM’s artist-in-residence Mark Bradford in collaboration with Juan Carlos Avendaño and FWM; photographic images on static cling film-laminate stock adhering to the windows. If you are wondering just what’s going on with the Fabric Workshop and Museum, as in where are they and where are they going, you’re not alone. But at last they have dropped the coy stance about their plans. So, as you probably know (or you wouldn’t be asking these questions), no more Gilbert Building. The FWM is now ensconced temporarily in three adjacent store fronts on the 1200 block of Arch Street. It took ... More » »

Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh

The sunny greenhouse environment at the PPG Wintergarden, home for Best of Pittsburgh show, part of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. My friend Madelyn Roehrig‘s art for some time now has been obsessed with the virtual violence that intrudes in the home via television and how that violence becomes an abusive roommate, talking nonstop about terrorism, war and human disasters and making you feel fear and feel small and unempowered. (See post for more on an earlier project she did.) Madelyn is a photographer and what she does is to set up a tripod and camera in front of her ... More » »

Mark di Suvero marks the Parkway

Iroquois, painted steel, at Meijer Gardens, in Grand Rapids, Mich. The 40′ tall sculpture is being installed tomorrow in Philadelphia. The giant crayon-red chunk-o-steel, Iroquois, by Mark di Suvero, is going up tomorrow on the Parkway, thanks to its acquisition by the Fairmount Park Art Association. The 40-foot high piece will then be dedicated Wednesday, June 27, 4 p.m., at Eakins Oval and Spring Garden Street–and the public is invited. I do believe that di Suvero, the master of leveraged I-beams, will be fascinating, and I can’t wait to hear what he has to say when he addresses the FPAA’s ... More » »

Dragon breath burns business?

mural Inheritors of the Dragon, mosaic, created by Mike Smash with DHS kids in 2002. The building owner has now covered the head of the dragon to prevent it from bringing bad luck to business. I don’t know when this picture was taken, but the dumpster in front of the mural is a sure sign of earlier disrespect. Maybe that’s why the dragon has brought bad luck! The mural is a project of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. A casual conversation with muralist Mike Smash at a party Saturday at the home of good friend Deborah Zuchman on the subject ... More » »

On the road again

Road trip a few years back with Libby and Chuck and Iris. Chuck’s at the wheel. Look at the position of the hands–perfect! It must be summer. Here I am off on another trip–this one a day trip to New York with Steve and Stella. We’re going Greyhound to the Met to see the new antiquities wing. There’s also new Neo Rauch paintings and a whole lotta Frank Stella sculpture on the rooftop. I will report…and I will finish the Pittsburgh post for sure…when I return. Happy Solstice everybody!!

Weekly Update – Funky at Fleisher-Ollman

This week’s Weekly has my editor’s choice review of Good Funky Miles at Fleisher-Ollman. Below is the copy with a couple pictures. More photos at flickr. “Good Funky Miles”Through July. Fleisher/Ollman Gallery, 1616 Walnut St., suite 100. 215.545.7562. Thomas Vance. cardboard construction with sculpey and paint. ”Good Funky Miles” is less funky than a real trip through Philly’s streets. There’s trash alright, but it’s behind glass in a piece called Big Snak by Dan Murphy (co-founder of Megawords magazine). Dan Murphy, Big Snak. Big Snak is so perfect I can’t believe I haven’t seen the idea before—shiny Herr’s potato chip ... More » »

Libby and Roberta run a test

Hi, all, We’re experimenting with our video. This is a new embedded flash-player version that should make it easier for you to see the we-love-em videos. Also, stay to the bitter end and see the ad attached from uwishunu. It’s a click-through ad, just like all of the ads on artblog. Click it and it will take you to their website. To get rid of the big movie window, just reload the artblog page. Click To Play

Pittsburgh–old friends at Carnegie Museum

University of Pittsburgh Student Union where we did some orientation sessions last week. Once we were done with the official business of our trip to Pittsburgh (registering Stella for fall classes and sitting through the orientation sessions) we had time to meet up with my dear friend Madelyn Roehrig who works at the Carnegie Museum of Art and is herself an artist. I’ve written about Madelyn’s work before and I was eager to see her new piece in the Three Rivers Arts Festival (more on that in the next post). Jean Dubuffet at the Carnegie Museum. The piece has two ... More » »