March 2009 Archive

The Warren Report

Are you thinking of being a sculptor? Then check out the Rebecca Warren survey at the Serpentine Gallery in London. It borders on the sublime but keeps a foot firmly planted in an interior building site. Many parts are stretched across five rooms but we see no whole. Poise, balance and delicateness and electricity enliven relative material poverty and culminate, sometimes, in a triumphant neon halo. But we aren’t in Paradise even though there is a power to be in awe of here. Who’s in charge the artist or the material?

Tyler cuts a ribbon and throws a parade

We were up at Tyler School of Art today for the formal dedication of the school’s new building on Temple Main Campus when we heard the music and folderol of the ad hoc parade by the students, who would not be put off from their frolicking. Here’s a very brief video of the parade with some additional photos.

Chagall and Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater, 1919-1949

A fascinating exhibition, Chagall and Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater, 1919-1949 just closed at the Jewish Museum, N.Y.C. but fortunately moves on to the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco (April 25-September 7, 2009; the exhibition catalog is distributed by Yale University Press).  It tells the little-known story of the two Jewish theater companies in Moscow that received state sponsorship under the young Soviet government.

Reading our way to the future – Lawrence Weschler at the Penn Humanities Forum

 Hello lovely people, I have a question for you.  Do you think that books will wither away in the future to be replaced by reading on the Internet?  What’s that…do I hear a vast shrugging of shoulders?  Well, Lawrence Weschler, whose lecture I heard last week at the Penn Humanities Forum, is awfully worried that books are in danger of dying at the “hands” of the world wide web.  And he’s so worried he talked exclusively about that issue for an hour.

Weekly Update – Spring for grand openings everywhere

 This week’s Weekly has my Spring Roundup article.  Below is the copy with some pictures. Openings are de rigueur in the art world. But this spring grand openings trump all as Tyler School of Art launches its flagship space, Temple Gallery, in the school’s new building at 12th and Norris streets in North Philadelphia.

On the Fringe of Fiber at City Hall

On the Fringe of Fiber, the fiber show on now view at City Hall is a break-through show for the Art in City Hall program of bringing Philadelphia art into that dim public space. Two things have made the difference.   Martha Savery-Kahn, untitled, book, glass, paint

Selling the Dufalas

I don’t guess the Steven and Billy Blaise Dufala need as much of a spiel to sell their work, now that they’ve won the West Prize. It’s about time! When I stopped by their show Trophy at Fleisher/Ollman Friday, there were lots of red dots scattered through the list of works.

Another killer art week in Philadelphia–yippee!!

Dear artblog readers, it’s another week and here’s a list of more great stuff beyond our wildest ability to cover. But we want you to know: WEDNESDAY, MAR. 25, 2009 Tyler School of Art, official ribbon cutting Wednesday, March 25 4:00 PM Tyler School of Art 2001 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA The ceremony is followed by a reception and building open house from 5:00-7:00 PM. Event is free and open to all alumni and friends.

Woo hoo! A new episode of Look! It’s Libby and Roberta!

Thanks to our video guru, artiste extraordinaire David Kessler for this magical trip (if we do say so ourselves) through Joshua Mosley‘s and Anthony Campuzano‘s shows at ICA and through the micro-film sets of the Quay Brothers at Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery. You can see these shows at ICA until March 29; and at Rosenwald-Wolf until April 9. See previous videos in this series on our video page (link above in the nav bar).

Anchors aweigh, or, what floats your boat?

Behind our bed is a carved and painted screen depicting a Japanese pavilion on the shores of a golden lake. All is still and ripple-less save for the bow wave of a light bark coming back to shore from an excursion out upon the stillness. Women in kimonos promenade on boardwalks linking a pavilion to another place off-screen. There is a gentle breeze making the supple branches of a lone tree sway. My wife picked it up in a flea market and it enchants me. It is relaxing not only because of the subject but because the execution doesn’t concern ... More » »