February 2010 Archive

Brief chat with Dona Nelson

We were up at Tyler the other day and bumped into Tyler painting prof Dona Nelson. The artist told us she’d been mentioned in Roberta Smith’s recent rant in the New York Times about the lackluster curating in NY museums. Just to be clear, Smith shouted out Nelson as an example (along with Thomas Nozkowski, Larry Poons, and Stanley Whitney) of an artist who deserves inclusion in a New York museum show.

Mourning: Osorio and Munoz at PAFA and PMA

Maybe because Murray’s mother died a month ago (see his Op Ed in today’s Inquirer), two works in the big Philagrafika 2010 exhibit have been gnawing about me. Pepon Osorio at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has printed a blow-up of an X-ray image of his mother’s skull atop a thick, black bed of confetti, laid on the floor like a fresh grave. The installation is to honor the memory of his mother, who died recently. And the memorial suggests all the medical interventions that fail and the way an individual, irreplaceable and unique and loved, is quantified in ... More » »

The News at Temple Gallery

Long before newspapers, stories were told around the campfire or written in pictures on cave walls. Stories of victory and defeat in war were transmitted by runners carrying the news.  Letters from soldiers — albeit censored — also told stories of war, and then peace.   We have a more sophisticated way of telling stories now but really not much has changed.  News communicates facts, opinion and gossip.  Several works in Temple Gallery’s Philagrafika show deal with these issues and while this reporter can tell you about what’s in the gallery, the big news is that two bodies of work, ... More » »

Showcasing Talent at the Australian Centre for Photography

Since I arrived in Sydney, arts-minded people of all walks of life have been pointing me towards the Australian Centre for Photography (ACP). For over 37 years, the ACP has been exhibiting works of both Australian and international photographers. My expectations were thus set reasonably high when I visited for the first time, for the opening of their current shows. The simple modern spaces were impressive and fertile ground for exhibiting artistic talent. While I could sense the talent in a few photographers on exhibition, shortcomings in production, in one case, and in curation, in the other, left me feeling ... More » »

Arts, culture and public dollars — what’s the value?

We got this press release yesterday from Amy Adams, Fleisher-Ollman Gallery Director and member of the Mayor’s Cultural Advisory Council.  It’s about a panel discussion with people worth listening to, like Rocco Landesman, the new NEA Director who’s on the giving away end of the public dollars spectrum; Nick Spitzer of public radio’s American Routes show (on the receiving end of public funds) and others who are policy makers or players in the public funding for the arts arena. Arts and The City Can the Arts Revive Our Cities and the Nation’s Economy? March 2, 2010 5:00 – 7:00 pm, ... More » »

Burko and Apfelbaum–power women at Locks

At this moment when women Pop artists are looking powerful at University of the Arts, two women artist who have taken quite different approaches to survival and domination in a male art world are showing at Locks Gallery.

Where can you find a good motel? Report from Baja

Another great travelog from my brother, Barry–Libby It took your intrepid travelers four nights in three countries to find a decent motel room. It was hard, we covered a lot of ground, but we persevered and in the end did it.

Weekly update — Philagrafika at the Print Center

This week’s Weekly has my review of the Philagrafika show at the Print Center. There are many treats in the print festival Philagrafika 2010. One of the best is in the upstairs gallery at the Print Center—the Space 1026 yurt, a demure, grand dame of an object that is the embodiment of the one for all, all for one spirit of the hard-working Chinatown collective.  The yurt (see Printeresting website for working photos) is one of several installations at the Print Center in a large Philagrafika group show featuring 14 artists and art collectives from around the world. Not surprisingly, ... More » »

Time for March and April listings on maps

Hi, all, Don’t forget to add your March and April listings to our maps&listings page. I know it’s only mid February, but it’s a short month. So get your March shows and events in there, and let us and all of Philly know what you’re showing off. (And don’t forget the events, talks and symposia on the events forms).

A must-read on movie critic Roger Ebert

Looking for the meaning of life? I think it’s in a story I just read. Murray, in recommending it, wrote: This is a lovely, very long piece in the current Esquire on Roger Ebert. I don’t care much about Ebert, but this piece is a must-read. He’s right.