April 2010 Archive

Karen Finley, soccer mom, maker of ceramic hearts

One of the fiercest of the early women performance artists, Karen Finley, has just made a piece of public art that, well, lets just say it’s channeling her inner kitty cat.

Nick Lenker’s destruction and creation myths at Pageant

Nick Lenker transforms himself into a sacrificial druid at Pageant Gallery. In his exhibit The Destruction and Creation of Man, he stirs up a voodoo brew of digital and handmade, ceramic and video, fire and vomit and water. The mix might give the witches of Macbeth a case of envy.

And the winner is – West Prize to Ryan McLennan

We tooled out to the West Collection at SEI with Cate on Friday afternoon to see the 10 finalists for the 2010 West Prize. It was the day on which the big prize would be announced, so we used the opportunity to play a guessing game on who would win. We hadn’t a clue, but that didn’t stop us from handicapping. Cate hadn’t been to the corporate campus so we got the added pleasure of a tour with Director Lee Stoetzel, who took us around to see not only the finalists but the collection as well.

Re-making History; J. Makary and Hironaka and Suib at Landmarks Contemporary Projects

Historic house museums all face considerable challenges. On the practical level, their fund-raising depends upon visitor numbers and these days there’s a lot of competition for visitors’ leisure time. Furthermore, historic houses have been premised on the idea of stepping back to a particular moment in time, an idea that has made historians increasingly uncomfortable.   Heritage properties have often portrayed simplified and sanitized histories that mislead as much as educate. Since 2006 the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks has engaged artists both to attract new audiences for changing art installations and to offer more complex interpretations of its ... More » »

Guggenheim for Daniel Heyman–Iraqis to lunch ladies

Philadelphia artist Daniel Heyman, whose work puts the personal face on politics, war and other injustices, has won a Guggenheim! He is one of 180 Fellows named this year from about 3,000 applicants. The awards go to work in the arts, humanities and sciences.

1895 Years of Pottery at B-Square

My first assignment: 1895 Years of Pottery at the B-Square Gallery on South 9th Street organized by Neil Patterson and Sandi Pierantozzi.  The show is a collection of 74 pieces of utilitarian pottery from 60 different potters around the nation.  Each potter is a leader in the field having over 25 years of experience.

Fleisher artist in residence interview link

Jong Kyu (a.k.a. Dave–he’s the guy who just did the great Keanu Reeves performance at Extra Extra, and he works at Fleisher) just posted an interview on Funnel Pages that’s worth reading. It’s about the parade/project by artist-in-residence George Ferrandi at Fleisher Art Memorial. I was interested in how she redefined community and how the art project became grass roots without losing it’s artistic energy. It’s a little long but it’s still worth a read!

Ceramic art by Swenbeck, Rosen and Hom at Fleisher/Ollman

With so many exhibits all over the city first for printmaking and then ceramics, the question needs to be asked. How to recognize which well-crafted tree in the forest is the rare specimen worth the visit?

Spontaneous Repetition–rebellious sewn paintings at StrataSphere

Stitched paintings by three women are in the show Spontaneous Repetition at StrataSphere Gallery, and all three artists take remarkably different approaches to stage a quiet rebellion against the traditions of painting.

Old City, Same Old

Old City brought the crowds on first Friday. The five o’clock crawl gave way to 6 o’clock jams, and by 7, the 20 and 30 somethings outnumbered the slightly older early-birds. So what’s the draw? The Clay Studio’s flagship exhibit for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts annual conference has a ponderous name: “Of this Century: Residents, Fellows, and Select Guest Artists of The Clay Studio, 2000-2010” (through May 2nd). Like the title, the show is large, organized by convention, and conveys less than its ought to for its length. As a survey show, it might seem ... More » »