reviews, features & interviews
Our mission--review as many shows as possible; 5,000 posts and still counting
Tim Eads – Next week on artblog radio podcast – Here’s a short clip from the interview
Tim Eads is a maker — he used to use ceramics as his medium but now it’s whatever he needs, from welded steel to wood to digital tools, or even trash. He grew up on a ranch in Texas where every day there was something to make or fix or engineer in that home-grown tinkerer’s way that happens on a farm or ranch. Tim’s art has been shown all over Philadelphia and his project Taxonomy of Trash is on view at the DCCA now until July 21. He recently installed several welded steel benches at the Little Berlin Fairgrounds, a ... More » »
A mushroom grows in New Orleans – Mei-ling Hom and David McClelland’s art and fungi project
—>Mei-ling Hom and David McClelland report on a project they did in New Orleans this Winter. David and Mei-ling, former Philadephias and friends of artblog, now live on their working farm in upstate New York. This new project of theirs creates some whimsy in the Post-Katrina landscape, but adds a layer of hope — that art in community agriculture can produce magic results.–the artblog editors—> Post by Mei-ling Hom and David McClelland The Joan Mitchell Center is currently in the process of establishing an arts center in New Orleans in a grand 19th century house half way between the French ... More » »
Moods of Poe in words and colors — Ruth Scott Blackson’s Hidden City Festival installation at the Athenaeum
—>Sam visits the Athenaeum for an encounter with Edgar Allen Poe’s moody words in a Hidden City Festival project. — the artblog editors—————> A visit to Through the Pale Door, Ruth Scott Blackson’s installation inside the historic Philadelphia Athenaeum, begins with a guide leading you to the private library’s third-floor reading room. There, you will find Blackson’s creation: a trilogy of artist’s books, printed at the local Second State Press, each modeled on the colors in individual rooms in Edgar Allan Poe’s 1840s home on Seventh and Spring Garden streets. Page by page, each book pulls color swatches from the Poe house, ... More » »
The artblog team has a little get-together
First Friday, June 7, was one of the most miserable, water-logged nights in the history of the monthly art openings. It was truly a dark and stormy night in the City of Philadelphia. But we went ahead anyway, we hosted a First Friday get-together for our writers and others in the artblog family. We met in a conference room at the Culture Works co-working space, where we are members. Weather kept the turnout light but it was a great opportunity for everyone who came to meet and place a face to the name of the various contributing authors. Intern, Sammi Jauch, ... More » »
The Angel of the Odd, a Roman aqueduct, and dining with the artblog crew in Paris
We arrived in Paris by TGV train from Karlsruhe on May 24, swept along at top speed of 317 KM/hr (196.975 Miles/hr). To drive the 532 KM (329.9 Miles) would take around five hours according to Google directions. The fast train did it in three. The Angel of the Odd: Dark Romanticism from Goya to Max Ernst at the M’O We were all excited to go to the Musee d”Orsay (M’O is their cute brand name) for the show of bizarre imagery. Goya is always a big draw, and who can resist dark romanticism? Steve, Stella and I met up with ... More » »
Strange beauty — West Collection artists debut in New Orleans at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery
—>Our New Orleans correspondent tells us of a show of gritty works by Philadelphia artists on view now in her home town. We should note that another group of Philly artists showed work in NOLA recently at The Front, in an exchange show with Vox Populi (The Front artists show is installed in Philly this June).–the artblog editors——————>Philadelphia, a multimedia show at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans, offers diverse interpretations of the City of Brotherly Love. The five featured artists — all part of the West Collection — seem tied together by their connection to environment — gritty and post-industrial. ... More » »
Pterodactyl crosses the bridge between science and art
Science and art are two of humanity’s most empowering pursuits. Scientific inquiry and artistic expression have a sizable crossover, which lies somewhere within the territories of the imagination and the unending pursuit of the new. Pterodactyl‘s “Intersection” curated by Keith Hartwig resides in that wily middle territory. Whether seekers are after further understanding of physics or new forms and methods, the process of continued exploration bridges the gap between both creative pursuits. The analysis and rationality of science can occasionally seem at odds with the fantastical or surreal representations of contemporary art, but when the two disciplines overlap the result is all the more ... More » »
Matthew Day Jackson, John Knight, Olafur Eliasson at three museums in Germany
Last summer, when Stella and I were in Karlsruhe in southwest Germany, the place was experiencing near-tropical Gulf Stream conditions. This year we dropped in on what was said to be the coldest, rainiest and most miserable May in thirty years. We don’t take the weather personally, so we went about our business, this year hanging out mostly indoors. Stella did some shopping – Karstad, the big German department store, for fabric; and Primark, the British clothing discounter, (like H&M on steroids, with more merchandise, more shoppers per square inch, and 10-Euro jeans made in Bangladesh – yes, Primark’s factory was ... More » »
We are celebrating a decade of artblog!
We are celebrating a decade of artblog and would like you to help! If you missed us on Friday at the Vox building due to the stormy weather you still have a chance to be a part of the decade of artblog video. We will be filming our decade video on Wednesday the 12th at 5:00pm in the sculpture garden behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We will be meeting by the Claes Oldenburg Electrical Plug sculpture if you would like to meet us there and say a few words about artblog. Also Wednesday night is pay what you wish at the PMA and there will be a ... More » »
Open studio at Beverly Fisher’s with drawings by Fisher and pottery by Willi Singleton
—Maegan visits an artist’s studio for a show of drawings and pottery, and she finds some nice camaraderie along the way.–the artbog editors—————–> Willi Singleton and Beverly Fisher prove that the old adage is true—good things do come in small packages. Fisher opened her studio to the public over Memorial Day weekend with invited guest, potter Willi Singleton for an intimate home show of their respective work. Singleton displayed his handmade functional pottery in the garden, while Fisher showed her drawings inside the studio. Their show, while small in scale, was full of vigor. Fisher and Singleton blended fine art with ... More » »
