Tag Archive "pafa"

Americana reimagined in PAFA’s “here.”

America is still feeding off it’s old myths–the cowboy and the limitless landscape, the road-trip escape, the huckster medicine show, the American Dream, home sweet home, the decorous South, the heroic founding fathers, the grass-roots democracy.

U.S. debut–Bill Viola comes to Pafa and leaves behind a gem

Bill Viola came to Pennsylvania Academy last month for the opening of “Ocean without a Shore,” his three-channel video installation in its American debut! The installation –a new purchase by the museum to be permanently on display in the Morris Gallery — is installed as a triptych in what’s now a dark, chapel-like space, where the piece casts a moody, elegiac spell. The work seems to conjure up the spirits of the dead with cinematic special effects and sound right out of the Matrix.

art thoughtz – Hennessy Youngman shares some at PAFA

Jayson Musson’s alter ego Hennessy Youngman dubs himself “The Pharaoh Hennessy,” “The Rowhouse Raconteur,” and now with his cell phone audio tour of PAFA’s collections, “Mr. Museum.” In The Grand Manner, Youngman shares his own perspective on twenty-two works of early American art. In a collection that prides itself on its number of masterpieces, Youngman both literally and figuratively becomes the voice inside your head, validating the opinion of the non-expert with his unpretentious and witty commentary.

News: New ICA curator, video art history @ PAFA, opportunities, and more!

News (Inaccurate information has been removed from this post). ICA appoints new curator The Institute of Contemporary Art has appointed Anthony Elms as a new Associate Curator. Elms has worked as an  independent curator and writer, and he was Assistant Director of Gallery 400 at the University of Illinois at Chicago for six years. He replaces Jenelle Porter who has taken a position at ICA Boston.

Wrestling Grumman Greenhouse into place – a photo post

We got some photos from Heike Rass of Jordan Griska’s airplane being installed in Lenfest Plaza.  We are herewith sharing them with you!  All the photos were taken yesterday by Sean Tucker.  Griska is the one wearing the bright green t-shirt.  The installation will continue Monday and should be finished that day, Rass said.  We interviewed Jordan about his plane for a podcast.  The interview is full of lots of information about the project.  Check it out.

New News: Comedy at PhilaMOCA, POST studio tours, Campuzano run-in with a snake

News Comedy Night @ PhilaMOCA This Saturday, October 1, at 7:00 PM, PhilaMOCA will be the site of I LOVE MITCH HEDBERG: Art for the Late Great Comedian. A number of comedy acts (including comedy by Andrew Jeffrey Wright), refreshments, and artwork are on tap. Special guest Lynn Shawcroft will screen a video of unreleased Mitch Hedberg comedy footage.

News Roundup: Knight Arts Challenge, LOOK! Lancaster Ave, new Barnes logo

News Philadelphia Knight Arts Challenge Year 2 The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is opening up their second year of applications for the Philadelphia Knight Arts Challenge. They are investing $9 million over three years in ideas that engage and enrich Philadelphia arts and culture. In the first year, 36 ideas were awarded a total of $2.7 million… including artblog’s own Art Safaris! Applications for the Knight Arts Challenge will be accepted from October 3 – 31, 2011. Be sure to visit the Knight Arts website on October 3 to find out how to submit your idea!

Participate, activate, engage – programming is in the air!

Years after 1969′s Summer of Love, it’s the fall of power to the people. More than just looking, this season galleries, museums and alternative venues all over town want you to come in, hang out, eat, discuss, make, share, and generally become an active participant in what they’re doing. There’s no city-wide manifesto, and nobody organized this fall programming juggernaut.  Call it the influence of online social networking or the influence of foundations eager to fund socially-engaged programming. For whatever reason, the Philly art world wants You!

Intimacy and dynamism in PAFA’s Urbanism

By Mary Murphy This show at the Academy is notable for the way its title is embodied in the jostling relationships among the works displayed. Like city residents, they bump into each other in various contexts, defining the urban environment as a place of anonymous intimacy, dynamic energy, and jarring juxtaposition. Four local emerging artists use a variety of means – scale, color, gesture, and context – to state these themes, but each connects them differently toward social ends.

News: MOMA admission hike, Prelude Gallery, Art in the Air and other opportunities

News MOMA increases admission rates Thanks, Art Fag City for the depressing news that MOMA – following the Met’s lead back in June – has raised its admission rates from $20 to $25, much to the chagrin of many of its patrons. Is the extra five bucks worth the lost attendance? We shall see. Newly opened Prelude Gallery highlights student artists Prelude, the new Rittenhouse gallery, is on the scene with plans to focus on student artists and recent graduates.