Red and blue totems-in-business-suits battle for the nation's soul in Bunk News Arts Collective's installation, including Tao Twin Blue, Tao Twin Red, and Mandala, 2011, acrylic and india ink on wood, Tao Twins each 141" x 72" x .5", Mandala 90" x 90" x .5"

The show here. at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is full of lively art that reimagines the nation’s old myths in terms of current realities. And the resulting show is a festival of Americana that dares to dream in big new ways that recreate and revitalize the nation’s creation myths and self-images. So the important here-ness of the show is not so much about particular regions of the country, although there’s some of that. It’s about who we are as Americans. Here’s some of what I admired:

Sue Chenoweth, Wouldn't He Remember his First Home? What Passed for Wisdom There?, 2011 Gouache, acrylic, ink, graphite, Letraset and Flocked paper on paper 80” x 80”

Sue Chenoweth’s map-like renderings recall Native American maps on deerskin and the trek across the Candyland gameboard! The central, non-Western orientation in these landscapes turns each of these works into a creation myth. Each piece suggests that what you are seeing is the entire world.

Scott Hocking, Hephaestus and the Garden of the Gods, Snow from the series: Garden of the Gods, 2009 – 2010, 2010; Archival pigment print / Mixed media installation Print: 33” x 49.5” Courtesy the artist and Susanne Hilberry Gallery

Another artist creating his own mythic tale of the place where he lives is Scott Hocking. His Garden of the Gods series of devastated landscapes plus landscape interventions are like archaeological digs into he glories of the past.

Chido Johnson, my pink caddi, 2009, Video installation

Chido Johnson’s video of a man (the artist I presume) walking the outline of a car on a leash is a poignant testament to imagination, yearning and the American Dream reduced to a pet car. This reminds me of South African video artist Robin Rhodes interacting with his chalk drawings as if they were the real thing.

Abigail Anne Newbold, Homemaker series, 2010 – 2011 A collection of found and custom fabricated objects. Linen, cotton, hickory, sheepskin, and leather were used to fabricate with. Dimensions variable

Abigail Anne Newbold’s Homemaker series summons visions of Westward, Ho! all tidied up with Shaker tastes and green values. Newbold finds transcendent glory in her tidied homestead on wheels at the same time that she inserts neediness and making do into the romance of the camping home on the range that’s no longer limitless.

Postcommodity, Gallup Motel Butchering, 2011, Four channel video installation with sound, Dimensions variable

A video of a Native American ritual lamb slaughter in a motel bathtub, by Postcommodity, is a jolting displacement. In a way, this gory ritual elevates the seedy motel and its anonymity into a sacred place. At the same time the artists confront our (and PETA’s ? ) squeamish and romanticized misinterpretation of native peoples and their relationship to the earth and our fellow beasts.

Aaron Storck, Poetry and Music in Kansas Bush, 2011, Video, Running time: Approx. 12 minutes

I did not stand for the full 12 minutes in front of Aaron Storck’s loopy video Poetry and Music in Kansas Bush. Another video, nameless, also by Storck (I don’t know the title), was hilarious and riveting. In both the artist stars, bringing a stoner-movie affect to his mix of magician and medicine show huckster. He rants and chants, combining hippie spaciness with talk TV and reality TV. I’m sure there’s more to say and more to see, but I gotta tell you, I loved my little glimpse of his paradise.

Erika Nelson, “SCOUT” Daily Driver Art Car, 2003 – Present Mixed media on 1995 Toyota Pickup

Whether it’s Erika Nelson’s romance with road trips and the kitsch of roadside attractions, or Jennifer Levonian’s battle between lower class and middle class taste, or Guy Michael Davis and Katie Parker’s kitsch descendants of discredited values, the show excavates the the things we treasure as a nation and rewrites newer, truer stories for the 21st century. Here are some more pix:

Guy Michael Davis and Katie Parker, Hy-que Monkey in Captivity, 2011, Porcelain, china paint, hand printed wallpaper, detail from 5 monkeys on sconces, Each 48” x 24” x 7”

Stacy Lynn Waddell, Aarkaydea , 2011, detail, Mixed media installation consisting of framed works, photo-lithographic, wall-sized paper panels, and miscellaneous items like string and fabric. 100” x 498”

Jennifer Levonian, The Oven Sky, 2011 Cut-out animation using watercolor and collage, with music by Rachel Mason, Video, Running time: 4 min. 45 sec.; one of the new residents gentrifying the neighborhood

Tim Portlock, Sundown, 2011, Ink jet print 54” x 72”; Tim is the Ansel Adams of the rubble, glorifying Philadelphia as an imagined dystopia

Others in the show are: Megawords, Paul Coors, Terence Hammonds, Liz Cohen, Lewis Colburn, elsewhere, Harrison Haynes, Michael Krueger, Aaron Rothman, Gregory Sale; Glenda Wharton and Whoop Dee Doo (all that was left of Whoop Dee Doo’s performance was a plastic tent).

In some sense this is the perfect PAFA show, contemporary reimaginings of history paintings–mythic, grandiose, and wonderfully dreamy. I’m sorry the show ends the 31st. I’d like to see it again and give it more time.

PAFA Curator of Contemporary Art Julien Robson and five guest curators–Christopher Cook, Director and Curator at the Salina Art Center, Salina, Kansas; Mark Harris, Director of the School of Art at the University of Cincinnati; Rebecca Hart, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts; Claire Schneider, Independent Curator; and Teka Selman, Assistant Director of the MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts at Duke University–each selected work from their regions.  With them, plus 24 artists or presenting groups, the show is huge, and its catalog is a welcome addition.

Bill Viola, far right, with his wife Kira Perov. Center is Robert Cozzolino and left is Julian Robson, Pafa curators

This is the same piece Viola showed at the Venice Biennale in 2007, in the Chapel of San Gallo. There are only three copies of this work–Australia, Korea and here. What a coup for PAFA and Curator Julien Robson!

Viola, a humble man, gave generous thanks to his wife, Kira Perov, at the press opening. “Kira deserves as much credit as I do for the projects we took on over 35 years,” he said. And he thanked audio master Benjamin Lee, who has worked with him for 8 years.

Kira Perov (center) and Bill Viola (right) speaking at PAFA

“I think we were all put on this earth to inspire each other,” Viola said. Then he said the work was inspired by the paintings on ancient Greek funerary urns. Giacometti was also on his list of influences, not to mention Sufi poetry of the 17th century. He said African society is still in touch with the dead, but we have drummed the dead out of our society. The work is partly a result of seeing his parents pass away.

Bill Viola, Ocean without Shore, film still, courtesy of PAFA and the artist

Viola said what started him on the journey that led to this video was seeing an image of an older woman on a funerary urn at the Getty in 2004. Viola’s mother had died in the 1990s. And then he read on the label that the woman’s ashes had been inside. “I can’t even say it. I’m too emotional to talk,” he said. He paused. Then he marveled at how the actors he worked with entrusted him with their inner feelings and emotions.

In Venice, he said, the ghosts outnumber the living and he felt connected to them in the now deconsecrated chapel where he originally showed the work. He also connected with the living–like the Venetian who walked his dog there daily and told him, “‘I was christened there and my son was baptized there.’”

The piece, like a Victorian-era ghost show, immerses you in a room where celestially-back-lit emanations swim into your sphere with a great orgasmic whoosh of sound. Death and birth are the unmistakable subjects. Actors, 23 in all, go through a watery baptism–walking through a sheet of falling water–and then evaporate as grisaille ghosts, perhaps turning to stone before your eyes. The water, when touched by the actors, creates auras of light and a spiritual magic. Viola later told us the piece, with its grainy ocean without a shore, was “a continual cycle of beings, something that will continue going on.”

As for the installation, it too will continue on. “It’s the most amazing thing it’s going to stay here. This isn’t a five-week show,” he said.

"George Washington (The Lansdowne Portrait)", Gilbert Stuart, Oil on canvas, 1796, 96 x 60 in. (243.8 x 152.4 cm.) Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Hennessy admits to having trouble telling white people apart. In his comparison of paintings of King George III and George Washington it is only through their differences in clothing that Youngman is able to distinguish the two men. The paintings hang side by side to contrast the King’s royal excess with Washington’s plain dress that embodies democracy. However, Youngman thinks King George III makes George Washington look like “an Amish carpenter,” and if King George III had remained in power, “America … could have been somethin’.”

"Death on the Pale Horse", Benjamin West, 1817, Oil on canvas, 176 x 301 in. (447.0 x 764.5 cm.) Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

With its “high drama and gesturin’,” Youngman imagines that for “people of olden times,” viewing Benjamin West’s painting “Christ Rejected” must have been like his experience of seeing Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” for the first time. However, he admits that to contemporary viewers like himself, the painting seems unrealistic and “reeks of a European mannerism that always seemed unnatural to [him].” Youngman also finds West’s other large work, “Death on a Pale Horse,” to be excessive with its dark, ominous clouds, naked, wailing figures, and dead doves.

"Sailing in the Mist", John H. Twachtman, 1890s, Oil on canvas, 30 3/16 x 30 1/8 in. (76.7 x 76.5 cm.) Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

In addition to his audio tour, Youngman also makes his presence visible by including video works alongside the collection. His “Shrine to Bas Jan Ader” pairs the conceptual artist’s works “I’m Too Sad to Tell You” and “Broken Fall” with “Sailing in the Mist.” Bas Jan Ader disappeared during a sailing trip and the painting without a clear horizon is a fitting image. Another painting of the sea, Alexander Harrison’s “The Wave,” is paired with Youngman’s video, “Bodhi Swata,” a looping fragment of the surfing movie “Point Break.” The seascapes become backdrops for Youngman and their own artistic significance becomes secondary.

"Fox Hunt", Winslow Homer, 1893, Oil on canvas, 38 x 68 1/2 in. (96.5 x 174.0 cm.) Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

In contrast to Youngman, the exhibition also features another persona, Nathaniel Snerpus, an art writer who divulges information about his personal life. Snerpus, tells visitors to disregard Youngman’s commentary and instead to look for his writing throughout The Grand Manner. Despite Snerpus’ claims of being an authority, his writings become tangents about his recent divorce. In Winslow Homer’s “Fox Hunt,” Snerpus sees himself as the fox being victimized by the attacking crows. In another text panel, Snerpus quotes an art reviewer from 1898 who saw one of William Merritt Chase’s works, “Mother and Child” (not in the collection), as an embodiment of fearlessness. Whether the portrait embodies fearlessness or not is subjective and no more valid than a conclusion reached by a non-expert.

With the two personas — Snerpus and Youngman — Musson provides an alternative perspective that conflicts with the museum’s traditional, widely-accepted interpretation. Musson’s decision to include text from the so-called authority Snerpus also underscores the fact that the exhibition’s wall text is a constructed interpretation.

Hennessy Youngman & Nathaniel Snerpus Present: The Grand Manner is on view at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts’ Historic Landmark Building until February 5, 2012. The cell phone audio tour can also be downloaded on to an iPod from Hennessy Youngman’s website.

(Inaccurate information has been removed from this post).

ICA appoints new curator

Anthony Elms. Photo by Erin Leland.

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.

Is Going to College Worth It?
President Obama just announced his plan for student debt relief. Many artists are college educated and in debt. Many readers of this blog are likely strapped with student loans too. University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business recently published an article questioning just such a system: “While more U.S. students are enrolled than ever before, a perfect storm of soaring costs, rising student debt and shrinking job prospects have led critics to increasingly challenge whether college remains a worthwhile investment.”

Phone cameras vs. point-and-shoot

Comparison between an 8 megapizel digital camera (left) and iPhone 4S (right). These images were taken at the same time and distance at Chinatown Coffee in Washington D.C. (Mallory Benedict and Cristina Fletes/NPR)

An article on NPR also raises some value questions. With the advancement of technology in smart phones marching steadily forward, is it cost effective to purchase a separate camera? For amateur photographers, the choice may become more and more clear as smart phone technology develops and the convenience of quickly sharing images trumps the need for a point-and-shoot camera.

Josh Mosley video art history lecture at PAFA

Bill Viola, "Ocean Without a Shore", 2007, video and sound installation, running time: approx. 90 minutes.

As part of its Art at Lunch series, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts will be holding a lecture about the history of video art on November 2 at 12 noon. The speaker will be Joshua Mosley, artist and Associate Professor of Fine Art at UPenn. The lecture anticipates the arrival of one of PAFA’s newest acquisition – video artist Bill Viola’s “Ocean Without a Shore” to be installed more or less permanently in the Morris Gallery, according to Curator of Contemporary Art, Julien Robson.  Look for regular Morris gallery programming to continue, but in other parts of the building.  (It might cost to get in to see it, too, whereas trips to the Morris Gallery itself previously were free).

Fleisher Wind Challenge trick-or-treat closing reception
The 34th season of the Fleisher Wind Challenge Exhibition Series closes on October 30 with a reception from 4 – 6 PM. Artists Alana Bograd and Jennie Thwing will premiere a painting exhibition and a stop-motion animation completed with teens from Fleisher’s Youth programs. Halloween costumes are encouraged and the artists will have plenty of candy available for all!

Knight Foundation gains tech guru board members
Facebook is coming to the Knight Foundation.  That is, Chris Hughes, Facebook co-founder will now be on the board of trustees of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The foundation’s tech coup for its board also includes Joichi Ito, director of MIT’s Media Lab and John Palfrey, professor at Harvard Law School and co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

Opportunities

Performers wanted for… City Hall? That’s right, the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy is now seeking talented performing artists and organizations for City Hall Presents, a new series of free concerts highlighting Philly’s rich performance offerings.

InLiquid membership applications are due by October 30. That’s right around the corner, but worth the consideration. A membership promotes and supports the work of visual artists with an extensive online artist portfolio page including credentials, statements, contact information, and exposure.

The egg theory.

Late architect Cedric Price theorized that cities are like eggs – boiled, fried, or scrambled – but Philadelphia doesn’t quite fit the bill. Hidden City is hosting a contest to find a better theory for Philly’s formation. Visit the contest page to learn more!

The Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts is seeking artists for solo shows in 2013. You must be a DCCA member and you may not have had a solo show in the past four years. Visit their opportunities page for more info.

F&N Gallery at 2009 Frankford Avenue seeks submissions for a juried art show.  The show will open on January 6 and run for one month. The show will highlight Women artists exhibiting a theme of Cultural Awareness and/or Social Enlightenment. Interested artists should submit five images of their work to fngallery.coh@gmail.com for consideration.

Artist News

Jayson Musson‘s alter-ego Hennessy Youngman will enter the hallowed halls of PAFA to hilariously critique the collection of art by dead white guys. The snarky show is called The Grand Manner and opens on November 5.

Matt Bollinger, "Locker Room", flashe and acrylic on cut and pasted paper, 60" x 48", 2011.

Matt Bollinger, a former Philly artist that showed at the Rodger LaPelle Gallery now has a solo show in NYC at Galerie Zürcher.

Barry Parker, "Etruscan Places IV", 2009.

Barry Parker, retiring head of the sculpture department at UArts has a solo show at Medialia in New York that opens on November 5.

Gerard Brown who is the head of foundations at Tyler School of art and the scholar in residence at the Center for Art in Wood has an upcoming show at Tiger Strikes Asteroid starting on November 4.

Brandon Cox is a UArts grad now living in NYC. He recently had a solo show at UArts and he’s definitely on a roll!

Kaitlin Pomerantz had a recent DIY curating project “Wish You Were There” at Green Line Cafe that has been picked up by the University City Arts League.

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.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours open this weekend
Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST) is the largest tour of artist work spaces in the region and it starts this weekend, October 1-2, for studios WEST of Broad Street. On October 15-16 there will be tours of locations EAST of Broad Street. The tours are free and run from 12 – 6 PM. Of particular interest for photo enthusiasts is Light Room Photography Co-op at 1909 Wilcox Street.

Artlog city guides
Artlog, in partnership with Société Perrier just rolled out The Fall Art Guides, featuring listings of all the best shows and events from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, Berlin, London, and Paris. New York and LA already have their guides out, with more to be released soon. The real question is – where is Philadelphia’s guide?

Design Philadelphia guide books ready for kickoff

Guide books for Design Philadelphia are being distributed around the city, but they can’t reach everyone. If you want to lend a hand and help distribute some materials, pick up some guide books, posters, and postcards at their office at University of the Arts, 211 South Broad Street, room 1101, from 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday. The festival kickoff is on October 13.

New gallery on Lancaster Avenue
There’s a new gallery down at 3820 Lancaster Avenue called Projects Gallery (that’s right, another Philly space named “Projects”). John Phillips and Carolyn Healy have a multimedia installation on display, along with work by other artists. Opening reception is today, Friday, September 30 from 5-9 PM.

Grounds for Sculpture adds new space

"Aerial Roots" by Steve Tobin.

New Jersey’s Grounds for Sculpture will open a 7-acre addition, “The Meadow,” on October 1 at 2 PM. With the addition, the Hamilton, NJ sculpture park and arboretum spans 42 acres in all. Featured work includes “Aerial Roots” by Steve Tobin.

24-Hour Comic Challenge
Atomic City Comics hosts the 24-Hour Comic Challenge on October 1 starting at 12 noon. A comic book can take up to three months for one person to produce, but six brave, local comic artists will attempt it in the span of a day! It should be quite the challenge, and it will be very interesting to see the results.

Nexus is not finished – it’s moving!
Formerly located in the Crane Arts Building at 1400 N. American Street, the rumors of Nexus closing are false. The true story is that they are moving. We will provide you with upcoming details when we get them.

PAFA’s Party on the Plaza and new installation

Griska in his "Grumman Greenhouse"

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts will be partying on the new Lenfest plaza this Saturday to celebrate the opening of the new public space. The program starts at noon and includes kid-friendly activities and free art activities until 5 PM. In the evening there will be an unveiling of the new Claes Oldenburg sculpture “Paint Torch”, as well as the unveiling of Jordan Griska’s Grumman Greenhouse installation, a de-comissioned Cold War-era plane that is a greenhouse.

Opportunities

Last call for Institute of Contemporary Art‘s juried open video call. Monday Oct. 3 is the last day to submit. The jury selects from the submissions Monday night. This is a great opportunity to get your work seen by ICA jurors and possibly shown at ICA in their video roundup. Send DVD, CV, and artist statement to: Open Video Call c/o ICA 118 S.36th Street Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Project Basho is seeking photography teachers to lead classes, weekend workshops, and private lessons at their studio. Also stay tuned for the announcement of the artists in ONWARD ’12, Basho’s annual photography competition.

Via WooLoo, Richmond, VA non-profit 1708 Gallery has a call for exhibition proposals.

Murray State University in Kentucky is seeking work that explores the role of new media in performance, photography, installation, and video for the juried exhibition “White Hot Gold“. artblog‘s Roberta is the juror! Deadline is October 28, and the entry fee is $30 for 5 entries.

Artist News

Jury Smith, ceramics professor at St. Joseph’s University, has two upcoming shows in New York. You can find the details for both here.

A work in progress by Judith Schaechter.

Judith Schaechter gives a lecture,”Surviving Your Creativity” at the MIT Glass Lab on October 5 at 6:30 PM.

Phil Jackson is moving to NYC in January with his girlfriend Leigh Metzler who will be at the New School for Social Research. Also moving is Mary Anne Friel who is leaving the Fabric Workshop for a professorship at RISD.

Chris Lawrence has a solo show in Portland, OR, at Appendix Project Space.

The bull snake Anthony Campuzano confronted. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Anthony Campuzano is in a show at Churner and Churner in New York that opens September 30. While at a residency at Ucross in Wyoming the urbanite Campuzano had a close encounter with a big bull snake when he ran it over with his bike. (Both the snake and Anthony are fine, he reports.)

Amir Lyles will be part of Philadelphia Open Studio Tours at the Mt. Airy Art Garage this weekend, October 1 and 2.

Emily Brown is part of a group show at the June Fitzpatrick Gallery in Portland, ME.

Diedra Krieger‘s Plastic Fantastic just made an appearance at Salisbury University in Maryland.

David Carrow has new work in a group show at the Grounds for Sculpture, opening October 15th.  Carrow made the metal door for Marginal Utility as part of Hadassa Goldvicht’s exhibition on view now at the gallery.

Former Philly artist Todd Gilens has made some pretty sweet bus wraps for the transit system in San Francisco.

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!

LOOK! Lancaster Avenue  installations

Joe Boruchow

You may remember us telling you about the competition to put art in the windows on Lancaster Ave, well here are the selections: Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative (UNI) and Positive Minds, Claire Marcus, Erin Murray, Jesse Kudler, Russell Mahoney and Emil Crystal, Nicole Herbert, Kay Healy and George Apotsos, Paul Schultz, Valerie Huhn and Karen Smith, Melissa J. Frost, Trevor Reese, Ava Blitz, Derrick Wesley McNew, Joe Boruchow, and Jack Sloss. More than 200 artists competed for window space as part of LOOK! on Lancaster Avenue.

PAFA’s modern art curator holds Surrealism lecture at LaSalle

Dorothea Tanning, "The Temptation of St. Anthony", 1945.

Robert Cozzolino, PAFA‘s senior curator, will speak at LaSalle University about the relationship between surrealist art and 20th century film. The lecture is on October 13 at 3:30 pm and there will be a screening of the film “The Private Affairs of Bel Ami” afterward.

artblog’s Libby and Roberta receive The Photo Review Award 2011
Libby and Roberta have been recognized by The Photo Review for their services to the photography and art communities in the Philadelphia region. The 22nd annual award will be will be presented at a reception from 3 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 22, 2011, at Freeman’s Auctioneers, 1808 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. All are welcome!

Philly Live Arts/Fringe Fest and The Reinvestment Fund grant recipients
The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe along with The Reinvestment Fund have been awarded a total of $600,000 in grants via ArtPlace which aims to revitalize America’s cities and towns. ArtPlace awarded Live Arts/Philly Fringe $350,00 for a new permanent contemporary performing arts center. The Reinvestment Fund received $250,000 to create a Creative Assets Mapping Database for the city.

New logo for the Barnes Foundation?

The Barnes Foundation, being in major flux, has also just updated its logo to a series of hard-edged, fragmented boxes. This is certainly a big adjustment in the face of the new building which is set to open by May. What do you think of it?

Museum News: Michener and PMA
The longtime director of the Michener Museum in Doylestown, Bruce Katsiff, has announced his plans to step down. Meanwhile, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, they have just announced the appointment of Hiromi Kinoshita as their new Associate Curator of Chinese Art. Kinoshita is currently Assistant Curator of Chinese Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Red Hook on Knight Arts
Recently, I stopped by Red Hook Coffee and Tea in South Philly, and then did a little write-up about their show for Knight Arts. Colored canvases and coffee – can’t get much better than that!

Williams-Sonoma Marvel Comics cookies

The big home wares retailer Williams-Sonoma has a new series of Marvel Comics cookie cutters.  We just wanted to run the picture.  We know artists don’t need a commercial cookie cutter to make arty cookies.

IDEA Store at (e)merge art fair in D.C.
Back in 2009 we told you about the Free Store in lower Manhattan, where you could get stuff for free. Now the same two artists – Athena Robles and Anna Stein – are back with the IDEA Store at the (e)merge art fair in Washington D.C. The concept is the sale and exchange of ideas (although it’s only a penny for your thoughts). The fair runs from September 22 – 25.

Vivant Art Collection talks
Vivant Art Collection holds its next Black and Jewish Conversation Series talk on October 11. The last talk was at Congregation Rodeph Shalom, but the October 11 conversation will take place at the gallery.

Sculpture Saturdays for kids
The Fairmount Park Art Association will be hosting free family art events along Kelly Drive as part of Sculpture Saturdays. There will be workshops, outdoor sculpture guides and art kits, iPod tours, and live music. The next events will be on September 24 and October 15 & 22 from 10 am – 2 pm between Boathouse Row and the Girard Avenue bridge.

Peter Crimmins rides for MS

WHYY journalist Peter Crimmins (he’s also artblog‘s podcast recordist/editor) will be biking 100 miles from Cherry Hill, NJ to Ocean City as part of a ride to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research. You can follow the progress on NewsWorks.org or at his Twitter feed @petercrimmins.

African Diaspora in Philly show

Frito Bastien

There’s a new show of folk art by four local black artists including Rashie Abdul Samad and Sharif Abdur-Rahim (African Cultural Arts Forum), Frito Bastien, and Isaac Maefield at the Philadelphia Folklore project. The exhibit runs from September 17 – December 17 at the PFP, 735 S. 50th Street, in West Philadelphia.

Opportunities

Mono No Aware – international film project founded by former Philly artist Steve Cossman – has a call for submissions in film or altered light projections. Visit the website for details. Deadline is November 9 and there is no entry fee.

myGallerist is a new Philly-based website and app, which aims to bring artists, gallerists, curators and collectors together. The idea is to put a portfolio in every artist’s pocket and allow them to present their work via mobile technology. An artist membership costs $25 (a $15 sign-up fee and a $10 annual access fee).

Bartol hosts a marketing workshop for teaching artists putting together artist statements on October 17 from 9:30 am – 12 pm and there are only ten spots so sign up quick.

Artist News

Former artblog writer and installation artist Colette Copeland is now in Plano, Texas and has just started contributing to Glasstire.

Tim Gough on Tweets from Beyond the Grave

Tim Gough has been busy with illustrations for publications including Wired, the New York Times, and Harvard Business Review.

"Josh in Prayer" by Eoin Burke and Jim Dessicino

UArts graduate Eoin Burke and Jim Dessicino have made a sculpture of a regular human being (not a saint) that’s on display in St. John’s Episcopal in New Haven, CT.

Candy Depew’s Candy Coated Center organized “Printed Matters” – student prints made in her educational program – which will be on display in the Comcast Center from September 28 – October 1 with a closing reception on October 1 from 12 – 3 pm.

Steven Earl Weber has a solo show entitled “Comfort and Security” at New York’s Hunter College in the Thomas Hunter Project Room. The show will run from October 2 – 22 with a reception on October 7 from 6 – 8 pm.

Bo Bartlett will have paintings in PAFA’s USArtists show at Sommerville Manning Gallery’s booth.  Man Bartlett (Bo’s son)  just did a performance in New York that was featured on ArtInfo’s top picks page.  Libby and Roberta did a podcast interview with Man last summer.

Temple Gallery leads the charge.  The new Director of exhibitions and programs, Rob Blackson and his 28-person Advisory Council brainstormed a number of socially-themed issues, and Blackson developed the programs and commissioned some new art. On tap — sustainability, shale-oil drilling; toxic waste, AIDS and more.  There will be 2 programs a week, Blackson says, everything from Monday morning coffee hours (in the gallery with lectures and free coffee and snacks, coFREE Mondays, beginning Sept. 12) to dinners in the gallery with foraged greens from the neighborhood (are they kidding? No.  Feast of Forage, Sept. 21).  Other programs: True Bloodmobile and discussion of historic buildings as haunted houses (think Eastern State Penitentiary) Oct. 28; The Big Shale Teach-In, Nov. 3 and 4.

A piece lurking at Temple Gallery. Is it art or is it not? (hint, it is art) Tyler Held, "Repair" Photo courtesy Temple Gallery

This month, British artist Sara MacKillop takes charge of the gallery’s welcome desk, a white desk with an abnormally-high and unwelcoming wall on the front end (Blackson calls it “The Iceberg”).  Turning the chilly desk into something interactive, the artist will fill the desk drawers with subversive art created with post-it notes, pens, clips and other standard office supplies.  Viewers are encouraged to riffle through the drawers and interact – move stuff around, reorganize, add some, take some.

An on-the-job training project, Project Shift, also begins this month in the gallery and runs to Feb, 2012. Workers from the Village Workshop will learn building skills and create a series of temporary wood shed-cum-corral structures — designed by artists, architecture students and others.  The corrals will be used for programs and activities.

Alex Klein, ICA's new program director. Photo courtesy ICA

ICA launched its Whenever Wednesday programs in 2006, a series that includes everything from lectures to parties, to workshops.  What’s new is that the Institute just created the position of Program Director and hired West Coaster, Alex Klein for the job.

Excursus logo, courtesy of ICA

Klein launches a programming discussion nook called Excursus in ICA’s mezzanine on Sept. 14.  With tables, chairs and book carts, Excursus will allow people to come, sit, browse written materials and chat.  The first Excursus program is a talk by Penn Rare Books Curator Lynne Farrington, about Centaur, a Philadelphia radical bookstore/hangout from the 1920s. Reception to follow. Andy Beach, designer and blogger, guest-curated this first round of Excursus.

The Sept. 21 “Free For All” event has everything in one package – a lecture on contemporary art by Senior Curator Ingrid Schaffner, a screen-printing workshop, and a party with music and snacks.

Bill Walton's Studio, Photo by Aaron Igler, courtesy of ICA

Don’t miss “Bill Walton’s Studio” — the late artist’s actual studio, brought into the ICA’s Project Space and re-created even down to the weathered floor boards. Programming involves a “sharing” day, Dec. 4, in which artists who knew Walton will share stories about the artist; and everyone will receive an ephemeral giveaway object.  Check out ICA’s blog, Miranda, for behind the scenes tidbits and pictures, and give them some feedback—you know you’re dying to.

Open call for juried show

On the alternative front, things are often interactive, if not programmed.  Grizzly Grizzly, one of the very best of the new spaces, will have its first open call juried exhibit Nov. 4-26, and viewers will be asked to vote on their favorite work.  The artist receiving the most votes will be awarded a solo exhibit at the gallery.

Image from PPAC's current exhibit, The Greater Area

Philadelphia Photo Arts Center has its second Philly Photo Day Oct. 28.  All snapshot-shooters are invited to take a picture within the city limits and upload it to the PPAC website for this non-juried, come-one-come-all event with an exhibit of all submitted works opening November 10.  Last year almost 350 people participated and they hope to double that number this year. (Reality check:  artblog was a sponsor last time and we are a sponsor this year because we really believe in this community-spirited event and exhibit)

Jenny Sabin's Greenhouse, the finished pavillion. Photo by Brent Wahl, courtesy of APS Museum

The APS Museum commissioned art, design, music, a play, and a lot of programming for its Greenhouse Project, in conjunction with its exhibit “Of Elephants and Roses.”  “Greenhouse and the Cabinet of Future Fossils” by architecture and design guru Jenny Sabin (Cornell prof with a design studio at Crane Old School) sits in the APS Museum’s Jefferson Garden, an ancient and futuristic-looking edifice resembling the bleached bones of Moby Dick washed up at 4th and Chestnut and bedazzled.  More than 100 colorful green, orange and blue cold frames with plants and vines pepper the piece, and all objects in the project (except a few ceramic pieces) were made using the latest design and fabrication tools (3D printers; laser cutters). Don’t miss the science talk on the chili pepper by molecular researcher Joseph Rucker (Sept. 12 at National Mechanics); and the talk and greenhouse walkthrough with Jenny Sabin (Oct. 20).  The free programs require an RSVP.

Jordan Griska's Grumman Greenhouse, model. Photo courtesy PAFA

Speaking of greenhouses, Jordan Griska’s Grumman Greenhouse in PAFA’s new Lenfest Plaza (with the Oldenburg Paint Brush) will be an eyeful.  A complete cold-war era airplane, installed nose down and tail up with plants in the nose cone, the piece will be nice counterbalance to the slick Oldenburg piece.  Meanwhile, inside PAFA, “here.” a group show about the regions outside the big art centers promises lots of programming about this pithy current issue.

Jennie Thwing. Buried but Breathing, screen shots from Buried but Breathing installation and "Woodshop" video, 3.2 minutes, 2011. Photo courtesy Fleisher Art Memorial

Other great-sounding art events include Tim Belknap’s solo exhibit at Rebekah Templeton opening Sept. 8 (to Oct. 22); September’s group show at Tiger Strikes Asteroid with a robotic piece by Belknap (to Oct. 2); and the Fleisher Wind Challenge exhibit with Jennie Thwing, Alana Bograd and Sarah Steinwachs.

MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
>> Sara MacKillop, coFREE Mondays and other programming, Ongoing to Feb. 2012.  Temple Gallery, 12th and Norris Sts.
>>Tim Belknap: Ordnance, Sept 8-Oct 22. Rebekah Templeton, 173 W. Girard Ave.
>>Bill Walton’s Studio, Sept. 7-Dec.4.  Institute of Contemporary Art, 36th and Sansom St.
>>Excursus, Institute of Contemporary Art, 36th and Sansom St.
>>Jenny Sabin: Greenhouse and Cabinet of Future Fossils, Sept. 9-Dec. 14.   American Philosophical Society, Jefferson Garden, 4th and Chestnut. Free reservations are required for events. To register, contact museum@amphilsoc.org or 215.701.4421
>>”Other Possible Titles, juried group exhibit, Nov. 4-26.  Reception, Fri. Nov. 4, Grizzly Grizzly, 319 N. 11th St., 2nd floor.
>>Philly Photo Day, Oct. 28. Exhibition Nov. 10-__. Reception Thurs. Nov. 10, 6-9pm.  PPAC Crane Arts, 1400 N. American St.
>>Tim Belknap, William Blackhurst and Carolee Schneeman, Sept 2-Oct 2.  Tiger Strikes Asteroid.  319 N. 11th.
>>Wind Fleisher Challenge, Sept 16 – Oct. 30.  Reception Fri, Sept. 16, 6-8pm.  Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine St.
>>Jordan Griska, Grumman Greenhouse, temporary installation.  Opens Sat. Oct 1, noon-7pm. PAFA Lenfest Plaza, Broad and Cherry Sts.
>>here, Oct. 22-Dec. 31.  Hamilton Building, PAFA, Broad and Cherry

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.

Exterior of Amy Walsh's 50x20 ft. peephole installation in PAFA's Urbanism

Amy Walsh, Studio, 2011, detail of installation, mixed media. Photo courtesy of the artist

Amy Walsh’s installations initially seem part of a renovation; plastic sheeting attached to wooden studs signals a construction site. Realistic imagery silhouetted by lights strategically placed behind the plastic suggests intention, as do small, rectangular “peepholes” in the facades. These vantage points yield glimpses of miniature domestic and industrial interiors. Our feet remain fixed yet our eyes are constantly deciphering complicated recessional spaces through elaborate lighting effects. While the large exterior facades encourage an ambulatory, sculptural experience, the “peepholes” frame the interiors, suggesting two-dimensional illusionism. The scale shift from macro to micro locates our body as the mean between both extremes, making us more aware of our own physicality and curiosity. Walsh’s interiors become empty stages onto which we project our own narratives. Their tenuousness mirrors our fragility, our perpetual failures and reinventions.

Ben Peterson, California 10, 2006-2007, ink and graphite on paper, 58x108" Photo courtesy of PAFA

Ben Peterson’s large, colorful paper and ink drawings also posit a micro/macrocosmic vision; but his views coexist on the same plane. These fully realized imaginative worlds contain a wealth of minute detail nearly exceeding our visual capacity. Large, welcome empty expanses surround a central scene, leading outward to white frames that soften the edges where reality and imagination meet.

Ben Peterson City on a Hill, 2008 Ink and graphite on paper 66 x 108 in. (167.64 x 274.32 cm.) The Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, OH

These are seriously playful drawings, full of wit and gravitas in equal measure. The precision of the microscopic details creates an intensity that somehow feels liberating; freedom and playfulness come from its emphatic limitations. In these fantastic hybrid landscapes nature and culture collide, and nature is uprooted, displaced, and contained. Differences do coexist, uneasily; everything is stretched taut and about to snap. Yet out of this atmosphere of exquisite tension strange alliances are born: luggage creates a building facade; terraces become boats; sundeck chairs sit idly atop spindly scaffolding. Like nervous laughter in the face of tragedy, the climate bespeaks an unsettling dread: the moment of ripeness holds within it the beginnings of decay.

Arden Bendler Browning Plenty of Eyes, 2011 Flashe and acrylic gouache on Tyvek 114 x 156 in. (289.56 x 396.24 cm.) Courtesy the artist and Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia

If Peterson’s drawings echo Walsh’s interiors, Arden Bendler Browning’s large flashe and acrylic gouache paintings on Tyvek suggest Peterson’s drawings on speed. Rather than tension and conflict one senses excitement, conveyed through a full repertoire of mark making. No longer spectators, we are now immersed in the city, like Degas’ flaneur. We see parts of things, not their entirety. But unlike Impressionism’s newly mobile urban pedestrians, we are in stasis; it is the city that swirls around us. This is urbanity as a kaleidoscopic abstraction. But this is not a “real” space. The abrupt changes of scale and direction, the deep yet inaccessible space, and the fully chromatic unnatural colors suggest a virtual reality rather than a real cityscape. We are, as in Renaissance perspective, static viewers once again, not because of the “eye of God” but rather the “vision” of the computer, which knows no hierarchy. In this digital language, various spaces exist simultaneously, their disjunctions part of a postmodern conceptual grammar.

Curator Julien Robson, speaking about Arden Bendler Browning's work at the press preview

We experience Browning’s forms physically in part because of their large scale, and because these paintings have no frame; they bleed out to the surrounding areas and envelop us. Browning leaves part of the surfaces bare; without frames, we connect these white areas to the wall, stabilizing the image and causing it to appear cut out, or shaped. Using Tyvek as a ground lessens the object-ness of the paintings, and increases their illusionism.

Browning’s palette and color usage are not far from Peterson’s; both employ flat, opaque shapes of chromatic intensity and more grayed out transitional areas, but Browning’s color is generally created through transparent layers. This gives her work a hazy affect and helps unify the paintings. The various shades of gray are each made differently and because chromatic grays are highly responsive to surrounding colors, their effect is multiplied. They act as foils for the stronger colors and create a palpable sense of urban smog. Browning’s titles (Up to Speed, Plenty of Eyes) acknowledge the city’s energy, scale, and variety as a source for her imagination.

Detail, The Dufala Brothers 20 Yard Dumpster Coffin, 2011, 
Dumpster, steel, plastic, insulation, PVC, wood, paint, buttons 21ft. x 8ft. x 4ft 8 in. Courtesy the artists and Fleisher/Ollman Gallery

Steven and Billy Dufala use found materials as vehicles for witty and incisive social commentary. Scale is a crucial aspect of their aesthetic; often, as here, they combine odd scale with altered context to create uncanny surrealistic objects. The strength of the Dufala Brothers is their light and humorous touch. Their objects are never didactic, but rich in allusion. Initial readings of their work are deceiving; under sometimes-banal surfaces, the content is consistently thoughtful and refreshing.

In 20 Yard Dumpster Coffin, 2011, the brothers use an object iconic of urban transformation, “upholstering” its interior with insulation-filled plastic pillows to resemble a coffin. The result is more than the sum of its parts: while the scale of the dumpster and the materials used are playful, the linking of similar forms that have disparate social contexts allows for a wide breadth of possible allusions, from homelessness and domesticity to mass graves and the communal rituals of private deaths.

Heap, a large graphite wall drawing, contains a bracing social commentary. Stylized Leger-like machines proliferate with shaded linear belts that serve as connectors. Everything (read everyone) is connected; and while this might initially seem comforting, the corollary is that no one is autonomous; identity is collective. The title comes from the overall form of the drawing, a large pile of nearly replicated machines that almost reaches the ceiling; the individual shapes are only important in terms of the space they occupy. Their slight variations are deceiving. Attempting to decipher actual objects, it’s difficult to hold your place; they are physically dependent on each other and fundamentally alike, like siblings or villagers. The heap suggests that our value lies in our collectivity, and that we are expendable, like garbage; the form suggests a superfund site or a mass grave.

The Dufala Brothers Entropy, 2009 Electrical conduit, junction boxes 6 x 28 ft. Courtesy the artists and Fleisher/Ollman Gallery

Disorder, randomness, and the unpredictability of (human) systems are literally spelled out in Entropy, another wall drawing, in which the title is made of electrical conduit and junction boxes. The scale of the letters is human-sized, yet readability is difficult because the conduit pipes have standard connector curves that don’t correspond to the degree of curved Alphabet letters. This slight hesitation in readability increases our visual interest as the piece slowly unfolds. The prominent junction boxes warn us that this sign is potentially lethally electric. A growing unease develops as we sense the metaphorical allusion to the death penalty. Entropy suggests our potential for anarchy, and our tenuous control over it.

This thoughtful and tightly conceived exhibition, curated by Julien Robson, PAFA Curator of Contemporary Art, challenges our understanding of urbanity by reanimating aspects of it, both positive and negative. Echoing and playing off of each other, these artists take the city as their muse, allowing their imagination to mingle with its energy. The results are both visually compelling and conceptually powerful.  The show is up until Sept. 4.

Mary Murphy is a Philadelphia artist and educator.

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.

Inside Prelude Gallery.

Certainly an underrepresented group, graduating students have had it rough in recent years. Hopefully Prelude Gallery will help make things a little easier on them. Rittenhouse galleries have openings on Second Fridays, so be sure to visit them on August 12! Also, see this write-up about Prelude on Knight Arts.

Women’s Caucus + Green Light Arts events
The Women’s Caucus for Art will be collaborating with Green Light Arts for the performance “The Dressing Room” at this year’s Fringe Festival. The performance and visual art piece explores the rituals and activities performed behind closed doors in dressing room environments. It runs September 3-17, and you can find all the details here.

Also, on Wednesday August 10 from 7-10 PM, WCA will host a meeting to create rag dolls for awareness of human trafficking. The dolls will be used in a September 2 flash mob to coincide with Philly Fringe First Friday.

More taxidermy art – with bling!
Angela Singer has been transforming vintage hunting taxidermy trophies into contemporary art since the mid 1990s.

Angela Singer, "Hedge Row", 2010.

Adorning these creatures with leaves, flowers, and gemstones, she sometimes reveals wounds taxidermists worked to conceal. Her work has also generated controversy, specifically around humans’ treatment of animals. Singer’s art work can be seen in the exhibition The Enchanted Forest at Musei Civici, Palazzo S. Francesco, Reggio Emilia, Italy, until 31 August 2011 and at Strychnin Gallery, Berlin.

Luxury blog in a recession??
The luxury blog Pursuitist has just launched its beta version. A luxury blog in a recession, you may ask? Our thoughts exactly, but it’s always good to dream – and besides, someone out there has to have expendable income. Regardless of your tax bracket, check out their site to learn more about the finer things in life.

PAFA Panel on role of “place” in contemporary art in conjunction with Urbanism exhibit
Libby and Roberta will be part of a panel on the complicated relationship between location and art. The panel is this Sunday, August 7, at 2 PM in PAFA’s Hamilton Auditorium of the Historic Landmark Building. The panel also includes Boston Phoenix critic and blogger Greg Cook, artists Ben Peterson and Arden Bendler Browning, and Director of the School of Art at the University of Cincinnati Mark Harris. To reserve a seat e-mail mzimmerman@pafa.org or call 215-972-2105.

Opportunities

PECO and Breadboard are taking submissions for their Art in the Air display on top of the PECO building.

PECO Crown Lights.

Artists may submit work to be shown on the Crown Lights system atop the PECO building at 23rd and Market. Visit their website and e-mail artintheair@sciencecenter.org with your submissions. The next deadline is August 23rd, although the displays are changed monthly.

Texas A&M University is seeking artists to create a major site-specific sculpture for their Memorial Student Center, which is currently undergoing renovation. The winning artist(s) will receive a commission totaling $350,000. Visit the sculpture competition website for all the details.

The Gallery at Delaware County Community College has an open call for drawings for an exhibit juried by Kate Kraczon from ICA. The application fees are low, and there is prize money available! Check out all of the details and then submit your artwork here.

Enter Blik’s competition for a shot at $2000 in goods from Threadless and Blik. Second prize is $500, and third place is $250… but everyone who enters gets a $5 Blik Bucks coupon to spend on art supplies!

Artist News

Sarah Moore is leaving Philadelphia and embarking on a six-week-long road trip to photograph around the country!

Photo by Sarah Moore from her series "Expanse".

Matthew Rose had his ‘A Book About Death’ project and its current exhibit in Bay Shore, Long Island covered by the New York Times.

Daniel Hoffman has been working on his residency at the Center for Art in Wood. The exhibition of all the artists’ work will be First Friday, August 5, at the Philadelphia Art Alliance from 5:30 – 7:30 PM.

David Romberg is in Brazil shooting for his new film Man of the Monkey. Also be sure to like their Facebook page to follow the updates.

Douglas Witmer is also a busy guy – running the Green Line Cafes as well as participating in plenty of shows, including his first solo show in Florida at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum.