Tag Archive "public-art"

Public Art That Vanished From Fishtown

Fishtown once was home to solid middle and lower income families. This started to change in the early 1980’s when I purchased my home. Thirty years later the real estate value of my house has increased by 600%. Every possible open lot and non-functional building is highly sought after for new housing, business and institutional construction and re-construction. Fishtown and nearby Kensington gradually, through the years, also became a home and hub for art and artist. There is much to be said of its economic and cultural effect but I’ll focus on public art that has vanished. Shissler playground, also ... More » »

Anna Hepler’s inflatable sculpture assembly line at DCCC in Marple

Visual artist Anna Hepler just completed her collaborative art-making venture at Delaware County Community College (DCCC). Known for her large-scale inflatable sculptures out of sheet plastic and colored tape, Hepler took up shop at the school in order to build some of these blow-up forms in and around the school’s main Marple campus. The mix of 70s era architecture and more contemporary buildings is further stirred up by the addition of massive geometric forms strewn in their midst that allows students and faculty alike to flex many of their creative muscles. Jaime Treadwell, assistant professor of art at DCCC, initially ... More » »

Open Air on the Parkway – Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, next up on an artblog radio podcast

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer was in town in August to prepare for his mega-public art installation Open Air, which debuts 8pm Sept. 20 on the Ben Franklin Parkway. Open Air involves big spotlights that send beams of light into the night sky, triggered by people’s voices speaking into their cellphones. He tells us how that works.  We ask the Mexican-born Canadian artist about the possibility of migrating birds flying into his lights, and about how he wound up as  a public artist (his degree is in engineering). “Open Air” was commissioned by the Association for Public Art (formerly the Fairmount Park Art ... More » »

News post – Conversations with Andy, BlackStar Film Fest, goodbye to Joe Girandola, opportunities and more!

News This just in from Madelyn Roehrig, a friend of ours in Pittsburgh. Her project Conversations with Andy is being featured Monday on NPR’s Morning Edition!  The story, part of NPR’s summer road trip series, Dead Stop,  is airing Monday, Aug 6, Andy Warhol’s birthday. As a tribute to her subject, and to the other artistic spirits buried in the Green River Cemetery on Long Island, Madelyn plans on listening from Andy’s grave with some other folks while celebrating the artist’s birthday. Sad news: Part Time Studios becomes the latest Frankford Ave. staple of the last few years to close. Their final opening is ... More » »

Commotion Festival June 16-30 – The Redevelopment Authority’s Risk-Taking Temporary Public Art Project

Commotion is a six-month project directed by John J. H. Phillips for University of the Arts (U Arts).  Funded under  the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (RDA),  it involved a course for U Arts students, seven professional artists in various art forms (including writing, dance and theater), workshops with residents of Grays Ferry, Point Breeze, and South of South Street, two artists as workshop leaders and a large number of technical staff. The funding for Commotion was generated by PECO‘s construction of a power station in Grays Ferry; following legislation in 1959, any private developer who obtains property through the RDA must ... More » »

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.

“Flight” on the staircase – Liz Magic Laser’s flight of fancy in Times Square

“Flight,” a performance piece of scenes lifted from classic films, collaged and re-staged by Liz Magic Laser hits the great white way this weekend, or rather it lands on the red staircase in the heart of Times Square. The piece, originally performed at PS1 in 2010, has been refined to meet and respond to the parameters of this most theatrical of intersections and as one of the Times Square guides said to several tourists – “It’s a live show going on – It’s something different.”

Weekly Update – Elisabeth Nickles’ chicken of the sea and other delicious public art treats at Philly International and Septa

Known for her mournful, ancient-looking glass and bronze sculptures of animals and birds, Elisabeth Nickles’ new work at PHL is a big surprise—the pieces are bright-colored paper sculptures that capture the spirit of a tropical snorkeling adventure. The rosy, sandy, seaweed- and creature-filled world in four large Plexiglas museum cases perfectly captures what Nickles calls “the essence of the sea.”

Bob Cozzolino and Sid Sachs discuss public art on artblog radio

This episode sponsored by Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO, a program of the Fairmount Park Art Association Curators Bob Cozzolino of PAFA and Sid Sachs of Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery talk about the good, the bad and the importance of public art. Below is the 30-second sample clip. And below that is the full 15-minute interview. Right click to download 30 second sample of sid and bob

Next week on artblog radio – a discourse on public art

Episode 4 next Monday features Curators Bob Cozzolino of Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and Sid Sachs of Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery in a heady discussion about public art.  In the short sample below, hear Sid opine that money should not be spent just to spend money because it spawns a lot of bad art.  Hear Bob asking Sid to name some bad public art in Philadelphia…  Listen to the entire episode on Sept. 13. Curators Bob Cozzolino and Sid Sachs talk about public art — 28 second sample

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