Andrea shepherds us to the French coastal town Dunkerque to review the exhibition at Lieu d’Art et Action Contemporaine (LAAC) organized by composer and musicologist Jean-Yves Bosseur. She writes, “While tracing familiar territory, it offered a broad view of the subject and a number of surprises with artists, both earlier and contemporary, who were new to me….This exhibition succeeded with a challenge that faces many museums today: how to present work and ideas that stimulate a knowledgeable audience while offering something for a more general public which may not be familiar with contemporary art.”
Read MoreArtblog’s Imani Roach and Roberta Fallon talked with Taji Ra’oof Nahl about his complex art practice that includes collaboration at its core. Nahl ran his own gallery in Old City from the late 1980s to 2010, where he showed, among others, Terry Adkins’ work. Taji was a friend of Adkins, and their practices both involve music, found objects, and researching under-known African American historical figures. In the interview Nahl tells Imani and Roberta about discovering the Colonial-era polymath, Benjamin Banneker, who became the subject of his installation in ‘Unlisted,’ the big multi-curator, multi-artist show at Icebox Project Space in 2016. We interviewed Taji Nahl at Moore College of Art and Design’s TGMR radio station on Sept. 14, 2017, and the podcast is 37 minutes long.
Read MoreArtblog was at the opening of Philadelphia Assembled at the Perelman Building of the Philadelphia Museum of Art last weekend. We talked with lead artist Jeanne Van Heeswijk about her vast 4-year project brewing in the community and now assembled in the Perelman Building, with art, conversations, programs and workshops. Jeanne told us she will be in attendance each day the show is open (to Dec. 10) to greet people, talk with them and serve coffee. Go, and be sure to talk with this amazing artist and her collaborators. The show encapsulates conversations — including uncomfortable conversations — that have taken place so far. They are now looking for you to come in and talk. Thanks to Artblog’s new Community Intern, Carly Bellini, for this great 3-minute video overview. We hope you enjoy.
Read MoreWe round up some great opportunities — but the deadlines are quick, so hurry, look, and apply! Also, Artblog was there as Philadelphia Assembled opened; and we took a group on a stroll down Fabric Row with local historian Joel Spivak regaling us with stories of the neighborhood. Along the way we visited Paradigm Gallery and DaVinci Art Alliance to hear about their great programs and artists.
Read MoreMichael checks out the new Tiger Strikes Asteroid space at Crane Arts, with a guest-curated group show he calls important for dealing with serious issues of our time, such as colonialism, police brutality and eco-devastation. The show’s up through Sept. 14, 2017. Make time to go.
Read MoreA.M. Weaver takes you through the darkened space of the gallery, where video projections, some accompanied by installations, buzz, coo, and talk with you about issues that have been with us forever, involving bodies of color in a world not of their control. It’s a good read and a great show, up through Sept. 8, 2017. Catch it soon!
Read MoreNews of our world features student artists, activist artists, a couple solid opportunities via Fairmount Park Conservancy and Mural Arts and a great read for you. Enjoy!
Read MoreIn this review, Flora takes us through details of Leah Modigliani’s project, which is based on research of two archival pieces in the 19th century sculpture collection at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The exhibit awakens ideas akin to the current debate over removing public Confederate monuments, though Flora says, “Modigliani’s critique of violence and destruction offers hope.”
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