For over a decade, Massachusetts-based artist, Gina Siepel has been using woodworking and other craft techniques to grapple with the myth of self-reliance and its relationship to both gender and nationalism. Here Levi Bentley speaks with Siepel about “Self-Made,” her current installation of objects, video and documents at Vox Populi, and pens a thoughtful response to the exhibition’s central themes. We can’t recommend this show enough, so read on and catch it before it closes on December 16, 2018.
Read MoreArtblog’s newest contributor is our Content Manager, Morgan Nitz! Here she visits The Edge of Precarity, a group show which opened October 27 at Little Berlin and which takes on the value of creative labor and the struggle to stay afloat in our post-recession economy.
Read MoreDeborah Krieger takes a trip to Rowan University Art Gallery to view Heather Ujiie’s current installation of large-scale digital prints and elaborate sculptural objects. Terra Incognita, with its intense color palette and diverse aesthetic influences, explores sexual identity in relation to a range of both natural and spiritual forces. Catch it before it closes on November 17, 2018.
Read MoreThe group exhibition, “Making a Difference: Social and Political Activism in Clay,” causes our reviewer to ponder the deeper meaning behind the words in the show’s title and to weigh in on how art can or cannot be an effective tool to spark societal change. This provocative exhibit is at The Clay Studio through Nov. 17, 2018, so run over and see it.
Read MoreBy now you’ve likely heard that Space 1026, one of Philly’s oldest collectively-run art spaces, is being forced out of its Arch street location. Here Chip Schwartz interviews current Space 1026 members and gives us the inside scoop on the organization’s bumpy beginnings and tenuous future. Read on to learn how these artists are turning a potential setback into an opportunity!
Read MoreIt’s easy to take the security that shelter provides for granted — until you find yourself out in the cold. Here Deb Krieger reviews “Shelter,” a new show at Davinci Art Alliance, presented in conjunction with Philadelphia Sculptors, which explores the vulnerability not only of our built environments, but of our own bodies and minds. This moving and topical exhibition closes September 26, 2018, so catch it while you still can!
Read MoreCongratulations to The Common Room on their one-year anniversary! Don’t know about them? Janyce Glasper is here to fill you in on this Fishtown gallery and workshop space that features work by women and non-binary artists. Read on for a sampling of what’s on view and be sure to stop by the store next time you’re in the neighborhood!
Read MoreChip Schwartz reports on the history of the Icebox Project Space and speaks with co-founders Tim Belknap and Ryan McCartney about how their vision for a multi-purpose arts venue has evolved over the years. He also gives us the scoop on future programming at the Icebox, including a Pew-funded haunted house that taps into our city’s rich LGBTQIA creative networks.
Read MoreLogan Cyer is back with a review of “Big Boys,” the newest Open Call exhibition at Little Berlin, on view through August 26. For them the works on view raise a number of important questions about the politics the personal and what it means to take up space.
Read MoreWith sadness but with fingers crossed for the future, we share the announcement we received from Andrew Jeffrey Wright and the members of Space 1026. As you probably know, the building at 1026 Arch — prime real estate in a busily gentrifying neighborhood — has been sold, and now, after talking with the landlord, who has plans for the building that don’t include the member space, Space 1026 is moving out and moving on, hopefully to a new place with new print facilities and gallery. We’ve loved and championed Space 1026 since even before Artblog began in 2003. We wish the members well in this big undertaking. And we hope to see them soon in new digs.
Read MoreLogan Cryer visits Sloppy Seconds, the 2-person show at Space 1026 featuring work by Wit López and Heather Raquel Phillips. It’s a whimsical affair and both artists draw heavily from craft aesthetics to celebrate brown, queer desire. NOTE: The closing reception is Tuesday, July 24, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM with a performance by Kol-Kez. The exhibit closes July 28.
Read MoreA nice idea — rounding up the rejects from other juried exhibits — produces a show with mixed results and some good moments, says our reviewer, Deborah Krieger. The 40-work salon-style show at Practice Gallery is worth a visit.
Read MoreDeb Krieger visits the Clay Studio’s biannual juried show of American ceramic art, “The Clay Studio National,” open May 26th – July 15th. She reports back on the wide range of practices in contemporary clay, from the abstract to the figurative and from the formal to the political.
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