By 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.
Read MoreDeb Krieger is back with a review of Grizzly Grizzly’s current two-person show, “Two Spiders,” featuring work by Jesse Harrod and Chris Bogia. On view through May 27th, “Two Spiders” explores queerness through a variety of media and in relation to a playful mix of bodily and cultural references.
Read MoreMichael visits Stanek Gallery to review People, Places & Things, the Old City fixture‘s first exhibit of photography. Comprised of works from the past 60 years by ten photographers, including several notable locals, this show is as engaging as it is stylistically varied. Be sure to catch it before it closes on March 26th!
Read MoreMore than a year after closing its doors, CRUXspace, Philadelphia’s first art gallery dedicated to new media, is back on the map. Now operating out of the Piazza’s bustling WeWork Northern Liberties coworking hub, founder Andrew Cameron Zahn and lead curator Kim Brickley have creatively sidestepped many of the pitfalls inherent to operating a DIY art space in this city. Contributor Chip Schwartz reports on where CRUxspace has been and where they’re going, with a brief nod to their current exhibition, “One Minute Auras” — the first of several multi-month shows planned for this year.
Read MoreArtists James Bouche, Jared Rush Jackson and Devin N. Morris explore individual experience through the prism of mass culture in Punctual Reality, a group show currently at High Tide gallery. Contributor Olivia Jia praises all three artists for handling the subject of identity with the subtlety it so urgently requires. Punctual Reality is on view through March 17th.
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Support for Artblog has been provided by The Philadelphia Cultural Fund.