DoNArTNeWs

Sneak peek -  Yeoun Lee and Bud Boehringer @ Diverse Perspectives, Da Vinci Art Alliance, February 25th - March 26th, 2011 - Reception: February 25th, 5 - 9:00PM

Diverse Perspectives @ Da Vinci Art Alliance: Bud Boehringer, DoN Brewer, Lorna Kent, Yeoun Lee, Marcy Morris, Lee Muslin, William Myers & Edna Santiago.

Opening this Friday, February 25th, 2011, 5 - 9:00PM @ 704 Catharine Street, Philadelphia.  The group show is the result of the tenacity and determination of a few artists determined to keep one of the few art spaces left where they can display their work open for the winter months.  DoN was invited by Da Vinci Art Director, Dave Foss without whose help this show would not have happened, to join the group after several artists could not help Bud Boehringer, who came through with the Benjamins commitment, to pull together a show.  Bud said he would do an installation by himself but it turns out there is such a demand for artists to get their work in public view that literally overnight the group grew to eight artists - and, guess what?  The show is fabulous with a series of events planned to bring visitors to the South Philly gem of a gallery including this weekends double receptions Friday and Sunday - free and open to the public.

DoN Brewer, Utter Blackness, digital photograph, inkjet print @ Diverse Perspectives.

DoN is exhibiting a new group of abstract landscape and architectural detail photographs; working to install the art with DVAA Director Dave Foss was not just an educational experience regarding the math of hanging a show but learning to see the thematic layout, abstract paintings with abstract photographs, representational work resonating with each other, a visual flow, he had it all laid out ready to install with the skill of a professional curator.  DoN had the rare experience of arranging his own work in an art gallery, a supremely satisfying experience, and helping to show the work of friends in their best light is transcendental.  But it’s nothing like the excitement DoN feels for Edna Santiago and Bill Myers for their brilliant introduction to the fabric of the art community known as Da Vinci Art Alliance, Friday night should prove to be joyful.

Edna Santiago, Art Adventure: Friday, March 4th, 4 - 8:00 PM - please visit the gallery and hear Edna’s inspirational story of the healing power of art and how she has channeled her energy into developing an art school for poor kids in a rural fishing village in Puerto Rico.

Saturday, March 5th, DoN will host a conversation, Search Engine Optimization for Artists, 2 - 4:00 PM; DoN will share tips, tactics and code to help your website be more search-able.

Like Da Vinci Art Alliance on Facebook to learn more about more DVAA Diverse Perspectives Events throughout March, 2011.

Photos by DoN.

Barbara Keough, Three Out of Four Ain’t Bad, mixed media @ Plastic Club New Members 2011 Art Exhibition.   The Plastic Club has 36 new members and a low attrition rate due to the warm, welcoming laid back vibe of one of the longest running art clubs in America.  The New Members show is exceptional in the wide variety of media from fiber arts to painting, drawing and photograph; you would think there would be a tipping point but the leadership of The Plastic Club is sensitive to the needs of artists and makes every effort to help them develop through leading workshops, critiques, Salons, and monthly exhibitions including the Downstairs Gallery (the subject of DoN’s next post on DoNArTNeWs).

Barbara Keough’s painting embodies the spirit of the new group joining the club, her painting is witty, fun, cheerful and beautiful - a small painting which lights up on it’s own especially in the newly refurbished Plastic Club Gallery.  And the number 42, of course, is the answer to the ultimate question posed in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.  The Plastic Club uses a unique numbering system which requires visitors to refer to a printed guide but also allows seeing the work for itself without being influenced by the cult of personality or reputation of the artist.

Chick Kelly @ Plastic Club New Members 2011 Art Exhibition.  Chick Kelly’s wonderfully ebullient and erudite character shines through his paintings combining contemplative color palette with stinging symbolism and strong story telling.

Maria Viataki, Dreams of Havertown, acrylic, Alexandra Pinero, Amaris Is Hazel, oil, & Burton Greenspan, Sun Lee, oil @ Plastic Club New Members 2011 Art Exhibition.  Doesn’t this look fabulous?

S.F. Pfaffenbichler, Rock I & Rock II, oil @  Plastic Club New Members 2011 Art Exhibition.

S.F. Pfaffenbichler @ Plastic Club New Members 2011 Art Exhibition.

Bob Jackson & Alan Klawans un-scrolled Sylia Pfaffenbichler’s action drawing from the Plastic Club’s on-going series of workshops called the Moving Model, the model slowly changes poses over a period of twenty minutes forcing the artist to quickly see and commit the image to paper, the results are evident in Pfaffenbichler’s great, joyful paintings of jazzy dancers.

Michael B. Tantaros, What, graphite & Yeoun Lee, Over the Rainbow, mixed media - DoN loves seeing these works together, the fine drawing is of Bill Myers, fellow photographer and Yeoun Lee who are both in the group multi-media art show Diverse Perspectives @ Da Vinci Art Alliance, reception February 25th, 2011, 5 - 9:00 PM, featuring the work of eight Da Vinci Art Alliance member artists.  DoN will be presenting Search Engine Optimization for Artists , Saturday, March 5th @ 2:00 PM, as part of the Diverse Perspectives exhibition running throughout March in the historic gallery in South Philly.

Past president Michael Guinn and current president Bob Jackson address the new members who have joined the Plastic Club, their leadership has improved participation exponentially and upgrades to the historic building are continuous - the back yard parties are infamous, too.

Jane J. Wilkie, Blue Sky, acrylic, Reta Sweeney, Snow on Stewart Lake, oil, Cara Kendric, Song of the Dawn, mixed media and Denise Romano Bright, Wisteria in Bloom, hand colored photo @ Plastic Club New Members 2011 Art Exhibition through February 25th, 2011.  Welcome to the New Members and thank you to The Plastic Club team for providing a venue for artists to grow and develop without feeling intimidated.

By the by, DoN has been updating the Album pages on the Plastic Club website, it’s a work in progress but the pictures will bring back many memories.

Michael B. Tantaros, Who, graphite @ Plastic Club New Members 2011 Art Exhibition; DoN is particularly drawn (no pun intended) to Tantaros‘ descriptive drawing and atmospheric naturalism.  The Plastic Club is famous for it’s inspiring workshops where artists can work with a live model for 3 hours really cheaply, an important factor in creating great art.

Don McPartland, Secession man, Weather Report & Free Range, mixed media @ Plastic Club New Members 2011 Art Exhibition.

Bill Myers, Dead Squirrel on My Bed, photograph & Robert Heiler, Winter’s Evening, watercolor @ Plastic Club New Members 2011 Art Exhibition.  Bill Myers surrealistic photographs will be on view at Da Vinci Art Alliance February 25th - March 26th, 2011.

Photos by DoN.

On a cold Saturday night, DoN walked over to the Fleisher Art Memorial Gallery on Christian Street for the closing party of Rick Wright’s long running exhibition, Late Petroleum Age Vessels; a unique portrait collection of ordinary household plastic containers, bottles and jugs.  The anthropomorphic effect embedded in the rich black and white photographs of plastic bottle faces actually activated the face recognition technology in DoN’s new camera - a Kodak Z981 with 14 megapixels and 26x zoom!

But, Rick dimmed DoN’s camera shine a bit by demo-ing an iPhone app that simulates a variety of SLR cameras from a Brownie to a Leica with a wide selection of “film” and developing effects; no wonder the camera was so cheap, it’s already obsolete!?! - camera’s are not only everywhere, they’re in everything.  The ubiquity of cameras and smart phones has created a nation of photographers, to be noticed in a sea of competition you have to step outside the boat and create an experience for viewers, the same way musicians now depend on creating a live experience since the bottom fell out of traditional music marketing.  Rick Wright’s photographs engage the viewer in a staring contest, some of the faces so alien and strange that an awkward exchange of glances like meeting a foreigner speaking a different language takes place.  Fortunately, Rick is a photography teacher at Fleisher Art Memorial, his grasp of the language of photography, image-making, symbolism, content, composition, light and texture not to mention his depth of knowledge of print making in all manner of media is impressive making his art understandable.  Rick is very approachable and sharing, by helping others, by teaching and lecturing he has set himself apart as a “real” photographer who is also a fine artist.

Rick Wright will be presenting a lecture at Perkins Center for the Arts, 395 Kings Highway, Moorestown NJ, February 27th, 2011, 2 - 4:00PM.  Wright is the sole juror of the Photography 30 annual photography exhibit at the august art space, DoN is honored to be included in this year’s show - the opening reception is January 30th, 2011, 1 - 4:00PM.

Rick Wright, Late Petroleum Age Vessels @ Fleisher Art Memorial

The Photographic Society of Philadelphia holds monthly meetings at The Plastic Club with lectures by expert Philadelphia photographers, last week’s lecture was presented by super-blogger and uber-cool photographer Kyle Cassidy, author of Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes and Who Killed Amanda Palmer, a Collection of Photographic Evidence, his talk a sort of primer on how to get un-stuck in the creative process by involving his audience and using exquisite corpse techniques in exhibitions to involve the community and stimulate interest in his work.  By using social media Cassidy has connected with fans and followers, currently he has an exhibition of photographs traveling the world and cities across the USA, at each stop a new image, selected in a process DoN did not completely comprehend, is added to the collection.  During the Q&A, Kyle was asked how he selects his models and he replied they needed to live in a 3 block radius; Cassidy involves his friends and beautiful wife, Trillian Stars, in impromptu photo shoots, creating characters, narrative and dramatic effects with often really simple cameras and ambient light.  Like Rick Wright, Kyle Cassidy is also glued to his iPhone, tweeting his fans with pics and ideas, keeping his brand in the public eye in a friendly, inclusive, tech-savvy manner, creating a model for the new reality of self-promotion in the art world.  DoN has resisted a smart phone so far, seeing the glowing blue faces walking the streets like zombies is off-putting, but he may soon join the pod people.

The Photographic Society of Philadelphia maintains an on-going exhibit of member photographers at the Bonte’s Cafe’s in Center City.  Even though it’s coffee shop space, the vibe is insider artist with photographers working together to keep photography viable as a sale-able product in a world full of available free images and home schooled photographers.  DoN wanted to show off his new camera to PSoP VP, Morris Klein,  but he was trumped by Klein’s Photoshop app on his freakin’ smart phone - it’s 4G, whatever that means.

Obviously, photography is in a state of flux with new, faster technology putting high-end features in the hands of the masses; digital photography bumped traditional photography and is now being bumped by smart phones and social media.  DoN sees people sharing pictures on their phones with each other, clustered around the tiny glowing screens, oohing and ahhing.  Lady Gaga has introduced a new line of Polaroid cameras incorporating instant pictures, with social media upload capability and a little wireless printer you can send pictures to from your phone so you can print them out and share with friends.  Photography is inherently friendly but can be isolating and frustrating when people misunderstand the meaning of image making.

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists is very supportive of photography as art; a school of photography is growing with each new group of fellows completing their fellowships.  Leagues of photographers like Amie Potsic, Julia Blaukopf, Genevieve Coutroubis, Peter Prusinowski are working in consort, teams and individually, imprinting a new vision of how to create, produce and market photography to a generation of collectors who think photography is easy.

DoN’s photography will be included in a group show of photographers and painters, Bud Boehringer, Yeoun Lee, Bill Myers, Lorna Kent, Lee Muslin, Edna Santiago & Marcy Morris, at the Da Vinci Art Alliance Gallery opening February 25th, reception 5 - 8:00 PM.

Hold your phones up!

Ona Kalstein @ Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance.

Paintings by Jane Liang, photo by John Benigno @ Structure and Gesture a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.

Sandi Nieman Lovitz @ Structure and Gesture, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event. Lovitz won 3rd prize for her painting on plexi with vivid color, bold brushwork and scratching away of paint, the result is very seductive and beautiful, eclipsing the other paintings in the room as far as brightness and movement goes.

Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance - W. Lukens, E. Lukens & S. Myers, the tableau of earth tones contrasts with the brighter color creating a subtle ebb & flow of emotion, narrative and excitement through the gallery.

Bud Boehringer @ Structure and Gesture, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.  Boehringer’s painting was a jury favorite and is now attracting attention as a prime example of contemporary Philadelphia expressionist painting with a cool vibe, accessible abstraction and joyful abandon.

Lilliana Didovic, Sandi Neiman Lovitz, Pat Wilson-Schmid…there are more than 20 Philadelphia artists included in this exuberant show celebrating art making of all kinds.  The Da Vinci Art Alliance continues to offer cohesive, thematic shows which challenge the artist and the viewer to see, think and communicate more.

Carol Wisker, Marilyn, mixed media @ Structure and Gesture a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.  Carol Wisker turns ordinary wire screen mesh into a luxuriously lustrous confection, earning her second prize in the juried competition.

Lois Schlachter @ Structure and Gesture, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event.  Lois is super-charging her art career after a long run as exhibitions co-chair at The Philadelphia Sketch Club with surrealistically changed landscapes reminiscent of Charles Dumuth over-lapping super-flat planes of color, defining spacial concepts.  Check out her web-site for all the events Lois is participating in; even though she won an honorable mention for the above print, DoN found her large painting in the Da Vinci show to be much more enthralling.  Visit this art gallery gem in South Philly, with the collection of outstanding work by a diverse group of artists, to see what DoN means.

Structure and Gesture @ Da Vinci Art Alliance - check out this line-up of paintings, drawing and print by a cluster of influential Philly artists - Lois Schlachter, Roz Bloom and Alden Cole. 

The Structure and Gesture exhibition features the artwork of:

J. Benigno, R. Bloom, S. Bloom, B. Boehringer, A. Cole, L. Didovic, J. Engle, D. Foss, O. Kalstein, C. Kelly, Y. Lee, J. Liang, M. Loippo, W. Lukens, E. Lukens, L. Mills, S. Myers, S. Neiman-Lovitz, L. Schlacheter, A. Strosser, P. Wilson-Schmid, C. Wisker.

Roz Bloom @ Da Vinci Art Alliance, Apocalypse Soon 2012.

Carol Wisker, Through My Window, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event at Smile Gallery, Carol won First Prize; the exhibit went on to be shown at Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts in Millville, NJ and the Perkins Center for the Arts in Collingswood, NJ.

Da Vinci Art Alliance -  Seven, a Da Vinci Art Alliance members exhibit went on tour to the Noyes Museum of Art in Hammonton, NJ.

Seven @ Da Vinci Art Alliance - Year in Review 2010.

Seven  @ Da Vinci Art Alliance.

Seven a Da Vinci Art Alliance event @ Noyes Museum of Art, Hammonton NJ.

The Black Light show @ Smile Gallery, a  Da Vinci Art Alliance event - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010

Rachel Citrino, Picturing the Decameron, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event in collaboration with the International Opera Theater @ Smile Gallery.

Alden Cole @ Bartram’s Garden, What’s the Buzz? a Da Vinci Art Alliance event in collaboration with Bartram’s Garden Art Gallery in the oldest barn in Philadelphia. DoNArTNeWs - Year in Review 2010

DoN Brewer, Shared Passion, @ Bartram’s Garden, What’s the Buzz?  A Da Vinci Art Alliance event - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010

Lilliana Didovic @ Bartram’s Garden, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event, What’s the Buzz? - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010.

Ted Warchal @ Bartram’s Garden, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010.

Through My Window, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event @ Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010

Through My Window, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event @ Perkins Center for the Arts - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010.

Karen McDonnell & Anthony Cortosi @ Da Vinci Art Alliance Tis the Season - Karen & Tony are such good friends and great artists, their collaborative spirit spills over into all areas of the Philly art scene, representing what is possible when people work together.

Tis the Season Da Vinci Art Alliance - DoNArTNeWs Year in Review 2010.

Thank you so much to the Da Vinci Art Alliance for offering innovative, inspirational opportunities to create art, meet fellow artists, and stretch the imagination.  Being a part of the board of directors is an honor, DoN edits the Vitruvian newsletter, the talent and determination of the team is strong.  Thank you to Dr. Debra Miller, President, Lucrezia Minniti, Recording Secretary, Lilliana Didovic, Treasurer, Alden Cole, Sharri Jerue, Ona Kalstein and Ted Warchal, being included in decision-making of such an august and revered alliance is a lifetime achievement.

Happy New Year

LoVe

DoN

Michelle Post @ Lighten Up! An invitational lamp exhibition curated by Michelle Post @ Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, Millville, NJ.

Michelle Post has curated an outstanding exhibition of art lamps with an astonishing array of Philadelphia region artists who each use electric light to enhance their creations and bring them life.  The gallery was dark except for the art lamps, each piece softly illuminating it’s own carefully chosen space, the warm glow of golden shadows around the room is enticing. Michelle Post and Dave Carrow recently exhibited @ Da Vinci Art Alliance, see the photo below, where DoN had the opportunity to meet Michelle and talk about art.

Phil Vinson created each part of this lamp by hand from the carved finial to the metal base, truly a tour de force in craftsmanship, style and design; like a dreamy pod of a luminescent night blooming flower, this lamp is entrancing, drawing gallery goers like moths.  Lighten Up! An invitational lamp exhibition curated by Michelle Post @ Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, Millville, NJ

Charmaine Caire @ Lighten Up! An invitational lamp exhibition curated by Michelle Post @ Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, Millville, NJ.

Dave Carrow creates heavy metal, industrial strength art, building lamps of welded chunks of metal like cyber-punk set pieces for the star-ship Serenity.  Carrow’s lamps are large, substantial, ambitious constructions, creating a transmuted modernist environment all on their own with clever connections and thought provoking problem solving.

Alden Cole is showing a cluster of his signature glowing objects, the lamps are more night-light than reading lamp, each subtly changing color, energizing the shadow patterns flowing across the walls.  With his lamps groups together, DoN noticed gallery goers having difficulty not touching the orbs, curiously drawn to the light.

Sarah Stengle - Genius!

Wayne Russell, Streamliner, lamp @ Lighten Up! An invitational lamp exhibition curated by Michelle Post @ Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, Millville, NJ.

Lighten Up! has so much more that DoN wants to share but if I were you, I’d take a drive down to Millville and check out the art center, the RRCA is a model of a multi-purpose art space.

“Lighten Up!” curated by artist, Michelle Post, exhibits uniquely constructed lamps sure to “lighten up” your night.  Michelle gave the eleven artists included one stipulation- their lamps must plug into an outlet and actually light up.  Beyond that, artists:  Harry Anderson, Charmaine Caire, Dave Carrow, Alden Cole, Pam Lethbridge, Ted Simon, Michelle Post, Wayne Russell, Eric Schultz, Sarah Stengle, Carole Sivin and Sally Willobee were left to create their illuminated treasures.  The exhibition offers stellar examples of the creativity artists have when looking at ordinary objects many of us take for granted.  Michelle explains, “Rising to the challenge of bursting through and penetrating darkness come artists whose wit and imagination show us not to take life too seriously.   With laughter comes healing, and with illumination comes peace.”

Michelle Post & Dave Carrow @ Da Vinci Art Alliance, Autumn 2010.

Photos by DoN.

Carla Lombardi, Gavaciolli, high fire stoneware, Shinoglaze, @ Decameron, Da Vinci Art Alliance @ Smile Gallery on 22nd Street.  Decameron is presented in conjunction with the world premier of Karen Saillant’s new opera of the same name presented by the International Opera Theater and inspired by Il Decamerone by Giovanni Boccaccio.  The stories of the ten people who escaped the Black Plague to a country estate is operatic in scope with so much source material from the tens of tens of stories told while the world collapsed around them that the tales of love, lust, morality and sin still ring true and wise in the modern age.  The artists reached deep to connect the dots of our common deep past with our futuristic present through drawing, painting, sculpture, collage and photography.

Ona Kalstein, Lisbetta Weeps, 4th day, 5th tale,  ink & colored pencil on vellum.

Rosalind Bloom, Danse Macabre - The Black Death, watercolor, acrylic, collage.

Ted Warchal, Tale 5 - 2, Gastanza Sails to Tunis, assemblage,  Decameron, Da Vinci Art Alliance @ Smile Gallery.

Ted Warchal @ Decameron, Da Vinci Art Alliance @ Smile Gallery.  Tale 6-1o - The Relic of Archangel Gabriel reminds us of a time when zealots professed to own bits of Saints which could be viewed at a price, Warchal’s magical assemblage holds a golden feather and a bone.

Rachel Citrino @ Decameron, Da Vinci Art Alliance @ Smile Gallery.  Citrino created a 100 block grid of images relating to Italy and the hundred tales of the Decameron, printed on canvas, the digital collage pops with hits of color amidst the stark black and white memories of a distant world.

Rosalind Bloom, The Embrace..., oil & mixed media collage and DoN Brewer, Heliotrope, digital photograph, digital print.  Roz’s painting refers to the boils caused by the Black Plague called Caviciolli like some pasta, but when you got a boil you’re dead in 3 days. DoN’s Heliotrope does not refer to the color but the magic stone offering the power of invisibility.

Alden Cole’s painting depicts the rise of humanism and the lesson of living in the moment filled with love.

Sadly, this is the last Da Vinci Art Alliance show at Smile Gallery, Ken Tutjamnong’s restaurant has become so popular that he needs the room for diners he has been turning away and he can show his own outstanding artwork as he does in the dining room at street level.  Admittedly the art drew people to the restaurant and the gallery offered DVAA space outside the club’s gallery to do theme show’s like Decameron.

Photos by DoN.

Rachel Citrino - Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2010.  DoN called Karen McDonnell, the Queen of Hip-Hop Graffiti, to ask where she recommended to start on the last day of the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, 2010, West of Broad and she immediately replied, “Rachel Citrino!”  lola & DoN drove out Girard Ave,. past Frankfort Ave. to the east end where Rachel has a studio in a beautiful old Philadelphia row-house.  The long, narrow interior is filled with Rachel’s mono-prints, paintings, photographs and prints, her brazen color and appealing compositions look great on her pumpkin colored walls; chatting at Rachel’s kitchen island about her process and projects is a memorable highlight from an art saturated weekend.

Rachel Citrino’s studio in Fishtown, a short walk from Girard Ave., is filled with bright color wall-to-wall.

Piety Choi @ Highwire Gallery

Kensington was our next art stop, a short drive up Frankord Ave, to a cool cluster of galleries and studios on a warm afternoon.  Highwire Gallery is showing a group show called Exploring Invisible Piety Choi, Maria DiMauro, & Karen Steenwhich,  a totally entrancing collection of enigmatic paintings, Choi’s recognizable style is so calm and thoughtful, her multiples are dreamy, the symbolism drawing DoN into her creative world with ease.

Piety Choi, Encountering Beauty @ Highwire Gallery in Kensington.

David Stanley Aponte @ BYOPrint.

According to co-founder Lauren Fischer, Aponte is a master print-making guru with a wealth of knowledge to contribute to this unique operation - a community print-making shop you can rent by the hour or the day, be a full-time member or just hang out when you’re in the mood.  The BYOPrint team will help you realize your dream of an intaglio, woodcut, silkscreen, monotype, collograph and more; Lauren told DoN, “We’re about making prints happen.”  The space in a loft overlooking a motorcycle repair shop is cool bonus.

Lauren Fischer’s workspace @ BYOPrints in Kensington.

BYOPrints, the DIY all-purpose print shop in Kensington participated in this year’s Philadelphia Open Studio Tour.

Extra Extra bookshop & gallery showcased A Diamond is Forever - Alexandr Skarlinski, Daniel G Baird, Dave Murray, Jordan Tate & Michelle Ceja - above in the corner is 85% of All the Art I Made Turned into A Diamond by Dave Murray, a glamorously spare presentation of an en-cased diamond with a story. “Extra Extra is an artist-run space dedicated to the exposure of under-represented artists challenging the limits of the visual and performing arts.”  The multi-media and light art is enthralling, this space is one to re-visit and be rejuvenated.

Abbey Lee Sarver @ Extra Extra bookshop & gallery in Kensington - her website is groovy, too.  Sarver’s mixed media pieces in the loft bookshop is awesomely engrossing, playing mind games with generic archetypes transmuted into futuristic artifacts.  The bookshop sells handmade and special edition books, curator Derek French told lola & DoN that the artist collective, a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization, set up shop in Philly instead of their hometown Baltimore because it’s not as combative here.

Part Time Studios in Kensington featuring recent work by in-house studio artists.  The cluster of art spaces in Kensington allows young artists to work at their art by teaming together and re-imagining the old world work spaces into new millennium intellectual outposts in Philly’s north-east.

Stopping for coffee at Rocket Cat Cafe across from the Warlocks Motorcycle Club made a cool continuum of the art smart vibe we’d been experiencing all day, sitting and watching hipsters pet their beards is a fun past-time, too.

Our final stop of the day was the Studios at 2424 East York, where we met two fine artists that the fine people at POST had arranged to display their art in the halls of the terrific arts building anchored by the uber-cool Skybox Gallery,  Ellen Abraham and Marge Feldman took full advantage of the long hall showing a large collection of paintings; Ellen Abraham’s style is cartoon expressionistic and Marge Feldman’s God’s-eye view paintings are other-worldly yet familiar.  As it turns out Abraham is a fellow member of Da Vinci Art Alliance, DoN encouraged her to enter the upcoming Decameron show.  It’s so great that POST helped artists to find great new spaces to make them part of the famous art crawl, if only there was more time (and energy) to explore all the hidden art treasures to be found throughout all of Philly’s neighborhoods.

Ellen Abraham @ Studios @ 2424 York Street during the annual Philadelphia Open Studio Tour.

Marge Feldman @ Studios @ 2424 York Street during the annual Philadelphia Open Studio Tour.

Thank you so much to the Center for Emerging Visual Artists and Philadelphia Open Studio Tours for creating such a wonderful experience design, the catalog with maps is a keeper, the posters around town were divine especially when DoN spotted an artist he knows in the picture, the advertising and promotion was probably the best ever by a local arts organization with a terrific web resource, inviting all of the city to come out and support their local artists.

Photos by DoN.

Michael Guinn, Chinatown Street, ink @ Philadelphia Images: Places, People and Objects, The Plastic Club on Camac Street.  Mike, a former club president, was presented with the Jurors Award; Guinn was elated saying, “This is the first award I’ve ever received from the club!“  Board members are ineligible for prizes, even though they take on the biggest burden of work - Mike Guinn continues to provide essential support and guidance to the historic art space.  A video is in production attempting to tell the story of the historic art club.

Leroy Fourney, Cherry Street Looking West, oil - 3rd Prize award winner, this small painting pack a lot of information and sense of place on a small panel.  The Philadelphia Images show at the Plastic Club is a must see experience with images of Philly from many unexpected perspectives.

Eileen Eckstein’s photograph, Mummer Witch, not only captures the spirit of the season but the essence of the exhibition with this painterly image - and she won Honorable Mention.  Eileen Eckstein is the president of the Photographic Society of Philadelphia.

Duck Crossing, Morris Klein, photograph, remembers a moment in time that has probably ended forever, the quaint image tells a story which begins with Summer fun and is finished in the viewers mind with unbelievable tragedy.  Morris Klein is the vice president of the Photographic Society of Philadelphia.

Photos by DoN.

Arists ask DoN about art show opportunities frequently, here are some heady themes to get your creative juices flowing:

Off the Wall Gallery @ Dirty Franks - Call for Entries for DEJA VU: ART AND MEMORY, our upcoming Sixth Annual Juried Exhibition:

Off the Wall Gallery @ Dirty Franks - Call for Entries for DEJA VU: ART AND MEMORY, our upcoming Sixth Annual Juried Exhibition

Off the Wall Gallery @ Dirty Franks - Call for Entries for DEJA VU: ART AND MEMORY, our upcoming Sixth Annual Juried Exhibition Prospectus

Da Vinci Art Alliance

Picturing

The Decameron

An awards exhibition of Da Vinci Art Alliance @ Smile Galleryfeaturing art inspired by International Opera Theater’s new  production of Boccaccio’s Decameron

Picturing the Decameron Da Vinci Art Alliance Prospectus

 For artists interested in participating in the November Da Vinci @ Smile show based on our collaboration with International Opera Theater’s production of Boccaccio’s Decameron (prospectus attached), here’s a list of the scenes Karen Saillant will feature (with references to the day, story numbers in the book):

Prologue, Florence, Calandrino
I, 1:  Ciappelletto di Prato - evil notary
IX, 1:  Federigo and his Falcon - poor knight
VIII, 3:  Maso del Saggio and the Enchantment of Calandrino - lapidary
IV, 1:  Ghismunda and the Heart in a Goblet - princess of Salerno
IX, 2:  The Habit of Mother Usimbalda
V, 8:  The Wedding of Nastagio degli Onesti
X, 10:  Griselda and the Marquis of Saluzzo
Postlude, Calandrino

Please note:  you can submit up to 3 entries; depending on the number of entries received, we will do our best to install all works.

Decamero

world premiere

Based on Decamerone by Giovanni Boccaccio

Music: Efrain Amaya, Michael Djupstrom, Daniel Shapiro,

Adam Silverman, Tony Solitro, Thomas Whitman, Ya- Jhu Yang,

Libretto: Karen Saillant

Italian Translation: Tommaso Sabbatini

November 12 and 13 at 8 PM

November 14 at 3 PM

The Prince Music Theater

ACT I Prologue;

Calandrino (who comes out of his giant costume, which consists of large pieces of fabric with scribbling all over them) speaks to the audience about The Plague and implores all of the individuals sitting in front of him to leave the premises immediately because The Plague is killing everyone!! (Gavoccioli-the name of the large boils that appear on the body as a result of The Plague)

Calandrino narrates in English

·         First Day: First Story- Thomas Whitman, composer
The scoundrel Ser Cepperello manages to pass himself off as a virtuous man during his last confession. After his death, he is remembered as Saint Ciappelletto and people pray to him for favors and believe him capable of performing miracles.

Calandrino narrates in English

·         Fifth Day: Ninth Tale
A young gentleman by the name of Federigo falls in love with a beautiful lady named Monna Giovanna. He spends large amounts of money trying to gain her attention but she remains indifferent to his love. Eventually he loses everything and is forced to live in poverty in a little farm with only his beloved pet falcon for company. Meanwhile Monna Giovanna’s husband dies and her son falls very ill. The sick child asks his mother to get him Federigo’s falcon. She goes to visit Federigo to ask for the falcon. As she arrives at Federigo’s house, he is very distressed to see her and not having any food in the house to offer her  and not knowing the cause of her visit, Federigo kills his falcon and makes it into a meal for his beloved lady. After dinner Monna Giovanna reveals the reason for her visit. Federigo is devastated that he cannot help her and she has to leave empty-handed. Monna Giovanna’s son dies. After a period of mourning, Monna Giovanna, who is rich and still young and beautiful, rewards Federigo’s loyalty by marrying him.

Calandrino narrates in English.

·         Eighth Day, Third Story

Calandrino overhears the lapidary, Maso del Saggio, talking to himself about a place where mountains are made of parmesan cheese and vines are hanging with sausages. Calandrino is enchanted with the idea of visiting this place and is especially determined when he learns about the stone called The Heliotrope that it will make him invisible. He shares the story of the heliotrope with his friends Buffalmacco and Bruno and they continue the ruse as they pellet him with stones all the way home from The Mungone River.

Calandrino narrates in English

·         Fourth Day, First TaleTancredi, Prince of Salerno and father of Ghismunda, slays his daughter’s lover, Guiscardo, and sends her the heart of her lover in a golden cup: Chismunda pours upon it a poisonous distillation, which she drinks and dies.

ACT I

Ninth Day, Second Tale
An abbess rises in haste and in the dark, with intent to surprise an accused nun in bed with her lover: thinking to put on her veil, she puts on instead the breeches of a priest that she has with her. The nun, after pointing out her abbess’s head covering, is acquitted by the abbess. The abbess extols the virtues of love and thenceforth allows all members of the order to find it easier to meet with those interactions which bring them to greater love.

Calandrino narrates in English

Fifth Day: Eighth Story
Wealthy Nastagio degli Onest is in love with a lady of noble lineage who despises him. Discouraged, Nastagio leaves town and, in the wilderness, witnesses the frightening scene of a young woman who is chased down by a knight and murdered by having her back slit open and all of her organs pulled out of her and throw to wild dogs. The knight explains to Nastagio that they are both souls in torment, doomed to repeat the scene for years. The deed is part of his punishment for his having committed suicide in despair at being rejected by the lady. The lady in turn is punished for her pride and cruelty in rejecting the love of the knight. Nastagio has the idea of making arrangements to have his beloved witness the scene. Once she sees the naked woman murdered for her cruel and cold heart, she changes her mind about Nastagio and agrees to be his wife.

Calandrino narrates in English

·         Tenth Day: Tenth Story
The nobleman Gualtieri marries Griselda, a peasant woman. At first he treats her well but then decides to test her obedience. He speaks to her abusively and takes away their two infant children, suggesting to her that they are to be killed (in reality, they are taken to Bologna and raised by friends). Griselda bears this with patience. Her husband then expresses his wish to divorce Griselda and sends her back to her father’s peasant house. Pretending to be making arrangements for his new wedding, Gualtieri calls back Griselda and orders her to take care of all the preparations, including the welcoming of the new bride and her brother. Putting up with it all, Griselda obeys and graciously receives the beautiful young woman. Gualtieri then reveals the truth and announces that the supposed bride and her brother are really their own children, now nineteen and twenty years old. Griselda is congratulated on her heroic patience and obedience and welcomed back as the lady of the home.

Prologue: Calandrino returns to book, admonishing everyone to be attentive and leave town as quickly as possible.

Main Issues of Decameron Opera:

• Main colors will be red, black and white (but Artist should not limit themselves to these colors if they do not want to.
• literal and symbolic meaning of The Plague
• The Plague as symbol for the healing that can take place after a great tragedy
• Condition and direction of society in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance and as it speaks to us today
• SYMBOLS:
• Apple, its seeds, especially the center of the apple, known as the pentacle
• Blood Stone: Heliotrope, known as the bloodstone.
• Land of Bengodi (similar to idyllic land of Cockaigne )
• Stories as “mirrors” of vices and virtues
  
• literature as medicine for healing society
• costumes modern, with taste of Middle Ages
• emergence of playful, light-hearted, human, and humane view of life after a great traged-
• critique of human vices marked by understanding and humor rather than heavy moralizing.
• hypocrisy of religious and moral authorities; superstitions and the gullibility of people.
• Beauty, pleasure, love, laughter and play as privileged values
• carpe diem ethos of work
• mixing of people from different social levels and classes;
  
• more egalitarian society where merit is based on actions and character,rather than birth or inherited wealth

Both of these long running art spaces have track records for attendance, participation and recognition in Philadelphia - support your local art galleries by entering the shows, visiting the galleries and volunteering to help produce these events.  Thanks to Dr. Deb Miller of DVAA and Jody Sweitzer @ Dirty Franks for their efforts!

Center for Emerging Visual Artists

 Artist, Career Development Program Fellowship

Organization: The Center for Emerging Visual Artists

Job Categories:Curatorial, Education, Marketing & Public Relations, Philadelphia County (PA), Artist Development & Residencies, Foundations/Fellowships, Visual Arts

Free two-year fellowship in the Career Development Program at The Center for Emerging Visual Artists. The Center for Emerging Visual Artists strives to provide the essential support services and programs emerging artists need to build sustainable careers. Our Career Development Program Fellowship offers a select group of talented artists the following: a two-year fellowship period and lifelong alumni affiliation, group exhibitions around the region and beyond, a three person show in the second year of the fellowship, professional development workshops, mentorship, community, volunteer opportunities, individual career counseling, and alumni solo exhibitions and travel grants.

To Apply:Eligibility requirements include the following: Applicants cannot be full-time students. Applicants must live within 100 miles of CFEVA (all of New York City and boroughs included). Applicants cannot have a contractual agreement with a commercial gallery or gallery representation. For the online application and further eligibility requirements, go to http://www.cfeva.org/cfeva_programs_career.aspx  For more information, contact Amie Potsic, Director of the Career Development Program at The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, 1521 Locust Street, Lower Level, Philadelphia, PA 19102, 215-546-7775 x 12, amie@cfeva.org, www.cfeva.org.

Deadline: 11/01/2010

Good Luck!

LoVe

DoN