Post by Chip Schwartz and Alyssa Greenberg

News

Bombs Away!

Art in City Hall FiberPhiladelphia 2012 — Art in City Hall + FiberPhiladelphia 2012

Art in City Hall got yarnbombed — officially — as part of FiberPhiladelphia2012. Philadelphia Yarnbombing 101, Jessie Hemmons’ and team’s piece of the action is in the 1st floor gallery in City Hall. Meta-Fiber, a juried exhibition, is in the glass cases on first and second floors of the building. Yarnbombing brings to the white-walled gallery space the global street art phenomenon of “cosying” public fixtures with colorful knitted yarn.

haveaseatweb — Detail from Yarnbombing 101 at City Hall Gallery

Meta-Fiber was juried by PAA’s Sarah Archer. And speaking of the Art Alliance, yarnbomber Hemmons will speak at the PAA on April 5 at 7 PM about how knitting became her medium of choice. Admission is free, but you should register here.

Finding the Lost da Vinci
This Sunday, March 18 at 9 PM, the National Geographic Channel premieres a new special which documents the search for a Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece missing for nearly 500 years. Maurizio Seracini has spent over three decades tracking down the missing mural and seems to be close to rediscovering it behind the walls of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

And The Winner Is…
“And The Winner Is…” at Haverford explores ideas of community, cooperation and winning. The context, we think, is the March Madness NCAA contests, with winners and losers, and perhaps, maybe, not a lot of cooperation, but a lot of community. There are a number of artist lectures on the schedule as well as a massive skee-ball tournament, so it sounds as intriguing as it does fun and competitive! Participating speakers include Hank Willis Thomas on March 19, Sal Randolph on April 2, and Shaun El. C. Leonardo on April 9. You can find the full schedule here.

UArts alum on Spike TV

Shane O’Neill, UArts illustration alumnus, is the winner of Spike TV’s show “Ink Master” which pitted him against nine other talented tattoo artists. O’Neill, who operates the local Infamous Tattoo Co., wins $100,000 and a feature in Inked magazine. Congratulations, Shane!

NYFA launches Artspire.org
In order to help artists with the business aspects of their trade at critical points in their careers, the New York Foundation for the Arts has developed Artspire.org which is a community website that allows artists anywhere in the country to support their work with tax-deductible contributions (it’s like Kickstarter, only donations are tax deductible!). For additional information geared toward entrepreneurial artists, NYFA and Artspire have created “The Profitable Artist“, a handbook for planning and marketing strategies.

FPAA events
For the beginning of spring weather, the Fairmount Park Art Association has a number of upcoming events planned in order to celebrate Philly’s amazing public art. There will be a tango dance party to celebrate the annual turning on of Swann Memorial Fountain in Logan Circle on April 5 at 5:30 PM. For two Saturdays – April 21 and 28 – there will be a series of giant balloons along the Ben Franklin Parkway marking the locations of 12 public sculptures. The event invites people to explore the Parkway’s cultural treasures, and there will be Public Art Ambassadors out to answer any questions you may have. Check the FPAA website for all of the events!

Opportunities

The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority issued an open call for a permanent public artwork at Dranoff Properties’ new development at Broad & South Streets (via Wooloo.org). The deadline for entries is March 30.

Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank’s has a call for work in their upcoming summer exhibit. Last year their two juried shows generated 42 sales, so it’s a great venue to sell some art. It’s free to enter, and the deadline is May 10. This image details the entry guidelines, and if you have any questions, e-mail offthewallgallery@gmail.com for more info.

Attention craft fair enthusiasts! There are a few upcoming events that may be of interest: the GO WEST! Craft Fest has a new venue at The Woodlands Cemetery, where Baltimore, Chester and Woodland Avenues meet. The event, not too close to the graves we’re told, will be on April 14 from 11 AM – 5 PM. Trenton Avenue Arts Festival is coming up May 19, and spaces are going fast! If you’d like to be a vendor, visit the site and register your stand today. Last but not least, Art for the Cash Poor is June 9 and 10. Apply at the inLiquid site. All work must be priced below $199. The deadline is April 16.

Artist News

Antonio Puri’s work will be shown in “Centered,” a solo exhibition at Gallery Art and Soul in Mumbai, opening April 10.

Our Paris correspondent Max Mulhern’s latest project, “Aqua Dice” is a kinetic sculpture that will be launched in the Atlantic Ocean at the end of the year; bets can be placed on its movements and positions, and the winners will win an Aqua Dice print from the artist.

Space 1026 member Bonnie Scott was at the NY art fairs last weekend with a site specific installation at Fountain Art Fair. The installation featured five brand new paintings.

Trevor Amery and Kathryn Zazenski present “Kyllä Kyllä,” the first of a series of scheduled exhibitions on view at STUDIO 371 in Jersey City. March 9 – April 6, 2012.

We told you last week about Jaime Treadwell‘s solo show in Miami. This week we heard from Treadwell that the show, at Zadok Gallery, was mentioned in the New Miami Times.

Huston Ripley is included in the big show at Adam Baumgold Gallery in “Fiction/Nonfiction,” opening March 16. He’s in good company, with R. Crumb and his wife Aline and a lot of other big names. We think the gallery had a similar show last Spring, and we surmise that it’s a winning lineup!

University of the Arts MFA program head Joe Girandola and a pair of students from the program, Corrina Celeste Mehiel and Lujin Yoon, are featured in Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre (DUCTAC)’s alternative art platform, MinD (Made in Dubai); this year’s exhibition, titled MinD – Dubai Contemporary, runs from 14 March – 14 April, 2012.