News
Above: the magic that happens when Photoshop wizardry and Philadelphia’s most iconic statue find one another. For their New Year’s greeting, the PMA’s Department of Indian and Himalayan Art created this gem, featuring Rocky in his typical composure, but joined by a surprising companion: the Hindu deity Krishna, who in this iteration is “Krishna Dances and Holds Aloft Two Stolen Balls of Butter,” The copper alloy sculpture was made in Orissa, India in the 17th century, 1994-148-262. This comes to us from the Stella Kramrisch Collection at the Department of Indian and Himalayan Art.
2 in preservation news – 1. Created by Philadelphia’s own Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts, Pennsylvania’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts is now accepting nominations. This initiative is aimed at raising money for organizations to save Pennsylvania’s most important historic artifacts – including paintings, drawings, photos, rare books and manuscripts – using a new micro-fundraising platform and social media campaign. You can make nominations on their site. 2. Hidden City Philadelphia and the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia are presenting a free two-hour workshop on the historic designation process on January 16. Led by Preservation Alliance advocacy director and Hidden City contributor Ben Leech, this session covers what’s required to get a building considered for the Register. The West Philadelphia Title & Trust building at 40th and Lancaster Sts, built in 1897, is the case study of choice, and anyone who would like to continue to work on the project after the workshop is over is welcome to do so. Click here to register. The session is to be held at Culture Works, 1315 Walnut Street, 3rd floor from 6-8:00 pm.
The NextFab community, although only three years old, is ushering in its new space with a grand opening on January 17. Held from 6-9 PM at the 2025 Washington Avenue digs, general admission tickets are $15 a person. The event includes facility tours, New Capability Demonstrations: water jet cutting, CNC milling and turning, high-definition 3D printing, and membership special offers. Register here.
Attention to those registered for the Leeway Foundation’s Understanding Taxes for Artists Workshops. The workshops have been rescheduled for Wednesday, January 23. If you have already registered, you still have a spot in the workshop, but do inform the staff if you are no longer able to attend.
This week, a new piece of public art was unveiled when Mayor Nutter and City officials attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new station serving Engine Company 38 in the Tacony section of Philadelphia.The new 12,200 square foot, $6.7 millon facility has, among other amenities a public art project entitled “Taokonick” by artist Suikang Zhao. The station is also on schedule to become Philadelphia’s first LEED certified fire station, and wins further progressive points for the construction project’s achievement of a 27 percent minority, women, and disabled-owned business participation. Very cool indeed.
Fishtowners, you’re safe from overexposure for another year: ArtPlace dubbed Old City, the vibrant mainstay of First Friday and Philly’s theater scene, as one of America’s top twelve ArtPlaces for 2013. This week, cultural and arts leaders gathered at the Arden Theater to celebrate the mention, with Gary Steuer accepting a certificate from Carol Coletta of ArtPlace, and Story Bellows, Co-Director of the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, spoke on the value of neighborhoods such as Old City to the image and future of Philadelphia.. The full list of the Top Twelve ArtPlaces for 2013 can be seen at their site.
Opportunities
The application form for the Art of the State annual exhibit for 2013 (June 22-September 8) is now online. I think you can email janet.reed@jumpstreet.org. You’ll need to print it out, though: their online application is still undergoing work, but JumpStreet hopes to have it up by next year.
The May 2013 issue of Ceramics Monthly has put out a call for US and international clay artists who have been actively pursuing a career in ceramics for less than ten years. To be considered, please submit the following materials: up to five high-resolution digital images (300 ppi) on a CD; a full-size color print of each image (image printed at it¹s actual size, as photographed); complete caption information for each image (including title of work, dimension, materials, firing information, and year completed); and full contact information (including email address, mailing address, phone number, artist’s statement, and resume). Mail to: Emerging Artists, Ceramics Monthly, 600 N. Cleveland Ave., Ste. 210, Westerville, OH 43082. The arrival deadline is February 18, 2013.
Artist News
After two months in Italy working on his book project, Blaise Tobia is preparing for a four-person peer-juried show at Amos Eno Gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn. He’s showing a series of three large prints from his catastrophes series (produced with the support of a Drexel University faculty mini grant).The reception is on Saturday, January 12, 5-8 PM; Tobia is going to be at the gallery on the show’s last day, Saturday, February 2, from 3-6 PM.
Max Mulhern’s Aqua Dice, a project we’ve gushed over more times than we can count, has landed a mention in the New York Times. Congratulations, Max! We are thrilled to see this win such acclaim.
Locks Gallery artist Ena Swansea is having her first solo show in Asia, at 313 Art Project in Seoul. The Delight of Painting features fifteen of Swansea’s most recent paintings; it opens 10 January 10 and runs until February 20, with an opening January 10 from 5-7 PM.
Next week (specifically Thursday January 17) is a good time to be a Philly abstract artist in NYC: in addition to Douglas Witmer’s show at Blank Space, shows featuring Kevin Finklea and Steven Baris are opening. Finklea is in a New Year group show in Chelsea at Margaret Thatcher Projects, while Baris is in a group show called “On The Edge” in Tribeca at Cheryl Hazan.
