News

The Dumpster Divers, a sprawling collective of about forty people who have been creating with found objects for over twenty years,  are at it again!  Their next show, Lost and Found, opens at West Chester University on Thursday October 30 from 4-7 PM; they’ve got the use of the school’s New Gallery, which we hear is lovely. The show runs until December 12. The above photo, taken at the Divers’ annual Awards Banquet, is also on the event postcard, which you may see making the rounds.

Major coup for our friends at PPAC: Hahnemühle Certified Studios, experts in digital fine art prints, checked out the experience in preparation, presentation, storage and conservation of prints at Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, and duly gave them a Hahnemühle Certified Studio stamp, a prestigious honor that raises their profile in the world of printing.

Two huge developments for Freeman’s Auction stand to bring in an additional 149 million active consumers to their base. Taking a proactive step in the globalizing art and antiques market, Freeman’s just launched two online initiatives to reach collectors – Freemansauction.com, which now boasts responsive, enhanced features; and their new status as a premier house for eBay’s live auctions.

In a unique celebration for the newest addition to the center, the Robert and Penny Fox Tower, The Wistar Institute’s Art + Science Open House is bringing together creative talents from both disciplines.  With the help of Wistar scientists, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists and conceptual artists Joel Erland and Kate Kaman, the reception on Wednesday, November 5 is from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. There’s a meet-and-greet with Erland and Kaman, the creators of the Institute’s “Caspar” kinetic sculpture; other highlights include a feature on how microscopy (photography through microscopes) is used by Wistar’s researchers to study cancer growth and cell invasion, a historic display of Wistar artifacts, and more. It’s free, but please register beforehand!

Opportunities

 Moore College of Art & Design is holding its very first Print Exchange, with a November 1 deadline. Un-juried, open-themed and open to all forms of printmaking made by current art students at any Philly school, entrants receive a collection of randomly selected prints made by other participants. All prints must come in an edition size of 10 prints; the paper size must be exactly 8 x 10 inches. Please sign and number your prints. Any original work in printed medium is accepted, but purely digital prints will not be accepted. However, incorporating digital elements in your hand-pulled work is welcome. Print may incorporate a border or a bleed. All 10 prints, with glassine sheet inserts between each print, should be dropped off at Moore College of Art & Design on Thursday, November 13 between 12 – 7PM. When it comes time for the exhibition, the first print in each edition is displayed on the 5th and 6th floors of the Sarah Peter building at Moore during Open Studio Night (Thursday, November 20). Pick up dates are the night of the event between 6-9 PM. All students interested in participating should email Sabrina Salgado at ssalgado@moore.edu by November 1. 

Last call for hopeful new members of Little Berlin: they’ve spent this month recruiting members, and this year’s deadline if you’re thinking about it is October 31. Currently run by nine people, new folks help organize the space, curate, host events, and more. Little Berlin is experimental, geared towards individualism, and super-active, holding about 2-3 events a week, each member spending (on average) about 20 hours a month on LB, as well as contributing toward paying rent.

Artist News

2 from Fleisher/Ollman – 1. Fleisher/Ollman is gearing up to exhibit at the Outsider Art Fair – Paris 2014 from October 23 – 26 (opening: Thursday: 5pm-9pm). The 6th Floor, Room #602 of Hotel Le A holds a trove of works by James Castle, Felipe Jesus Consalvos, Johann Garber, Elijah Pierce and more. 2. In the same time frame, Alex Baker is presenting his paper “Outsiderism Meets Dark Matter” at the Contemporary Outsider Art: The Global Context, from October 23-26 in Melbourne, Australia.

Gregory Labold, who some may remember as the only guy at the 2009 Victory for Tyler Show dressed as a mime wielding a bucket full of screen-printed spores, has a new body of work that continues his run as the premier purveyor of said screen-printed spores. He currently has a show up at the Last Drop Coffee Shop on 13th and Pine, curated by Annie Daley, that’s moving to the Crane Arts Building in November. As you may see, the circular shape repeat printed around the room has its origins in a photo Greg took of a mysterious mushroom in 2006. This gave rise to the “Spore Chore,” a process of screen-printing each individual spore, cutting them out by hand, storing them in bags and cataloging them in a book, has evolved to encourage viewers to take a spore, get inspired by it, and make their own mark.  There’s only one way to describe it (forgive us): this is the work of a real “fun guy.”