News

Libby Rosof Retirement Party from chuck patch on Vimeo.

In celebration of Libby’s retirement, we’d love to share this video made by friend of The Artblog, Chuck Patch at Libby’s retirement party last weekend. The event was a lovely outpouring of love and support for Libby and for TheArtblog, and Libby made a great speech. The video stars, in this order, Roberta, TheArtblog Board member, Katie Adams, and Libby.

This is essential for anyone with a concern for Philadelphia’s artist retention, and all the issues that go along with it. If You Go: A Panel Discussion on Artist Retention in Philadelphia is happening tonight, Tuesday, December 9, 7-9 pm at at Art/Assembly – 3245 Amber Street, 4th Floor. Hosted by Meredith Sellers and Jonathan Santoro, it’s free, and topics include “the Philadelphia creative culture industry and the art economy; DIY networks, collective galleries, and criticality; shadow-play with New York and metropolitan insecurities; gentrification and the transitory nature of living in a city in the midst of growing pains; and ways can we work to change or improve upon these structures to convince artists to invest in Philadelphia. PANELISTS: Gwen Kurtz (Tyler BFA, former Philadelphia, current NYC resident), Josh Weibley (Cooper Union BFA, former Philadelphia, current NYC resident), Sebastien Derenoncourt (SAIC BFA, former NYC, current Philadelphia homeowner, Co-director of Art/Assembly), Kelsey Halliday Johnson (UPenn MFA, current Philadelphia resident, Asst. Curator of Locks Gallery). Do. Not. Miss.

Ben Miller, Christina Martinez, and Isaiah Zagar.

As many know, Isaiah Zagar is finally unveiling the Watkins Street studio where he’s been working for eight years. This deserves a jubilant coming-out, and so Isaiah’s neighbors Benjamin Miller and Cristina Martinez are preparing some amazing Mexican barbacoa for the opening on December 15, accompanied by a jazz band. Besides Miller and Martinez, courses are coming from Taqueria Feliz’s Lucio Palazzo and Vetri’s Justino Jimenez. Tickets, fortunately, are still available! Seatings are e at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and it is $95 a head. For fun, here is a youtube video Ben and Cristina shot with Isaiah.

We are mad that we missed the accompanying party, but it’s worth mentioning that Taller Puertorriqueno turned 40 this year! Until January 10, they’re celebrating the anniversary with “Images of Identity,” a retrospective exhibit going back to 1974.

Opportunities

The University of the Arts seeks an Assistant/Associate Professor to lead the new Master of Design in Product Design program in the College of Art, Media & Design. Students and faculty work closely with both the Design for Social Impact MDes program and the undergraduate Industrial Design program. This is a full-time faculty multi-year, non-tenure track, contract appointment with administrative responsibilities, with teaching in both the graduate program as well as in the undergraduate BS Industrial Design program. The successful candidate is a working Industrial Designer, experienced teacher and administrator and able to teach a wide range of Product-related subjects from beginning to advanced levels. Applicants should submit:

A letter of application detailing their qualifications and administrative experience
An up-to-date CV
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
A Vision Statement of Product Design in the 21st century
Sample Syllabi
A digital portfolio (MAC-readable) of 20 examples of recent work and 20 examples of work by students
Contact information for three professional references

Send to: Program Director Search, MDes Product Design, The University of the Arts, College of Art, Media & Design, Office of the Dean, 320 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102; or via email to: Jessica Kahle at jkahle@uarts.edu. Please put the job title in the subject line. Screening begins January 20, 2015.

It’s now time for proposals for the 2nd-ever Open Call Guerilla Outdoor Performance Festival, ocgopf.tumblr.com helmed by Beth Heinly. This year’s is not for the faint of heart: the two Saturdays of St. Patrick’s in March 2015, the 7th & the 14th, aka the Erin Express. As we all know and fear, St. Patrick’s means a flood of blackout-drunk pub crawlers laying siege to Center City. The overarching theme is antagonist/protagonist. OCGOPF’s mantra this round: “Spring Break. Spring Break FOREVER.” The performances take place underground in the Center City Underground Concourse (map attached). Performances don’t necessarily have to interact with pub crawlers in the concourse, but Beth advises visiting the concourse beforehand to get the lay of the land and find the designated performance areas; bear in mind that some parts are scary to walk by yourself, so bring mace and be aware of your surroundings.

Here are the rules (via Beth):

You can perform at any time of day.
Your proposal should include your performance, the date, time, and place of your performance.
You can do as many performances as you like ! I’m going for 5 this time.
No installation art. Carry in carry out.

This is a rain or shine event. Proposals are due Monday, February 16 (Washington’s Birthday) via email to bethheinly@gmail.com. The meet-up location is TBD, but set for Sunday, February 22 at 3PM.

Artist News

Sarah Gamble, Dying, 2014 oil on panel, 12h x 12w in. Photo courtesy of Edward Thorp Gallery.

Sarah Gamble has a upcoming show at Edward Thorp Gallery, showing new paintings and works on paper, alongside Mark Delong. The opening is this Thursday, December 11 at .

If you haven’t already, put Fleisher/Ollman on your list for The Armory Show – Modern at Pier 92, coming up in March 2015 (Thursday, March 5 – Sunday, March 8, 12 pm to 7 pm).