NEWS

Sad news of the passing of long-time artist and patron of the arts, Constance G. Yaros, 90.

Philadelphia Museum News #1 – The PMA has introduced their first-ever Artist Membership. Between Feb. 24-28, artists can become members for $25. The application process includes documentation of artist status but the bar is set reasonably — Artists must show “documentation (via smartphone or printed piece) of how they share their work with the public. A website, Instagram or Facebook account, Etsy page, or a postcard of a past or upcoming exhibition will work just fine.” More information below or at the PMA website.  We must mention in fairness that ICA is free admission.  But way to go, PMA!

Our First-Ever Artist Membership
Kicks Off February 24–28
Artist members receive unlimited free general admission, a free ticket to each special exhibition, invitations to members-only programs, exclusive offers, and much more, including regular e-communication.

Join us for the launch and SAVE
Regularly $40, you can join as an Artist member for just $25 when we launch this membership, February 24–28.*

How it works
An Artist membership will be available to anyone who works in a medium that’s represented in the Museum’s collection, including painting, sculpture, drawing, prints, photography, film, video, craft, and digital media.

Show us—it’s the final step

Applicants are required to present documentation (via smartphone or printed piece) of how they share their work with the public. A website, Instagram or Facebook account, Etsy page, or a postcard of a past or upcoming exhibition will work just fine.

Artist Member Lounge
February 27, 12:00–5:00 p.m.
Relax with fellow Artist members while sipping complimentary coffee and tea. We’ll take a group photo at1:00 p.m. to celebrate our new membership category, so dress in your arty best.

The Inside Scoop
A Roadmap to Global Pop
February 27, 2:00 p.m.
Take a break from the lounge to hear about International Pop from two of the exhibition’s curators. They’ll share a behind-the-scenes view into the making of the exhibition. Free tickets required.

*Can’t make it to the launch?
Visit philamuseum.org/membership or call 215-235-7840 and join for $40, starting February 29.

Prior to purchasing an Artist membership online or by phone, please e-mail memberservices@philamuseum.orgto provide necessary documentation. Artist memberships will not be processed until proof is received.

The documentary, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, which I reviewed recently, has been released digitally on iTunes. It’s great, so if you missed it in the theaters, catch it now, $14.99 at iTunes. Here is more information:

A colorful character who was not only ahead of her time but helped to define it, Peggy Guggenheim was an heiress to her family fortune who became a central figure in the modern art movement. As she moved through the cultural upheaval of the 20th century, she collected not only art, but artists. Her colorful personal history included such figures as Samuel Beckett, Max Ernest, Jackson Pollock, Alexander Calder, Marcel Duchamp as well as countless others. While fighting through personal tragedy, she maintained her vision to build on of the most important collections of modern art, now enshrined in her Venetian palazzo.

Philadelphia Museum News #2 (which is actually Facebook News as well)…Via Diane Pieri via Hyperallergic via The Independent.

Facebook censored Evelyne Axell’s 1964 painting “Ice Cream” for “containing excessive amounts of skin or suggestive content” after the Philadelphia Museum of Art used it to promote the forthcoming exhibition International Pop on the social network. (Ed. note: The Facebook censorship happened Feb. 5 and as of today, Feb 16, the image is back on Facebook.)

What’s the answer to the question “Where should I go to see great art in the US” — Philadelphia, of course! I am quoted in Globe+Mail’s piece by travel writer John Lee. Thanks, John!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/destinations/what-us-cities-should-i-visit-to-check-out-great-art-scenes/article28717133/

Yale Art School gets new Dean as Robert Storr steps down.

Artblog Advisors meet at African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP), surrounded by fantastic art by artists from the Afro-Caribbean in their current show, Drapetomania, up until the end of March–go see it! We had a great turnout and wonderful discussion about the future of Artblog!

New CEO at CFEVA – Lisa Brown

The Board of Directors of The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) is very pleased to announce that Lisa Brown will become our next President & CEO beginning February 29, 2016.

Lisa will be joining CFEVA from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where she has served as Director of Leadership Annual Giving since 2011. In that role, Lisa was responsible for raising unrestricted operating support through the Museum’s Leadership Annual Giving Programs—the Associates and Chairman’s Council. Equally important, she has overseen the strategies for donor acquisition, retention and upgrades; a robust calendar of events and travel opportunities; donor-centric stewardship for 670 households; and a volunteer Advisory Committee comprised of 35 active donors.

Before joining the PMA, Lisa was the Development Director at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia and the Manager of Corporate Sponsorship at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. She has both a Bachelors of Fine Art and a Masters of Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

We feel confident that with Lisa’s strong skill set, experience and unbounded enthusiasm, she will broaden and deepen CFEVA’s programming and make being a CFEVA donor a very special experience.

The Board of CFEVA wishes to thank its outgoing President and CEO, Lori Dillard Rech, who concluded her leadership service on February 4. Please join us in commending Lori for the work she did maintaining the fiscal health of the organization during the Great Recession, and for her steadfast commitment to furthering CFEVA’s mission during her four-year tenure.

Former President and CEO and current Board Chair Maida R. Milone, is serving in the role in an interim capacity, ensuring an especially smooth and positive transition.

OPPORTUNITIES

Woodmere Open Call for Annual Juried Exhibition. Juror-Odili Donald Odita. More information here.

Via Gee Wesley…Symbiosis is looking for submissions for its 2016 art and writing publication. Symbiosis is a Kelly Writers House/UPenn Department of Fine Arts student-run community with a publication of visual art and writing collaborations is looking for material for their 2016 publication. Says Gina DeCagna, Founding Editor, “We take professional, non-student work too, now, for the first time!”

For our 2016 annual publication, we are newly seeking both independently produced and/or collaborative pieces in which image and text are codependent, inseparable, or perhaps even indistinguishable. We publish an assortment of visual art and writing collaborations across a great variety of media and genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, experimental, and more), and we’re interested in the interactions people have in the process of collaborating.

For the first time, we’re also seeking submissions in web-based media (animated gifs, short films, interactive web pages, etc.) for our new online-exclusive publication component! We value innovation and experimentation across all media.

The deadline for the print edition is March 2, 2016 and the deadline for the online edition is March 25, 2016. We are accepting submissions here via Submittable.

We would greatly appreciate if you could share this email with your colleagues and encourage them to either submit their work independently or collaboratively. If you have any colleagues you might be able to recommend directly to us, we would also very much appreciate that.

Call for Artists from OACCE – For Artists who work in crafts (ceramics, textiles, metals, etc.)

Call to Artists/Request for Qualifications
Martin Luther King Older Adult Learning Center
Project Budget: $40,000
Deadline for Submissions: March 2, 2016
Philadelphia – The City of Philadelphia Percent for Art Program and Department of Public Property seek to commissionan indoor site-specific artwork that celebrates older adult activities and reflects the City’s support of caring for Philadelphia’s senior citizens. The commission is part of the $4 million new construction of the Martin Luther King Older Adult Recreation Center. This competition is limited to artists and artist-teams who reside in the mid-Atlantic states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia.

While work of all mediums will be accepted, we strongly encourage artists from the crafts (ceramics, textiles, metals, etc.) field to apply.

Click here to view the entire Call to Artists.

Contact: Public Art Director Margot Berg, margot.berg@phila.gov; or Percent for Art Project Manager Jacque Liu,jacque.liu@phila.gov