NEWS
Dear folks,
If you’re reading this, you probably know that Artblog has been in the Philadelphia community since 2003 and that our mission is to promote discussion of art as an important component in strengthening civic engagement. We are especially committed to broadcasting community voices that are often overlooked and marginalized.
What you may not know is that we welcome letters to the editor. Please get in touch with us at hello@theartblog.org with the words “Letter to the Editor” in the Subject line. No anonymous letters, please. Peace and Love, Roberta and the Artblog team
Monument Lab, a project of Mural Arts with a curatorial team of Paul Farber, Artblog favorite, Ken Lum,and A. Will Brown, announced its round-up of artists and public spaces in Philadelphia for the group of temporary new monuments for the city, coming September 16 through November 19, 2017. Installations by Chinese activist/dissident artist Ai Weiwei, local activist artist, Zoe Strauss, and loads more will be sprinkled around town in city parks and public spaces. From the release:
Curatorial team Paul Farber, Ken Lum, and A. Will Brown have selected a group of intellectually, geographically, and culturally diverse artists from Philadelphia and around the world:
Tania Bruguera, Havana/New York City/Cambridge
Mel Chin, Egypt, North Carolina
Kara Crombie, Philadelphia
Tyree Guyton, Detroit
Hans Haacke, New York City
David Hartt, Philadelphia
Sharon Hayes, Philadelphia
King Britt and Joshua Mays, Philadelphia and Oakland
Klip Collective, Philadelphia
Duane Linklater, North Bay, Ontario
Emeka Ogboh, Lagos/Berlin
Karyn Olivier, Philadelphia
Michelle Angela Ortiz, Philadelphia
Kaitlin Pomerantz, Philadelphia
RAIR featuring Abigail DeVille, Philadelphia and New York City
Alexander Rosenberg, Philadelphia
Jamel Shabazz, New York City
Zoe Strauss, Philadelphia
Hank Willis Thomas, New York City
Shira Walinsky and Southeast by Southeast, Philadelphia
Ai Weiwei, Berlin/Beijing
Marisa Williamson, New York City
Barnes Foundation continues to staff up…adding more great women to their team! Cindy Kang is their new assistant curator working with Sylvie Patry, Deputy Director for Collections & Exhibitions and Gund Family Chief Curator. From the release:
With more than six years of curatorial experience at major arts institutions—including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Collection, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art—Kang will be joining the Barnes Foundation from the Bard Graduate Center in New York. In her role at the Barnes, Kang will work directly with Sylvie Patry, deputy director for collections & exhibitions and Gund Family Chief Curator, to expand the Foundation’s growing exhibitions program, collections research and interpretative activities, and curatorial and educational technology initiatives. She will begin her post on February 27.
Animation lovers, be sure to note the Spanish animation series at International House! The first two programs of this chronological history of animation in Spain have come and gone, but you can catch the modern and contemporary programs this week Thursday and Friday.
From Doodle to Pixels is being co-presented with the Cinema Studies Program and Hispanic and Portuguese Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Tickets for each of the four screenings are $10 for the general public, $8 for students and seniors. For more information on the retrospective or to purchase advance tickets, visit the IHouse website.
Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 pm: Programs 5 & 6 – The Artist’s Trace (Recommended for ages 18 & over)
Friday, Feb. 10 at 7 pm: Programs 7 & 8 Destino Hollywood and Beyond (Recommended for ages 12 & over)
Congratulations, Tom Devaney, poet and friend of Artblog, who wrote a lovely piece about the movie Paterson, that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer Feb. 5.
Remember we told you about Art Condo? Well they did it, they bought land in NYC to make artist live/work spaces.
NYC ARTISTS PURCHASE LAND IN SOUTH BRONX FOR WORK/LIVE SPACES
South Bronx, New York City
On January 20, 2017, after 2 1/2 years of preparation, six New York artists and one non-profit purchased a 6,400 SF lot of land in the South Bronx through an innovative real estate enterprise called ArtCondo, co-founded by two artists, Michele Gambetta and Matthew Fletcher. With the support of ArtCondo, this group joined together to purchase and develop a NYC property near the Bronx Hub at 149th Street, for work studios and live-work spaces. These artists leveraged their collective buying power to create a new and sustainable creative model with working spaces in NYC. Participants include: Amy Cheng, Barbara Broughel, Allan McCollum, Tracy Calvan, Gordon Fearey, Michele Gambetta and Glass Farm Ensemble. More at the Art Condo website.
Artblog News
Artblog’s series of four Look/Draw/Write Workshops at Taller Puertorriqueno are coming up March 11 and 18 and April 22 and 29. Free and open to the public. Join us as we look, draw and write our way into art Nirvana – a place where contemplation and participation merge into happiness. All ages welcome. On tap at Taller are works by Roxana Perez-Mendez (March) and Michelle Ortiz (April)Complete information here.
Upcoming podcast! Monday, Feb. 13, 1:45 PM. A. M. Weaver interviews Jeanne Van Heeswijk about her Philadelphia Assembled project. Woohoo – give a listen live at the Moore College TGMR site and stay tuned for the podcast on Artblog.
Because we all love birds, don’t we?
Lecture by Jennifer Ackerman on “The Genius of Birds”
Thursday March 16, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Reception begins at 5:30 p.m.
Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Free and open to the public
Please RSVP to attend
If you were to divide the animal world into the smart and the not-so-smart, you might put birds squarely in the “dim bulb” category. For decades, people have written off birds as largely witless, driven solely by instinct, with primitive brains capable of only the simplest mental processes. But it is not so. In recent years, science has discovered that birds are much, much more intelligent than we ever supposed, capable of abstract thinking, problem-solving, remembering, learning by example (as children do), recognizing faces, and even conversing in a meaningful way — all with a brain so tiny it would fit inside a walnut.Jennifer Ackerman’s best-selling book, The Genius of Birds, explores the new view of birds as “thinkers” — cunning, playful, witty, greedy, cranky, joyful, competitive. It looks at the intelligence of birds within the context of easily observed behavior in our own surroundings and brings to it the latest science from lab and field.
Signed copies of The Genius of Birds will be available for purchase.
OPPORTUNITIES
ICA seeks your videos – Apply to Open Video Call 2017
Open Video Call 2017 Submissions
DEADLINE: MARCH 3, 2017
New video works by Philadelphia-area artists and filmmakers will be selected as part of the Institute of Contemporary Art’s annual Open Video Call. Part of ICA’s spring/summer exhibition season, Open Video Call will be on view on the first floor of the museum April 28–August 13, 2017. Open Video Call is organized by ICA Assistant Curator Meg Onli.
Apply here
Via Plan Philly…OCF Realty seeks full time Social Media Coordinator
OCF Realty is hiring a Social Media Coordinator who will be responsible for the creation and execution of digital content for OCF’s multiple social media channels. We are seeking a creative, motivated and organized visual storyteller with strong graphic design skills and a solid understanding of translating brand personality into assets, copy and design. Candidates should be armed with unique and innovative ideas and possess a wealth of knowledge about the marketing industry. Lastly, we are looking for someone who shares our passion for Philadelphia’s neighborhoods and communities and is knowledgeable about its current events and happenings. Full details here.
Cerulean Arts seeks entries for it’s 5th Annual Juried Exhibition to be held June 21 – July 29, 2017. This year’s juror is Rachel McCay, art historian and Assistant Curator at Woodmere Art Museum. Entry deadline is Friday, April 28, 2017. Modest entry fee and awards given! Full information at Cerulean Arts website.
Mural Arts Program issues a call for artists for InterAct Theatre Mural Project
The deadline for submissions is March 1.
InterAct Theatre is a theatre for today’s world, dedicated to commissioning, developing, and producing new and contemporary plays that explore the social, political, and cultural issues of our time. Located in Philadelphia’s Center City in The Drake, a historic building, InterAct is Philadelphia’s New Home for New Plays…SITE: The mural will be located on the façade of InterAct Theatre at The Drake, 302 S Hicks Street. The wall is 96’ wide, 35’ tall at its highest, and 18’ at its lowest. More information at Mural Arts website.
