We hope you are welcoming the New Year with optimism and hope, as we are. Fellow artists, there are great shows to be seen and opportunities for you to apply. We’ve rounded up just a few here. Everyone should be sure to take advantage of Artblog’s Feb. 3 tour of the Brandywine Workshop and Archives. We are thrilled to offer this unique experience and hope you will support us by donating toget the chance to attend! See details below.
NEWS
Artblog and Brandywine Workshop and Archives (BWA) have teamed up for a tour on Feb. 3!
Join us on Feb 3 for a unique behind-the-scenes tour of the BWA, donated by BWA to Artblog as a demonstration of their support for what we do. We are so very thankful to BWA for their generosity! This is also for you, our longtime readers and supporters. Your donation of $225 (or cumulative 2022 donations totaling $225) give you access to this tour, PLUS, a chance to win a print made by a local artist at the BWA (a $550 value). Complete details on this event are here.
And, coincidentally, we want to tell you there is a wonderful documentary celebrating BWA’s 50 year history that includes a sweet 5-minute segment with renowned artist El Anatsui talking about collaboration via printmaking and how important that is especially for young artists who are working alone. Through the artist’s generosity, there’s now an El Anatsui Fellowship for Africa-based artists at the BWA, funded through sale of prints made by El Anatsui and gifted to BWA for that purpose.
See the documentary here:
NOTABLE EXHIBITIONS
Elegy for a Latent Grief Automat, until Jan. 14
Closing reception Jan. 12, 2023
A new body of work by Iranian-American artist Shaina Nasrin presented by the collective Batikh Batikh. Through photographs and videos, Nasrin explores the intergenerational trauma and the intricacies of familial relationships. Building on the visual language of Iran, imagery like the tulip, is woven through the photographs as a metaphor. Nasrin says of the work “Tulips are seen as a symbol of martyrdom in Iran; one of the most prominent symbols of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and more recently reimagined as a symbol of rebellion towards the current regime. A portrait following my mother in a field of tulips contemplates that turning point, acknowledging the sacrifices Iranian women have made for their freedom of choice.”
Elegy for a Latent Grief is on view until January 14th with open gallery hours on Saturday’s from 12-5 and a closing reception on Thursday January 12 from 6-9.
Poster for “Elegy for a Latent Grief,” a new body of work by Shaina Nasrin at the Automat featuring photography and videos. Presented by Batikh Batikh collective.
Irregular at Hyatt Centric Center City, through Jan. 31, 2023
The Rittenhouse area hotel has a “Maker Series” featuring local artists, and they’re kicking off 2023 with the artist Sean Hassett, who makes art under the pseudonym “Irregular.”
Hyatt Centric Center City Philadelphia is pleased to announce the next entry in its “Maker Series,” a monthly program highlighting local artists and creators, featuring local street artist Sean Hassett, more widely known as Irregular. The exhibit, which will highlight Irregular’s unique mixed media works utilizing mirror fragments, will be on view from January 2 through January 31, with a Meet the Maker reception and Conversation with the Artist on Thursday, January 5 from 6 – 8 pm.
Born and raised in Darby, Irregular’s roots are imbedded in the Philadelphia area. Irregular has been a Rittenhouse Square staple for nearly a decade, often seen with his mirror-adorned paintings neatly stacked side by side for passersby to behold. Beyond Rittenhouse, the artist’s signature graffiti tag “Irregular.” can be found all over Philadelphia, along with mirror installations on boarded-up storefronts. A self-taught artist and hustler from a young age, Irregular began his artistic journey after a brief stint in prison in 2012, incorporating mirror fragments to create dimension beyond the canvas. Inspired by neo-expressionists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and King Saladeen, Irregular has created innumerable pieces over the last decade, hundreds of which he has sold in Rittenhouse Square.
Work by Sean Hassett, “Irregular” displayed in Rittenhouse Square. Photo courtesy of the artist and the Hyatt Centric.
“I used to paint on sweatshirts when I first started, and shortly after I lost the energy and inspiration for it,” said Irregular. “A cousin of mine suggested I try painting on canvas and dropped some art supplies in my lap. I started experimenting with different types of paint and collage work, and channeling the artists who caught my eye. Two years into making art I started presenting in group shows and noticed how many of them were caught in a blender of producing similar work. I wanted to add a medium that helped my work stand out because I was a self-taught artist. When I was younger, my grandfather had a room in the basement where he worked with stained glass, and I remember going back there and smelling the soldering. Using mirror pieces to break through felt natural, it felt like things coming full circle as they naturally do.”
The exhibit will include an opening reception on Thursday, January 5 from 6 – 8 pm for guests to browse a selection of Irregular’s artwork, which will be on display in the hotel for the entire month of January, followed by a Conversation with the Artist and Q&A hosted by Christopher Plant of RadioKismet. Attendees will enjoy complimentary light bites and a glass of prosecco, courtesy of Patchwork Restaurant & Bar. The reception is free to attend and open to the public.
“We’re thrilled to feature the artist known as Irregular as the opening maker of our ongoing series in 2023,” said Elizabeth Fricke, Director of Sales and Marketing at Hyatt Centric Center City. “Anyone who has walked through Rittenhouse Square is familiar with his work, and his presence resonates throughout Philadelphia in his graffiti.”
The exhibit will be on display from Tuesday, January 2 through Sunday, January 31 in the second-floor lobby of Hyatt Centric (adjacent to Patchwork Restaurant & Bar), located at 1620 Chancellor Street. All exhibited works will be available for sale and can be purchased by contacting the artist directly.
OPPORTUNITIES
People’s Budget FY24 – RFQ Due Jan. 17, 2023
Contact: Phoebe Bachman, Facilitating Artist
Over the last two years, Mural Arts has produced two public art projects about the city budget. These projects aimed to increase public awareness through popular education on the city’s budget process and offer a platform for residents to share what the city should fund.
Artistic outcomes included Quilts handmade by residents across the city showing priorities for the budget, postcards to city council members, a People’s Budget Festival, and a series of People’s Budget posters wheat-pasted across the city.
The goals of these projects is to advocate, negotiate, collaborate, and dream of a city budget that is more just, equitable, and sustainable. Read more about year one and year two projects!
Join Mural Arts for their third year jurying art proposals on how the city should use its budget. The People’s Budget FY24 proposals are due Jan. 17, 2023.
Key dates:
Jan 17: Application due
Jan 25: Artists Announced
Feb – May: Teach-ins and research
Early March: Proposed budget introduced by Mayor Kenny
April: People’s Budget Office Opening
April 1-15: Residency 1
April 15-30: Residency 2
May 1-15: Residency 3
May 15-30: Residency 4
The Philadelphia Residency at Twelve Gates Arts (12G) The Philadelphia Residency is a six-month career-building and creation module established by Twelve Gates Arts (12G) to provide early-career artists the physical and communal space, resources, and industry knowledge to plant roots and flourish in Philadelphia. The pilot residency convenes a cohort of two promising Philadelphia-based artists in a collaborative environment for creation, skill building and exchange.
In addition to providing studio space, living stipends, and exhibition opportunities, TPR hinges on resident collaboration and discourse. To this end, the residency offers a robust season of participatory exposure programming that not only empowers residents to seek out the skill sets and knowledge they desire, but also provides direct access to Philadelphia’s makers, writers, creators, and producers. Ultimately, TPR is an opportunity to create, culminating in a final group exhibition.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Philadelphia Residency engages early-career artists in the city’s arts ecosystem and nurtures an artistic practice that is collaborative, dynamic, and rooted in Philadelphia.
More information coming soon!
Abington Art Center – Open call for Summer Juried Show Ethnicity Through the Eyes of the Artist – DEADLINE MAY 1, 2023 Submit online, application fee $30
Abington Art Center is excited to present a call for submissions for the 2023 Summer Juried Show: Ethnicity Through the Eyes of the Artist.
The theme for this summer’s juried exhibition asks artists to focus on ethnicity. Ethnicity Through the Eyes of the Artist challenges artists to explore what ethnicity means personally versus how ethnicity represents you in the greater culture. This exhibition is open to all mediums and all interpretations.
Ethnicity can express a shared culture such as language, worldview, and value systems of a particular social group. A person’s identity and personal enculturation/acculturation experience often shape their orientation to the world and how it is seen from their eyes. Artists have an uncanny ability to bring to life a perspective that can frame or deconstruct these arrangements in a visual way. This challenges the viewer to reflect on, and see beyond attitudes and boundaries that have been formed previously within the greater culture. Artists have the ability to creatively illustrate how ethnicity, just as language, is an evolution that is constantly shifting.
What is the boundary between identity and ethnicity and how do they coexist?
Do we get to dictate our identity or ethnicity?
How does personal experience regarding the intersection of racial and ethnic identity influence your work as an artist?
What values tie you to your cultural heritage?
Please submit up to 3 works by May 1st to this form and our panel of jurors will review your submissions and let you know which pieces we will be showing by May 9th. Submissions should be high resolution photos (72ppi) including the title of the work, year of creation, dimensions, media, and name of the artist. Please include a statement that addresses at least one of the prompted questions above.
