Artblog debuts a new comics digital flip book to help the reader interface with a long, multi-panel comic! Also (re)FOCUS continues its great programming, with a memorable and inclusive show at Art in City Hall, and a roundtable discussion at the Dina Wind Foundation. And don't miss the art billboard by Dan Rose on N. 11th St. just above Vine. And be sure to check out the Artist Residency opportunity at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY. Enjoy the News!
NEWS
“Supergirl’s Fembots” by Dan Rose, a billboard in the 300 block of North 11th St., just above Vine St. Photo by the artist, with permission.
Supergirl gets helper ‘Fembots’ on the Art Billboard on North 11th above Vine
Artist Dan Rose alerted us to the fact that there’s a new image on the rooftop ArtBoard on 11th St. Rose’s “Supergirl’s Fembots” will be on the ArtBoard, in the 300 block of N. 11th Street, through 2024. Rose says, …”the fembots are my work and they really reference nothing but Supergirl and robots. I made them up. They are little robots that help out Supergirl like if she gets tired; she just grabs a handle on either side of one of their heads and they do the flying for her, she just hangs on.”
Artblog flips for digital flip books
Artblog takes its comics seriously. We are adding a new feature that will make the reader experience of a multi-panel comic better — a digital flip book format. Check it out with Derick Jones’s comic Nose Bleed. Control panel under the comic allows you to Zoom in (+) or go full screen (arrows pointing to 4 corners). We are happy to offer this new function to support the comics. We’re looking for reader feedback. Let us know what you think. Email Ryan at support@theartblog.org with your thoughts. Thank You!
Artblog, WHYY and the Mummers
As part of Artblog’s N.I.C.E. partnership with WHYY, we were invited to participate in a Bridging Blocks roundtable discussion about the Mummers. Ryan and I attended a planning meeting at the Mummers Museum, and I attended the roundtable event on Feb. 15 at the Mummers Museum. Here’s the WHYY write up about it (I am pictured in the photo with many hands raised to show who is a Mummer or has a Mummer in the family.) There is a second Bridging Blocks – Mummers discussion happening at the Independence Free Library, 18 S. 7th St., Thursday, Feb. 27, 5:30 PM. Information and registration here. Speaking of information. We are learning a lot about the Mummers. Such as, Philadelphia’s Parks and Recreation Department manages the parade. As they put it in this Parks and Rec doc, “The Mummers own the parade, but hundreds of City staff help to run it.” Of course, the City is in charge of road closures, safety of its citizens and other civic duties. And it seems that Mummers membership runs in families. At the roundtable discussion, I met two people who traced their Mummering back to their grandparents – and had pictures in their phones to demonstrate. The consensus among those I talked with at the event was that the Mummers need more members, and that belonging is one of the benefits – the pride and the work and the performing and more work and lots and lots of work — that’s what they talked about, laughing but in total earnestness. I look forward to learning more. Come to the next discussion if you’re up for leaning more about the Mummers.
Sad art news from the Midwest – FRONT International to end in 2025
The FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art announced it is canceling its exhibition planned for the summer and fall of 2025 and is permanently shutting down the project.
“It is with great regret that we announce the cancellation of FRONT International’s 2025 edition. The world is a very different place in 2024 than it was when our Founder, Fred Bidwell, launched this ambitious initiative in 2016. Public and private funding priorities have changed to focus on the critical needs of our communities.
A realistic analysis of the support FRONT 2025 can gain from local, regional, and national funders has led the FRONT board to conclude that it is impossible to produce FRONT 2025 at the same high standards it established for its prior editions.” Read the full statement here
NOTEWORTHY EXHIBITION
Betty Leacraft, “Nation Time 2020: Power and Protection from Racial Terrorism,” a quilt included in the exhibit “We are the Story,” presented by the Textile Center and Women of Color Quilters Network, 9/10/2020-6/12/2021, Minneapolis, MN
Art in City Hall celebrates many of Artblog’s favorite artists including Betty Leacraft
(re)FOCUS 2024 At City Hall. Art In City Hall will collaborate with the Women’s Caucus for Art to organize a juried exhibition amplifying the diverse, creative voices of local women and gender nonconforming artists. The exhibit will reflect the inclusive values of Philadelphia, and explore contemporary social issues, including women’s empowerment, gender identity, equality, and more in the context of Women’s History Month.
Featuring work by Rosalind Bloom, Alana Bograd, Veronica Cianfrano, Gloria Davis, Nicole Dul, Pamela Flynn, Laura Frazure, Gail Gaines, Lucy Gans, Colleen Gahrmann, Kathleen Greco, L.L. Gross, Cassandra Gunkel, Naomi Heistand, Elizabeth Heller, Carol Hemsley, Shontel Horne, Katie Hovencamp, Patti Jordan, Kim Knauer, Peri Law, Betty Leacraft, Penelope Lisk, Carole Loeffler, Chelsey Luster, Marcella Marsella, Constance McBride, Margaret Miccio, Monna Morto, Ife Nii Owoo, Kelley Prevard, Tashia Rayon, DeJeonge Reese, Morgan Shankweiler, Chenxi Shao, Alice Sims-Gunzenhauser, Ashley Smith, Yvonne Sousa, Dafna Steinberg, Patricia Sullivan, Candice Tavares, Ellen Tiberino, Shari Tobias, Hanna Vogel, Tori West, and Jean Wong.
Betty says, “My quilt is currently displayed in a case on the 2nd floor of City Hall, the colors are ❤️🖤💚. I am proud to be included with such amazing artists.”
NOTEWORTHY EVENT
1974 x 2024: Women Artists Then, Intersectional Artists Now – Round Table Discussion & Reception
Saturday, March 2, 2024 12:00 – 4:00pm
Discussion Run Time: 12:45 – 2:30pm
1606 S. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
This is a free event but space is limited. RSVP HERE
The Dina Wind Art Foundation is proud to host 1974 x 2024: Women Artists Then, Intersectional Artists Now, a conversation featuring women, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC artists, curators, and community leaders. The conversation will explore each panelist’s personal experiences navigating the art world, how the art world has improved for women artists in the past 50 years, and what is the current state of the scene.
Reception before and after the talk includes refreshments, informal building tour, and shopping the John Wind Jewelry collection, where 25% of sales will be donated to (re)FOCUS.
OPPORTUNITY
Visual Studies Workshop open call residency for photo, video and media artists – Due April 5, 2024 Visual Studies Workshop (VSW), in Rochester, NY, the nationally-known nonprofit center dedicated to experimental and expansive approaches to photography, film and media arts, announces the open application period for its Project Space Residency Program. Applications are due by April 5, 2024.
For more than 50 years VSW has provided time, space and resources for artists from all over the world to expand their practice and continue ongoing projects. VSW supports artists in any stage of their career who are working in photography, film, or media art by offering four-week Project Space Residencies at VSW in Rochester, NY. Project Space Residency alumni include Crystal Z Campbell, Ahndraya Parlato, Joshua Rashaad McFadden, Samantha Box, Anna Kipervaser, Ephraim Asili, and Aspen Mays, among others.
“The Project Space Residency is a place for artists who are pushing the boundaries of their mediums,” comments Hernease Davis, VSW Assistant Curator of Education and Public Programs. “Whether they are working through ongoing projects or attempting brand new directions, Visual Studies Workshop’s facilities and archive materials are a unique resource that have been a creative catalyst to artists for decades.”
Project Space Residents receive 24/7 access to a private studio, digital printing equipment, and an analog darkroom. They also receive a stipend of $1,000, plus $250 for supplies, a $500 travel budget for those traveling from outside the Rochester region, and accessible housing. All Residents receive the support of VSW’s digital printing technician, program assistants, consultations with curators on staff, and research support in VSW’s collections.
The Project Space Residency also provides opportunities for artists to engage with the public through public lectures and Open Studios.
Applications are open to U.S. based and international artists working in photography, film or media art. Each year, a jury panel consisting of VSW staff, past resident artists, and guest curators review applications to select up to 16 artists for four-week terms. This year, the jury includes Aaron Turner, Almudena Escobar López, and Asha Iman Veal.
