This week's news has lots from The Arts League including their second artist convening and the announcement that their Executive Director, Zoë Rayn Evans is moving on and they are looking for a new E.D. A couple outstanding exhibits are closing soon and two open calls, from Art Ability and Fiberart International sound great! Enjoy the News and give a listen to the "Artblog Radio Midweek News" podcast. It's new! And in it, Ryan and I talk about what's happening in Philly this week and bandy about some ideas. Useful news. News you need!
NEWS
Second Annual Artist Convening at The Arts League – May 31, June 1, June 2
Grounded: Making & Teaching in the Now
This year the theme is “Grounded: Making and Teaching in the Now,” where we are asking the Philadelphia arts community to ask the following: How do we as artists and makers address polarizing topics in our studio practice and classroom spaces? What does a socially engaged art practice or curriculum look like in the present day? Is cultural competency enough to ensure classrooms are sensitive to our students?
Featuring speakers from Da Vinci Art Alliance, Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, Asian Arts Initiative, Commonweal Gallery, alongside local artists and curators Zach Hill, Angel Shanel Edwards and more. This three-day convening is an opportunity to connect meaningfully with other artists and arts educators interested in finding actionable means of workshopping their practice to be relevant in the here and now. Attendees will receive a thoughtfully curated resource toolkit, an opportunity to workshop ideas and syllabi with real-time feedback from local experts and peers, and special tours of new exhibitions at The Arts League, Zach’s Crab Shack, and Da Vinci Art Alliance.
More Arts League News – The Arts League says Farewell to Executive Director Zoë Rayn Evans
Dear Arts League Community,
It is with a mixture of gratitude and sadness that we bid farewell to our wonderful Executive Director, Zoë Rayn Evans, as she embarks on the next chapter of her journey.
Under her guidance, we’ve witnessed transformative growth and innovation, all while maintaining the values that define us. Zoë’s unwavering commitment to our mission has left an indelible mark on our collective journey. As we express our heartfelt gratitude for her tireless efforts and inspiring vision, let us also extend our best wishes for her future endeavors.Though her presence and ability to find humor in even the most stressful of moments will be deeply missed, her legacy will continue to resonate within our halls and hearts for years to come.
Board Co-Chair, Debora Charmelus, will be serving as Interim-Executive Director for the time being. Should you have any questions, concerns or want to share well-wishes please email director@ucartsleague.org.
A poster for Ulises at Ray on North American Street
Ulises and Ray Philly partner for art projects – opening reception May 3, 2024
Our friends at Ulises have a new space at Ray Philly on North American St. And Ulises+Ray just announced their 2024 series of Projects by Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Candice Lin, and Ken Lum.
Ulises and Ray announce their 2024 exhibition program featuring three solo projects by artists Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Candice Lin, and Ken Lum. Each artist will produce a commissioned artist multiple as part of Ulises’s Commodities series and stage an original exhibition presented in Ulises’s newly renovated bookshop and an adjoining 500-square-foot project space called “Studio 105” at Ray Philly, a residential building and creative community located at 1525 N American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122.
Opening Friday, May 3, 2024, “— the soft technology of your poems split — s My body into 18: secreting,100 Stanzas ——— That Bow TOWARD no moons” is a project by artist Kameelah Janan Rasheed, inaugurating Ulises’s 2024 exhibition program at Studio 105 at Ray Philly. A self-described “learner,” Rasheed grapples with the poetics-pleasures-politics of Black knowledge production, information technologies, and modes of [un]learning.
There will be a a public reception for “— the soft technology of your poems split — s My body into 18: secreting,100 Stanzas ——— That Bow TOWARD no moons” on Friday, May 3, from 6-9 PM and a closing reception on Sunday, August 25, from 6-9 PM.
Studio 105 and the adjoining Ulises bookshop are open weekly, Wednesday through Sunday from 12-6 PM. Please visit Ray Philly’s events’ page for more information on exhibition programs.
NOTABLE EXHIBITIONS CLOSING SOON
The month of April saw a veritable cornucopia of exhibitions open and waiting for your eyes. A couple of the best out there are closing soon, or soonish. Below is a list with end dates for shows we highly recommend you visit: (See Artblog Connect for more information on exhibits and events.) Sarah McEneaney, Morning Noon Night, at Locks Gallery, closing April 26, 2024 Annabelle Buck – The Life Within, at Commonweal Gallery, closing April 26, 2024 Dona Nelson, Selected Paintings, 2019-2023, at Locks Gallery, closing May 17, 2024
Read Lane Speidel’s review Henry Bermudez in Philadelphia, at Woodmere Art Museum, closing May 19, 2024 Barbara Earl Thomas: The Illuminated Body, at Arthur Ross Gallery, closing May 21, 2024
OPPORTUNITY
Art Ability at Bryn Mawr Rehab Call for Entries – Deadline June 30, 2024
Open to artists with physical, cognitive, visual and hearing disabilities. To be eligible for submission, the work must have been created after the onset of a disability or injury. Each work must also have been created within the last five years to be eligible. All works must be for sale. Art previously exhibited in Art Ability
is not eligible for submission. Original work only; reproduction prints will not be accepted. More information and to submit.
Questions? contact the Art Ability office at 484.596.5607 or artability@mlhs.org.
2025 Fiberart International Open Call – Deadline June 30, 2024
The 25th edition of the Fiberart International will be organized and presented by Contemporary Craft in partnership with Brew House Arts and will be on view at Contemporary Craft, May 30 – August 30, 2025, and at Brew House Arts, June 20 – August 30, 2025. [Ed note: This is a Pittsburgh event.]
This call is open to exceptionally talented artists at any stage of their career, who are located within the United States or abroad. All work must be either fiber in content or executed in a fiber technique.
Salary: $57,000 – $60,000 annual, full-time position, on-site work required, healthcare stipend, and paid time off offered. Bachelors degree required. More information
