News
Artblog‘s Art Safari just got an outstanding write-up by Martha Ledger in the Broad Street Review. Thanks for the shout-out, Martha!
Renny Molenaar and Rocio Cabello, two international transplants to Germantown (by way of New York) bring their upstart ways to a new space –Imperfect Gallery. Imperfect, at 5610 Greene St., is run by Molenaar, who came to Philadelphia with his partner Cabello in 2002. Imperfect opens June 23, 5-10pm, with a show featuring 30 Germantown artists. Molenaar is an artist and founder of the Black and White in Color Gallery in the Bronx. Cabello is a visual artist and master gardener. Other events are planned. For more information renny@rennymolenaar.com.
Artblog was talking with our favorite blogging art czar, Gary Steuer, the other day, and he told us that Raphael Ferrer’s 1982 public art piece, El Gran Teatro de la Luna (1982), which once graced Fairhill Park but has been in city storage for many years, is being re-installed today after a complete restoration. The restoration was funded by a grant from the NEA. Check the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy’s website for a video of the installation and check back on artblog for a picture later today, when we get one from OACCE’s Public Art Director Margot Berg.
One of the Mural Arts Program’s multitude of projects, chainlinkGREEN, is included at the 13th International Architecture Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia this fall. A truly novel project, chainlinkGREEN combines an outdoor learning classroom and a series of murals and mosaics designed by architect/artist Scott Shall and others. Conceived as a part of the MAP’s Restored Spaces Initiative at Bodine High School for International Affairs, the project is one of 61 to be showcased in the Common Ground Exhibit. Visit the Biennale’s site here, find more information on the architecture exhibit here, and read a word from the curator here.
University of the Arts is going all out in the first week of its annual MFA summer lecture series, which run June 25 – Aug. 19. Four talks are scheduled for the first week, featuring Jeanne Quinn, Pedro Reyes, Sadia Salim, and UArts alum Charles Long. In an effort to make the lectures accessible to as much of the Philadelphia community as possible, all lectures are at 7 PM (the talkes used to be the brown bag lunch series). Lectures are in various halls at the college — see the complete listing for specific room location, and contact MFA Program Director jgirandola@uarts.edu or MFA Administrator Erin Williams at ewilliams@uarts.edu.
Conceptual artist Ken Lum was just appointed Director of Penn’s Undergraduate Fine Arts program. Lum, who works in photography and sculpture, is also a curator of international public art projects. He takes over July 1.
Follow the Money News – More from the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy: The arts are a job machine in Philly! OACCE’s jobs report, issued June 19, says Philadelphia ranks 50-70% above that national standard for Creative Vitality (i.e. jobs). The OACCE site has that report, among other research findings. FYI, the arts generate $135.2 billion in economic activity and support 4.1 miilion jobs nationally, according to an Americans for the Arts study.
More money – Impact100Philadelphia has given $100,000 to The Village of Arts and Humanities to support CRED Youth Arts Magazine, and the After School Activities Partnerships (ASAP). The award was presented on June 19 at The Village of Arts and Humanities, attended by Marciene Mattleman, President of ASAP, Justin Ennis, Executive Director ASAP, Elizabeth Grimaldi, Executive Director, The Village of Arts and Humanities, Aviva Kapust, Programs Director at The Village/Editor-in-Chief of CRED, and students from the ASAP and The Village award winning programs. Congratulations, everyone!
Even more money – Main Line Art Center and Art Reach are among ten recipients of grants totalling $2,135,000 from Pew’s Philadelphia Cultural Leadership Program. Art Reach, which Brings cultural events and special art programs to disadvantaged and disabled communities won $45,000, while the Main Line Art center won $84,000.
Artist News
The Print Center’s Emma Wilcox got a glowing appraisal of her show “Where it Falls” in Art in America. Read Jennie Hirsh’s review here. artblog‘s Alison McMenamin covered the show for us.
Hope Rovelto is celebrating the culmination of a 10-month residency at Greenwich House Pottery in NYC with a show of her new work. The opening reception is on Saturday, July 21, 2012 4-6pm in the Jane Hartsook Gallery. The show runs Held July 12 – August 9,
Via Pentimenti – NBC in New York has bought a work by Pentimenti artist Mark Khaisman.
Opportunities
Just a reminder about the residencies at Grin City Collective, founded by Joe Lacina of the Extra Extra gallery (and now free-floating curatorial project). Grin is a bastion of the arts in rural Iowa. The deadline to apply for their art residency program is July 1 for fall residencies. They are looking for visual artists, performance artists and writers to join the collective for 2 to 5 weeks of art-making and social outreach. The 2012 fall session runs from September 17 to October 19. visit Grin City’s site for more info.
Arts Guild New Jersey has a new juried competition, Artist of the Month, open to all artists. Twelve artists will be chosen, each to be featured on Arts Guild New Jersey’s website for one month. Also on tap is a real world art exhibit at the Arts Guild New Jersey gallery in Rahway featuring the artists chosen for the first year. The deadline for submitting artwork is September 30, 2012. Interested artists can visit http://www.agnj.org to complete an entry form and upload work.
