Lanré, who is Yoruba, works with recycled materials and his art communicates a message about our fragile globe being overwhelmed by waste. His sculptures are labor intensive, and here in Philadelphia he worked with North Philadelphia community members in “sewing circles” to fabricate the individual components (he refers to them as “bricks” to build a skyscraper) that will go into his big new sculpture, which debuts on Friday. The piece is a memorial to loss, which is experienced in a personal way by all.
Read MoreAfter a nine-month residency at the SPACES program at the Village of Arts and Humanities, two international artists, Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh, who is from Ghana, and Olanrewaju (Lanré) Tejuoso, who is from Nigeria, are preparing for their projects’ culminating exhibition and Open Mic session, this Friday, Dec. 9, 6PM – 10 PM.
Read MoreWe are all looking for conversations that move the discussion forward. There are some good ones coming up that you might want to partake of. And, strengthening our local art scene is more important than ever. Reduced funding for the arts is coming. The new climate of intolerance may quash advances in diversity and experimentation in the arts. Small institutions are more at risk since they live at the margin of the larger art world. At this “giving” time of year, make a donation to your favorite small arts institution or group.
Read MoreDear folks, this week we will have light postings on Artblog since we are all feeling the need to refresh and regroup and take a break with friends and family. Meanwhile, enjoy all the posts you missed, including the 12 wonderful articles by the New Art Writing Challenge finalists and prize winners. Have a restful and love-filled Thanksgiving, and we will be back to our energetic posting pace next Monday. PS If you are in the giving mood, please make a donation to Artblog, your favorite little blog for arts coverage. We can’t do this without you, and thank you for your support!
Read MoreWharton student, Charles Li, got in touch to let us know he and nine other Wharton students in a undergrad management class had organized an art exhibit and silent auction for CareLink Community Support Services, to raise awareness of behavioral health issues and to support the clients CareLink serves. CareLink provides services and support to independently-living adults with disabilities in the Greater Philadelphia Area.
Read MoreMichelle Marcuse flirted with sculpture-making for a long while, but only when she started channeling her memories of childhood in suburban Capetown, South Africa, did she find her 3D voice. Marcuse, who along with her partner, Henry Bermudez, runs House Gallery also found her materials — recycled cardboard, glue — and aesthetic that is primal and playful, combining both pieces of her childhood experience.
Read MoreThe art activist group We Are Watching was organized by Amanda Silberling and her friends at the University of Pennsylvania, where they are undergraduates. Propelled to action by an email sent by a fraternity to incoming Penn freshmen girls to come to a party and be ready to, basically, put out, Silberling and her colleagues blanketed the campus with flyers outing the fraternity for its crass invitation, with its implied embrace of rape culture.
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