Are artists special? This seems like one of those big bloated questions that avoids consideration mostly because talking about it would take too long. (Sometimes I feel every artist talk or discussion should begin by asking, What is art?) In one sense, it is a fairly straightforward question–yay, artist are special or neah, artist are not special. Of course, like most seemingly straightforward questions, there is a long and complicated path to the answer–e.g., Are you hungry? It depends. To address this question I want to examine a few of the underlying terms and, perhaps more importantly, explore how this discussion is shaped by tired tropes that are perpetuated by artists and non-artists alike.
Read MoreTogether, the paint box, palette, and paintbrush reminded me of the relics of saints–the remains of holy men and women, or the objects, earth, or clothing that came in contact with them during their lives. Too precious for human hands to touch, too powerful to stay buried in the ground (or archive), they can only be accessed through the containers that surround them. The saint’s (or artist’s) power is manifested by his ability to produce miracles through his relics. With His Study of Life, Orellana offers us the possibility of a sort of post-modern miracle, making a tongue-in-cheek yet deeply serious exploration of the religion of art, and of the ghost in the machine.
Read MoreMarie will celebrate her 99th birthday on August 31. Marie is Kensington’s most notable artist. Her house and home was on Howard St just around the corner from Berks St, in which, she resided mostly all her life. It was only a few years ago that she needed to move into a senior citizen assisted living home.
Read MoreYou don’t have to be a dog or cat lover (indeed I am not); you don’t have to be a Philadelphian; you don’t have to know anything about the artist’s past or present personal or professional life; you don’t have to know anything about her politics or her activism (or her pets); you don’t even have to know anything about art to enjoy When You Wish, Sarah McEneaney’s exhibition of 16 new works now up at the stately Locks Gallery. There is nothing esoteric, mysterious, pretentious, assuming, conceptual, or even symbolic about this collection of McEneaney’s work.
Read MorePenn Humanities Forum each year has surprising and wonderful topics that they plan their program of lectures, movies and events around. This year’s theme is Translation, broadly construed.
Here’s the website that explains the topic. And here’s the lineup of events.
In conjunction with the Penn Humanities events, writer, activist, artist, environmentalist, walker, thought leader Rebecca Solnit gives the Keynote Address for the two-day conference, “An Ectopian Toolkit for the Anthropocene,” April 13-15, 2017.
Read More
