Artblog | philadelphia museum of art

December 4, 2016 by guest writer

Creative Africa Through the Eyes of an 8 Year Old – 2016 New Art Writing Challenge

I give this exhibit 3 out of 3 wishes, which means it made me wish for three things. It is a nice view of designs. The designs with bright, bold colors are like dresses I have never seen before. They are a fierce combination of a lot of different colors and shapes like chicken heads on straight fabric with a stained glass design on the ruffled fabric all on one dress! I wish there were kids’ fashions in the exhibit, too. I also wish that I could see how they are sold in Africa. What do the shops look like? Who gets to wear these clothes? I wish I could! They are interesting fashions and would make the person wearing them look bold and fierce. Three wishes means it made me imagine 3 things and that is why I love to go to museums!

November 17, 2016 by guest writer

Nora Chipaumire’s Portrait of Myself as My Father – 2016 New Art Writing Challenge Finalist

Chipaumire announces, “Tired of fighting. Tired of running. Tired of fucking.” The hare bounding over the ropes. The Champion hurling into them, into the ground. Until he, finally, –well, no, you should see it, you should try to feel it for yourself.

August 26, 2016 by Roberta

Artblog Presents Creative Africa – Walé Oyéjidé of Ikiré Jones

Creative Africa is a 5-exhibition blockbuster show of contemporary and traditional Africa Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Perelman Building. This video focuses on Philadelphia-based Walé Oyéjidé, designer, writer and Creative Director of the Ikiré Jones clothing label.

August 21, 2016 by Roberta

Artblog Presents Creative Africa – Francis Kéré

Francis Kéré is a Burkina Faso-born, Berlin-based architect known for his adaptive use of vernacular materials in structures like schools and other gathering places, especially in his native land. The Artblog video shows Kéré’s passion for community participation in his projects.

August 19, 2016 by Roberta

Artblog Presents Art Splash at Creative Africa – Philadelphia Museum of Art

This summer, Artblog dove into the Philadelphia Museum’s Creative Africa show — and into the wonderful summer program, Art Splash, that introduces moms, dads, and kids of all ages to the great art on view, and facilitates art making by the viewers, right there in the museum.

July 28, 2016 by Flora Ward

Splashing Around – Creative Africa and Nari Ward on Artblog Radio

At the Barnes Foundation, Nari Ward’s direct engagement with issues of race, culture, and class in contemporary America makes for an interesting counterpoint to the African art collected by Dr. Barnes (and by the Penn Museum) in the early 20th century. Finally, the three shows of contemporary photography, textiles, and architecture that fill the first floor of the PMA’s Perelman Building leave us with lots of questions about the “Africa” in “Creative Africa.” Just how fixed is regional or even national identity for both artists and artworks that circulate widely thanks to the global art market? What makes African art African?

April 29, 2016 by Andrea Kirsh

International Pop at the PMA

And perhaps this last is one of the most significant points the exhibition makes: despite an international interest in the commercial vernacular and the visual impact of the media, the works in the exhibition can only be truly understood within the cultures that produced them. This leaves serious viewers with the realization that the information in many of the introductory labels is insufficient background for a real understanding of the art and how it functioned in its native territory.

February 16, 2016 by Roberta

Artist Memberships at PMA (ICA still Free), Peggy Guggenheim documentary at iTunes, Leadership changes at Yale Arts+ CFEVA, and Opportunities for writers and artists

The PMA has introduced their first-ever Artist Membership. Between Feb. 24-28, artists can become members for $25. The application process includes documentation of artist status but the bar is set reasonably — Artists must show “documentation (via smartphone or printed piece) of how they share their work with the public. A website, Instagram or Facebook account, Etsy page, or a postcard of a past or upcoming exhibition will work just fine.”