DoNArTNeWs

Michael Jackson was the penultimate post-modern artist; the indelible impression of a person being able to transform race, gender, age, and identity with the use of mass media is an artform beyond the realm of acceptance for many.  Like a human collage Michael had a tiny doll nose, pretty pink lips, fawn eyes, opalescent skin, Liz Taylor hair and Kirk Douglas jaw line, his thin frame absolutely perfect in the “You Are Not Alone” video.  Only in our futuristic present are people able to transform their physical being to match their internal identity, anyone can change their look, even in the slums of Brazil breast augmentation is big business.  Michael Jackson was a true visionary who understood the synergy of image, performance and marketing to penetrate the minds of people even to the farthest corners of Earth.

The French artist, Orlan, famously uses plastic surgery to transform her image creating ugly/beautiful, intriguing/repulsive, ancient/futuristic changes to her face.  Cheek and lip implants, bulbous forehead adornments, Cruella DaVille hair all mashed up to create a shocking, memorable experience - a design using human flesh as canvas. Check out Orlan’s website - she is a trip!  On David Bowie’s “1 Outside” album, the CD liner notes tell the tale of a performance artist who cuts off small bits of his body for an audience of connosseurs willing to pay for the privilege of witnessing self-mutilation, the artist cutting off digits and bits of muscle till only one arm remained.  Art is in the eye of the beholder.

Stefan Sagmeister’s famous AIGA poster.

DoN LoVeD Michael, always believing he would never harm a child.  A friend once told DoN he saw Michael Jackson with a wheelchair bound child at a ride in Disney World, the people in line went wild asking for autographs but Michael told the crowd he was there to be with the sick kid and devoted hours to making a child’s dream come true.  We are the world.

Christian “Patch”ell, self-promo @ Philadelphia Sketch Club’s Phillustration ‘09.

Rich Harrington gathered the region’s finest illustrators to participate in the Philadelphia Sketch Club’s annual illustration show - Philly is a hub of creative talent called on to promote products, tell stories, illuminate text and create memorable images.  With almost 100 images in the sunny upstairs gallery the exhibition was informative and amusing.

Hal Taylor, Riki- Tiki-Tavi, book.

Philadelphia Sketch Club’s Phillustration 2009.

As fate would have it, the curator of Galleria Deptford saw DoN’s work @ Alden Cole’s gallery - light being (Larry Angel) - and loved it.  Pauline Jonas invited DoN to the Deptford Municipal Building to discuss showing art in their space; public spaces such as the lobby and wide halls with long walls are equipped with a professional hanging system and lighting which easily displaying various sized work.  The current exhibit is by The Cafe Artists. the fate part is Deptford is DoN’s home town, graduating from Deptford High School with a Most Artistic award in 1971.

Tony Parisi @ Galleria Deptford.

Currently the gallery is showing a group show by the Cafe Artists - Grace Arden, Simone Avitello, Carol Goneau, Brielle Herquet, Kimberly Huth, Jeanne Jablonski, Karen S. Moore, Jan Narducci, Tony Parisi, Diane Paul, Kathryn Roberson, Jack Tanier, Bonnie Williams and Penny Wise.

Diane Paul & Brielle Herquet of The Cafe Artists @ Galleria Deptford.

Art in public spaces not only reinforces the state of cultural development in a community it serves as metaphor for what the community is seeing, being and living.  Artists groups such as the Cafe Artists, who meet monthly at the Deptford Barnes & Noble, invigorate the comunity through visual art.

Jack Tanier, Four Seasons, Fall, oil.

The Cafe Artists honored one of their own recently departed member, Jack Tanier, with a show of his works; impressionistic landscapes strewn with the rubble of human encroachment on the environment or the earth reclaining it’s own.  The art in the lobby is show on easles which can be moved to accomodate Court House crowds, then moved back into place; it’s so beautiful that an artist get’s to be remembered and cherished for lifetime achievement and dedication to art.

Jack Tanier paintings outside the courtroom of the Deptford Municipal Building.

The Galleria Deptford, 1011 Cooper Street, Deptford, NJ - DoN’s show is in December!

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Morris Klein, PSoP now has shows running at all three Center City Bonte’s Waffle Cafe’s.  For several year’s the society had an ongoing exhibition @ Joe’s Coffee on Walnut which ended recently; there is an excellent article in the Philadelphia Gay News about how Joe lost the lease on his business, it’s illogical to have all these vacant storefronts.  But the new spaces Bonte’s is offering America’s oldest photography society are modern and loungy - DoN observed patrons checking out the photos while munching waffles, after all some of Philly’s most creative photographers are in the club - John Bacille, Jym Paris, Ed Snyder, Veronica Schmude, Bonnie Schorske..

Photographic Society of Philadelphia @ Bonte’s Waffle Cafes.

Ellen Benson, “Snow Day“, mixed media.

The Dumpster Divers “The Games We Played Remade” @ The Historic Smithville Mansion inhabiting the game rooms (the pool room & bowling alley) of the 1875 estate is a melange of mixed media, metaphors, memories and wishes.  Alden Cole’s Chinese Checkers is delightfully addictive, Ellen Benson’s mixed media works are displayed with room to breath and absorb, Burnell Yow! squishes Barbie heads with badminton rackets - Super Fun!

Burnell Yow! @ “The Games We Played Remade” in The Historic Smithville Mansion.

The bowling alley of the historic space is a perfect venue for the show; The Games We Played Remade is exhibiting some of Philly & SJs best mixed media, green artists in a quirky theme seemlessly matched with a truly beautiful space (there’s a rose garden and a Moose head in the card room) is definitely worth the short drive on Route 38.

An awards exhibition by members of Da Vinci Art Alliance, in collaboration with International Opera Theater, of art inspired by Shakespeare’s tragedy and IOT’s interpretation, a new opera Romeo e Giulietta, directed by Karen Saillant, with music by Emily Wong, libretto by Tommaso Sabbatini, costumes/sets by Mi-Kyoung Lee, world premiered in Teatro degli Avvaloranti, Citta’ della Pieve, Italy, in August 2008.

Da Vinci Art Alliance members interpret the Shakespearean play with paintings, collage, objet trouve and prints.  Above is Lilliana Didovic’s mixed media piece incorporating red fabric the singers use to evoke emotion; Karen Saillant gave a wonderful lecture at the alliance explaining how she selected singers based on their ability to interact expressively with the fabric.  Here a sweet love notion , like a candy heart box drenched in red.

Awards Judges: Karen Saillant and Mi-Kyoung Lee, International Opera Theater.  Lee designed the costumes and is a UArts alum -Holla!

First prize winner, Rachel Citrino’s, expressive mixed media installation is wildly bold, intefrating new technology with a special red color.

June Blumberg, “Romeo and Juliet in Love“, Pitt Pen.

3rd place winner, Francine Strauss, expanded the blue - a visual metaphor the opera employs to convey a change in mood - by repurposing her own old prints into a new collage.

Ted Warchal, 2nd prize - Dr. Deb Miller explained the metaphor of the coffin/cigar box conveniently branded Romeo Y Julietta.

A special surprise during the awards was an acapella performance of songs from the Italian opera by Elias Hendricks - Romeo - which had everyone in tears, a great artist in blossom.  Artistic director Karen Saillant of the International Opera Theater is searching for an appropriate Philadelphia venue after the successful production world premiered in Teatro degli Avvaloranti, Citta’ della Pieve, Italy, in August 2008.

In Your Dreams
June 11 - September 11, 2009
50 Philadelphia artists showcase work related to dreams.  Juried by the Art In City Hall Exhibitions Committee. 2nd and 4th floors, NE corner.  Art in City Hall has been offering public art shows for more than 20 years, displaying work in large display cases, the ongoing exhibition is usually theme-based with the current show focused on dream imagery juried by a panel of professional artists.  The exhibition features drawing (Justin Duerr is the bomb), fantastical jewelry by Christine Alaniz, photography by Morris Klein and Julia Blaukopf, paintings by Patricia Burns and Anne Caramanico, sculptures by Brujo De La Mancha, mixed media and books.  The strength of the show is the acceptance of many forms of art to visualize and share such deeply personal experiences.

Display case two clockwise: DoN Brewer, Shell Game, scanner/Photoshop collage, Brujo De La Mancha, mixed media painting and sculptures, Kathryn Johnston, Saturation, mixed media collage.

Alex Cohen.  This painting seems to tell an entire dream story with a beginning, middle and end.

Angela Washko, “Imposter”, oil on canvas - the large painting highlights confusing imagery of bunnies confronting a slipper demonstrating the duality of dreams where friendly subjects take on menacing behaviors.

 Tanya Dodd, The Right Track, photography and mixed media.  Not all dreams are strange, some are dreams of escape and finding the route to happiness, security and freedom.

 Artist Tanya Dodd recently had a solo show at The African American Museum.

DoN Brewer with Morris Klein’s digital photograph “Daydreaming“, DoN Brewer’s digital photo “light being (Edward Hopper)” and DoN Brewer’s digital photo”hole” @ Art in City Hall, Philadelphia.  Photo by Les Howard.

Philadelphia City Hall is a spectacular venue for art with every detail of the building designed to the max - sculpture, painting, wood, marble, gold - it is an honor to have art displayed in such a great historic space; a dream come true.

Justin Leonard,  Broken Window, York, AL, 2008 .  “…where the action of the camera stops and smears simultaneously the forms it describes.”  In this landscape, Leonard uses the camera as a paintbrush, with no plan, intentional mistakes, restrained color palette and askew composition.

Dru Donovan, “Through photography I gain access to the private lives, thoughts and emotions of strangers.”  Dru said she grew up with men being intimate and close to each other, being sensitive and affectionate without being sexual.

Dru Donovan @ Gallery 339.  Donovan likes the idea of “doubling”, photographing twins and people who’s body has turned against them in black and white because, “it links images together from different times and places.”

Catharine Maloney, Flower and Joe, “This series of work is about movement, gesture and having men who are skinny take their shirts off for me.”

The Yale MFA Photography 2009 show at Gallery 339 is on view through the end of August - if you have never visited this showcase of cutting edge fine art photography, now is the time to investigate what, as one artist put it, “the current generation” of the photographers.

Congratulations to Sarah Stolfa on the publication of her book, The Regulars, by Artisan books.

Angela Lackey is a great observer, she paints contemporary landscape-like images from her memory and imagination.  Morphing the reality of what she sees into a framework of her own image language, a sense of corporeality is infused into the paintings like remembering a place you’ve been.  Applying her secret formula to small and large surfaces, each painting is evocative of a time and place.

The Fishtown Airways Gallery is a wonderful space to show art with high long walls painted a buttery tone and large windows facing oncoming traffic on a corner of East Girard Avenue - great exposure and really friendly people.  Maryanne took DoN on a tour of a soon to open authentic ice cream parlor down the block, authentic counter with pink & gray formica and cool pics of Philly music legends line the walls.  The neighborhood vibe is family oriented, it’s cool that an art gallery is part of the infrastructure.

Angela Lackey & DoN @ Fishtown Airways Gallery, June 1st Friday.  Photo by Peter Prusinowski.

DoN spoke with Luren Jenison about this interesting interactive project ongoing @ Workspace, 319 North 11th Street; the entire room is converted into a giant loom, guests are encouraged to participate with the materials at hand or schedule time to stop by and weave for a while.  You can bring your own stuff to weave, when the large fabric is complete it will be combined with other loomed pieces created in other spaces - so temporal and time-trippy.