Monthly Archives: September 2010

Da Vinci Art Alliance – 7 Deadly Sins @ Noyes Museum of Art, Hammonton NJ

Bobbie Adams. Annette Alessi, Roz Bloom, DoN Brewer, Pat Burns, Lois Allen Charles, Piety Choi, Rachel Christy, Rachel Citrino, Alden Cole, Francesca Costanzo, Lilliana Didovic, Gerard Di Falco, Judy Engle, Linda Dubin, Laura Guzzo, Louise Herring, Ona Kalstein, Maria J. Keane, Gary Koenitzer, Sandi Neiman, Marlon Majette, Lee Muslin, Liz Nicklus, Arthur Ostroff, Anna Pizzoli, Peter Seidel, Rex Sexton, Francine Strauss, Anna Vosburgh, Ted Warchal, Carol Wisker, Wendelyn Anderson, Karen McDonnell, Anthony Cortosi.

Noyes Museum of Art– Hammonton
5 S. Second St.
Hammonton, NJ 08037
(609)561-8006

The DaVinci Art Alliance: “7” Deadly Sins

Exhibit Dates: October 1 – November 24, 2010
Opening Reception: October 1: 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Artist Lecture with Marlon Majette: October 6: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Da Vinci Art Alliance is a non-profit artists organization located in South Philadelphia. The organization was founded in 1931 to serve the needs of professional artists and artisans in the Delaware Valley. Da Vinci Art Alliance currently has over 150 members and is supported through membership dues, gallery rentals, sales commissions, grants, and donations. Da Vinci Art Alliance holds exhibitions of members and non-members artwork as well as special events, workshops, performances, poetry readings, and lectures.

DoN is thrilled about his museum debut with the Seven Deadly Sins exhibit in the Noyes Museum of Art, Hammonton, NJ for some wack-a-doodle time-tripping reasons; DoN has a history with Hammonton, showing in the Noyes is kind of cosmic. DoN hung out with GadFly, an early radical blogger who stirred local political shit in a way that not many people have the balls to do today even in our social networked world. GadFly posted blogs that ended up getting him interviewed by the FBI, radio talk show hosts and the town council, who he called nasty names which ultimately ended up being quoted in his obituary, a final insult to his political enemies. Before the internet GadFly wrote letters to the editor in papers locally and nationally, ranting endlessly about corruption, when he discovered blogging there was no stopping his vitriolic sarcastic wit. GadFly‘s blog was the inspiration for DoNArTNeWs.

GadFly is now known as Dead Larry, a former life guard, since drowning ironically in a gym pool a few years ago. DoN adopted, his now geriatric, Lady Doofus, the St. Bernard/Chihuahua mix who lived on Dead Larry‘s farm but is now an urbane canine retiree in Marion Anderson Historical Village; Lady Doofus may make a surprise appearance at the art gala in her former home town, along with KaTy the ArT DoG who also enjoyed romps in the Pine Barrens swamps. GadFly would LoVe that DoN is presenting his art in Hammonton, New Jersey, his home state (DoN was named most artistic, Deptford High School, Class of ’71), especially the 7 Deadly Sins part – gossip with DoN at the opening party, 10/01/10, to get the real dirt on Dead Larry aka GadFly.

Hammonton, NJ, once a vital town in South Jersey, is recovering from being hit by the Walmart Bomb, the downtown became a bit shabby but now is truly quaint like a Hopper painting, the Noyes Museum Gallery is a revitalizing force – art to the rescue!

Exits & Entrances – David Foss @ LGTripp Gallery

Twelve @ Cafe Twelve – Mina Smith-Segal & Morris Klein

Inside/Outside, Art by Prison Inmates & Ex-offenders – Art in City Hall

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Morning Sun, Darrel Van Mastrigt, acrylic on canvas, courtesy of SCI Graterford.

Inside/Outside @ Art in City Hall is a juried exhibition of art created by Philadelphia prisoners and ex-offenders in cooperation with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Jurors Ona Kalstein and Michele Marcuse traveled to Graterford Prison several times to evaluate and select art created within the high walls of the prison system. DoN was immediately drawn to the immediacy and sense of detail many of the pieces incorporated as if every little bit of the world around us is so important it must be memorialized. The painting above is a typical street scene to any Philadelphian, just close your eyes and think about how much we ignore on your own street and what you would remember if you were not allowed to go home.

Mayor Michael Nutter explained how over the years prisoners have gifted him with portraits as thanks for visiting the prisons on New Years Day each year. After the collection grew the Mayor suggested the Art in City Hall team take on the challenge of displaying the work resulting in an emotional, beautiful, historic and unique exhibition of art.

Bugs, Thomas Schilk, melted plastic spoons. Using found objects, prison artists must glean materials from their environment, Schilk’s Bugs are fun, fantastic and subtle with realism and wit.

E. Sherman Hayman, Inside/Outside, Art by Prison Inmates & Ex-offenders @ Art in City Hall.

Glamorous guns depict the emotional reliance on weapons and the signification of the silhouettes is contemporary and on trend with embellished frames. Showing images of guns in the show is a display of courage by the Art in City Hall team; guns are glamorized in pop & rap culture from Lady Gaga & Beyonce’s Video Phone music video to Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal to movies, TV and games – guns are sexy and scary. By not editing content, the show offers a glimpse into the psyche of those attracted to weapons and violence.

A simple thing like watching a dog play at the beach is a pleasure lost when you’re incarcerated. DoN can’t imagine being kept away from watching KaTy the ArT DoG & Lady Doofus play in the water. DoN believes this painting is by Bernardo Ruiz, the label slipped – if incorrect, please comment.

J. Johndi Harrell, Young Weezy, anyone who knows rapper Lil Wayne knows this portrait is superb with a hard look at a pop culture hero who’s spent time in jail yet is super-successful in the entertainment world creating a conundrum for young people who worship pop heroes.

Thanks so much to Tu Huynh, Art in City Hall Program Manager, the art shows in City Hall put a spotlight on the creative talent in Philly both Inside & Outside. Kudos to Jane Golden and The Mural Arts Program for their outreach into the Philadelphia prison system and Mayor Nutter for connecting the dots in a way that helps prisoners and ex-offenders as well as the citizenry at large. The show is free through October 29th, 2010 – go see some great art today.