Category Archives: Art Spaces Philadelphia

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Art in the Open 2014

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Art in the Open, CFEVA

Art in the Open Application now due January 3rd, 2014

Professional artists working in all media are invited to participate in Art in the Open 2014. From Friday, May 16 through Sunday, May 18, 2014, artists will use Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River Banks as their studio space, creating new works of art ‘outside, on-site.’

Art in the Open re-frames the plein air tradition in a contemporary context, encouraging both artists and audiences to draw inspiration from the city’s natural and urban landscapes. Using the Schuylkill River Banks Park as studio space, participating artists will have the opportunity to explore new or extend current working methods, develop process-oriented projects, and respond to a compelling intersection of urban and natural spaces in the public realm. Selected artists will have the opportunity to participate in complementary programming, public engagement events, and to exhibit artwork created during AiO in the gallery at The Center for Emerging Visual Artists. For more information about the event and to view a gallery of AiO 2012 artists visit http://www.artintheopenphila.org.

 AiO Statistics:
• 8-12,000 visitors per year (on the Schuylkill Banks)
• 30+ Organizational Partners 25 Related programs off and on-site

2014 Art in the Open Jurors 
 
Gerard Brown Tyler School of Art at Temple University’s Center for the Arts 
Harry Philbrick Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum,
 Christine Pfister Pentimenti Gallery, 
Theresa Rose, FringeArts
.

Final application deadline is January 3, 2014. Local, national and international artists are invited to apply.
 To apply visit  https://cfeva.slideroom.com/#/login/program/17400 or

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

For more information or questions, contact Genevieve Coutroubis at Genevieve@cfeva.org.

Juror Information

Gerard Brown writes about art and makes pictures about language. His work has been exhibited in group- and one-person shows nation-wide. As an   independent curator, he has organized exhibitions throughout the Philadelphia region and has been the recipient of a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Grant in Visual Arts Criticism. He earned his BFA from Boston University and his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is currently an Assistant Professor and the Chairperson of Foundations at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University’s Center for the Arts.

Christine Pfister studied at Christie’s Education at Christie’s in New York and since 1995 she has been the Co-Owner and Director of Pentimenti Gallery in Philadelphia. She has given many lectures, and participated on panels, in the Philadelphia area. Lectures/panels include the University of Pennsylvania, the University of the Arts, the American Association of Museums, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art, Moore College of Art & Design, Kutztown University, Kutztown, and more. She is active in a variety cultural organizations including CFEVA, ArtTable and the Maurice Rohrbach Fund.

Pentimenti Gallery exhibits contemporary art by emerging to mid-career artists. The gallery’s exhibitions were reviewed in major magazines and newspapers, such as Art in America, The Art Economist, Timeout New York, the Brooklyn Rail, USA Today, Philadelphia Style Magazine, Philadelphia Inquirer, and more. The gallery has exhibited nationally at various art fairs: Pulse NY, Volta NY, Texas Contemporary, Miami Project and CONTEXT Art Miami.

Harry Philbrick, Edna S. Tuttleman Director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum, directs a museum known internationally for its collections of 19th- and 20th-century American art. The museum’s archives house important materials for the study of American art history, museums, and art training.  Mr. Philbrick is spearheading a revived engagement with contemporary art at PAFA, creating a substantial endowment to rekindle the Museum’s program of actively collecting contemporary art and curating an ambitious series of contemporary exhibitions.  Under his guidance the Museum will open a dedicated Works on Paper Gallery in September, 2013.

Mr. Philbrick has twenty-plus years of experience in museum management, exhibition curation, development, and educational programming and was the Director of The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum from 1996 – 2010.  Mr. Philbrick furthered The Aldrich’s mission of exhibiting provocative and significant contemporary art and establishing education programs that serve as national models in museum education. Mr. Philbrick received his Master of Fine Arts from London University’s Goldsmiths’ College.  His own artwork has been exhibited in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Theresa Rose is currently the Visual Arts Program Director for FringeArts. From 2007-2012, Rose was Public Art Project Manager for the City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy where she managed the Percent for Art program and lead the City’s first temporary public art commission, Soil Kitchen, by the artist team Futurefarmers. Independently, Rose is the founder and one of the organizers of Philly Stake, a micro-granting program for relevant & creative community engaging projects. She is also a Knight Foundation grantee for her upcoming participatory art and food series entitled Operation Food for Thought. Prior to her employment at FringeArts and city government; Rose worked on several projects as an independent curator and artist including exhibitions at Crane Arts, Seraphin Gallery and Little Berlin. She received her MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where she co-chaired the Visiting Artist Lecture Series Program. 

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Coupling, 9th Juried Exhibition

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Coupling, Ninth Annual Juried Exhibition, Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Franks

Coupling, Ninth Annual Juried Exhibition, Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Franks, 13th and Pine Streets, Philadelphia. November 24th through December 27th, 2013. Artist reception and awards December 5, 2013, 7:00 – 10:00pm.

OFF THE WALL GALLERY
at Dirty Frank’s
NE Corner, 13th & Pine
Philadelphia, PA  19107
offthewallgallery@gmail.com
(215) 732-5010 (bar)
(484) 357-6440 (cell)
Philly’s pioneering alternative art space, since 1978.

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Edward Woltemate, Jr.

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Ed Woltemate, Jr., Coalition IngenuEd Woltemate, Jr., Autodidactic Ingenuism, the Coalition Ingenu Collective of Self-Taught Artists at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.”
Philip K. Dick 

“Edward Woltemate, Jr. creates art that takes you to another world.  His brilliant art has bright colors and out-of-this-world design.  Despite being born a deaf mute, his art captures you in his fantasies and takes you on an adventure into the unknown. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, he enjoyed spending summers at his grandparents’ home at the Jersey shore, along with his two sisters (one is also a deaf mute) and his brother.

Eddie has a keen sense of humor which has carried him through the darker places in his life and can be seen in the serendipity of his art. Eddie went to two primary schools, American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, and The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Philadelphia. He has had a lifelong interest in the extraterrestrial and his characters and spacescapes are detailed as never before imagined.

Eddie has traveled extensively with his wife, Elaine, taking photographs and blending his inspiration and vision into his art. Although he works on his drawings every day, he finds time for three grandchildren and hobbies such as photography and gardening.  He loves to shop and go to museums and is always thinking about what his next drawing will be.” – Ed Woltemate, Jr. website

Ed Woltemate, Jr., Coalition IngenuEd Woltemate, Jr., Moonspidergee, mixed media and colored pencil on paper, $500.00  Autodidactic Ingenuism, the Coalition Ingenu Collective of Self-Taught Artists at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

“Ed Woltemate, Jr. is a very organized man with a logical mind. Most of his work is accompanied by a kind of ‘legend’ on the back that describes the climate, topography, atmosphere and many other intricate details and characters of his imaginary worlds.

Ed Woltemate, Jr. has traveled extensively with his wife, Elaine, taking many photographs and blending his observation and impressions into his art. Although he draws every day, he also finds time for his three grandchildren and enjoys several hobbies including gardening, shopping, museum touring and photography.” –Ed Woltemate, Jr. artist statement at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

Ed Woltemate, Jr., Coalition IngenuEd Woltemate, Jr., Marrs, mixed media and colored pencil on paper, $800.00, Autodidactic Ingenuism, the Coalition Ingenu Collective of Self-Taught Artists at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

Ed Woltemate, Jr. creates worlds of wonder using simple materials like pencils and paper that transport the viewer to distant planets inhabited by intelligent beings who have advanced societies. The artist peoples these worlds with beings who are creative, beautiful and friendly and on the back of the finished work he provides a ‘legend’ that describes in great detail where the planet is conjunction to where we are on Earth. He even names each planet and their inhabitants. With the recent cosmological news that there are more than eight billion ‘Goldy Locks’ planets in the Milky Way alone, Woltemate won’t be running out of planets to describe any time soon.

Ed and I have been in several art shows together including Art Ability at Bryn Mawr Rehab, the Philadelphia Foundation and the Delaware Art Museum, I’ve been a long time fan. Science Fiction and alternate realities are an element of my own art with my ‘light being’ photography series but Ed is able to visualize the other-wordly without having to say a word. Whereas I have to explain to people what my art is about.

Each of his drawings is like watching a great Sci-Fi movie that allows the viewer to suspend belief and experience life on another planet for a while. It’s been said that art viewers spend about five seconds looking at art in a museum. But Ed Woltemate, Jr. art requires the viewer to take an astral trip of light years where a second expands into centuries, centuries into eons and eons into a kind of after-life and when you get back all your friends might be gone. Quantum physics works like that and he taps into that energetic time/space continuum vibe like Steven Hawking.

Ed Woltemate, Jr., Coalition IngenuEd Woltemate, Jr., Cogacy, mixed media and colored pencil on paper, $400.00, Autodidactic Ingenuism, the Coalition Ingenu Collective of Self-Taught Artists at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

I had the opportunity to interview his lovely wife, manager and translator, Elaine Woltemate, at the opening of Autodidactic Ingenism, the Coalition Ingenu Collective of Self-Taught Artists at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens:

How long have you been working with Coalition Ingenu?

“Gee whiz, we’ve been with Coalition Ingenu for about two and a half years. I have been more or less managing Ed’s art for a while and Robert Bullock has been a great help. But I’ve taken different routes also with Ed’s art and I plan to continue to do that. We’re trying to get into different places than we’ve been before, we’ve been successful in the last couple of years with Bryn Mawr Rehab Art Ability, Moss Rehab, the disabled artists venues. Bryn Mawr Rehab’s Art Ability has three of his pieces this year, the opening is November 2nd. Then on November 9th we’re at Main Line Art Center, we sold a nice piece there about two or three months ago.”

Amie Potsic is a friend of mine.

“She’s very young to have the position she holds, don’t you think? Everybody looked young there! Through a friend of ours we were introduced to an organization called Build a Bridge, it’s a volunteer organization that gets funds for the homeless and different people throughout the city that need assistance, Build a Bridge is having a gala and we offered to donate a piece of art.

My friend told me a little about what was going on, I thought Eddie’s art would fit in with that. They said that if he could create a drawing that depicts ‘Hopeful City‘ they would like to use that. So he made a beautiful drawing, something totally different than what he’s used to of Rittenhouse Square. It’s going to be auctioned off at Build a Bridge, it’s purely because we have been so fortunate in the last few years that it was time to give back, So Edward is going to be involved in that and we’re excited about it!

It doesn’t mean any money for us but I think it will be great exposure and it’s something different for him. As I said, we have been very fortunate, maybe not dollar-wise but just in the people we’ve met, you know? And the venues that we’ve been in, we’ve been very fortunate lately, so, like I said, it’s time to give back.”

But how can people buy your work besides this show?

“We have a website http://www.edwardwoltematejr.com/index.html. We’re on facebook but I’m not very technical. Robert sees me as a good manager of Eddie’s art, I’m going to have to get more technologically savvy. I’m soliciting my son already, he’s at University of Pennsylvania and teaches computer science. So I’m giving him lunch and getting lessons.

Do you sell prints?

“No, we don’t. And do you know why? I really feel like we’ve come to a point where we have to do something different, not just sell the originals all the time, maybe that’s another step we should take because originals only last for so long (in stock).

How would you describe Ed’s work?

“Unique is kind of an over-used phrase but his art doesn’t fit any category. It doesn’t fit outsider, it doesn’t fit visionary – it’s kind of his own vision of different planets, different galaxies. It’s very different than any other art out there. Maybe that’s why we have sold to gallery owners and collectors that have more of an appreciation than the general public. As far as describing his work – it’s in his own category. It’s Edward Woltemate, jr.” – Elaine Woltemate

Read more about Autodidactic Ingenuism, the Coalition Ingenu Collective of Self-Taught Artists at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens on DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog

Written and photographed by DoN Brewer except where noted.

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Off the Wall Autumn Invitational 2013

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Anders Hansen, Midnight Sun

Anders Hansen, Midnight Sun, charcoal and gesso on paper.

Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Franks Bar Autumn Invitational 2013 features new artwork from their award-winning, top-selling artists: Jim Biglan, Bob Gorchov, Anders Hansen, Yeoun Lee, Jesse r Lentz, Bill Myers, Lance Pawling and Syd Torchio.

The gallery located in the corner bar has developed a reputation for discovering new artists, creating exciting art experiences and generating sales. Located near art schools, artist clubs and art galleries, Dirty Franks is a hub of artistic energy and talent. It’s not unusual to rub elbows with famous artists or aspiring art students, chef Anthony Bourdain even shot a segment of his show there and got a bit drunk while shooting the show (click his name to see the episode).

Curated by the multitalented Jody Sweitzer, who recently was celebrated with a one-person show at The Plastic Club with an eighteen year retrospective, Off the Wall Gallery is a unique venue which welcomes all kinds of art and artists. Togo Travalia, manager of the bar, tirelessly promotes the shows with outstanding publicity efforts including keepsake catalogs, posters and inventive facebook posts helping create the environment that the art is indeed for sale.

Anders Hansen, Somewhere in France

Anders Hansen, Somewhere in France, ink on paper

“I want my work to have density, complexity, movement, expressiveness. I like my materials to have a life and play of their own – ink that’s inky, charcoal that’s earthy, paint that’s rich, lines that cavort.” – Anders Hansen artist statement excerpt

Anders Hansen’s artwork never fails to surprise yet is totally accessible and decorative. Maybe his limited palette and fluid lines are the secret to his success, allowing the viewer to enjoy his art as it seeps into their consciousness with beautiful simplicity. But the work is the result of determined practice and years of work achieving a level of artistry that is reminiscent of the masters like Pollack or De Kooning. I’m not being flattering here, look for yourself, and you’ll see why collectors seek out his art to fill voids in their collections.

Bill Myers, Everyone Bleeds Now

Bill Myers, Everyone Bleeds Now, digital collage

Bill Myers mashes up original photography with found art to create his signature brand of surrealism. I love it that not everyone get’s it because the best art is often confusing. An accomplished professional photographer, Myers’ artwork mixes metaphors and memes with aplomb creating a balancing act between the real and unreal.

“My art mixes reality or fantasy and combines them to create a storyline that is TOTALLY TRUE OR FALSE!!!” – Bill Myers artist statement excerpt

Lance Pawling, Life on the Line

Lance Pawling, Life on the Line, found object assemblage

Lance Pawling has established himself as an important influence on the creative community of Philadelphia. As a performer with the Dumpsta Players, an employee of the Philadelphia Art Museum and an award-winning fine artist he demonstrates that living the artistic life can be fun and functional. His art, like his life, mixes what he finds into pleasing compositions of exotica, multi-media and history. Unafraid of criticism he laughs with the viewer when he puts Ben Franklin in drag, spoofs the Last Supper or assumes the personality of a Super-Star!

“I find inspiration everywhere I look. The spark might  emerge from the shadow of reflected light,or follow the path of a leaf delicately dancing through the air, set aloft by a passing bus. The delight of creation is all around me.” – Lance Pawling artist statement excerpt

Lance Pawling, Diamond J

Lance Pawling, Diamond J, found object assemblage

“Lance Pawling, a Philadelphia-based artist, does performance art and creates handcrafted goods. Lance’s performance art takes the form of drag and female impersonation intended to delight his audience while making them squirm. Lance’s handcrafted art is made largely through found objects—often broken or discarded items—which he transforms into another state of material being that the viewer may not otherwise have seen or expected.” – Lance Pawling website

Bob Gorchov, untitled (Aves)

Bob Gorchov, Untitled (Aves), acrylic, watercolor, ink and pencil on paper

With naive abandon, Bob Gorchov, mixes media and styles to create exuberant creations that recall great artists like, you know, Picasso, Kandinsky, Bourgeois…seriously, before you buy copy-cat art from a big box store buy a Gorchov and you will own an original that no one else has.

Picasso famously said, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

“About my recent paintings, I can say that the use of color is bolder, less somber and more varied than in previous works. This probably has little to do with conscious choice. I start wirth a line or image and see where it leads me. Then it’s one accident after another – or almost.” – Bob Gorchov artist statement

Yeoun Lee, Spring Shades

Yeoun Lee, Spring Shades, acrylic on canvas

The Autumn Invitational show has some amazing tableaus spread across the wall but Yeoun Lee‘s work, even though it stands fully on it’s own, complements the works nearby. Paired with Anders Hansen‘s mysterious abstractions her brilliant colors deepen the darkness of Hansen’s moody artworks. Placed next to Syd Torchio‘s exquisite portraiture, her work sings the song you hear in your head but with color. Adjacent to Bob Gorchov‘s child-like exhuberance, Yeoun Lee‘s paintings act like the adult in the room. There are several of Lee’s award-winning paintings in this show that belong in collections. #BuyArt

“My greatest source of inspiration to paint comes from nature, which gives me the freedom to express myself and to forget about the darkness and hardships that are inherent in the journey of life. With nature as my inspiration, I feel completly free to my own colors and techniques to create my own world on canvas. In this respect, I consider myself a colorist, using techniques such as dripping, layering, overlapping, and brushwork in my paintings. – Yeoun Lee website

“We’re all affected by what we see around us, by our experience and also by our moods. My great source of inspiration comes from nature and colors. Through observation, memory and my imagination, nature inspires me.” Yeoun Lee artist statement excerpt

Off the Wall Gallery Autumn Invitational 2013

Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Franks Bar Autumn Invitational 2013 features new artwork from their award-winning, top-selling artists: Jim Biglan, Bob Gorchov, Anders Hansen, Yeoun Lee, Jesse r Lentz, Bill Myers, Lance Pawling and Syd Torchio.

Jesse r Lentz, Off the Wall Gallery

Jesse r Lentz and Jim Biglan, Off the Wall Gallery

The vitrine in the corner of the bar is dedicated to Jesse r Lentz‘ and Jim Biglan’s sculptures, drawings, paintings and mixed media objects with quirky mash-ups and objet trouve that makes me think that Dirty Franks invented the concept of ‘pop-up shop’. Like a mini museum, the glass case contains a fantastical array of the artists’ work that would enhance an urbane mantle, brighten a kitschy kitchen or add animal totem’s to a bedroom to occupy your dream-scapes. Lentz says, “I genuinely feel my small works can live peacefully in the dimly lit environment of Dirty Franks.”

“Jesse r Lentz is a sculptor who focuses mainly on the idea of toy and touch. The physicality of an interactive sculpture has been a primary part of her sculptural work since she began practice. Learning the lost wax process of bronze sculpture as well as jewelry casting, welding, and other metal working techniques influenced her relationship to materials and craft. Animals and the human form have been a major inspiration point in all her studies.” – Jesse r Lentz artist statement excerpt from RAWartists.org

“This artwork represents three different avenues I’ve been exploring: 1) small humorous drawings sometimes using text, 2) my ‘moving drawings’, with slots, tabs, pulleys, etc., that can be manipulated to alter the drawing or reveal new areas; and small sculptures that are an extension of my love of mask and puppet-making.” – Jim Biglan artist statement

2013 Autumn Invitational at Off the Wall Gallery in Dirty Franks Bar, 13th and Pine Streets, Philadelphia on view through November 22nd.

The next show is called Coupling – the deadline for entry is 10/31/13

Written and photographed by DoN Brewer except where noted.

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Autodidactic Ingenuism

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Autodidactic Ingenuism, Coalition Ingenu

In 1995, Robert Bullock volunteered to help set up an art show for a non-profit organization that helped to provide creative outlets for people with histories of mental illness. After much research, he found a gallery that would agree to host the exhibit under one condition:  everything had to be framed. As he collected the artwork from the people who wanted to participate, Bullock began to realize two things: 1) It would not be enough work to fill the gallery and, 2) None of it would be framed.

For the most part, he was dealing with people who had not been formally trained or significantly exposed to fine art. Most of them were living in small apartments on social security benefits. They didn’t have any money for art supplies or framing. And yet, Bullock thought that some of the work had a very unique and original quality to it. It wasn’t pretentious. It didn’t take itself too seriously.

He went to framing shops and asked for donations of discarded frames. He bought glass and mat board and made some of the molding from scratch using cheap wooden firring strips from Home Depot. He researched and contacted other community art programs in homeless shelters and mental health centers to find more artwork. By the time the show opened in May of 1995, Bullock was able to fill one of the largest galleries in Olde City with art from several different programs, only one of which was able to contribute a very small amount of money to help defray his personal costs. At the time, he was unemployed and living in a carriage house rent-free, in exchange for his agreement to work on the property.

The show was a success. In those days, first Friday openings in Olde City involved food, beer, wine, and live music – and this one was packed. The art was also inexpensive and accessible. The gradual emergence from the shadows of a thing called “Outsider Art” was reaching the collective consciousness. Even people, like Bullock himself, who had never even heard the term before, were searching for something raw and genuine — something not deliberately different or contrived, but essentially different, and deeply ingenuous.

The first use of the term “Outsider Art” was in a book by Roger Cardinal published 20 years earlier. It described art made by people from “outside” of the mainstream art community. People who had not gone to art school or college, but also who were not aware of all the trends in fine art as defined by academic tradition. Bullock, too, was a person who had never gone to art school. A person who had always enjoyed doodling, and had recently done a great deal more of it during a two and half year trek throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Southeast Asia. He had decided, upon his return, to further explore his interest in art, but had no idea where to go with it. Most of the modern conceptual art confused him and left him feeling disconnected from his emotional instincts. Abstract impressionism seemed too limited and too “safe” in its’ deliberate rejection of representational content. Frankly, he didn’t know very much about any of it.

That first exhibit in 1995 established the foundation of an enduring passion for Bullock. In 1996, he chose the name Coalition Ingenu for his second group exhibit in Olde City, entitled “Philadelphia Self-Taught”. He continued to search art programs and seek out individual artists for the next 18 years, and gathered like-minded friends and volunteers to help with his efforts. Coalition Ingenu received non-profit status in 2001, but deliberately remained very small and true to the original concept. Its’ mission was to encourage exploration of the imagination and promote appreciation for the creative process independent of results. To cultivate self-esteem and confidence, generate motivation and passion, and encourage the use of creativity as a tool for the gradual healing of emotional and psychic wounds. To build a community of mutual support among self-taught and self-motivated artists precluded from formal training or significant exposure to fine art as defined by cultural bias. To establish an alternative to art built upon layers of academic tradition and affirm the value of inviolate creativity in all its’ many forms and expressions.

Over the next 18 years, the collective would assemble over 180 exhibits and display over 6000 pieces of art by hundreds of different artists from mental health centers, hospitals, prisons, senior centers, retirement communities, physical rehabilitation facilities, substance abuse programs, and homeless shelters. The would also discover, by word of mouth, many individuals who made art on their own, independent of any formal program.

In 1997, Coalition Ingenu had begun to conduct open studio art programs in various locations, but went beyond just providing the participants with something to do. They respected the work that was made in these programs, and considered it just as beautiful, inspirational, important and thought provoking as anybody else’s artwork. They believed that the extraordinary life circumstances experienced by each artist were a more direct and original source of inspiration than the exhaustive study of academic tradition. And they believed that artwork by lower income, less visible, and less formally educated people deserved equal opportunity to be displayed in mainstream art galleries by virtue of its’ validity as uniquely inviolate expressions of real-life people in an often difficult and disappointing world.

Bullock invested the past 18 years of his life in pursuit of this belief, and his wife supported him in doing this, even as the couple began to experience a long string of financial difficulties. For the most recent half of the its’ 18 year history, the Coalition Ingenu funding stream has grown increasingly dryer, while a 2004 layoff forced Bullock’s wife to eventually take a job making less than half as much money. But the exhibits only got better. As some of the members became better known and the group attracted new and more accomplished artists, and the collective adapted and evolved into a respected arts organization. Their growing reputation earned the attention of higher profile venues from New York NY to Pittsburgh PA — and as far south as Washington DC and Durham NC. But this is where it will end:

In less than two months, Bullock and his wife will be moving to Florida for family reasons. If resources permit, the Coalition Ingenu Self-taught Artists’ Collective will eventually resurrect and pick up where it will leave off when it departs Philadelphia this December. The groups’ final exhibit is, very appropriately, at the gallery within the visionary masterpiece of local artist Isaiah Zagar. The exhibit features nine of the groups most popular and renowned artists, and is entitled Autodidactic Ingenuism, which essentially means self-taught and without restraint.

The opening reception is this Friday, October 11 from 6 – 9 pm, at the Philadelphia Magic Gardens, 1020 South Street. It runs until Friday, Nov. 15.

Written by Robert Bullock, Coalition Ingenu