Category Archives: Center for Emerging Visual Artists

Philadelphia Art Season, Fall 2010

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Charles Cushing

Charles Cushing @ Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Festival, mid September 2010.

The Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Festival attracts artists and collectors to the famous park in Center City, the perimeter lined with white tents each artist displaying their collection in the late Summer heat.  DoN talked with Philly favorite, fine artist Charles Cushing about the large scale painting attracting crowds to his booth – he worked on the oil painting over several months creating a nose-bleed view of the ball park all the way down town.

The Philly Fall art scene explodes this weekend with Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, Photography 2010 @ The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia Images @ The Plastic Club and DoN Brewer‘s one-person show, Dark Matter, @ Bonte’s Cafe, 17th & Sansom Sts., a Photographic Society of Philadelphia event- this is the weekend to plan your art crawl carefully to experience the unique, open, accessible art world embedded in Philadelphia culture.  And the Phillies clinch fourth straight playoff berth – Go Phillies!

 

Photo by DoN, 2010.

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Haus of DoN, Summer 2010

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Hello my little DoNsters, the Haus of DoN, DoNBrewerMultimedia, is slowly rising from the muck of the economic melt-down of 2010 like a lotus with petals opening onto a new season of art and culture.  DoN is so grateful to the Center for Emerging Visual Artists and the Coffee Bar for the extended exhibition of his photo series titled “light beings” through the end of August, 2010. 

As reiki energy would have it, the Photographic Society of Philadelphia‘s long running series of solo member exhibitions @ Bonte’s Café, 17th & Sansom Streets is hosting DoN Brewer‘s “Dark Matter” a collection of images gleaned from the on-going 16 x 20″ show @ the other PSoP venue @ 9th & Walnut Streets and photographs from the “light beings” series.  The exhibition is being installed Thursday, September 9th, 2010 @ 4:00 PM, it is so cool to continue to show DoN‘s art in the heart of Center City.  Thank You so much to PSoP for their confidence end enthusiasm.

light being (Dennis), digital photograph, 2010, DoN Brewer @ Bonte’s Cafe, 17th & Samsom Sts.

From Downtown Center City to Bartram’s Garden in West Philly, Friday, September 10th, 2010 @ 6:00 pm at the Bartram’s Garden Gallery, the Da Vinci Art Alliance is hosting, “What’s the Buzz?”, a DVAA Members Event based on bees; Bartram’s Garden is now cultivating bees and it’s the Honey Festival, too.  Mmmm.  DoN will be gallery-sitting Saturday, September 11th, 2010, 10:00 AM – 2:00PM in the delightful art space in the oldest barn in Philly, stop in for a curated tour by artists participating in the weekend-long show.

Pemberton Street Garden, digital photograph, 2010, DoN Brewer @ Bartram’s Garden Gallery, September 10th – 12th, 2010.

Later that evening DoN will be at the opening of “Through My Window“, a Da Vinci Art Alliance event at The Perkins Art Center in Collingswood, NJ.  The group show’s only caveat was include an old window, each artist visualizing their own view of reality into a work of art – the show has been exhibited at Smile Gallery in Center City Philly and the Renaissance Riverfront Center for the Arts in Millville, NJ. 

 

DoN Brewer & “Vue de la 22 Rue Rambuteau“. colored pencil drawing.

Sunday, September 12th, 2010 @ 2:00 PM DoN will join the party for the Absolutely Abstract 2010 juried exhibition at The Philadelphia Sketch Club, it is such an honor to have abstract landscape photograph from the “light beings” series included in the exclusive art collection for the third year in a row.  Read more about the exhibit @ DoNArTNeWs.

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light beings (Sid & Nancy), digital photograph, DoN Brewer @ The Philadephia Sketch Club’s Absolutely Abstract 2010.

DoN‘s blog, DoNArTNeWs, continues to grow in popularity with a DoN‘s eye view of the gallery scene in Philly.  Thank you to all the artists who share their work, their stories and their passions with DoN; creating a narrative of the warren of alleys in the Philly art world is fun and frustrating with so many exciting and inspiring events to participate in and attend. 

This Fall, DoN is included in the Art Ability art show at Bryn Mawr Rehab Center in Paoli, the huge exhibit of hundreds from artists from all over the world is a juried exhibition of art by works by people living with disabilities.  DoN is also helping to brand Vision for Equality, Inc , designing custom SEO code, resulting in the non-profit organization, which advocates for and monitors people with intellectual disabilities, a page one ranking in Google!  DoN is also writing blog posts for NUVISIONS for Disabled Artists and Diversified Art blog is featuring DoN‘s “light being (Mary)” on their gallery page.  DoN also posts stories on PhillySideArts , QBN and is the Reporting Secretary for the Vitruvian Quarterly art newsletter for the Da Vinci Art Alliance.

light being (Walt), digital photograph, DoN Brewer @ Art Ability this fall.

For now, my lovely DoNsters – the Haus of DoN has withstood the attack of the latest distortion wave in the time space continuum, with super-friends at CFEVA, Da Vinci Art Alliance, The Plastic Club, the Philadelphia Sketch Club, PANMA and The Philadelphia Council for Community Advancement helping DoN survive the money bomb of the Great Recession.  With the LoVe and support DoN feels from comrades & cohorts, making art, communicating visions, telling stories and realizing dreams is now back in fine focus.

Thank you President Obama and Mayor Nutter, without your programs and plans for the people, the Haus of DoN would have collapsed like a house of cards; DoN has been dealt an exciting second hand and has big plans for the future in Philly.

LoVe

DoN

“Sculpting Nature” Featuring Career Development Program Fellows Susan Benarcik, R. Noel Shaak and John Woodin @ CFEVA

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Susan Benarcik @ CFEVA

Susan Benarcik installed thousands of toothpicks on the walls of the CFEVA Gallery @ 15th & Locust Streets as part of Sculpting Nature, a three person show of CFEVA Career Development Program Fellows .  Benarcik’s wooden installation wraps around a corner paired with hanging tear-drop shaped sculptures made from white wire hangers, some of which were rusted from hanging in a private garden (hmm…do the initials E.T. come to mind?).

Susan Benarcik @ CFEVA

Susan Benarcik @ CFEVA

Susan Benarcik’s wire sculptures are light and airy yet angsty and filled with emotion casting shadows of doubt in the gallery’s alcove.

Susan Benarcik @ CFEVA

Susan Benarcik @ Sculpting Nature.

R. Noel Shaak

R. Noel Shaak‘s pen, ink & marker drawings are goth & Goethe mash-ups each telling an entire movies worth of narrative like some steam-punk Gorey for 2010.

John Woodin @ CFEVA

John Woodin talked about how his vineyard photos are actually Long Island and not some exotic European country.  The large scale photographs have a strange geometry, formal compositions drawn from informal resources like walking through a warm East Coast forest in summer.  DoN knew the photos were Woodin before he knew they were Woodin, that’s style.

The cohesive show is an amalgam of styles each somehow tuned into the concept of nature changed by the gaze of people, Benarcik’s sculptures energize the room, Shaak’s drawings whisper weird secrets and Woodin’s photos traverse space and time.

John Woodin @ CFEVA

John Woodin @ Sculpting Nature in the Center for Emerging Visual Artists Gallery through 9/2/2010.

 

DoN Brewer

CFEVA Introduction 2012
Blick Art Materials

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DoN Brewer’s Art Talk @ The Coffee Bar

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DoN is extremely grateful and humbled by the wonderful turn out of old and new friends, fellow artists and enthusiasts who came out last Tuesday to hear him speak about his collection of photographs called “light beings”.   Thank you so much to the hard work of Amie Potsic of The Center for Emerging Visual Artists for arranging the event which drew about 70 people to hear DoN talk about the origin of the concept, how the photography and presentation is realized, which cameras DoN prefers and stories about the people in the titles.

To say that DoN‘s mouth went dry when he saw the sea of faces is an understatement, at one point his upper lip curled up onto his dry teeth so much he had to reach up and un-stick it.  Everyone said they didn’t notice but DoN thinks they’re just happy it wasn’t them dealing with a bit of stage fright.  Luckily, DoN‘s speech went well, even if the people in the back of the room stoically stood their ground while they mouthed, “I can’t hear you.”  People, if you can’t hear, sit in the front row – duh!?!  And the art raffle was a success, too – DoN offered art cards as raffle tickets and sold enough to raffle off an art work.  Ironically the winner of the drawing is one of DoN‘s collectors who had already purchased one of the works from the exhibit.  Since the raffle was so successful, DoN is extending the offer because CFEVA has arranged for the show to hang three extra weeks!  If you have already purchased a raffle card you are still eligible to win, contact DoN to purchase your cards for a chance to own one of DoN‘s photographs.  If you haven’t seen the show, please go, the space is beautiful, the staff is cute and the coffee will keep you awake all night.

Kathleen Rockwell, DoN, Lori Hess and Carly Valentine.

Kathleen Rockwell, DoN, Lori Hess and Carly Valentine @ The Radisson Warwick Hotel’s, The Coffee Bar.

Back in the late 80’s, early 90’s, DoN was a member of The Regional Art Association, a grass roots arts club who met in the dilapidated Clementon Court House.  Kathleen, Lori & Carly’s grandmother, Jean Walsh, kept the group going for almost a decade, when DoN lost his job with a major communications company and returned to art school full time, these fine folks supported and encouraged him to push ahead and realize a dream.

Thank you to Shoshanna Aron, Alden Cole and Les Howard for helping to install the show and their continuing love and support.  Thanks to Ona Kalstein and Ted Warchal of Da Vinci Art Alliance Board of Directors for their confidence and encouragement.  Thanks to Danny Reilly of the Photographic Society of Philadelphia for taking pictures and just being there, Danny is a great photographer, it’s an honor to have him document the event.  Thanks to Lisa, Regina, Faith, Fran, Jean-Paul, Karen & Don, Sheila, Deb, Helen and all of the friends and family who came out to Center City on a hot Summer night to hear DoN.  Without the interest and recognition of art enthusiasts, making art can be a lonely pursuit, but, when you feel the love, it’s totally addictive.

LoVe

DoN 

DoN Brewer, “light beings”, Closing Party & Artist Talk @ The Coffee Bar

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DoN Brewer light beings @ The Coffee Bar presented by The Center for Emerging Visual Artists

light being (Anne D’Harnoncourt), DoN Brewer, art card @ The Coffee Bar, 17th & Locust Streets – A Center for Emerging Visual Artists Event.  This image did not make the show because of soot damage to the original photo – a tip:  frame your photos under glass, glare-free if possible.  DoN‘s art cards are printed locally by Media Copy in Center City – thanks to Debbie and the crew for their great work.

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 @ 5:30 PM, CFEVA will host a closing party and artist talk for DoN Brewer at The Radisson Warwick Plaza Hotel, The Coffee Bar, 17th & Locust Sts.  DoN is raffling off one of the photographs by selling limited edition greeting cards, signed and numbered, $5. each or 3 for $10.00 – 25% of sales is dedicated to a well deserved commission for CFEVA.  If all 200 cards sell, two pieces will be raffled off.  The exhibit is on display through the end of July.

Thanks so much to The Center for Emerging Visual Artists for their love and support.