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Lens

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DA VINCI ART ALLIANCE Where Art Is Genius, 704 Catharine St, Philadelphia, PA 19147

 OPEN CALL TO PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR ENTRIES INTO A JURIED EXHIBITION: OPEN LENS

Da Vinci Art Alliance’s Open Juried Exhibition of Photography

Opening Reception and Awards Presentation: February 7–28, 2015, Wednesday, February 11, 6–9pm. Juried by Joel Katz award-winning designer, photographer, educator and author.

Gallery Hours: Wed 6–8 pm, Sat–Sun 1–5 pm

The Da Vinci Art Alliance was founded in 1931 and enjoys a distinguished history in Philadelphia. It was formed to serve the needs of artists and artisans and to promote the edification and appreciation of the arts. Our well-located building across from Fleisher was purchased in 1959 to provide studio, and gallery spaces for its members and outreach for the community. Da Vinci maintains a small collection of works by noted founders. The Da Vinci Art Alliance supports community based arts programs, and cultural and educational exchanges through monthly exhibitions, lectures and events.

This vital organization is supported by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund and a diverse group of artists and patrons. As we continue to expand our commitment to our members and our community, Da Vinci Art Alliance welcomes professionally qualified artists and cultural patrons. Da Vinci Art Alliance is supported by annual membership dues, gallery and studio rentals, and a 20% commission on sales of art and receives additional funding from grants and donations for special projects. Through annual dues our members proudly share in the ownership of our building and an honored tradition of volunteerism.

Description and Eligibility: This group exhibition is open to the general public and will feature traditional film and digital photography works. Digital illustrations, manipulations, and PhotoShop special effects will not be permitted, however basic color and contrast corrections are permitted.

Rules for Entry: Artists may submit a maximum of three entries. Artwork submitted must fulfill the photography requirements stated above. Entry fee of $10 for Da Vinci Art Alliance members, $15 non-members, must accompany application. Make check payable to Da Vinci Art Alliance or pay by credit card at drop-off. No cash please. Exhibiting artists may be expected to gallery sit for a 2-hour shift during regular gallery hours in the month of February. Da Vinci Art Alliance will receive a 20% commission on any artwork sold from the exhibition, and as a result of contacts made through the exhibition. Da Vinci is responsible for press releases, listings, price lists and gallery labels. Images of artwork may be included in promotion. Artwork will be handled with care, but Da Vinci is not responsible for loss or damage; all art will be uninsured. Entry and exhibition of artworks are at the artists’ own risk.

Delivery and Installation: Artwork submissions will be due for delivery to Da Vinci Art Alliance on Sunday, February 1, 1–4pm, or Monday, February 2, 6–8pm, or by arrangement with the Director. Because of space restrictions, dimensions are limited to 36” x 36” for 2D work. 3D or installation work is acceptable. All work must be display-ready, with proper framing, hooks, hanging wire, bases, and proper equipment if necessary; improperly prepared work will not be accepted. Staff from Da Vinci Art Alliance may ask artists for assistance with installation if the artwork requires special attention.

Notification and Retrieval of Artwork: Artists will be notified on Wednesday, February 4 via email if their work is not accepted. Pick up of unaccepted work: Friday, February 6, beginning at 10am. Pick up of accepted but unsold work: Sunday, March1, 1–4pm or Monday, March 2, 6–8pm. Works not retrieved will incur a $5/day storage fee, unless arrangements are made with the Director for a later pick-up.

Reception: A reception and awards presentation including cash prizes, is open to the public and will be held on Wednesday, February 11, 6–9pm.

IMPORTANT DATES: Delivery of clearly labeled art work: February 1, 1–4pm, and February 2, 6–8pm. Judging of artwork: February 3. Notification of unaccepted work: February 4.Pick up of unaccepted work: February 6, beginning at 10am. Installation of show: February 6, beginning at 10am. Artist Reception and Awards Presentation: February 11, 6–9pm. Pick-up of unsold art work: March 1, 1–4pm, and March 2, 6–8pm

Entry form OPEN LENS: Photography Exhibition

Artist’s Name ___________________________________________________________

Phone ________________________________________________________________

Email _________________________________________________________________

Artwork #1 Title _________________________________________________________

Year ____________________________ Medium _______________________________

Dimensions ______________________ Price _________________________________

Artwork #2 Title _________________________________________________________

Year ____________________________ Medium _______________________________

Dimensions ______________________ Price _________________________________

Artwork #3 Title _________________________________________________________

Year ____________________________ Medium _______________________________

Dimensions ______________________ Price _________________________________

What dates/times are you available to gallery sit? (only Weds, Sats, Suns) ___________

______________________________________________________________________

Please print, and return this sheet with your registration fee, $10 Da Vinci members, $15 non-members (check payable to Da Vinci Art Alliance or credit card at drop-off; no cash please). Artworks will not be accepted without payment. Want to become a member of Da Vinci Art Alliance? Annual membership dues are: $40, $30 students (with proof of valid ID). Da Vinci Art Alliance 704 Catharine Street Philadelphia, PA 19147

www.davinciartalliance.org

Questions? Contact Gaby Heit, Executive Director davinciartalliance@gmail.com, 646-229-3353

For office use only (circle one): Member / Non-Member Registration Fee $________ Final Pick Up, Initialed ________ Artwork #1 Accepted / Picked Up Artwork #2 Accepted / Picked Up Artwork #3 Accepted / Picked Up

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Garden

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Bartram's Garden, DoN BrewerBartram’s Garden, DoN Brewer, oil on canvas, 16″ x 20″

My friend John Benigno asked me the other day if I had ever finished the painting I posted on Instagram? I think it’s done. Painting plein air with the Philadelphia Art Meetup Group ignites an energy in me that had been dormant. Going into the field, with the security of friends, to paint the natural world stimulates creativity through performance. It’s like being in a play and everyone is making up their own parts. Sometimes there is participation from the audience like a dog-walker with questions or a passing car horn honk.

Posting progress of the painting on Instagram and facebook is also a kind of performance art with the satisfaction of ‘likes’ and comments. The act of painting is as scientific and technological as computing, it’s hard work and experience to learn the combinations. You really need to know your codes to get results and with painting it’s about emulsions.

When I’m outdoors I use Liquin medium to thin the oils, the result is a nice soft texture with a bit of transparency. In a home studio, though, the fumes are too much. I learned about Gamblin Galkyd Lite at Plaza Artist Material Hands On Creativity event this past Summer. Using the Gamblin Galkyd Lite medium indoors to finish the painting from a photograph was not as smelly but you still need good ventilation. The finish was nice and slippery, the paint layered and stayed in place, and the drying was faster with time to work wet on wet.

Bartram's Garden, DoN BrewerBartram’s Garden, DoN Brewer, Philadelphia Art Meetup Group

Thank you to Bartram’s Garden for being such a welcoming host for artists to work in a beautiful, safe and accommodating environment. Thank you to Philadelphia Art Meetup Group for their support and encouragement for painters to gather together and make art. Thanks to Plaza Artist Material for the demo and free stuff, the education and fine materials you provided pushed me to paint. Thank you to my followers who continue to show interest in my work, provide support and encouragement for me to be an artist.

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Dollar

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Dollar General, DoN BrewerDollar General, digital photograph on acrylic, 20” x 24” x 1”, DoN Brewer, Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Franks, Tenth Annual Juried Exhibition

Artist Statement:

“The Dollar General Store that was located at 25th and South Street was a great resource for my community. The low prices helped to serve the folks both rich and poor who stopped in the store for everything from bacon and eggs to cat and dog food. I would see some people counting out pennies to but toilet paper and I saw wealthy people stocking up on laundry detergent. The staff was so friendly, kind and helpful and all of the young people who worked there were African Americans. Over time I learned their names and they knew mine. There was always a line at the cash register and often I would see friends and neighbors. Dollar General stores are usually located in poorer neighborhoods reflecting what my neighborhood of South Street West used to be like.

Since the development of the abandoned Naval Square and the gentrification of South of South Street the Dollar General went out of business and was replaced by a Petco Unleashed store selling high end and very expensive pet food. The corner store that was once a thriving, busy place that employed blacks is now full of dog food and an all white staff, and is now virtually empty of customers. Petco moved into my neighborhood to directly compete with the two existing pet supply stores, The Philly Pack and Doggie Style that sell the same products and offer the same services. The nearest Dollar General is at 26th and Jackson Streets, too far to walk from my neighborhood. The 17 bus goes to Jackson Street but is still a six block walk through a distressed neighborhood.

The photograph printed on Plexiglas is of the metal racks that once lined the sidewalk outside the Dollar General store that received daily deliveries of basic supplies to serve the community. Now Petco Unleashed only serves the wealthiest of dogs and cats.” – DoN Brewer

Dollar General was awarded the ‘mary rowe memorial jury prize, best in show’ for on the Grid Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Franks, Tenth Annual Juried Exhibition. I was elated when Togo read my name. I had just walked from Ionic and Chestnut Streets, I had left the PANMA Holiday Party early because I had a feeling. As I was passing the Philadelphia History Museum a strange thing happened. I stumbled and tore off the sole of my boot off.

It’s strange because I was thinking that at almost the exact same spot and time of year two years ago I tore the sole off another pair of boots while at the museum. Do you know what it’s like to walk with your boot flapping? It sounds like the loudest flip-flop ever, it was embarrassing to walk into Dirty Frank’s with tore boots. But then the whole place was clapping, cheering and saying my name. The experience was awesome, I was so touched by the affection of my friends. When I walked home from Dirty Frank’s that cold night, with my shoe flopping and flapping, I was grinning ear to ear. I’m a part of Philadelphia history, my name is 10th on the list of the Mary Rowe Memorial Jury Prize winners.

Read my review of Photography at on the Grid Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Franks, Tenth Annual Juried Exhibition on DoNArTNeWs.com

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Gravy

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Northeast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Northeast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Written and Photographed by Laura Storck

On First Friday this month, I was excited to finally visit Gravy Studio, located in Fishtown, which serves as a space that promotes local photographers and their work.  As a photographer with a particular fondness for the darkroom, I was especially interested in attending the opening reception for Northeast Kingdom by Andrew Frost.  Not only does this body of work contain black and white images captured on film, but I felt compelled to learn more about the mystery surrounding his project.

Northeast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Northeast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Artist Statement:

“These photographs were made in the Northeast area of the state of Vermont, an area known as the Northeast Kingdom. It’s where my family has lived for more than 200 years. My father joined the Navy when he was a teenager as a way to get out of the rural area, and growing up we never went back, though I always imagined what it was like. Over the past several years, I’ve been traveling there, exploring my past, and making photographs.”

Andrew Frost has been making large format photographs within and surrounding the small town of Groton, Vermont, where his relatives have lived for more that two hundred years. In the late 1970’s, his father left and joined the Navy as a teenager. As Andrew was growing up, his family moved constantly, and he had never personally experienced his heritage in Vermont. He always imagined “a magical place, with mountains, rivers, and lakes, and a land of tree houses and caves — the kind of place where kids were free to ride their bikes to the village store.”

Northeast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Finally in 2010, he visited his roots for the first time and began photographing the world he had often envisioned. Because of his nomadic upbringing, the Northeast Kingdom held a mythical sense of history for Frost as he had been enamored by the stories of his father’s youth.  On his initial visit to Vermont, he had instantly felt a deep connection and a sense of belonging.  For the next 3 years, Frost had made frequent trips to the area, and brought his 8 x 10 view camera to record and discover his origins on a journey of self-exploration.

Northeast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Documenting with a view camera was a slow and gradual process, which complimented the way of life in rural Vermont. Some of his subjects are relatives, others are strangers. Frost’s images are beautiful and expressively rich in their black and white tonality. Several of the captures could easily be mistaken as having been made in the distant past – including an image containing elements of a wall photo of a vintage car combined with an antiquated radio, to a photograph of a soldier leaving for boot camp. Before I knew any of the backstory regarding this project, I asked Andrew about the timeline and for details as for when these particular images were captured (as I initially thought that these could have been enlargements made from old negatives).

Northeast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Andrew Frost explained:

“I don’t know for certain what type of car is in the photo, and as far as I know it’s a clock radio – it’s at my grandmother’s house, and she’s had it for a very long time. The photograph of the soldier, Jeremy, was made the day he left for boot camp. It was the 4th of July in 2011. He’s my aunt’s husband’s sister’s son, and in that area there aren’t a lot of career options. Your choices are mostly limited to farming, ministry, or the military, and he chose to enlist when he finished high school.”

Northeast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

This poignant collection of work initially evokes feelings of melancholy, isolation, sterility, and stagnation in a pastoral land where time appears to be standing still. Yet these observations will eventually transition the viewer towards feelings of hope, beauty, tenderness, and human connection. The exhalation and inner peace that has resulted in this journey of self-realization and reflection are undoubtedly witnessed when viewing Northeast Kingdom.

Northeast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost at Gravy Studio is on display through December 31st. Gravy Studio & Gallery, 155 Cecil B. Moore Ave., 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19122, (267) 825-7071, gravy-studio.com, gravy.photo@gmail.com

Andrew Frost was born in Yokosuka, Japan. He has an MFA from Syracuse University, and currently lives in Northern New Jersey where he makes books for Conveyor Arts.

Gravy Studio & Gallery is a collaborative photography workspace and gallery located near the Frankford Arts Corridor.  Serving as a multifunctional space that promotes the work of local photographers, opening receptions are held on the First Friday of every month.

http://www.andrewpfrost.com

http://conveyorarts.org

Written and Photographed by Laura Storck

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Portraits

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Portraits at Plastic Club

Portraits at Plastic

Portraits at Plastic at The Plastic Club, 247 South Camac Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. December 7th – 21st.

Artist Reception and Awards: Sunday, December 7th, 2:00 – 5:00pm

Portraits at Plastic includes work that portrays a person–a likeness or description, including single and double-portraits (portraits of two people together), self-portraits, and abstract portraits.

“A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this reason, in photography a portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the painter or photographer, in order to most successfully engage the subject with the viewer.” – Wikipedia

Prize Juror: Sarah Stolfa, Fine Art Photographer and Educator, Founder/Executive Director of
Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, MFA Yale University, currently teaching at UPenn.

“Sarah Stolfa was born in Winfield, Illinois in 1975.  She earned her BS in photography from Drexel University, Philadelphia, in 2005 and her MFA in Photography from Yale University in 2008.  In 2004, Stolfa won The New York Times Photography Contest for college students and several of her photographs were reproduced in The New York Times Magazine.  In 2006, Stolfa was included in the Second Woodmere Triennial of Contemporary Photography at the Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia.  In the same year, her work was exhibited at Gallery 339 in Philadelphia and Silverstein Photography in New York.  In 2007, Stolfa was included in “Women to Watch” at Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, and in “L’Autre” at the Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery of the University of the Arts, Philadelphia.” – Gallery 339

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