Friday evening, June 27th, DoN and buddy Les attended the Willy Way Cabaret benefit for Transway featuring the Keith & Tom Show. The William Way Center is Philadelphia’s gay community center with a library, archives, on-going art exhibits, workshops and support groups and is one of the few places trans-gendered people can be welcome and comfortable, allowing men who identify as women to engage in girl talk and women who identify as men to be out and proud. The show in the upstairs ballroom featured Tom Wilson Weinbergon the piano and singer Keith Kaczorowski performing original songs and cabaret standards by Sondheim, Kurt Weil and Leonard Cohen – the last song, “Hallelujah” played in DoN‘s head for several days after. The juried art show in the lobby is first rate and unabashed with beautiful paintings, photographs and mixed media works of the highest quality.
DoNfinally found time edit video footage from recent events, new on YouTube is Mel Brake @ The Enclaves Gallery, Philadelphia, May 21, 2008. The art on the wall behind Mel are painted by Davinci Art Alliance artists, Lilliana Didovicand David Foss. DoN will be posting more videos of recent art/poetry events in upcoming DoNArTNeWs.
The Center for Emerging Visual Artists new show is “Relics“, archival digital photography by Drexel Alumni Michael Froio. Remember the Civic Center? How about the Board of Education Building? Divine Lorraine? Froio managed to gain access to all these Philadelphia Relics and more, either by lurking outside the hulking remains or talking his way inside by schmoozing the demolition contractors with food. What nerve? But the results are magnetic, thrilling and inspiring yet emotional with the loss of familiar scenes. DoN did not take any pictures of the pictures – there’s something weird about photographing photographs – but there are many memorable scenes which are sure to resonate with visitors to the chic CFEVA gallery in the Barclay on Rittenhouse Square. For example: the interior of the chapel at The Divine Lorraine Hotel depicting peeling wallpaper transforming the word “GOD” into “GOO“, a rare interior view of the dome of Memorial Hall which is being renovated into the Please Touch Museum, the stage of the Civic Center with a movie screen still hanging yet no roof which reminded DoN of the first time he inhaled a cigarette at a Mamas & Papas concert, the grid-like scaffolding in the Board of Education building looking like a Nevelson installation… Froio explained to DoN how the Mazzochi Wrecking Companyhoisted him up in a bucket attached to a crane to get shots of the Civic Center – a project he began in 2005 with Keating Constructions blessings (as long as he wore a hard hat and boots). For the Board of Education Building, Michael was hanging out on the sidewalk when a side door opened and a guard wanted to know why he was loitering – Froio ended up getting a private tour of the elaborate interior (sans camera) before renovations began to transform the building into condos. Froio later gained access and preserved the elegant decay forever.
Photographer, Michael Froio with wife Kelly @ CFEVA “Relics”.
New CFEVA president, Holly Lentz-Kleeman with director Amie Potsic @ “Relics” opening.
Art Party @ CFEVA for Michael Froio’s “Relics” opening.
Thursday – Shoshana, DoN, Katy and Doofie walked the path around Valley Green Park; the dogs ran around like puppies through the underbrush and dove into the Wissahickon to cool off and chase ducks. Walking the trail takes about 2 hours with many beautiful, quiet vistas and Jody Pinto’s Finger Span Bridge with it’s precipitous span and dramatic shape. Katy runs’s back and forth over the perforated metal bridge but Doofie, DoN‘s adopted St. Bernard/Chihuahua mix, is afraid of heights, preferring to swim around the rock outcrops. Picturesque Valley Green Inn, a favorite landscape for Philadelphia painters, ends the walk. Henry Martin has giclee and lithograph printsof the iconic scene for sale on his website, Henry will paint you and your family sitting in the restaurant if you want – more about Henry later.
Shoshana on Jody Pinto’s FingerSpan Bridge in Valley Green Park.
Doofie’s afraid of the bridge, so she swims around!
Sunday afternoon was the opening of Philadelphia Sketch Club‘s Artists and Poets: Image and Word show. The concept of the show is to get painters to create a painting based on a poem and have poets create poems based on paintings and vice versa. The opening, organized by Richard Beldyk, featured many of the poets reading poems which are displayed along side the paintings. There are many outstanding paintings and poems by Laura Jean Zito, Don Meyers, Doris Peltzman, Pete Quarracino and many more. Reading the poems while viewing the paintings is a rare experience but hearing the poets and other readers perform the works aloud is soul stirring. DoN‘s painting is based on Henry Martin‘s anti-war rock song “Column of Light” which Henry sang accompanied by his guitar.
Henry Martin on Forbidden Drive
After Artists and Poets, Shoshka and DoN moseyed on over to Chestnut Hill to videotape a performance in the park by the afore mentioned singer/songwriter Henry Martin. Without any amplification, Henry rocked out his original compostions which filled the Wissahickon Creek valley with songs of love, unity, peace and a strange little ditty called “Stranded in Albequerque with a Corvair“, with a group of enthusiastic fans cheering him on including artist Charles Cushing, artist Jed Williams, ceramics artist Alyson Bartle (Henry’s wife) and many of Henry’s painting students, Henry sang more than an hours worth of original songs. The music played until the sun went down and the fire-flys came out, a truly magical time celebrating the Summer Solstice. Watch for announcements of videos on YouTube and MySpace.
Enter Digital @ Off the Wall Gallery @ Dirty Frank’s Bar
DoN reminds you that the Enter Digital Show is continuing at Dirty Frank’s @ 13th & Pine Streets. Rick Wright won an award for most avant garde for his cell phone photos. The gallery is taking orders for prints of varying sizes for all the artists pieces including DoN‘s “light beings (Dora & Pablo)” which previously won first prize in Philadelphia Sketch Club‘s Absolutely Abstract 2007 show, view a video of juror Bill Scott‘s comments on abstract art and DoN‘s winning piece on YouTube and DoNShOp.
Bill Scott @ Philadelphia Sketch Club’s Absolutely Abstract 2007
