Category Archives: Jazz

Modern Times

Modern Times, Charles Demuth, Lancaster (In the Province No. 2)Lancaster (In the Province No. 2), 1920, by Charles Demuth, American, 1883 – 1935. Oil on canvas, 30 x 16 inches. Philadelphia Museum of Art: The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950-5-1.

World-class Modernism Exhibition at The Philadelphia Museum of Art

By Bob Moore

The works of art in the Philadelphia Museum of Art‘s Modern Times exhibition, covering a period of artistic upheaval from 1910 to 1950, are seldom unexpected or unfamiliar. The modernist trend which they embody is deeply etched into our cultural unconscious, the background or context to everything that has happened since in the art world. Marcel DuChamp‘s nude descending her staircase, Georgia O’Keefe‘s succulent flowers, Marsden Hartley‘s colorful World War I compositions: these were the visual soil that Americans like myself grew up in.

Modern Times, Alfred Stieglitz, The City of AmbitionThe City of Ambition, 1910 (negative); c. 1930 (print), by Alfred Stieglitz, American, 1871 – 1944. Gelatin silver print, image/sheet/mount: 4 1/4 x 3 3/8 inches. Philadelphia Museum of Art: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949-18-47.

Walking through the 160-some pieces in the exhibition is like paging through the Modern American Art section of an extensive History of Art, with few outright surprises.

What is surprising (at least to me) in this exhibition was how many of these works are owned outright by the Philadelphia Museum of Art‘ (PMA). Not on loan from some internationally-recognized museum, but property of the PMA. Ours, all ours. This highlights a side of the exhibit not about Art but about Acquisitions. PMA’s Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Rub, in a foreword to the associated book, notes that “It was during the 1940s that the PMA’s holding of modern European and American art were established through several important gifts…” including donations by Albert E. GallatinGeorgia O’Keefe and Alfred Steiglitz, and Walter and Louise Arensburg (not Annanberg, another Philadelphia philanthropist who bequeathed his collection instead to the rival Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York).

Modern Times, Marsden Hartley, Painting No 4 (Black Horse)Painting No. 4 (A Black Horse), 1915, by Marsden Hartley, American, 1877 -1943. Oil on canvas, 39 1/4 x 31 5/8 inches. Philadelphia Museum of Art: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949-18-8

There are a few works in the show not owned (yet) by the PMA: the book identifies one statue lent by a Museum Trustee and some fourteen paintings (including Charles Demuth‘s sizzling Jazz lent by another Trustee, with a note hinting at their eventual acquisition by the Museum.

The Modern Times exhibition curator was Jessica Todd Smith. In an essay in the associated book, she tells how the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) pioneered Modern Art in Philadelphia. But an ill-fated one-month PAFA exhibition of works from the collection of Albert C. Barnes in 1923 caused a ridiculous public outcry (the work was “trash,” and “the creations of a disintegrating mind,” said reviewers; think of peasants with torches and pitchforks).

Smith says the “critical reaction to the Barnes collection in 1923 scared PAFA’s board from presenting any further exhibitions of modern art until the 1950s…” The controversy also led to Barnes’ alienation from the Philadelphia art scene and all that followed. See Philadelphia Inquirer, Barnes at the Pennsylvania Academy: A scandal in 1923, May 4, 2012, by much-missed art critic Ed Sozanski.

The PMA then “picked up the modernist gauntlet,” Smith writes, under museum director Fiske Kimball. Smith says other figures in PMA’s acquisition of American Modern Art included R. Sturgis Ingersoll and Carl Zigrosser.

In a footnote 41 to her essay, Smith notes that some work was excluded from the exhibition, including “work that wholeheartedly embraces abstraction to the exclusion of any hints of figuration, leaving out most geometric abstraction and, on the more painterly end of the spectrum, Abstract Expressionism…” She also regretted that the museum had holes in its collections, including Social Realism, Regionalism, Native American, and Central and South American art.

In footnote 25, Smith lists the various art clubs that kept Modern Art alive in Philadelphia, including the Philadelphia Sketch Club and the Philadelphia Art Alliance — but most notably not including the Plastic Club, an artists’ club which has been around since 1897.

The drama of acquisition politics and finance aside, however, the work in the Modern Times  show is a world-class exhibition put on single-handedly by our local museum. Don’t miss it!

MODERN TIMES: American Art 1910 – 1950Philadelphia Museum of Art April 18-September 3, 2018

(Associated Book) AMERICAN MODERNISM: Highlights from the Philadelphia Museum of Art by Jessica Todd Smith

Thank you to Bob Moore for the content of this post.

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DoNArTNeWs – celebrating ten years reporting on Philadelphia artists and art.

SPEAKEASY

SPEAKEASY, Sunshine Arts

SPEAKEASY, Sunshine Arts Party and Fundraiser

Buy Early and SAVE 25% click here 

Tickets & Details: December 5, 2014, 7:00pm – 12:00am

Ethical Society of Philadelphia, 1906 South Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA

5 Reasons to Party with Sunshine Arts on the Anniversary of Prohibition’s Repeal.

  1. Booze is legal! Beverages from Philadelphia Brewing Co., Manayunk Brewery, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Samuel Adams, Brooklyn Brewery, Bluecoat Gin, and Southern Wine & Spirits
  2. Delicious Eats! Well-know local chefs and dessert by Classic Cake.
  3. Live Entertainment! Singers, dancers, and a mysterious Houdini.
  4. Gift Baskets! Art and prizes Fine art, gift certificates, 50/50 raffle
  5. Guaranteed Good Time! Buy early discounted $75 tickets, enjoy every minute, and do it for a good cause. You can’t lose!

Tickets are online. Please buy early! click here

21 and Over Only! We love kids and all our events benefit the children in our community, but they cannot always come to our events. So, please, get a babysitter for December 5th and enjoy a night on the town! Thank you. – Sheila Modglin, Executive Director, Sunshine Arts.

SPEAKEASY, Sunshine Arts

Mission Statement
The mission of Sunshine Arts is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children to explore their creative expression and to assist them in developing tools that enable them to succeed academically and become constructive members of society.

Sunshine Arts
Sunshine Arts is located at 41 Sunshine Road. Ms. Sheila Modglin started Sunshine Arts in the summer of 2004.  She invited children from the neighborhood to listen to stories as they sat around the fish pond in the front yard.  The kids enjoyed helping to water the plants and feed the fish.

Since then the organization has grown significantly. Now, resident artists Mr. Patrick O’Banion and Ms. Kat Lehmer teach classes to children along with visiting artists Ms. Eva Mauchly, Ms. Rita Bauman and Ms. Susan Hinchey and Mr. John Henry Thompson as teachers.  Classes are scheduled after school during the week and on Saturdays.  Regardless of the listed class schedule, children come to Sunshine Arts daily, often enjoying Mr. Patrick’s fresh baked bread or cookies.

The goal of Sunshine Arts is to enhance the education and personal growth of our future generations. Executive director, Sheila Modglin grew up with a very strong sense of community within her family, “We would do any thing for each other. I want to share the sense of community that I have in my life with all the beautiful people right here surrounding this home.  The house itself is a manifestation of living art and was accomplished through hard work from my generous and creative family and friends.” – Sunshine Arts

Sunshine Arts Fundraiser Event on facebook

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2

Jerry Adam Puryear, Indigo Blue Design Concepts2, Jerry Adam Puryear, Celebrating Two Years with Indigo Blue Design Concepts. Sunday October 18th, 7:00 – 10:00, 3911 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19104. Free.

Indigo Blue Design Concepts (IBDC)  is a diverse, Philadelphia based, company specializing in design, brand management, business and product development, and event planning. Working with a team of leading industry innovators, IBDC works to build consumer and client awareness through creativity, logic, visual impact, and strategic positioning. IBDC is also recognized as a community advocate — partnering with several non-profit and charitable organizations.” – Indigo Blue Design Concepts

“Although, my creations are ultimately my strongest vehicle of change, I find it undoubtedly necessary to have a hand in helping to change the world by impacting young people’s lives.For the past few years I have assisted in instructing art class for the Mill Creek Community Partnership in addition to mentoring young men who have found their creative niche in the world but are still combating life growing up in the urban Philadelphia.” – Jerry Adam Puryear

Jerry Adam Puryear, Contemporary Artist, Eli Lu on YouTube

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LXG

LXG, Second Friday JazzLXG, The Producer’s Guild and The Community Education Center presents Second Friday Concert Series on Lancaster Avenue, 35th Street and Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia. Friday, Septembet 12th, 8:00 – 10:00pm, $10.00

“The LXG is a group of Philadelphia’s up and coming premiere jazz musicians. Each individual of the group has world renowned status playing all over America and covering five of the seven continents on earth. LXG plays a unique style of music consisting of originals and standards, deeply rooted in the tradition of Jazz with the flavor and relevance of today’s popular music of Hip-Hop, R&B and Neo-Soul. Is LXG the best band you’ve ever heard? I don’t know, quite possibly, guess you’ll just have to come, listen and find out for yourself.” – LXG

The Producer’s Guild is a brainchild of Philadelphia natives Leo Gadson and Jerome Gethers.  With the collective efforts of patrons of the arts, their mission is to ensure that the appreciation and enthusiasm for the rich cultural heritage of African American Arts continues to thrive in Philadelphia, especially Black Classical Music, commonly known as JAZZ.” – The Producer’s Guild

The Community Education Center is a nonprofit performing arts center and artists incubator space. The Center is known and respected by artists and audiences alike for its support of the local arts community and its presentations of outstanding dance and performance. The Center also offers the community opportunities to explore their creativity through classes in the performing arts as well as performance opportunities. – The Community Education Center

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