Category Archives: Light

Art involving light as it’s subject or medium.

Anahata

John Singletary - Anahata, James Oliver Galleryclick for large images

John Singletary – Anahata, James Oliver Gallery

James Oliver Gallery, 723 Chestnut Street, 4th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106

215-923-1242 (office)

267-918-7432 (mobile)

jamesolivergallery@gmail.com

May 6th – June 9th, 2017

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 6th, 6:00 -10:00 PM

Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Friday 5:00pm – 8:00pm, Saturday 12:00pm – 8:00pm

John Singletary - Anahata, James Oliver GalleryDetail of “Providence, 30′ x 5′, Photography Based OLED Installation.

Philadelphia native, John Singletary, is a fine art photographer and multi-media artist.  His educational training includes both Drexel University and The University of the Arts. He has exhibited at The Pennsylvania State Museum of Art, LG Tripp Gallery and Gallery 1401. As well, his work is represented in the permanent collections at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Center for Fine Art Photography and The Free Library of Philadelphia.

Anahata is a photographic exhibition that uses its mode of presentation to transcend the limitations of the medium in a multi-disciplinary installation experience. Photographs are animated through multiple state-of-the-art organic LED panels used as electronic canvases. The technology is synchronized to create joined, large format displays, some forming 8′ x 8′ luminous squares or a 30′ Greco-Roman frieze-inspired compositions. Images materialize out of walls and recede back into darkness, as would apparitions in this oddly familiar living space. These and other works are set to original music composed by John Singletary and Matt Hollenberg. In addition, the show will feature a live performance by dancers Amber Malmstadt and Megan Hannon.

John Singletary - Anahata, James Oliver GalleryDetail of “Providence“, 30’x5′ Photography Based OLED Installation.

While the ambition in Singletary’s presentation is of distinct merit, it’s not mere technology doing the real work. The photographic quality in his highly ornamented images demonstrates a conscious and masterful use of the medium. Influenced by a production approach found in theater and cinema, Singletary and his crew built a black box studio in a Victorian house in Germantown, PA as a set for the photography in Anahata. This long term collaborative project enlisted dancers, theater performers, costume designers, make-up artists, choreographers and set technicians. And, in this black box studio, the dream-like imagery, extracted from mythology, symbolism and mysticism directs the narrative in Anahata as it explores human relationships and their connection to the divine.

John Singletary - Anahata, James Oliver Gallery“The Dance of Hades”, 5’x3′ Photography Based OLED Installation.

In John Singletary’s inventive world of Anahata, the artist commands an ancient cry from demons and gods in spear-decorated headdresses and cocoon-like webs that conquer and connect us. From there, he uses an advanced understanding of technology to take us seamlessly forward into a hyper-lit future. With his sensitivity in making this unique grand scale production personal and his exacting print work, the fantasticality in Anahata becomes very real.

John Singletary - Anahata, James Oliver Gallery“Clarise”, 8’x8′ Photography Based OLED Installation.

Thank you to John Singletary for the content of this post.

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afterimage

Robert McNellis : afterimage | photostructures at ARTSPACE 1241

Robert McNellis : afterimage | photostructures at ARTSPACE 1241

April 8, 2017 to April 27, 2017

“The contemporary new work of Robert McNellis is a bold departure from his lit abstractions of the last year. Expanding from the previous structural solutions, he has turned to using surprising, anonymous images derived from photographs, or photographs derived from anonymous images, and combining these with precise, sleek structures. The elements that makes this possible are vague, almost anonymous, figuration and focused light. In the earlier abstract work, the image relied almost entirely on the structure. This new work is an attempt to bring image and structure onto a more equal footing. This required a movement towards limited figuration in the images, for abstraction rests almost entirely on structure. The brilliant resonances produced are sure to reward those who are able to spend time with the work.” – 1241 CARPENTER

Reception Saturday, April 8, 4 – 7 pm

1241 CARPENTER Studios / Ground Floor + @HBHQ  |  A creative community : artist studios : creative businesses : exhibition spaces.

1241 CARPENTER – Over fifty artists and craftspeople working in an awesome 19th Century factory building.

We’re in the Hawthorne neighborhood of Philadelphia. We’re often lumped in with Bella Vista to the east and South Philadelphia which officially begins south of Washington Avenue. Our building is always buzzing with our many creative businesses and art studios.

One exhibition venues is ARTSPACE 1241. It features our tenants and some guest artists each month.

Our close proximity to the Italian Market is terrific for us and our visitors. It’s an authentic taste of Philadelphia!”

Thank you to 1241 CARPENTER for the content of this post which DoN lifted in whole without permission from the press release and website.

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Line

Draw the Line, Main Line Art CenterDraw the Line Features Colossal Drawings Addressing the Refugee Experience

2017 Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art Recipients: Kelley Donahue (Brooklyn, NY), Joanna Platt (Philadelphia, PA) and Paul Santoleri (Philadelphia, PA)

Curated by: Amie Potsic, Executive Director & Chief Curator, Main Line Art Center

March 6 – April 16, 2017

Artist Talks & Opening Reception: Friday, March 10
Artist Talks: 5:30-6:30 pm | Reception: 6:30-8:30 pm

Artist Workshops:

A Twisting Tale of Burning Truths: Wire Sculpture and Soldering Workshop (Adult Workshop)
Joanna Platt | Thursday, April 6, 6:30-9:30 pm

Signs of Life: A Collaborative Drawing & Painting Experience (Family Workshop: 4+ yrs & adult)
Paul Santoleri | Saturday, May 13, 1-3 pm

Main Line Art Center in Haverford is proud to announce Kelley Donahue (Brooklyn, NY), Joanna Platt (Philadelphia, PA) and Paul Santoleri (Philadelphia, PA) as the 2017 recipients of the Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art. Selected by Members of Main Line Art Center’s Board of Artistic Advisors and Executive Director through a highly competitive application process, Donahue, Platt, and Santoleri will be featured in Draw the Line, the 13th Annual Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition, on view at Main Line Art Center March 6 to April 16.

Drawing with ink, clay, and conduit, these artists investigate the permeable borders between internal and external matter, perception, and experience. Accessing both intuition and intellect, drawing and memory are the basis for inquiry. Their videos, installations, and sculptures create new worlds that illuminate and activate our galleries to create seductive narratives, uncanny characters, and immersive environments.

Paul Santoleris impressive work will feature a 12’ x 20’ paper drawing as well as wall, floor, and window works created on site that reference our relationship to nature and the harrowing journey of refugees seeking new homes across seas. Raised in Havertown, Santoleri took drawing classes at Main Line Art Center when he was 13 years old. He now travels extensively to make his work and is represented globally in collections public and private.

Now in its thirteenth year, Main Line Art Center is proud to present an annual exhibition in memory of Teaching Artist Betsy Meyer featuring the work of forward-thinking artists who are pushing boundaries within their artistic practice. As an artist, Betsy exemplified what is most exciting about engaging with the artwork of living artists: watching them experiment with their media and tackling complicated and tough subjects. As a teacher, she encouraged her students to follow her example and expand their practice into new frontiers. And finally, as a member of the board and exhibition committee, she assured that the Art Center was there for the artistic community of Philadelphia.
The Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art, presented by Main Line Art Center in conjunction with the Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition, consists of an award of $1000 and a solo exhibition to each selected artist. This award and associated exhibition program is an effort to support the talented contemporary artists in the region, to honor deserving artists in the field, and to encourage excellence and experimentation in artistic practice, presentation, and community involvement.

Approximately three artists are awarded annually. The 2016 recipients of the Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art were Matthew Courtney (Philadelphia), Sun Young Kang (Bryn Mawr), Zahra Nazari (New York) whose work was featured in Transformations, presented at Main Line Art Center in Spring 2016. The 2017 finalists are as follows: Rachel Eng (Pennsylvania), Michael Fischerkeller (Maryland), Michael Froio (New Jersey), Jennifer Hecker (New York), Mison Kim (New York), Erica Loustau (Pennsylvania), Thomas Porett (Pennsylvania), and Adrienne Moumin (Maryland).

The Art Center will host artist talks Friday, March 10 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, followed by a public reception from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The artist talk, reception and gallery visits are free and open to the public. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 10 am to 8 pm, and Friday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. Each of the artists will also facilitate a workshop on their process during the course of Transformations. For more information about these programs, including registration, visit www.mainlinert.org or call 610.525.0272.

Draw the Line, Main Line Art CenterSelf Creation (as the meaning of life) © Kelley Donahue 2014

Kelley Donahue, originally from northern California, is a ceramic, installation, and performance artist currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Initially interested in drawing and painting, Donahue felt limited by the flat rectangle of the canvas and now constructs three-dimensional canvases of any shape using clay, which she then paints. Donahue earned her B.A. in studio art from Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA, and an M.F.A. in ceramics from Alfred University in Alfred, NY. Donahue has exhibited her work internationally in venues including T+H Gallery in Boston, MA; the Ceramics & Glass Fair in New York, NY; Launch Pad Gallery in Portland, OR; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Montreal, Canada; and Jatiwangi Art Factory in Java, Indonesia. She received the Juror’s Choice Award from Art Centro in Poughkeepsie, NY and the Barbara Rittenberg Fellowship from the Clay Art Center in Port Chester, NY. In addition to her ceramic sculpture and painting, Donahue has collaborated extensively with musicians and video artists to create performances including video projections and sound. Donahue currently teaches ceramics at Jersey City University and maintains a studio practice in Brooklyn, NY.

Draw the Line, Main Line Art CenterPortals © Joanna Platt 2015

Joanna Platt is a Philadelphia-based sculptor whose work deals with the ways our interaction with technology has created new configurations of defined space inside our computers and media devices. She received a B.F.A. from Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick, NJ and an M.F.A. from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. A member of the gallery collective Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Platt has exhibited her work internationally with shows at Galeria Nacional, in San Jose, Costa Rica; SoHo 20, in NY, NY; Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery in Philadelphia; Grizzly Grizzly in Philadelphia; the Hunterdon Museum of Art in Clinton, NJ; the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, NJ; The Shore Institute for Contemporary Art in Asbury Park, NJ; and Artist Run at the Satellite Art Fair in Miami. Most recently, she was an invited artist in Artship Olympia at the Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. Platt is an adjunct professor at Camden County College in Blackwood, NJ and a sculpture technician at Independent Casting in Philadelphia.

Draw the Line, Main Line Art CenterOmega Warm Garden © Paul Santoleri 2009. Photo by Lu Szumskyj

Paul DiFuria Santoleri is a muralist based in Philadelphia whose drawing installations and wall-sized paintings can be found in city streets around the world including Philadelphia, Paris, Copenhagen, and Helsinki. Santoleri’s work encompasses a variety of media, but endlessly returns to the stories that can be found in the drawn line: etched on a wall, carved in glass, concrete, wood, ink, obsidian, fresco, or color. His focus on the art of line has led him to create works in a wide diversity of situations around the world, and often in public spaces, like his most recent tile mural installation in the Philadelphia International Airport. A recipient of numerous honors and awards, including grants from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation and The Independence Foundation, Santoleri holds a B.F.A. in painting from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA, and an M.F.A. in painting from the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. His work was also included in a monograph published by Criteres Publications in Grenoble, France, which accompanied his first solo show in Paris. Raised in Havertown, Santoleri took drawing classes at Main Line Art Center when he was 13 years old. He now travels extensively to make his work and is represented globally in collections public and private.

Draw the Line, Main Line Art CenterPaul Santoleri in his studio (Philadelphia).  Photo by Amie Potsic 2017

Amie Potsic, curator of Draw the Line, began her tenure as Executive Director & Chief Curator of Main Line Art Center in July of 2012. Prior to that, she served as Director of Gallery 339 and Director of the Career Development Program at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) in Philadelphia where she curated exhibitions and planned professional development programming for emerging and professional artists. Potsic has curated over 70 exhibitions at venues including The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Moore College of Art & Design. Potsic is also an established photographic artist who has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. In addition, she is currently Chair of the Art In City Hall Artistic Advisory Board to the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy.

Main Line Art Center is the community’s home to discover, create, and experience visual art. The mission of Main Line Art Center is to inspire and engage people of all ages, abilities, and economic means in visual art through education, exhibitions, and experiences. Committed to increasing the visibility and accessibility of art, the Art Center presents innovative exhibitions and events in the community, including Panorama: Image-Based Art in the 21st Century, a Greater Philadelphia-wide celebration of the photographic image and digital media.

Main Line Art Center’s educational offerings for all ages, abilities, and economic means span from traditional to contemporary, and are all held to the highest level of excellence. In 2015, Main Line Art Center received the Commitment to Cultural Access Award from Art-Reach for the Center’s Accessible Art Programs for children and adults with disabilities, now in their 52nd year. Additionally, the Art Center grants over $12,000 in need-based scholarships annually. Last year, Main Line Art Center engaged 21,000 people through classes, exhibitions, and Summer Art Camp, and touched the lives of over 78,000 through Exhibitions in the Community and festivals across the Philadelphia area.

Thank you to Main Line Art Center for the content of this post.

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Out

Out of the Box, Open Juried Art Show at The Plastic Club

Out of the Box, Open Juried Art Show at The Plastic Club

UNLEASH YOUR INNER CREATIVE BEAST AT THE PLASTIC CLUB

The Plastic Club is inviting artists to break new creative ground for the club’s next juried art exhibition. The February show will feature the theme of ‘Out of the Box‘ – highlighting ‘work related to the notion of invention and inspiration’. The exhibition will run from February 5th to February 23rd, with an opening party on Sunday, February 5 from 2 PM to 5 PM.

The prospectus explains that the subject may be ‘personal, political, scientific, or otherwise’. Submitted work may also be ‘a piece that is itself an experiment, new subject matter, or new medium for you as an artist’.

“Some example ideas,” the prospectus explains, would be “a piece that represents a new direction in your practice or features a material or medium that is new for you; a portrait of an inventor or innovative thinker; a depiction of an inspirational place, event, or historical turning point; subject matter about a break in convention; an illustrative or abstract response to any of these concepts.”

The show’s prospectus is downloadable from The Plastic Club‘s website, www.plasticclub.org.

The show’s juror will be interdisciplinary artist Jacob Rivkin, a teacher at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design and a member of Philadelphia’s OOF Collective, an animation collective.

Jacob Rivkin Bio

“I am an interdisciplinary artist living in Philadelphia, PA. I currently teach Fine Art courses in the University of Pennsylvania School of Design and at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. I am currently a member of the OOF Collective. I received my MFA from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013 and BA from Vassar College in 2007. My animations and sculptures focus on understanding how, and if, environments and its geological qualities imbue sentiment and distinct character to its inhabitants.

My animation work has screened at the Animation Block Party in Brooklyn, NY, Vox Populi in Philadelphia, PA, and the Peephole Cinema in San Francisco. My sculptures have been exhibited at the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, BC, The Chemical Heritage Foundation Museum, Philadelphia, PA, the Arlington Art Center in Arlington, VA and Julius Caesar Gallery in Chicago, IL. Awards include the Juror’s Prize at the 25th Annual McNeese Works on Paper Juried Exhibition in 2012, a Fulbright Grant in 2008 to study Chinese traditional landscape painting in Hangzhou, China, and the Weitzel Barber Art Travel Prize in 2006 to study Buddhist sculpture practices in Western China. In 2014 I was an Artist-in-Residence at the Hacktory in Philadelphia. My studio is located at the Queen Memorial Work Studios in Grays Ferry.” – Jacob Rivkin

The Plastic Club, located on quaint Camac Street, the Avenue of the Artists, was founded in 1897 to promote the visual (plastic) arts. Although initially formed as a women’s group, membership was expanded to include men in 1991. The Plastic Club has over 200 members from the Philadelphia area, long-distance members hail from three continents.

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Beehive

Inside the Bloody Beehive with Artist Judith Schaechter

Video by John Thornton Films

“The first time I ever heard of artist Judith Schaechter was sometime back in the early 1980’s when we were both in a group show at Philadelphia’s Art Alliance. She had  this small unassuming painting that I have never forgotten. Judith stopped painting and went on to excel in another medium, stained glass, and on October 17th, 2015 I went back to the Philadelphia Art Alliance to see a dazzling display of her work. Later, I spent an afternoon at Judith’s home and studio. I believe that this funny, brilliant woman is one of the world’s greatest living artists.” – John Thornton

“It seems my work is centered on the idea of transforming the wretched into the beautiful in theme as well as design. For me, this means taking what is typically negative — say, unspeakable grief, unbearable sentimentality, or nerve-wracking ambivalence, and representing it in such a way that it is inviting and safe to contemplate and captivating to observe (to avoid ending with preposition). I am at one with those who believe art is a way of feeling one’s feelings in a deeper, more poignant way.” – Judith Schaechter excerpt artist statement

Judith Schaechter’s work is gut-wrenchingly beautiful. “Beauty” says the artist, “is considered the most horrible crime you can commit in the modern art world. People are suspicious of anything that makes them feel as though they may lose control. Beauty forces you to confront your helplessness as well as your dark side. My work is not intended to make comfortable people unhappy, although it may make unhappy people comfortable.” – University of the Arts faculty

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