Category Archives: Philadelphia Art Installations

Art installations in Philadelphia.

Dumpster Divers @ Noyes Art Museum, Hammonton, NJ

Hammonton NJ is the self proclaimed blueberry capital of the world with a wonderfully quaint downtown district which has truly suffered from Wal-Martization. Art to the rescue with the Noyes Museum occupying a lovely space with bright windows and unbroken sight lines. The mysterious Dumpster Divers have been on display with a lavish installation of mixed media works of art that excites the senses and stirs old memories. Saturday is the last day at the Noyes but then a lot of the work will move to 734 South Street, Philadelphia where the Dumpster Divers have taken over a vacant store front on the hippest street in town.

Carol Cole, “New Beginnings“, mixed media. DoN was drawn into the luster of the paper mache eggs with the opalescent knobs, spikes and arrow forms creating a frame of strangeness; very desirable, chic and modern.

Ellen Sall, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds“, mixed media.

Betsy Alexander’s crosses made from cds wonderfully mixes the magic of contemporary music distribution with ancient symbols. Music was once held secret and sacred by the churches who recognized the power of aural input to influence behavior. Betsy’s crosses sing a contemporary song with visual cues and signs, symbols and silence speak volumes.

Alden Cole, “Eros Ex Machina”, mixed media @ The Noyes Museum gallery in Hammonton, NJ.

Alden Cole’s, Divine Lorraine series is on display at various locales. Cole’s use of wood is lavishly skillful, real love is applied to the surfaces of his creations.

Burnell Yow!, “La, Va, Ra, Ya“, mixed media @ Noyes Museum in Hammonton, NJ.

Don Miller @ Nexus – uniNtended uses

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The Pulsewave ROM invitations are an ongoing series of artistic collaboration created each month to promote Pulsewave, a New York City chip music event. Each month a uniquely designed and coded NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) or Commodore 64 program is released. These invitations can be played back on the classic consoles or viewed on modern computers via emulation. They serve as distinctive promotional material while paying homage to the classic invites created by demoscene programmers of the 1980s and 1990s.

The ROM invitations are the very essence of unintended use: commercial gaming and computer hardware subverted for DIY promotion of underground music events. The punk scene has its photocopied flyers attached to telephone polesand the chip music scene has its electronic flyers plastered on TV screens and computer monitors. www.no-carrier.com/

DoN lifted this info from the Nexus website which features an excellent survey of the exhibit.

Installation view of uniNtended Uses @ Nexus Gallery.

It’s A small World After All

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The Plastic Club @ 247 South Camac Street is hosting a new art show small WORLDS exhibition. All works in the show must be less than 16 in any direction including 2D and 3D works by hundreds of artists; there are 182 artworks in the show, no small feat to install. But, the committee performed wonders in creating groupings, tableau and mise en seine drawing the visitor into tiny spaces packed with authenticity, superior craftsmanship and creativity. Karl Olsens A is a masterful painting of his ubiquitous hat, Alden Cole entered a wildly erotic fantasy, Doris Peltzmans “Portrait of Amber” is haunting and masterful

small WORLDS opens February 1^st heres a sneak peek.

DoN Brewer‘s “light being (Chink)“, Ellen Grenwell‘s “4:12 AM, Please Kitty“, Rob Willis‘ “Ichibano” & Hugo Hsu‘s “Tenguska“.

small Worlds @ The Plastic Club.

Alden Cole‘s “Embrace No. 2“.

The opening reception and awards is Sunday, February 1st, 2009, 2 – 5:00 PM.

Darla Jackson vs. Anne Canfield @ CFEVA

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Darla Jackson vs. Anne Canfield @ the Center for Emerging Visual Artists is just that a bare knuckled cage-fight between two contemporary Philly artists, a grrl-fight for attention, a battle of wits and inventiveness, like a schoolyard brawl with each girl trying to rip out the others pierced earrings. In one corner is Anne Canfield throwing punches with quirky drawings and mythological paintings and in the other corner is Darla Jackson doing body slams with bold black graphic sculpture.

Anne Canfield tells DoN that her imagery is born of anxiety, the Cat is safe but could turn on you. Anne has developed her own visual language relying on memory and is not true to nature, thats not what shes going for her mark-making is assured and brushwork amusing, like reading a favorite book. The small cat is sometimes writ large in Canfields images often with a small girl (perhaps a self portrait), each staring at the other as if they were, facing God.

Darla Jackson, known for her sculptures of animals wearing the masks of other animals (say a bunny with a crow face mask), here invites familiar animals to witness the party in the apartment-like gallery. Birds, kitties, bunnies, even a life sized deer inhabit the human dwelling, decked out in festive party hats, making a mess of the place as if they were partying just a little too hard. Jackson goes for the knockout with the deer laying on the floor; life sized and appearing to be solid black metal, the scene is poignant with gallery visitors tiptoeing around the specimen, the deers simple red party hat knocked askew. By anthropomorphizing the animals, Jackson brings the creatures out of hiding making them observers of the strange creatures called humans.

Anne Canfield @ CFEVA.

Anne Canfield with her painting, “The Mermaid and the Tiger Meet Halfway“, oil on linen.

Darla Jackson @ CFEVA.

Party animals @ the CFEVA. Sculpture installation by Darla Jackson.

Darla Jackson @ CFEVA.

The battle continues through February 16th in the Felicity R. (Bebe) Benoliel Gallery.

Sarah Kolker @ The 10th Street Laundromat

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The 10^th Street Laundromat is the coolest laundromat in Philly. Owner Lisa Budnick lets artists install a show in the maze of rooms and then hosts a party. DoN showed up early since it was about 19 degrees outside and he knew if he went home after Jim Blooms show @ Vivant in Old City he wouldnt go back out. Being early at the South Philly corner of 10th & Elsworth allowed DoN to get some face time with self taught artist Sarah Kolker about the work she installed throughout the laundry. While we chatted Lisa and Sarah set up party supplies while customers washed and folded clothes and DJ Under set up the sound system.

Sarah is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, was born and raised in Philly and studied in Jamaica, Philadelphia and NYC. Sarah has worked with well-known mosaic tile artist Isaiah Zagar, the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, Groundswell Community Mural Project and completed a Create Change Artist in Residency with The Laundromat Project in New York thus the connection with 10^th Street Laundromat. She also participated in HOAST (Harlem Open Artist Studio Tours) cool, huh?

And speaking of cool the monthly art party is so much fun with food and drink, hipsters and regular folk, art on clothes-lines and spinning dryers with DJ Under spinning old school music from DoNs youth (Blondie, Devo, Bob Marley). Sarahs friends from Philly and NYC were dancing and mingling, laughing and hugging, kissing and giggling at the kids ogling the weirdos DoN insists you get on the 10^th Street Laundromat mailing list and you, too, can be cool!