Category Archives: Philadelphia Art Shows

Art shows DoN has reviewed for DoNArTNeWs.

Mimesis – Neilson Carlin & Allen Carter @ Pierre S. DuPont Art Center

Mimesis ; ape-ish copying. The technical definition is simple but Carter and Carlin exhibit considerable skill in creating atmospheric naturalism, magic realism and ecclesiatical ecstatic images designed to stir the soul and portray the mystery of life through painting.

Neilson M. Carlin @ The Pierre S. DuPont Art Center, Wilmington, DE.

Neilson M Carlin. DoN overheard Neilson tell a gallery visitor, “you have to scare the kids; raw meat and naked men.” Carlin has a really great website representing the artist effectively, his understanding of interface design on the web and what he calls “Memesis” in painting is powerful; Carlin has his own painting school in Kennett Square with a dedicated following.

Panoramic shot of preparatory drawings for a major painting.

Allen G. Carter, Sr. @ The Pierre S. Dupont Art Center. Carter wrote an article for International Artist’s magazine – visit the cool website with Allen’s article here. Carter exhibited works in process including color palettes and diagrams of the design included in the magazine article, utilizing and energizing the space with knowledge and learning. The school has a really excellent gallery space with the room to explain everything that goes into creating a classically modern masterpiece even displaying full-scale cartoons by Carlin used to create a large scale mural.

Allen G. Carter, Sr. @ Mimesis Exhibit in The Pierre S. DuPont Art Center.

Artist and teacher – Allen G. Carter, Sr. with his painting teacher and mentor Neilson M. Carlin @ the opening reception for Memesis in The Pierre S. DuPont Center for the Arts in Tower Hill School.

Footsteps – Alumnae Exhibit @ Moore College of Art & Design

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Ladies, DoN knows you will LoVe, lOvE, LoVe this show. Shoes, nothing but shoes – hundreds of them. This little number, “In Bloom“, is by Kathryn Myers Gilbert. Moore College of Art & Design is on the Parkway @ 20th Street.

Introductions ’09 @ The Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design, Widener Foundation Memorial Gallery

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Introductions 09 at The Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design, Widener Foundation Memorial Gallery, 20th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia is just so amazing lots of wild mixed metaphors, deep narrative streams of consciousness and memes within memes within memes. Brenna K Murphys Roots #3 is a prime example of an artwork weaving multiple meanings of normal images, encountered daily, into an interesting story that plays in your mind like a movie. Brennas roots are wrapped in human hair, completely encasing real tree roots, which are arranged lovingly on a large white wall. DoN asked Murphy about the origins of the work, Wrapping the roots is about home and the body. Growing up as a nomad, to Brenna the hair represents the body as home. Donald Carter, who is rooted in Philadelphia, asked Brenna how she would sell the work. Good question: the piece has already been exhibited at Eileen Togninis house but hanging from the ceiling, so the piece is growing and changing all the time. Time, growth, security, luxury and fun all swirling together like twisted dreadlocks, representing culture and sub-culture, luxury and lunacy, safety and insanity all wrapped up in hair. “Roots #3” is an adventurous idea, realized with meticulous craft, enthusiasm and industriousness – what more can we ask of art?

Brooke Hines ceramic mixed media sculpture also has slippery hidden narratives, These are a Few of My Favorite Things is composed of ceramic, slip, stains, glaze and whiskers. Real cat whiskers.

Daniel Traubs large format c-print is hyper-realism with a hypnotic story to tell about Chinese Cities Edge; the incomplete skeletons of future luxury housing is occupied by industrious people gleaning the pervasive demolition of old China and reselling to the secondary market. An amusement park is on the horizon while stacks of doors and windows, each a metaphor, lean against the concrete. Fabric and plywood fill the vacant windows like layers of pages from a book.

Diane Savona, “Sewing Bag Number One“.

Brenna K Murphy, “Roots #3“.

Brooke Hines sculpture, Danielle Bursk, drawing.

Daniel Traub, photograph.

Ben Volta @ Introductions ’09.

25th Annual School Districts of Philadelphia High School Show @ PSC

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The Philadelphia Sketch Club in partnership with the Philadelphia School District presents the 25^th Annual High School Student Art Exhibition from February 9, 2009 through February 22, 2009. A closing reception and awards will be held February 22^nd, 2 5:00 PM. The invitational represents the best student artists from High Schools around the city. The 2009 exhibit was organized by Dorothy Roschen, a prominent Philadelphia sculptor and former art teacher, the jurors are Diana Larisgoitia, PH.D, Rik Viola, actor and fine artist and multimedia artist DoN Brewer.

The depth and breadth of this wonderful show demonstrates how young people can communicate through art whether through Photoshop to cut paper to traditional drawings and paintings. DoN recalls that art was his favorite class in high school, a place to escape from the difficulties of growing up during the Viet Nam War (the Vietnamese called it the American War) with the inherent fear of the draft after graduating. Today young people are dealing with multiple wars and the new-age depression yet they, too, find solace in losing themselves in paint, charcoal and pastel even if they only have brown paper to develop their ideas.

More than 20 awards are being presented but there are many students being presented with honorable mentions that will receive certificates. DoN urges you to donate funds, materials or gift certificates to the Philadelphia Sketch Clubs effort; it would be great if every kid who poured his soul into their art is able to go home with an award.

Olivia Haas mixed media piece won best in show at the 25th Annual Philadelphia High School Art Show @ PSC.

25th Annual Philadelphia High School Art Show @ PSC.

Anthony Martin’s drawing, “Good vs. Evil” won the Lois Muriel Award for Excellence in Drawing.

Eli VandenBerg @ The William Way Art Gallery

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The William Way Gay Community Center for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Community seeks to encourage, support, and advocate for the well-being and acceptance of sexual and gender minorities through service, recreational, educational, and cultural programming. The lobby of the center at 1315 Spruce Street is an art gallery currently hosting an outstanding one-person show of drawings in pen and ink and woodcut prints by Eli VandenBerg. The art is contemporary in style with topical themes of gender identity, cultural confusion and urban isolation. The strong, expressive lines impressed DoN, the dark, sloppy drips serving to express the emotional context of the exhibit, which runs through 2/27.

The staff at the center is very friendly and helpful and provides important services not just to the gay community but also to the benefit of all who need help, guidance and support. The Barbara Gittings library is a unique source of information relating to gay history.

VandenBerg has shown in international and national exhibitions including the National Queer Arts Festival. His work has also appeared in books and magazines including the anthology Self-Organizing Men: Conscious Masculinities in Time and Space. VandenBerg will exhibit drawings from two series: Passing which explores gender transition and Place and Home which focuses on discovering and rediscovering origins. (WayGay website)