Tag Archives: Art in City Hall

Without the Wall

Without the Wall, Art in City Hall WITHOUT THE WALL

Presented by Art In City Hall, Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy In partnership with An Open Window, a nonprofit project partner of the Center for Transformative Action affiliated with Cornell University.

Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia’s Art In City Hall program – part of the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) presents Without the Wall, an art installation curated by Treacy Ziegler. The exhibit runs from June 25th – August 22nd, City Hall 2nd Floor, NE corner near the offices of the Mayor.

Without the Wall is an anonymous presentation of approximately 55 incarcerated and non-incarcerated artists, many of whom are from the Philadelphia region. The installation asks the viewer to experience the art without knowing whether the art is created by prison inmates or professional artists on the outside. The artists were asked to create a work of art in the format of a 6-inch circle. Each piece is framed in a black square and suspended from the ceiling. Because the work is suspended from the ceiling, both sides of the black squares are visible. The backs of the squares are covered with artwork and letters that are sent to Ziegler from prisoners who participate in her through-the-mail curriculum that she has established with 2300 prisoners throughout the United States in her project, An Open Window.

In Treacy Ziegler’s installation of anonymous works, she poses a valuable question: “Can the viewer look at the art purely on the aesthetic experience or will the fact that some paintings by incarcerated artists be a focus on how the work is viewed?”

Her intention isn’t to use art as a form of therapy or rehab for prisoners. It’s about the art itself and whether as viewer’s we can experience art without filters or preconceived notions about the work based on the people who’ve created it.

Treacy Ziegler’s curatorial play further blurs the line between professional and self-taught art,” says Helen Haynes, the City’s new Chief Cultural Officer. “But what she’s also doing in her comparisons, whether it’s her intention or not, is to allow us to recognize through the prism of art – within the darkest ofsettings such as a prison – there can be an uplifting display of human potential.”

Without the Wall is part of An Open Window, a project partner of the Center for Transformative Action affiliated with Cornell University. The mission of the project is implemented through both exhibiting outside professional artwork in prisons and through conducting workshops with inmates.

Treacy Ziegler is an exhibiting artist and over the past 20 years has had about 30 exhibitions in major galleries in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto, Alexandria, VA. and Corning, NY. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Prior to attending art school, Treacy received a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. At that time, she worked as a family therapist and social worker primarily in the housing projects of Philadelphia. In An Open Window project she brings both her skills and vision as a working artist with her social work experience to develop a complex understanding of both art and the viewer’s relationship to that art.

Art In City Hall presents exhibitions that showcase contemporary artwork by emerging and professional visual artists from the Philadelphia region. Encompassing a variety of mediums, techniques, and subjects, this municipal program is committed to presenting a diversity of ideas and artistic explorations. The program strives to link visual artists with the larger community by providing the public with a greater knowledge and appreciation of their artistic achievements. The exhibitions at City Hall are supported by an independent Exhibitions Advisory Committee made up of local arts professionals.

The mission of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy is to support and promote arts, culture and the creative industries; and to develop partnerships and coordinate efforts that weave arts, culture and creativity into the economic and social fabric of the City. For more information on the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, visit: www.creativephl.org,

wall2

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Outer Limits

Outer Limits, Art in City Hall

Art by Art Centers Bordering Philly Comes to City Hall

Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia’s Art In City Hall program – part of the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) – opens its summer juried exhibit by artists from art centers bordering Philadelphia’s. The exhibit runs from June 25 – August 29th, and is located in the Art Gallery at City Hall, Room 116. An artist reception is scheduled for June 25, from 5-7 pm.

Outer Limits: Art Beyond Philly’s Borders paints a broad picture of the arts in the region, aiming to bridge a stronger connection to artists and community art centers that contribute to the cultural vitality of the Greater Philadelphia – South Jersey region. The exhibit features 29 works by 23 artists, including paintings in traditional and mixed media, photography, prints and ceramic. Over 200 works were reviewed.

Helen Haynes, Philadelphia’s new Chief Cultural Officer acknowledges the artistic strength of the region:

“We are thrilled to host this exhibit of our outstanding artists from the Philadelphia Metropolitan area representing the five-county region and South Jersey. We are all tied together through the creativity that enriches our environment, and speaks to our aspirations for vital and dynamic communities.”

The 23 participating artists are:

Nancy Alter, John Benigno, Jane E. Cary, Michelle Ciarlo-Hayes, Suzanne Comer, Constance Culpepper, Laura Ducceschi, Terri Fridkin, Ellen Grenell, Brenda Howell, Amy Kazakidis, Nancy Kress, Deborah Leavy, Veena Loftus, Karen Hunter-McLaughlin, Kim Mehler, Kay Moon, Val Rossman, Jane Rovins, Rashidah Salam, Norman Soong, Helge Speth and Nury Vicens-Rosenbusch.

The works were selected by four members of the Art In City Hall Exhibitions Advisory Committee:

  • Eiko Fan, Artist/Teaching Artist
  • Greta Greenberger, Director of City Hall Tours
  • Mary Salvante, Gallery Program Director at Rowan University
  • John Vick, Project Curatorial Assistant, Modern and Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Submissions were received by artists from Main Line Art Center, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Perkins Center for the Arts, Community Arts Center (at Wallingford), Media Arts Council, Wayne Art Center, Hammonton Arts Center, Darlington Arts Center and Abington Art Center.

The Greater Philadelphia – South Jersey metropolitan area consists of five counties in southeastern Pennsylvania – Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia, and four counties in Southern New Jersey – Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem. Many residents from these communities either work in Philadelphia, or frequent Philadelphia’s world-class arts venues. We acknowledge this relationship in-kind by showcasing the extensive artistic talents that reside in our neighboring communities.

Art In City Hall presents exhibitions that showcase contemporary artwork by emerging and professional visual artists from the Philadelphia region. Encompassing a variety of mediums, techniques, and subjects, this municipal program is committed to presenting a diversity of ideas and artistic explorations.

The program strives to link visual artists with the larger community by providing the public with a greater knowledge and appreciation of their artistic achievements. The exhibitions at City Hall are supported by an independent Exhibitions Advisory Committee made up of local arts professionals. For more information on Art In City Hall.

The mission of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy is to support and promote arts, culture and the creative industries; and to develop partnerships and coordinate efforts that weave arts, culture and creativity into the economic and social fabric of the City. For more information on the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, visit: www.creativephl.org.

Tu Huynh, City Hall Exhibitions Manager

215-686-9912, Tu.Huynh@phila.gov

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Bike pARTs

Bike pARTs, Art in City Hall

Bike pARTs

March 17– June 13, 2014. Exhibition sites: Art Gallery at City Hall and display cases on 1st and 2nd Floors, NE corner. Submissions due: February 28, 2014, 4 pm.

Art Gallery at City Hall, Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, 116 City Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19107, (215) 686-9912 email: artincityhall@phila.gov

Jurors: AICH

Art in City Hall issues a call for artists for the upcoming exhibition in historic City Hall. Did you know that of the 10 largest cities in the United States, Philadelphia has the most bicycle commuters per capita? We also have over 200 miles of designated bike lanes, and a goal of installing thousands of new bike racks in the coming years. Recently, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia in partnership with the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy received a Knights Arts Challenge grant to install artist-designed bike racks in six locations throughout Center City. The Art Gallery at City Hall will feature those designs this spring. To complement this presentation and support Philadelphia’s growing bicycle culture, artists from the region are invited to submit art that utilizes bicycle parts and explore themes of sustainability, health and the urban environment. Found object and kinetic sculpture, two dimensional designs, and works that explore the mechanics of movement are encouraged.

Rules for Entry

Eligibility

Open to professional and self-taught artists and graduate students from the Philadelphia region working in all media, including the five-county Delaware area.

Exhibition Sites

Exhibitions are generally presented in the public spaces of City Hall. Bike pARTs will be show-cased in the Art Gallery at City Hall, which is part of the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Room 116 (near the East Portal Market St. entrance – first floor) and hallway display cases on the first and second floors (near the Offices of the Mayor).

Exhibition display case dimensions are 84” H x 94” W x 30”D. There are 7 display cases. The Art Gallery is 800 square feet of space. Works that exceed the dimensions of the display cases will be featured in the gallery.

1. Deadline for submission: Received by Friday, February 28, 4 pm. No exceptions. There is no entry fee.

2. Please submit up to 4 works as jpegs on a CD. Each image should be no larger than 1MB. Please call or email if you have questions.

3. Each jpeg file name should correlate with the entry form. You may include up to 3 details of each work.

4. Each artist must include a brief artist statement (no longer than two paragraphs) and resume as Word documents or PDF.

5. Return the completed entry form with your digital submission and include a S.A.S.E ONLY if you wish to have your disc returned to you.

6. If you are unable to submit work in a digital format, please contact Art In City Hall for assistance.

Selection and Installation of Exhibition

Accepted artists will be notified by phone or email. You can call to verify submission status. All work must be in good condition and ready for installation (i.e., hooks, wires, etc.). Artists are responsible for assisting with installation of works which require special attention or extensive demands of time.

The City, the Art in City Hall Exhibitions Committee and/or curators reserve the right to change the content of the exhibition, including the removal of artwork.

Delivery of Work

The time of delivery and installation of artwork will be arranged with each participating artist after notification of acceptance. Artists or artists’ galleries are responsible for shipping and delivery of works, including transfer insurance if needed, as well as the retrieval of work at the end of the exhibition. Please do not submit work that have already been sold or are out of the Philadelphia region.

Sale of Work

Art may be for sale. Art in City Hall is not a commercial gallery and does not take commission.  All sales are between the artist and interested patron(s).

Liability

Each accepted artist will receive a loan agreement. Artwork will be insured once received by Art in City Hall and determined to be in good condition for the duration of the exhibition and installation/de-installation periods.

Submissions due: February 28 , 2014, 4 pm. Art Gallery at City Hall, Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, 116 City Hall,mPhiladelphia, PA 19107, (215) 686-9912 email: mailto:artincityhall@phila.gov?subject=Bike pARTs

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Philadelphia Fashion Incubator

Design Philadelphia 2013. Fashion Incubator

As part of this year’s DesignPhiladelphia 2013 festival, the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) is proud to host an exhibit introducing the Designers-in-Residence (DIR) program from The Philadelphia Fashion Incubator at Macy’s Center City.  Nine designers from the 2012 and 2013 residencies will showcase their wearable designs and accessories, including some eco-friendly works.  The exhibit is located in Art Gallery at City Hall, Room 116, first floor nearest the East Portal Market St. entrance.  A reception is scheduled for October 17th, 5-7 pm.

Design Philadelphia 2013, Philadelphia Fashion Incubator

Photograph by Jim Cottingham

Additionally, each Wednesday, starting on October 16th at 12 pm, visit the gallery for a Meet-and-Greet with one of the Designers in Residence from the program.  Here’s a schedule for the gallery visits:

Oct. 16 – Trisha Williams – Trisha Will

Oct. 23 – TBA

Oct. 30 – Melissa Choi and Pia Panaligan – Senpai + Kohai

Nov. 6 – Leah Delfiner – Pretty Pretty Rebel

Nov. 13 – Annina King – Granate Pret

Nov. 20 – Melissa D’Agostino – D’Agostino Fashion Textile Design

Nov. 27 – Moriamo Johnson and Latifat Obajinmi – Aso Damisi

Dec. 4 – Devin Pauley – Morgia Bridal

To learn more about each designer, please visit: http://www.philadelphiafashionincubator.com/designers-main/

For more information on The Philadelphia Fashion Incubator at Macy’s Center City, please visit: www.philadelphiafashionincubator.com

For more information on DesignPhiladelphia, a festival of the Center for Architecture, please visit: www.designphiladelphia.org.

Follow OACCE on twitter and facebook.  www.facebook.com/creativephl , www.creativephl.org , www.facebook.com/artincityhall

Tu Huynh, City Hall Exhibitions Manager, Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, 116 City Hall, Philadelphia PA 19107, 215.686.8446 (Office) | 215.686.9912 (Direct), www.creativephl.org

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Library of Life

Richard Berlingeri, Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Richard Berlingeri, Ode to a Dear Old Friend, newspaper and glue, 80″ diameter, Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Sean Stoops, one of the jurors for the Library of Life exhibit in the art gallery in Philadelphia City Hall, explained to DoN how he came to be part of this monumental exhibition.

I’m on the Art in City Hall Committee, so when there’s an open call jury, usually one of the jurors is a committee member and then we try to invite an outside person, a guest juror. In this case, Jennifer Santchi of the Academy of Natural Sciences, their exhibits person. So, she come’s at it from a science and art background.

The show looks very impressive and exciting, it’s really a diverse group of artists in terms of the styles of working and approaches to how they portray Nature and Science. I would say it’s more of a Nature show, than Science. There are obviously over-lapping ideas there but I kind of see it how Nature is portrayed by these people. And investigating the relationship with Humans and Nature.- Sean Stoops

Richard Berlingeri, Ode to a Dear Old Friend, is made from the New York Times and glue, using only the green paper. The paper tendrils are actually just the green pages from the newspaper twisted up like a jungle vine, loose tendrils dangle to the floor like roots.

Ted Warchal, Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Ted Warchal, The Medusa and the Gastropod, assemblage, paint, Library of LifeArt in City Hall

Gary Steuer, the Chief Cultural Officer, greeted the audience gathered in the halls outside of Philadelphia’s unique art gallery located on the ground floor of City Hall.

“I run the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and I want to thank you all for being here with us in this wonderful building, City Hall. I want to thank all the artists, forty artists selected from over two hundred artists. It was really an extraordinary array of art that was submitted and I just think it’s a really, really exciting show, thanks to the work of the many artists. There are too many to name but I want to thank you en masse. I want to thank the jurors, Jennifer Santchi and Sean Stoops, needless to say with all these submissions jurying this show was a lot of work.

Karen Spiro from the Academy, who worked on this project, I want to thank her. And, also, Tu Huynh from my staff, without these shows, these exhibitions in City Hall could not happen. I want to talk a bit about the gallery space and the work we do. We try to make the programming work that we do, rather than having it competing with other organizations around town, it reinforces, it magnifies their work. So, we really try to work through partnerships. The work that we do in the gallery particularly, virtually every exhibition we do in the gallery is a partnership with another organization. It uses the gallery and the visibilty of City Hall to give the opportunity to tell different stories of our wonderful organizations throughout Philadelphia.” – Gary Steuer

Elisabeth Nickles, Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Elisabeth Nickles, Creature of Sea Consciousness, steel wire, handmade Abaca paper, Library of LifeArt in City Hall

“We began a conversation between our team and the Academy about a year ago about how we could be a part of the celebration of their 200th Anniversary. And, we’re really, really excited that we were able to partner with them to make this exhibition happen. I think, one of the great things about this exhibit, I was talking to Sean Stoops earlier, is that it really plays on a strength in Philadelphia.

We have an extraordinary arts community but we also have an extraordinary science sector here, as well. We have The Science Center, great teaching and research institutions and as a result of that we have a lot of artist who are really interested in exploring the inter-connection in Art and Nature and Science. I think we’re particularly strong in this aspect and the caliber of the work in the show is a reflection of that particular strength. When I tell folks what defines Philadelphia, we have a lot of artists who are interested in working this way and frankly there’s a lot of science and technology folks who love collaborating with artists.

And, so I don’t think it’s an accident that we have a Science Festival and Arts Festivals and Tech Week and all of these things happening, sometimes simultaneously. Because it is part of the truth that makes up Philadelphia right now. And I think it’s a really exciting time to be here.” – Gary Steuer

Maria Markovich, Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Maria Markovich, Doll With Fish, wire mesh, birch bark, Library of LifeArt in City Hall

DoN met the artist Maria Markovich in the gallery and asked about her art making process? Doll With Fish has a found object vibe but it is very much human made.

“I work mostly with birch bark. I build the forms with wire mesh. A lot of the work is about my experience of nature growing up and the interest it’s given me in nature throughout my life. I thought a lot about my early experiences with nature. This particular piece called Doll With Fish and it’s about a fish I caught. It’s about a lot of things, but one of the things it’s about is a fish I caught when I was 18, right before I went away to college. It was the largest fish that anyone in my family had caught and it was a Salmon.

It was quite an experience, i was standing in the stream with waders on, which I’d done many times before because my father took us fishing on the weekends. But, I had never caught a fish by myself, that kind of a fish, by myself. And it was right before I went away to college and it’s always been a memorable experience.” – Maria Markovich

 

Nancy Agati, Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Nancy Agati, Trees Are Like Water, digital photo, lightbox, articulated arm, diffusion glass, Library of LifeArt in City Hall

Library of Life Juror, Jennifer Santchi of the Academy of Natural Sciences, said to DoN,

“We have an Art of Science gallery at the Academy and we’ve found there’s a lot of inspiration in these topics for people. There’s a lot of artists, especially new artists, who are absolutely inspired by Nature. I think it’s wonderful if you’re coming from a big city. And I saw that here, too. Works that were submitted, over 200 plus submissions, they’re astonsishing. They’re so different. And some of them are so naturalistic. Some of them are so symbolic and decorative, some are much more ethereal. I really enjoy it.

There’s the piece by Elisabeth Nickles that looks so boney, ghostly, a little frightening. It’s called a Sea Creature and it’s just, to come up with that when you’re thinking of Nature is wonderful. Then there’s the piece that looks like bee-hive holes, rolls of paper, it’s amazing.” – Jennifer Santchi of the Academy of Natural Sciences

Ava Blitz, Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Ava Blitz, Wings, carved foam, Library of LifeArt in City Hall

DoN has witnessed artist Ava Blitz carve ethereal, sinuous shapes, crisp white, from recycled blocks and chunks of styrofoam. Mountains and piles of the common material surrounded her like chunks on snow. Styrofoam is 98% air yet is transformative and persistent against air, water, dirt and biota. Wings represents Nature’s propensity to flying by using a modern marvel material, developed in 1941when Dow Chemical researchers were able to foam polystyrene, making a buoyant material with insulating properties. But this stuff doesn’t go away when we’re done with it. Ava Blitz makes it into art.

Ava Blitz says in her artist statement,

“Lines tend to blur in my work between fossil and artifact, natural history and cultural history, and the present, past and future.”

Stan Smokler, Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Stan Smokler, Polaris, welded steel, Library of LifeArt in City Hall

Stan Smokler, Thomas Vance,Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Stan Smokler, Thomas Vance, Perfect Storm, oil, ink on canvasLibrary of LifeArt in City Hall

Elizabeth Miller McCue, Art in City Hall, Library of Life

Elizabeth Miller McCue, Ball of Leaves, patinated cast bronze. Nami Yamamoto, Radiant Flux, handmade paper: Abaca with phosphorescent powder. Library of LifeArt in City Hall

Florence Moonan, Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Florence Moonan, LP1209, acrylic on vintage vinyl, Library of LifeArt in City Hall

Florence Moonan, LP1209, is not a cast bronze disc, it’s an up-cycled vinyl long playing record. The piece removes from the custom base.

“The outdated LPs have been prepared, and painted on both sides for viewing front and back. I enjoy recycling this part of my past into an artistic creation that can be appreciated by others, while helping to reduce man’s impact on nature.” – Florence Moonan artist statement.

Dolores Poacelli, Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Dolores Poacelli, Acid Rain, sanded aluminum press plates, acrylic paint on pine panels, Library of LifeArt in City Hall

Orlando Pelliccia, Library of Life, Art in City Hall

Orlando Pelliccia, cast rubber, Library of LifeArt in City Hall

George Gephart, the President and CEO of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University said,

“This is such a wonderful way for us to punctuate what has been a great year, our Bicentennial year. And I hope many of you have taken advantage of the different activities that we’ve had, but best of all, we have this exhibit. Which really marries our strength and history in science with art right here at City Hall.

Certainly, as I think about the work that has gone into this, and I just got a taste. There are two more floors, I’m excited to see it because just getting this first peek, it says that the Art in City Hall Committee and Tu Huyhn, you did a fabulous job. What’s fun for us from the Academy to see is that many, if not all, of the artists had a chance to come to the Academy, to get behind the scenes, to look at our collections and to be inspired by what we do. And, so looking at my team here, as we look at various pieces we say, ‘Ah! I know where that came from.’And I know what the inspiration was.’ That’s very, very exciting. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t encourage you to come to the Academy, we have a great line-up in the next several months.” – George Gephart

Written and photographed by DoN Brewer

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