Tag Archives: Fishtown

Crane

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Spring Open Studios, Crane Arts

Spring Open Studios at Crane Arts and Crane Old School

Crane Arts and the Crane Old School are opening their doors to the public on Saturday, April 21st, 2018 from noon to 6:00pm. Nine galleries and over 30 artist’s studios will be open. That’s a lot of great art to see! For more information Contact info@cranearts.com or 215-232-3203.

Crane Arts

1400 N. American Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122

Established in 2004, Crane Arts LLC is a unique community that supports the creative production and exhibition of work by both emerging and established artists.

Galleries

ICEBOX | CRANE TENANT GALLERY | PPAC | INDIGO ARTS | FJORD | TSA | SPILLWAY COLLECTIVE | INLIQUID | SECOND STATE PRESS

NOTE: MOST GALLERIES ARE OPEN WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY 12-6PM OR BY APPOINTMENT. PLEASE CHECK GALLERY WEBSITES TO CONFIRM CURRENT HOURS.

Crane Old School

The Crane Old School is home to many artists and organizations including Pig Iron Theatre Company. Located at 1417 N. 2nd Street. Philadelphia, PA, 19122

“The mission of Pig Iron Theatre Company is to expand what is possible in performance by creating rigorous and unusual ensemble-devised works; by training the next generation of daring, innovative theatre artists; and by consistently asking the hardest questions, both in our art and in its relation to the world around us.”

Crane Building History

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The Crane Company Building was built in 1905 out of cast concrete faced with brick in the Kensington warehouse and manufacturing area just north of Girard Avenue. It was designed by Philadelphia architect Walter Ballinger, an early innovator of concrete building techniques. The long wedge-shaped building was used as a plumbing warehouse, and had an adjacent three-story stable for delivery vehicles and draft horses. It was later used to process frozen seafood. The enormous concrete-block, first-floor addition which functioned as a walk-in freezer now serves as the Ice Box Project Space.

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

Lands

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Drew Leshko, Sacred Lands, Paradigm Gallery + StudioDrew Leshko, Penn Treaty Metals

Sacred Lands

New sculptural works by Drew Leshko

Exhibition Dates: March 23rd – May 19th, 2018

Opening Reception: March 23rd, 2018 5:30 – 10:00pm

Paradigm Gallery is pleased to present Sacred Lands an exhibition of new sculptural works by the artist Drew Leshko opening March 23rd, 2018 and remaining on view through May 19th, 2018. The exhibition’s title is a reference to Leshko’s Philadelphia neighborhood of Fishtown and its ancestral roots as the home to the indigenous Lenni-Lenape. For more than a decade Leshko painstakingly documented the rapid re-development occurring in his hometown of Philadelphia specifically the historical neighborhood of Fishtown. Although Leshko’s works are sculptural by nature, he largely considers himself a documentarian, his sculptures echoing the work of legendary documentary photographers Gordon Parks and Bernd and Hilla Becher.

Leshko is particularly attracted to overlooked and oft-neglected sites, the unremarkable
buildings which will not be preserved. With past works, Leshko’s been drawn to the
once-thriving churches that have closed their doors as parishioners have been forced to
relocate, and the small local businesses with their classical designs which are now juxtaposed
with modern slapdash renovations, as well as the facades and machines of yesteryear. His
models splendidly isolate anachronistic architecture, encouraging the viewer to consider history
through a unique prism.

Drew Leshko, Sacred Lands, Paradigm Gallery + Studio

For Sacred Lands, Leshko replicates the Kensington Soup Society, a soup kitchen which
opened in 1844 and closed in 2008; Penn Treaty Metals, a metal recycling business spanning
three generations, the name of which references William Penn’s Treaty with the Native Lenape
in 1683; and the Edward Corner Marine Merchandise Warehouse, with its hand-painted signs
providing a physical reminder of Fishtown’s waterfront history. Leshko’s sculptures will be
complemented by his small-scale reproductions of local signage (for bars, restaurants, VFW
halls, and even strip clubs), as well as vintage photographs of historical buildings courtesy of the
Philadelphia City Archives.

Drew Leshko, Sacred Lands, Paradigm Gallery + StudioYesterday’s Tavern, 2018, paper, acrylic, inkjet prints, PVC plastic, chain, wire, pastel, 12” x 1 1/2” x 11”

Leshko’s 1:12 dollhouse scale replicas are meticulously crafted, requiring 120 to 160 studio
hours to create. He begins each sculpture working from a single photograph as an image
reference, but then will discard the photograph in mid-process, relying on memory to complete
the piece. His miniatures act as singular physical documents of the buildings and businesses
which are sadly proving unsustainable. Leshko’s ongoing examination of gentrification and
historical preservation (or lack thereof), asks the timely question “in a soon-to-be-forgotten
America, what is worth preserving?”.

About Drew Leshko

Drew Leshko is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based artist. Working from observation and
photographs, the artist painstakingly recreates everything from building facades to campers at a scale which may be familiar to some viewers as standard dollhouse spec; the treatment to
Leshko’s work is widely different. The minute detail of his work includes city detritus such as
dumpsters and pallets, which are commentary of the ideas of what is worth preserving.
Accumulations of typically overlooked details and minutiae like acid rain deposits and rust
become beautiful adornments.

Leshko’s work has been exhibited in galleries, and museums both nationally and internationally.
His work is included in permanent collections including the Dean Collection (NYC), West
Collection (Philadelphia), Iron State Development’s corporate collection (Hoboken), Urban
Nation Museum (Berlin), and many private collections throughout the world.

About Paradigm Gallery

Established February 2010, Paradigm Gallery + Studio started as a project between
co-founders and curators, Jason Chen and Sara McCorriston, to create a space to make
artwork, exhibit the work of their peers, and invite the members of the local community to make their own artwork in a welcoming gallery setting. Over the years, Paradigm Gallery + Studio has become a gallery of diverse contemporary artwork from around the world, while maintaining a focus on Philadelphia artists.

Thank you to Madison Fishman for the content of this post.

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Gravy

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Northeast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Northeast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Written and Photographed by Laura Storck

On First Friday this month, I was excited to finally visit Gravy Studio, located in Fishtown, which serves as a space that promotes local photographers and their work.  As a photographer with a particular fondness for the darkroom, I was especially interested in attending the opening reception for Northeast Kingdom by Andrew Frost.  Not only does this body of work contain black and white images captured on film, but I felt compelled to learn more about the mystery surrounding his project.

Northeast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Northeast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Artist Statement:

“These photographs were made in the Northeast area of the state of Vermont, an area known as the Northeast Kingdom. It’s where my family has lived for more than 200 years. My father joined the Navy when he was a teenager as a way to get out of the rural area, and growing up we never went back, though I always imagined what it was like. Over the past several years, I’ve been traveling there, exploring my past, and making photographs.”

Andrew Frost has been making large format photographs within and surrounding the small town of Groton, Vermont, where his relatives have lived for more that two hundred years. In the late 1970’s, his father left and joined the Navy as a teenager. As Andrew was growing up, his family moved constantly, and he had never personally experienced his heritage in Vermont. He always imagined “a magical place, with mountains, rivers, and lakes, and a land of tree houses and caves — the kind of place where kids were free to ride their bikes to the village store.”

Northeast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Finally in 2010, he visited his roots for the first time and began photographing the world he had often envisioned. Because of his nomadic upbringing, the Northeast Kingdom held a mythical sense of history for Frost as he had been enamored by the stories of his father’s youth.  On his initial visit to Vermont, he had instantly felt a deep connection and a sense of belonging.  For the next 3 years, Frost had made frequent trips to the area, and brought his 8 x 10 view camera to record and discover his origins on a journey of self-exploration.

Northeast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Documenting with a view camera was a slow and gradual process, which complimented the way of life in rural Vermont. Some of his subjects are relatives, others are strangers. Frost’s images are beautiful and expressively rich in their black and white tonality. Several of the captures could easily be mistaken as having been made in the distant past – including an image containing elements of a wall photo of a vintage car combined with an antiquated radio, to a photograph of a soldier leaving for boot camp. Before I knew any of the backstory regarding this project, I asked Andrew about the timeline and for details as for when these particular images were captured (as I initially thought that these could have been enlargements made from old negatives).

Northeast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

Andrew Frost explained:

“I don’t know for certain what type of car is in the photo, and as far as I know it’s a clock radio – it’s at my grandmother’s house, and she’s had it for a very long time. The photograph of the soldier, Jeremy, was made the day he left for boot camp. It was the 4th of July in 2011. He’s my aunt’s husband’s sister’s son, and in that area there aren’t a lot of career options. Your choices are mostly limited to farming, ministry, or the military, and he chose to enlist when he finished high school.”

Northeast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost, Gravy Studio

This poignant collection of work initially evokes feelings of melancholy, isolation, sterility, and stagnation in a pastoral land where time appears to be standing still. Yet these observations will eventually transition the viewer towards feelings of hope, beauty, tenderness, and human connection. The exhalation and inner peace that has resulted in this journey of self-realization and reflection are undoubtedly witnessed when viewing Northeast Kingdom.

Northeast Kingdon, Andrew Frost, Gravy StudioNortheast Kingdom, Andrew Frost at Gravy Studio is on display through December 31st. Gravy Studio & Gallery, 155 Cecil B. Moore Ave., 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19122, (267) 825-7071, gravy-studio.com, gravy.photo@gmail.com

Andrew Frost was born in Yokosuka, Japan. He has an MFA from Syracuse University, and currently lives in Northern New Jersey where he makes books for Conveyor Arts.

Gravy Studio & Gallery is a collaborative photography workspace and gallery located near the Frankford Arts Corridor.  Serving as a multifunctional space that promotes the work of local photographers, opening receptions are held on the First Friday of every month.

http://www.andrewpfrost.com

http://conveyorarts.org

Written and Photographed by Laura Storck

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Worth

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For What It's Worth, Richard Perkins PhotographyFor What It’s Worth, Richard Perkins Photography, The First Banana,

Written and photographed by Laura Storck.

Upon outlining my plan of attack for First Friday, I made a conscious effort to begin way out of the beaten art path, i.e., not in Old City, and venture even farther than many of the newer gallery openings on Frankford Avenue. My launch began at, the aptly-named, The First Banana in Fishtown to see the opening reception for the Richard Perkins solo photography exhibit, ‘For What It’s Worth‘. The photographs, mostly portraits of friends, were taken within the past 5 years to a mere week ago. Hailing from Portsmouth, Virginia, Perkins was in town for the occasion.

For What It's Worth, Richard Perkins PhotographyThe First Banana, 2152 E. Dauphin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125

Richard Perkins’ collection of portraits are vibrant, edgy, and voyeuristic, yet have an intimate and candid vibe to them. The fact that they were printed and posted directly on the wall gives the viewer a sense of immediacy and urgency that they must be seen. Many images rely heavily on flash, which I like, and therefore appear similar to a “look book” feel – which, in fact, shouldn’t come as a surprise, as in 2013 he helped to photograph clothing for Play Cloths, a progressive street-wear brand, also located in Virginia.

For What It's Worth, Richard Perkins, The First BananaFor What It’s Worth, Richard Perkins Photography, The First Banana

Very interestingly, Richard’s photographs were taken with only a disposable film camera or a digital point-and-shoot (he graciously showed me his white Samsung camera tucked away in his pocket). He confided that he likes to be as unobtrusive as possible when photographing his subjects, as to not point a large intimidating camera in their direction.

For What It's Worth, Richard Perkins, The First BananaFor What It’s Worth, Richard Perkins, photography at The First BananaFor What It's Worth, Richard Perkins, The First BananaFor What It’s Worth, Richard Perkins, Untitled, photograph, The First Banana

To compliment the exhibition, one of Richard’s films was being projected on a side wall above the stage. Richard explained,

“The film was called ‘Down From The Mountains‘ and it’s of my girlfriend Tabitha Lopez. The film consisted of a bored night where we drew out of a hat of what to do and one was to “make a movie” so I wanted to make a 20 minute long short film of Tabitha against a wall doing whatever she thought fit.”

The film, shot in black and white, consists of Tabitha speaking directly to the camera. The footage has a very dreamy and mercurial quality to it, in which I felt uncertain of what to expect next but compelled to watch more.

For What It's Worth, Richard Perkins, The First BananaDown From The Mountains, video, Richard Perkins, The First Banana

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Richard Perkins’ work and meeting the artist himself, especially on my first stop on First Friday at the First Banana. Richard’s expressively charged, raw, and moody photographs can be seen on display through November. The First Banana is a member-driven gallery, venue and performance space created to meet the needs of performance artists and artists in other mediums finding it hard to establish themselves in the art world.

The First Banana is located at 2152 E. Dauphin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125; (267) 934- 6263.

Written and photographed by Laura Storck.

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