I am a Philadelphian and an artist with an upcoming exhibition in Old City Philadelphia at MUSE Gallery, “Look Me In The Eye: Portraits of Homelessness” is a show of large art quilts and oversized hand embroidered drawings that use personal stories of homeless individuals, Philadelphians, to inspire empowerment and create visibility of those who have been left behind by our society.
My work combines art and action to produce meaningful social impact. The implementation of portraiture within quilting serves to empower the persons depicted, enabling them to see themselves through their own stories rather than qualifiers such as “jobless” or “homeless”. Through conversations and active listening, I learn about the individual stories of these overlooked and ignored community members. The large scale work forces the audience to confront images of people they would rather not see, and bear witness to the stories behind them.
Carolyn Harper
This work is extremely relevant to the times we live in, and I am grateful to The Puffin Foundation for providing me with a grant in support of my work. The Artist Reception will take place at MUSE Gallery, 52 N. 2nd Street, Old City Philadelphia, on Friday, November 1st from 5 – 8 pm. The exhibition runs through the end of November; Gallery hours are Wednesday – Sunday from 12-5.
Mission: Established late in 1977, the Muse Gallery is an artists’ cooperative dedicated to encourage and promote its members’ artistic expression through abstract, conceptual and representational forms. Reflecting an aesthetic that awakens awareness, the Muse Gallery affirms the shared experience of art between the artist and the community. Please see the membership page to view a detailed history of Muse. To join the Gallery: Muse Gallery is always interested in potential new members. We are often fully staffed and maintain a waiting list. Please visit our membership page.
Thank you to Carolyn Harper for the content of this post.
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OLD CITY COFFEE PRESENTS JOANNE ISAAC: PRINTS IN THE CAFE
Art Show will run from November 2 – February 1, with opening reception on First Friday
PHILADELPHIA – On Nov. 2 during First Friday, Old City Coffee will serve as the setting for the first posthumous showing of work by storied artist, Joanne Isaac. A reception will be held for guests to experience the charming, graphic world of an internationally-applauded printmaker.
With a specialty in etching, Isaac made a name for herself and attracted a loyal following with her series focusing on Pennsylvania Dutch barns and depictions of scenes from nature. Other notable career milestones include her books, Tom Thumb’s Alphabet (Putnam, 1970) and Amanda (Lerner Publications, 1968), the recipient of the 1968 award for years’ best illustration from the Society of Illustrators, New York. Isaac’s works can be found in the private collections of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Embassy in Paris, and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Her work has also been presented internationally in Germany, Italy, Poland, Japan, Canada, Brazil, and Spain.
As the creator of Old City Coffee’s original logo, Joanne’s influence is evident as soon as you walk into the café. The 4 oz. espresso cups, also designed by Joanne, encompass her thoughtful style with each deliberate detail adding to the overall feel of the brand. The simple, yet sophisticated, cups encircled by six, multi-hued, brown bands designed to evoke the taste, smell, and texture of the quintessential espresso experience. This thoughtful attention to detail communicates to customers the love and appreciation the business has for coffee as a whole. Isaac’s impact is also felt in the way Old City Coffee operates with a commitment to tradition and high quality goods, traits that have become synonymous with the specialty coffee brand. Her designs not only carry on a piece of family history, but also embody a holistic mindset inherited by her family.
A woman ahead of her time, Joanne rejected the notion that she should work only as a homemaker and, instead, prospered as an artist with the full support of her family. As the mother of four, Joanne successfully juggled her career and family, and her influence can be seen in her two daughters who organized the exhibition. Joanne’s daughter Ruth is the founder and co-owner of Old City Coffee. Elder daughter Rachel, inspired by Joanne’s passion for art, followed in her mother’s footsteps as a professional artist and a framer. Joanne’s legacy carries on through the two most important pieces of her life: her family and her artwork.
“Her commitment to and passion for her craft shone through in every piece and we want to continue sharing her work with the world,” says daughter, Rachel Isaac.
The showcase will be open to the public, with a kickoff opening reception on Friday, Nov. 2 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Pieces will be on display in Old City Coffee’s café area every day during operating hours. The display will end with a closing celebration on Feb. 1 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. to commemorate the life and artwork of Joanne Isaac. For more information go to: www.oldcitycoffee.com
Thank you to Alex Styer, Senior Account Executive & Director of Digital Media at Bellevue PR for the content of this post.
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HOURS: Thursdays and Fridays 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Sundays 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM and by appointment (Closed on Thanksgiving).
Admission is free.
Click the pics for large images.
Philadelphia, PA – Old City Jewish Art Center, located at 119 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, and Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLCpresent Color in the Moment, a solo exhibition by painter and Philadelphia native, Zelda Edelson. At eighty-nine years old, Edelson presents her first solo show in the city, which highlights her new paintings. Curated by Amie Potsic, CEO and Principal Curator of Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC, the show begins on November 2 and runs through November 30. The opening reception will be on First Friday, November 2 from 5:00 – 9:00 PM with the artist in attendance at 5:00 PM to discuss her work with guests and patrons. Gallery hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Sundays from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Color in the Moment features Zelda Edelson, a prolific abstract painter who has created her own technique to enable her to paint from a walker used for balance. Creating something positive from challenging circumstances, her paintings are colorful and evocative. Edelson begins each painting with a gesture of the arm to create the first mark with her palette knife. The paint begins to flow and Edelson becomes invigorated, losing herself in the process. She paints on the areas of the canvas she can reach first. Then turning the painting, she accesses the previously unreachable portions to complete it. When each painting is finished, Edelson enjoys the process of bringing her diverse background to bear as she writes insightful titles for each work. Sharing her love of painting through gesture, color, and form, Edelson’s work reveals a voice that is both seasoned and spontaneous.
Edelson explains, “My paintings are full of color, feeling, and movement. They are lyrical like a song, strong like a knot, and intricate like a spider’s web.” Her work is in the tradition of Abstract Expressionism as were her strongest influences: artists Paul Klee, Jackson Pollock, and Willem de Kooning.
Zelda Edelson, Interrupted, acrylic on canvas, 40” x 30”, 2018
Zelda Toll Edelson was born in Philadelphia on October 18, 1929. Edelson traces her interest in art and painting to an experimental art class she took while at Girls High taught by distinguished artist and teacher Jack Bookbinder. This first introduction to modern art had a profound effect on her, which she would act on many years later. As a young woman, Edelson was a bit of a radical, frequently going to far away parts of town to see a foreign movie or check out a bookstore. When she completed high school, she went to the University of Chicago, where she graduated with a major in English Literature. After marrying Marshall Edelson, she eventually moved to Connecticut. There she began her twenty-year career as Editor and Head of Publications for Yale University’s Peabody Museum of Natural History. In her role as editor, Edelson used her artistic sensibility to create skillfully produced photographs and illustrations to complement the natural history articles of the Yale faculty.
When she retired in 1995, Edelson decided to focus on painting. She also moved back to Philadelphia, to her roots, where she still has many family members. Zelda has exhibited her work at the Woodbridge Town Center and the Creative Arts Center in Connecticut as well as at Gallery Q2, The Jewel of India, Art for the Cash Poor, and Main Line Art Center in the Philadelphia area. She received an Honorable Mention award in the 70th Annual Members’ Exhibition at Main Line Art Center in October of 2007. At eighty-nine years old, Edelson now lives in Haverford, PA, where she continues to be a prolific painter.
Zelda Edelson, Romance In A Winter Light, acrylic on canvas, 24” x 18”, 2012
Curator of the exhibition,Amie Potsic, MFA is the CEO & Principal Curator of Amie Potsic Art Advisory LLC, Chair of the Art In City Hall Artistic Advisory Board of the City of Philadelphia, as well as an established photographer and installation artist. Potsic has extensive experience curating exhibitions for museums, galleries, art organizations, and public spaces and offers Legacy Planning for artists and collectors. Legacy Planning involves the opportunity to shape an artist or collector’s legacy, during their lifetime, to create meaning and purpose through a life’s work. By documenting, exhibiting, and publishing their artwork as well as placing works with institutions and collections, she helps strengthen their artistic impact while relieving their loved ones of the difficult task of organizing an archive, studio, or collection. Potsic presents this legacy exhibition to honor Edelson and her work.
Potsic received her MFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and BA’s in Photojournalism and English Literature from Indiana University. She has held faculty appointments at the University of California at Berkeley, Ohlone College, and the San Francisco Art Institute and been a guest lecturer at the International Center of Photography, the University of the Arts, Tyler School of Art, and the Delaware Contemporary. Professional appointments have included Director of Gallery 339, Curator and Director of the Career Development Program at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA), and most recently Executive Director and Chief Curator of Main Line Art Center. Curatorial projects have included exhibitions for the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, the Office of Arts and Culture of the City of Philadelphia, Philagrafika, Moore College of Art & Design, Main Line Art Center, Maryland Art Place, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Founded in 2006, the Old City Jewish Art Center (OCJAC) was envisioned as a platform to build Jewish community through the arts. Growing steadily since then, the OCJAC gallery has become an exhibition space for serious artists, holds monthly First Friday art receptions with a Jewish twist and provides social and Jewish holiday programs throughout the year. OCJAC is now a landmark gallery in the Philadelphia art scene and is the only gallery dedicated to Jewish artistic expression and cultural exchange in Philadelphia. Using the arts as a springboard, the Old City Jewish Art Center advances and promotes the universal messages of Judaism and spiritually to the broadest possible audience.
Color in the Momentwill be on view November 2 – 30, 2018. The opening reception will be on First Friday, November 2 from 5:00 – 9:00 PM. Gallery hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 11:00am – 4:00pm, Sundays from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Adelson Galleries presents our second Pop-up exhibition, Smoke and Bullets, at the Old City Jewish Art Center (OCJAC). The group exhibition juxtaposes two very different artists: Steven Spazuk and Federico Uribe, who have each found their artistic voice through separate and unconventional media
March 1st through April 1st, 2018, Muse Gallery, 52 North Second Street, Old City, Philadelphia, 19106, 215. 627. 5310
First Friday: March 2nd, 2018 from 5:00 – 8:00pm
Artist’s reception: Sunday, March 11, 2018 from 2-5 pm
Artist Statement:
“When starting a painting, I try to be crazy and paint with whatever feels good at the moment: old acrylic test paint, rollers, squeegees, stir sticks, wire mesh, oil sticks, and lots of smearing and dripping. It is pure madness and lots of fun. After a time, the painting has to calm down, be edited, have a composition and hopefully a dominant color. My paintings are all about the tension between madness and calm, my striving to keep the energy, chaos and color while imposing an order and coherence.”
Mission: Established late in 1977, the Muse Gallery is an artists’ cooperative dedicated to encourage and promote its members’ artistic expression through abstract, conceptual and representational forms. Reflecting an aesthetic that awakens awareness, the Muse Gallery affirms the shared experience of art between the artist and the community. Please see the membership page to view a detailed history of Muse.