Tag Archives: Old City Arts District

Diversity

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Edwina Brennan, 3rd Street GalleryEdwina Brennan: Contemporary Gestures

From February 28th through April 1, 3rd Street Gallery presents two solo exhibitions in the main gallery:

Edwina Brennan: Contemporary Gestures, and Jean Plough: Sketches in Paint and an exhibition in the Annex gallery, Demetra Tassiou: Diversity.

Highlights

Exhibition Dates: February 28 – April 1

First Friday: Friday, March 2, 5 – 9 PM

Reception: Sunday, March 4, 2- 5 PM

Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 12-5PM

Edwina Brennan: Contemporary Gestures

Edwina Brennan starts with a mark – simple and straightforward. But then there is another and another, a splotch of color and some scraping. Although the artwork is relatively large in scale, some of the drawings are quite subtle and minimal, while others are bold and expansive. The artwork unfolds, inviting the viewer to share in the conversation, looking at and responding to marks and layer as they move over the surface.

Edwina Brennan‘s abstract paintings and drawings are known throughout the Philadelphia area for their evocative color, strong and subtle markings, and emotional power. Highly energetic, she has been strongly influenced by Cy Twombly and Joan Mitchell. Brennan studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and progressed from landscape painting to her abstract style. Her work is in many collections including Bryn Mawr College and the Berman Museum.

Jean Plough: Sketches in Paint

Jean Plough: Sketches in PaintFlatland, Jean Plough, 2018

Jean Plough Sketches in Paint represents a journey from traditional non-realistic landscapes to bolder unconfined statements, scattered with words etched in crayon. Paintings vary from strictly geometric impressions to more spontaneous renditions. At one end of the spectrum are simple atmospheric color-fields, and on the other, freer expressions that include text. A scrubby, sketch-like quality of similar color brushstrokes is applied in layers to create perspective. The exhibition cannot be pigeonholed into one style; instead it employs several, although the transition is evident from one piece to the next. Inspired by a sense of place, as well as being open to the subconscious, Sketches in Paint presents a wide range of offerings.

Born in Queens New York, Jean studied painting at University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She also spent time at the Corcoran Gallery summer program in Washington, DC, and took part in a show at the National Museum of Women in the Arts called, “Insomnia, Landscapes of the Night”. Jean’s piece, “Hurricane/Gulf,” is in the Annapolis Volvo Collection in Annapolis, Maryland, and her work received the Award of Excellence at the University of Delaware Biennial. She earned Best Abstract at the Philadelphia Sketch Club, and honorable mention in Scenes of Schuylkill for “Market Street Bridge”.  Jean paints because it allows communication with others, as well as creating a new perspective, a sense of space and the unexpected. Artist website:  https://www.jeanplough.com

Demetra Tassiou: Diversity

Demetra Tassiou will be showing a selection of her abstract mixed media work around the theme of Diversity in the Annex gallery. Demetra holds an MFA in printmaking from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Athens in Greece, where she majored in Painting and minored in Art Education and Ceramic. She has exhibited extensively in the Philadelphia area and surroundings as well as New York City, Greece, and Italy.

About 3rd Street Gallery: The Gallery has been in existence since 1978, opening in its first space on the corner of 3rd and Bainbridge in South Philadelphia. As one of the oldest artist-run, fine art galleries in the City it has been home to thousands of Philadelphia artists. The members are a diverse group of artists of all ages and backgrounds. They are multigenerational, have advanced degrees in the arts as well as the sciences, work in diverse media from the traditional to the digital, range from the classically trained to the self-taught and include arts educators, award-winners, and artists whose work is collected by museums as well as by corporate and private collectors.

Thank you to Pia De Girolamo for the content of this post.

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Tu B’Shevat

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Amie Potsic, Old City Jewish Art CenterAmie Potsic, “Enchanted Forest Installation view #1”, Archival Pigment Print on Silk, Dimensions variable, 2015, © Amie Potsic 2015

Artists present environmental art celebrating trees and drawing attention to Climate Change

Celebration of Trees, An exhibition in celebration of the Jewish New Year for Trees, Tu B’Shevat

 

AMIE POTSIC  |  LINDA DUBIN GARFIELD

HOWARD BRUNNER  |  LESLIE K. BRILL  |  BARBARA ROSIN

 January 31 – February 25, 2018

–  EVENTS  –

OPENING RECEPTION:
Tu B’Shevat, Wednesday, January 31, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

FIRST FRIDAY: Friday, February 2, 5:00 – 9:00 PM, First Friday event followed by Shabbat Dinner

ARTIST TALK AND RECEPTION: Sunday, February 11, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

CLOSING RECEPTION: Sunday, February 25, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

LOCATION: Old City Jewish Art Center, 119 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA  19106

http://www.ocjac.org  |  rabbizash@ocjac.org  |  215.627.2792

Admission is free and by appointment

Philadelphia, PA – Old City Jewish Art Center (OCJAC), located at 119 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA presents Celebration of Trees, a group exhibition featuring Amie Potsic, Linda Dubin Garfield, Howard Brunner, Leslie K. Brill, and Barbara Rosin.  The exhibition will include a site-specific photographic installation and series of complementary photographs by Potsic as well as prints, paintings, and mixed media works by all the featured artists. The show begins on January 31st and runs through February 5th.  The opening reception will be on Wednesday, January 31st from 6:00 – 8:00 PM in celebration of Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish holiday that commemorates the New Year for Trees. There will be a reception on First Friday from 5:00 – 9:00 PM followed by a Shabbat Dinner.  Artist Talks will take place on Sunday, February 11th from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. The closing reception will be on Sunday, February 25th from 2:00 – 4:00 PM.  Gallery hours are by appointment.

Amie Potsic’s work references the sensory experience of being within the forest while encouraging us to appreciate and preserve its future. Her incarnate environmental explorations entice the viewer to connect with their own perception of nature in a manner that is simultaneously intimate and enchanting.  “Facing massive deforestation due to industry and global warming itself, the ill-fated future of our forests is undeniable unless we intervene.  To focus attention on climate change, support improved environmental policies, and encourage an appreciation for forests and their fragility, my work emphasizes the cyclical beauty of the seasons and the delicacy of nature,” says Potsic.

Celebration of Trees is presented in honor of Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish New Year for Trees, at a time when forests are increasingly important in the fight against Climate Change.  We observe this holiday “by eating fruit, particularly from the kinds that are singled out by the Torah in its praise of the bounty of the Holy Land:  grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates.  On this day, we remember that ‘Man is a tree of the field’ and reflect on the lessons we can derive from our botanical analogue,” explains Rabbi Zalman of Old City Jewish Art Center.  In organizing this exhibition to commemorate Tu B’Shevat, OCJAC and SmART Business Consulting chose these artists because their work encourages the appreciation of trees.

Amie Potsic, Old City Jewish Art Center

Amie Potsic, “Enchanted Forest #1”, Archival Pigment Print, 12” x 24”, 2015, © Amie Potsic 2015

Amie Potsic is a photographer and environmental artist based in the Philadelphia area whose work addresses cultural, personal, and natural phenomena through the lens of social responsibility.  With 18 solo exhibitions and over 100 group exhibitions, Potsic has exhibited her work internationally at the Art Park in Rhodes, Greece; The Royal College of London, England; Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá, Colombia; Medfoundart di Cagliari, Italy; the Museum of New Art in Detroit; The Woodmere Art Museum, The National Constitution Center Museum, The Painted Bride, The Gershman Y, James Oliver Gallery in Philadelphia; Mission 17 in San Francisco; and 626 Gallery in Los Angeles.  Her work has been published in or awarded by publications including The San Francisco Chronicle, Art Matters, The PhotoReview, andThe Philadelphia Inquirer.  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 has been a guest lecturer at The University of the Arts, The Delaware Contemporary, and The International Center of Photography.  Potsic is the CEO and Principal Curator of Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC as well as Chair of the Artistic Advisory Board of the Art In City Hall program of the Office of Arts and Culture of the City of Philadelphia.

Founded in 2006, the Old City Jewish Art Center was envisioned as a platform to build Jewish community through the arts.  Building 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.

Amie Potsic, Old City Jewish Art CenterAmie Potsic, “Enchanted Forest #5”, Archival Pigment Print, 24” x 48”, 2015, © Amie Potsic 2015

Celebration of Trees will be on view January 31st through February 5th.  The opening reception will be on Wednesday, January 31st from 6:00 – 8:00 PM in celebration of Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish holiday that commemorates the New Year for Trees. There will be a reception on First Friday from 5:00  – 9:00 PM followed by a Shabbat Dinner.  Artist Talks will take place on Sunday, February 11th from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. The closing reception will be on Sunday, February, 25th from 2:00 – 4:00 PM.  Gallery hours are by appointment.

For more information, please contact Amie Potsic at apotsic@yahoo.com or 610-731-6312 or Old City Jewish Art Center at rabbizash@ocjac.org or 215-627-2792.

Thank you to Amie Potsic for the content of this post.

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Reflections

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Jacque Ferretti, 3rd Street Gallery

Bella and Sharky

Reflections of the Past

“We clasp the hands of those that go before us,

And the hands of those who come after us.

We enter the little circle of each other’s arms

And the larger circle of lovers,

Whose hands are joined in a dance

And the larger circle of all creatures

Passing in and out of life

Who move also in a dance

To a music so subtle and vast that no ear hears it

Except in fragments.”

-Wendell Berry

“My interest in the subject of this exhibit was first sparked when I fell in love with a house, which is now my home, in an old Philadelphia neighborhood.  I had yet to discover why this area would hold such a special allure for me.

Bella and Sharkey were my maternal grandparents.  Incredibly, Bella as a teenager, once lived on my same street, just a few houses away when she met Sharkey at a neighborhood dance; they eventually married.  Sharkey was a tailor by trade, owning his own shop, and together he and Bella raised five children.  Sadly, when child number six, my mother, was on the way Sharkey died at the age of 32.

I found the house where Bella lived and raised her six children and where Sharkey’s tailor shop stood.  These buildings have since been torn down but not before I was able to collect many artifacts during the demolition process;  including photographs and construction fragments (rusted nails, shards of pottery, glass, stones and a wall sconce) all precious relics of my family history that have become indispensable to my artistic interpretation when telling Bella and Sharkey’s story.” –  Jacque Ferretti

Jacque Ferretti, 3rd Street Gallery

3rd Street Gallery, 45 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, (215) 625-0993

Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 12 – 5:00pm

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MUSE @40

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MUSE @40. Muse GalleryMUSE @40

Muse Gallery in Old City invites you to MUSE @40, our 40th Anniversary Group Exhibition. The exhibition opens on November 29 and runs through December 31, 2017. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday 12 to 5 pm.

Muse Gallery will present small works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, print, photography, mixed media and sculpture.  Our talented members, past and present, are donating these select works to create a unique opportunity to purchase 8” x 8” artwork for $40 each.  Art lovers can support the gallery and fund new initiatives by adding to their collections.

Please join us for:

  • First Friday            December 1 from 5 – 8 pm
  • Artist Reception    December 10 from 1 – 5 pm.

At the December 10th reception, current and past members welcome the public to celebrate the gallery’s longevity and it’s value to Philadelphia’s vibrant artistic community.

In 1977, 60% of students in American art schools were women.  Only 2% of these trained artists showed their work in galleries.  That year Muse Gallery opened its doors as Philadelphia’s only professional women’s art gallery, and it was also the first women’s co-operative gallery.  It was organized by Judith Stein, Patricia Meilman and a core group of nine professional artists.  There are now 21 artist members. 

Muse Gallery has always provided support to its members.  Women artists would have freedom to create without the pressure to sell.  Although Muse Gallery continues to have a strong feminist point of view, it now accepts men as equal members.

The Muse Gallery continues to value the same ideals as it did at its inception.  Its members have an opportunity to exhibit in an open and supportive environment.  We encourage dialogue through monthly meetings, critiques, as well as group and individual shows.  It is also a place where people form lasting friendships and make important connections with other artists. Muse offered women the opportunity to shine and still does after 40 years.

Muse Gallery, 52 North Second Street, Old City, Philadelphia 19106, 215-627-5310

Thank you to Charlene Lutz for the content of this post.

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Dispossessed

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Muse Gallery, The Dispossessed, Carolyn Harper Cohen,Homeless (Michelle), Carolyn Harper Cohen, batik and hand dyed fabric that has been pieced, appliqued and quilted by hand, 60″ x 52″

The Dispossessed by Carolyn Harper Cohen

Muse Gallery is pleased to present The Dispossessed by Carolyn Harper Cohen. The exhibition will run from November 1st – November 27th, 2017 with an opening reception First Friday, November 3rd from 5-8:00 p.m.

Carolyn Harper Cohen’s work has a strong social justice component to it as she creates images of people or groups who have been marginalized, discriminated against, or abused. Each of the works in this exhibit is of a particular Philadelphian; someone living in an area homeless shelter or on the streets. Many of these individuals are children. The works provide faces to those who are faceless, nameless and powerless, and bear witness to those who are suffering. The beauty that the artistic process brings to the images creates a tension with the inherent cruelty of the lives of the subjects; in admiring the works, the viewer becomes almost complicit in their abuse and neglect.

Muse Gallery, The Dispossessed, Carolyn Harper Cohen,Homeless (Alexus), hand pieced, hand sewn quilt, 40″ x 48″, Carolyn Harper Cohen

The works consist of either hand embroidered batiks or hand sewn large art quilts. The methods are layered, as are the colors. The work is tactile and raw rather than slick; the fabric hand dyed, each stitch obsessively sewn by hand. The engrossing surface quality slows down perception, encouraging viewers to react to the work in a very deliberate way.

This work can be seen within the context of ‘craftivism’: a term coined in 2003 by writer Betsy Greer which can be defined as “a way of looking at life where voicing opinions through creativity makes your voice stronger, your compassion deeper and your quest for justice more infinite.”

Craft has traditionally been viewed as ‘women’s work’ and as such was marginalized and undervalued, but the craft techniques in this work can be seen as subverting the traditional genre of portraiture. Piecing fabric together creates an image that is quite different, and less real, than a painting, which oftentimes seeks to imitate and/or idealize the person being portrayed. Instead, Carolyn Harper Cohen has searched to find the individual and emotional human character of each individual.

www.carolyncohenart.com

Thank you to Carolyn Harper Cohen for the content of this post.

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