Philadelphia, PA -
Other Selections: Local Artists Respond to the Museum Collection, a new collaborative exhibition, open at The Center for Art in Wood at 141 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, from May 2 - July 19, 2014 in the Gerry Lenfest Gallery. An opening reception with the artists will be held Friday, May 1, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at the Center in conjunction with First Friday gallery festivities in Old City and a gallery talk and art expedition are described below.
The Center for Art in Wood embarks on new terrain with this spring exhibition, a collaboration with young, local artists who work in diverse media - drawing, sculpture, printmaking, video, and photography - everything, in fact, except wood. The 18 Philadelphia-based artists studied the Center's Museum Collection and selected one or more pieces to serve as a point of departure for new artwork. The exhibition ranges from animation, kinetic sculpture, woodblock prints, book art, to large scale installations. In this and other projects, the Center seeks to make the collection an engine for creative activity.
The concept for the project began with Gerard Brown and David Stephens, members from the museum's exhibition committee, who proposed that the Center open its gallery to the many artist-run spaces in
Philadelphia.
Participating members of the collective NAPOLEON include Marc Blumthal, Lewis Colburn, Marianne Dages, Christina P. Day, Alexis Nutini, H. John Thompson, and Tamsen Wojtanowski. Additionally, NAPOLEON member Jordan Rockford invited the local artist Patrick Coughlin to participate. Another collective, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, brings five artists to the project: Jaime Alvarez, Todd Baldwin, Mark Brosseau, Joanna Platt, and Terri Saulin Frock. Artworks by Jason Gandy and James Johnson are curated by Sean Stoops. Timothy Belknap and Ryan McCartney, who direct the Icebox Project Space through their collective, McCartney/Belknap, round out the show. Lewis Colburn, a NAPOLEON member, worked closely with the Center's staff to organize the exhibition.
Exhibition Events
The Center stays open until 8:00 PM for First Fridays, May 1, June 5, and July 3. A gallery talk and reception with the artists will take place on Saturday, May 2. Join the artists as they talk about their work in the Center's Gerry Lenfest Gallery.
On Friday, June 5 the Center and the 319 Artist Cooperative Building will co-host an art expedition, which starts with guided tours at 5:00 PM at the Center, then moves to the artist-spaces at 319 N. 11th Street, Philadelphia for gallery tours from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Admission to this event is free, but registration is required, with a 30 person limit, admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that the 319 N. 11th street building is not wheelchair accessible.
To register, please contact Maggie Bradley, Director of Advancement at 215-923-8000 or maggie@centerforartinwood.org.
The exhibition is generously supported by the Cambium Circle members of The Center for Art in Wood, The Bresler Family Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Samuel S. Fels Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and Windgate Charitable Foundation.
