One could say that sculptor Michael McGinnis has the looks of a wizard. A ring of gray hair encircles his head and he sports a fuzzy, salt and pepper beard that extends down his thin neck. Frameless, untinted glasses highlight the curious twinkle in his eye as he enthusiastically fields all the questions I hurl … Continue reading
Approximately 5 months ago I lost a very important friend named Elizabeth. Elizabeth was an artist. I first entered her world as a co-teacher during the teaching certification program at Tyler School of Art in 2005. Twelve years later Elizabeth’s friendship has extended my friendship family, as the people that surrounded her in life celebrated … Continue reading
Eight years ago I came to live, work and paint in the rural Berkshire mountains leaving Philadelphia, where I had spent most of my life. For the first time I had a studio space separate from my home and it was located, in the lush woods of my backyard. I felt as lucky as Norman … Continue reading
The Princeton University Art Museum has many wonderful things to offer with a small but strong collection of art. The Museum houses over 92,000 works from regions that span the entire globe but most important in my estimation is the Museum’s Art Education Program. As an elementary art teacher I know that appreciation for the … Continue reading
On November 17, 2016 I attended a workshop by the Corzo Center for the Creative Economy at the DaVinci Art Alliance. Linda Dubin Garfield, President of the Board of Directors, introduced the topic called Navigating the Art World for the Artist and Elizabeth F. Spugen, Executive Director of The Print Center, presented a lecture for … Continue reading
This summer I took a job in New York for two weeks at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus. There were two lucky things about taking this job. One, I stayed with my college roommate (not really relevant to this article) and two, I found a little gem in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, New … Continue reading
As many of our readers already know the Proximity Arts blog was born out of the inaugural summer session of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts low residency MFA program. Many of our contributors including Liz who manages the blog are currently in their second of three summer sessions in residency. Over the summer months … Continue reading
Guest Author Sarah Rene interviews Sahar Coston-Hardy (pictured below) “I am a photographer interested in the life that I see” Sahar Coston-Hardy is a photographer from the Philadelphia area. She has an undergraduate degree from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art, with her senior thesis being a documented collaboration of Chinese Sto’. Since then she … Continue reading
“The statements, ‘You cannot make it up’ and ‘You must make it up’ are both true. We must let both guide us. What we put down on our paper are real things that we can adjust just as we adjust objects in a still life.” ~Ken Kewley Recently I had the opportunity to take … Continue reading
A good creative arts education is essential for learning and the process of making art is an emotionally, intellectually, psychologically, and physically complicated one. All levels of art education emphasize the value of individual creative exploration, critical thinking and use of imagination. Aesthetic development begins as soon a the child makes a mark; beauty and … Continue reading
