It has been suggested to me (by a well-known Philadelphia artist) that there is a dependent relationship between art and the city and that most great art comes from metropolitan areas. Is this true? Does history support this statement? My gut tells me that art comes down to… 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
Do you know that on January 20th in many American cities, art dealers shut their doors in support of the Women’s March? In San Francisco over 100,000 protesters showed up to march in the streets and The San Francisco Art Dealers Association reported that most galleries were closing in solidarity with the Women’s March and … 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
Roots and branches are at the same level in the process of organizing ones thinking according to Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. They propose this metaphor, originally taken from biology, as a rhizomatic way of thinking. The rhizome, like a root system, is so fertile that it may sprout in many different places at the … Continue reading
Philosophy has never been my strong suit. I struggle at synthesizing disparate ideas and apply them to everyday life. As the saying goes, “it is all Greek to me.” That is not to say that I don’t appreciate philosophy. In fact, I do, and as it happens, so does my son who is wading through … Continue reading
I’m on my way to buy face lotion at Rite Aid again. With clammy hands buried in the pockets of my corduroy jacket, I pass the Eastern State Penitentiary, one of the world’s most haunted places (among the top 10 according to TIME magazine). The abandoned prison remains a tour-able Philadelphia landmark and the home … 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
Recently contributor Leslie Belloso was invited to give the commencement speech at Crisfield High School in Maryland. Her speech below contains more than just advice for high school seniors, it is a moving description of her life so far and the lessons she has learned living it. We create our destinies through the choices we make … Continue reading
Recently I took part in a group project. The assignment, to curate a fictional art show with two other students. We were asked to pick a subject, artists and a format along with writing a curatorial essay and slideshow. My group chose to focus on the phenomenon of alone togetherness… I wish I could say … Continue reading
