Our Philadelphia winter was recently interrupted by unseasonably warm weather. Perfect timing to kick off my hunt for public installations associated with the Barnes Foundation’s Person of the Crowd: The Contemporary Art of Flânerie, which opened on February 25th. The “flâneur” references Charles Baudelaire’s 1863 essay “The Painter of Modern Life” in which he describes … Continue reading
At the time of year when we’re looking for light and warmth in New England, artists from the Berkshires and beyond contribute their talents to the Winter Arts Festival in Pittsfield, MA. This year’s sixth annual festival ran from February 16th – 26th, highlighting hundreds of visual artists, actors, playwrights, musicians, poets, and dancers in … Continue reading
15,000 square foot Building 5 at MassMoCA offers a daunting challenge for any artist as an installation space. The gallery is the size of a football field; it’s a seductive, performative space that was originally a factory building complex built between 1870 and 1900. MassMoCA, located in North Adams, MA has 19 large gallery … Continue reading
I have an issue with time. I admit my role. I am the author of my own demise through my need to take part in the over scheduled, over-booked, say “yes” to every opportunity contemporary world. Staying present is a problem for those of us who plan life a year in advance, so slipping into … 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
The viewer may enter Ms. Brooks’ works through identification with the familiar, everyday objects, figures and people she portrays. The familiarity of her subject matter (a knife, an onion, a young girl) offer an intimacy, comfort, though not a sense of complacency. Each simple object as well as the more complex frontal confrontation in her … Continue reading
Ingrained, currently on view at Automat, is an installation by Abby King and Marie Manski devoted to the exploration of the 319 North 11th Street building in Philadelphia and the unique community of artist run spaces that have sprung up there in recent years. Perhaps best known for Vox Populi, one of the first galleries … Continue reading
