4.17.2015

Help the UPenn Graduating class of 2015 have a Philadelphia group show with Tyler School of Art


At the end of each academic year, MFA programs around the Nation have thesis shows presenting the achievements of their respective programs. Philadelphia boasts a strong history of Fine Arts education that has, for better or for worse, long been relatively insular between institutions. We, at PennDesign are excited to be given the opportunity to mount the first ever joint curated exhibition of graduating MFA candidates from UPenn and Tyler School of Art, organized and curated by a team of MFA candidates and Art history PhD candidates from both schools. 

Our intention is to contribute to the Philadelphia community through collaboration among programs. We hope, through our success of our first show, to be able pass the torch to our successors and have it become a tradition for years to come.

Because of the parallel pursuits of artmaking that both PennDesign and Tyler share in common, we have been asking ourselves the these questions: How do educational environments shape students into the artists they will become? How are artists able to translate the work they do into a life and career outside of the school where they receive so much support? Most importantly, we agree that visibility is vital for art forms of all kinds.

The exhibition is to be installed at the ICEBOX gallery in the beautiful and historic Crane Arts building. We, the graduating MFA students of 2015 are attempting to independently raise the money for our group show. This is where you, our friends and family, come in! We have pulled what money we have to fund the show but we still need $2500. This amount covers the rent for one month, building and paint supplies to construct walls in the gallery and for transportation costs. 


This is not a PennDesign funded event. It is funded by us, the graduating class of 2015 so any amount will be help, even if it is just $5. We need to raise the money by April 30th. You can donate money to our GoFundMe account. Just click on the link!

We thank you for taking the time to read our plea for help!

Artist Talk with Mohammadreza Mirzaei (MFA '14) at Sazmanab Center for Contemporary Art

On the occasion of his recent exhibition at O Gallery, Mohammadreza Mirzaei will speak about his work with a focus on his recent published photobook and his two latest exhibitions at O Gallery and No.6 Gallery in Tehran. The two exhibitions with ironic titles "New Photographs" and "Newer Photographs" featured photographs that were shot in Iran and abroad, and mostly in public places.
During the artist talk, we will have a closer look at Mirzaei’s recent book "Here Comes the Sun" published by University of Pennsylvania Common Press. The book was designed by Italian graphic designer Filippo Nostri and contains twenty one photographs, a writing by Mirzaei and an essay written by curator Carlos Basualdo.

Mohammadreza Mirzaei (b.1986) is an Iranian photographer and writer based in Tehran. He is the founder and the editor of Dide Magazine, an online magazine dedicated to contemporary Iranian photography. Mirzaei was one of the jurors of International Photobook Award in 2011. He holds an MFA from University of Pennsylvania and he now teaches Photography and History of Art at the Professional Photography Institute in Tehran.

Monday, April 20th, 6 pm
The talk is held in Farsi.
Admission is free.

Sazmanab Center for Contemporary Art
No. 2, Roshan Manesh Alley, Khaghani St., Bour Bour St., South Mofatteh St., Haftetir Sq., Tehran, Iran

T : +98 (0) 21 888 66 345

4.13.2015

Maya Brym (MFA Alum) in group show in NYC - OPENS April 16 6-8pm


frosch&portmann is pleased to present “so different, so appealing”, a group exhibition  with Maya Brym, Paul Loughney, Vicki Sher and Sheri Warshauer.
so different, so appealing”—a title in loose reference to the 1956 pop art collage Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? by British artist Richard Hamilton—brings together four artists whose works are distinctive but share a fascination with the domestic space. Working in different media such as collage, drawing and painting, the artists create a shifting landscape of domesticity. In exploring tensions between interiors and modern architecture, the exhibition offers different views into the private space by juxtaposing familiarity with the unknown.
 
With her paintings, Maya Brym creates still lifes of exterior and interior modern architecture. Her houses, set in front of dark mountain formations, are cut open and reveal shifting perceptions allowing a glimpse into alternate spaces. The artist grew up in a 1970s modern house which influenced her imagery; intrigued by the optimism of modern architecture and lifestyle, the artist is interested in transforming and re-contextualizing in a way that acknowledges flux and a space for the unknown.
 
Using negative space and shadows, Paul Loughney’s collages reconfigure the interior  and render different perspectives on presence. These new narratives lead to a sense of ambiguity and mystery in the nebulous realm between the familiar and unrecognizable forms. While Richard Hamilton’s collage focuses on the materials and symbols of comfort that define the era in which they were consumed, Loughney’s work displays the interior as a timeless entity. Devoid of bodies and objects, they encapsulate the many previous lives which inhabited them.
 
Just like breezing through lifestyle magazines, Sheri Warshauer's work takes a voyeuristic look at architecture and interior design of the tastefully affluent. Her paintings and collages poke fun at the efforts behind displaying wealth through art and furniture in modern homes. Warshauer uses layers of paint, colored pencil and cut paper images to bring her scenes to life. She puts the Modernist’s American Dream on display for all to see what can be attainable if one has the eye, money and taste to acquire it.
 
Vicki Sher is interested in the quiet moments of everyday life. Furniture, houseplants and bowls of fruit populate her images alongside whimsical lines and color, suggesting just enough of an interior to set the stage for contemplative wandering. Sher wants you to fill in the empty space, but also wants you to understand the value of limited information. Hereditary subjects are commonplace, crummy couches and generic plants, but each character gets to take center stage, every line is elevated to a solo note by the removal of surrounding noise.
 
April 16 - May 24, 2015
Hours: Wednesday - Sunday from noon - 6



 

4.02.2015

Jaime Treadwell (Former MFA) featured in HI-Fructose Magazine! OUT NOW


Hi-Fructose print Magazine featured an eight page spread of my work accompanied with an article in their recent issue coming out April 1st (tomorrow).  

Hi-Fructose, The New Contemporary Art Magazine Vol. 35
International publication found in all major bookstores.



Jaime Treadwell
Assistant Professor of Art
Delaware County Community College
610-325-2802
RM. 3280
Website: www.jaimetreadwell.com

Chiara No (MFA '15) - The Tenets of Crowning - OPENS 4/5 in Portland, Maine


Please join us Sunday, April 5th as we welcome Philadelphia-based Chiara No to the Institute for American Art in Portland, Maine. Chiara will be showing new work that continues the development of Crowning, a project combining ideas of and around effacement with Metal music subculture. The monumental works’ debut will be accompanied by light fare from noon to four.

www.chiara-no.com

Stephanie Elden (MFA '16) has her first solo show in Philadelphia - OPENS this Friday 4/3

Please join us for the Opening Reception of artist Stephanie Elden's solo exhibition, Neoplasm Ectopia, this Friday, April 3rd during Philadelphia's First Friday hours of 5pm-8pm at Bluestone Fine Art Gallery.


Links:
http://bluestone-gallery.com/exhibitions 
http://www.stephanieelden.com/
Or here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1559456174328586/