Rubia Project on Art Cast

This week WCA/DC and WCA-Phila member Sharon Burton interviewed Bonnie MacAllister of the Philadelphia Chapter of WCA about the Rubia Project on her blog podcast. Sharon says, "It was an excellent interview...check it out at
http://authenticart.blogspot.com/2008/04/authentic-art-visions-artcast-second.html (click and paste to your browser)."

Environmental Distress Featured on Art Loop!

Check out the May brochure that features us!
http://www.ci.wilmington.de.us/artloop/brochure/05_may.pdf

Hope to see you tomorrow Friday night May 2 5:30pm-8:00pm
music, refreshments, etc.!
Redding Gallery
Louis L. Redding City County Building
800 N. French Street
Wilmington DE, 19801


The Women's Caucus for Art, Philadelphia Chapter
http://phila-wca.blogspot.com
http://home.earthlink.net/~philawcamembers/index.html
http://www.marycrowley.com/rubia/ (Collaborative Project with Rubia)
http://www.inliquid.com/wca/framset.html
A Partner of Inliquid

Member News

Sonia Sherrod was awarded Honorable Mention for her assemblage sculpture, "Mrs. Floyd E. Cahoon," in the 1212 Gallery Manchester National Juried Fine Art Exhibition 2008! The juror was Elizabeth Schlatter, Deputy Director and Curator, University of Richmond Museums.


The show runs through May 4th at 1212 Gallery 12 12th street, Richmond, Virginia.

Lion Arts Brunch at Penn State

Five WCA Philadelphia Members created a lion for the Penn State Brandywine Campus Lion Arts public collaborative project. The proceeds benefit Penn State scholarships. These members were: Madeline Adams, Kathy Dobash, Veronica Gledhill, Katrina Kiefer, and Co-President Bonnie MacAllister. Here are some highlights from today's Lion Arts Brunch:


Veronica and Bonnie


Madeline with her lion


Bonnie with her lion

2008 WCA Moore awardee!!!

And the winner is..........................(drum-roll please).......

JEN HALLDEN-ABBERTON!!!!!!

Wednesday, April 23rd, Michelle Wilson and Marie Elcin attended the 2008 Senior awards ceremony at Moore College of Art and Design. Giving an award like this is one of the best things we do as a chapter, as we are truly supporting women in the arts. The award is $100 and a one-year membership to the Caucus-- allowing a young woman artist to enter the "real world" with a little money and an instant network of supportive women behind her.

On Tuesday the 22nd, Alison Nastasi and Marie perused the galleries at Moore in search of an artist whose work showed ambition, personal vision, and a hint of great things to come. Jen Halden-Abberton is a Fine Arts major (2D) whose work involves painting and drawing, layering images on mylar and acetate. Her imagery at first appears abstract and gestural, but then one finds structure inspired by urban architecture. In contrast, her postcard shows a drawing of figures of both genders in a tug-of-war over another figure. The combination reveals an interest in the intersection of the urban environment and humanity that will hopefully provide Jen with ample inspiration for future work.

Jen plans to remain in the Philadelphia area after graduation, and it is our great hope that she will become involved with our chapter.

Collective Imprints Unveiling

Co-President Bonnie MacAllister is one of the muralists to participate in this community collaborative project at the University of Pennsylvania. Please join us for the opening as Bonnie will speak and represent the WCA-Philadelphia Chapter. Members Monica and Maria Pace also participated.

May 1--Collective Imprints
The Rotunda will unveil the Collective Imprints art installation, a collectively-produced work of visual art that celebrates the life and history of The Rotunda, local history and folklore, and visions for future neighborhoods and communities.

This piece will remain on permanent display at The Rotunda (in a most interesting place), reminding audiences and performers that The Rotunda is a vital connector that inspires genuine dialogue and social change.

Collective Imprints, the first project of its kind in Philadelphia, is unique in that it employed dialogue, movement, music-making, and holistic collaboration from all participants. Everyone was welcome to brainstorm, move, make music, draw, paint, and collaborate on designs. Never before has such a long term multi-faceted and inclusive project been open to the general public in this city. We believe that future projects will be born of this, fostering long lasting connections between disparate communities.




lease join us on May 1, from 6pm until 9pm at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street in Philadelphia.

The unveiling will kickoff with music, light refreshments, a photo slide show, and a short presentation by some of the Collective Imprints participants, followed by an open jam session (bring your own percussion instrument).

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend as we celebrate this historic project.


More about Collective Imprints

[For the project syllabus, articles, anecdotes, and photos, visit the project's blog:
http://collectiveimprints.blogspot.com/]

Collective Imprints was conceived last year by, among others, local community artist, muralist, and activist Michael B. Schwartz, and launched its first collaborative session on November 6, 2007. The work did not stop until the paint was dry last week.

The project started off with eye-opening and inclusive conversations about notions of belonging, place, community, activism, The Rotunda's mission, the arts, power of the people, and more. We also brought movement into the work as we explored new ways of brainstorming, using exercises shared by West Philadelphia multi-faceted artist Jodi Netzer. In addition, Bill Feiger, of Stares to Nowhere and other local acts, shared his musical instruments from around the world as we used sound and music to evoke even more ideas.

Shortly thereafter, we began to draw and paint images based on ideas spawned during conversations and movement exploration. Nearly 150 people participated, seeking to strengthen connections within the greater Rotunda community while building a sense of ownership and interconnectivity to the surrounding area.

Participants ranged from 5 year old school children to college students, teachers, doctors, professors, truck drivers, homemakers, and much more. On Martin Luther King, jr. Day alone, nearly 80 people spent their Day of Service working on Collective Imprints!

Support for this project was provided in part by The Puffin Foundation Ltd. and the 40th Street Artist-in-Residence program.

Call for Artists: From Our Perspective National Women's Art Exhibition

The 2008 From Our Perspective National Women's Art Exhibition is now open for entries. This unique annual juried exhibition is sponsored by the Womencenter at Oakland Community College. Please see the attached link for information about the exhibition and information on how to enter the exhibition. All entries must be sent by the online form as indicated in the link. The Entry Form has a link to help with sizing photos for attaching to the entry form. The $25 entry fee must be sent by U.S. Postal Mail; no entry will be complete until the fee is received. You may also view a slide-show of the past two exhibition years. For any questions please email or call me at the contact information listed below.
http://www.oaklandcc.edu/womencenter/artshow.htm


Arlene J. Frank
Womencenter Program Coordinator
Oakland Community College
27055 Orchard Lake Road
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
(248) 522-3641
womenart@oaklandcc.edu


Brenda O.
________
Brenda Oelbaum
Midwest Region, Vice-President, WCA
boelbaum@yahoo.com
President, Michigan Chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art
group e-mail feminist-art-project-michigan@yahoogroups.com
website http://www.wcamichigan.com/
National website http://www.nationalwca.org/
(734) 645-9024
Regional Coordinator for the Feminist Art Project-Michigan
http://feministartproject.rutgers.edu/

PhiladelphiaArt.Vox.Com Covers Our Meeting

Journalists from this blog (http://philadelphiart.vox.com) attended our last meeting. This is what they thought:

"Olivia and Austin covered the Women’s Caucus of Art Philadelphia Chapter's meeting the other day, and this is how it went!

The Philadelphia Women’s Caucus of Art is a very prestigious group of women artists who live, work and teach in and around the surrounding Philadelphia area. The Caucus was founded in 1972 and has over thirty chapters nationwide. These women are well known for their hard work in maintaining a positive and equal view of women in the
arts; whether it is fine art, media concentration, sculptor or any field, these women strive for the equal expression of creativity and culture.
Knowing this, I was a little nervous before going to sit in on one of their monthly meetings at Moore College of Art and Design. Walking down the Parkway with my good buddy Austin (who came with me to record some footage of the meeting),I wasn’t sure what to anticipate. A formal, business like meeting? A room full of stereotypical art teachers? When I walked into the faculty lounge of MCAD, my nerves were settled; two women were already there, chitchatting about their day. One of the women was Bonnie Macallister, Co-President, and the other lovely women was Alison Nastasia, a member whose field of work is sculptor, among others. They greeted us with smiles as Austin and I introduced ourselves and asked us to take a seat at the table in the small faculty room located in a room next to the student cafeteria of Moore. We were a little early, so we took a seat in the back of the room and talked with the two women until a few more members strolled in around 6:30.
The meeting officially started with only about ten members present. First, they went around the table introducing themselves and stated the field of art they work in. There was even a new member present; a sweet woman who seemed eager to join in on her first meeting (as was I!). Bonnie, and another woman who is Co-President along with her, Marie Elcin, opened with discussing a past art show that the members contributed to. They all went on to discuss art shows that members are participating in locally, Rubia, which is an organization that supports Afghan women artists and makes their art readily available for sale, and the annual award that they give a Moore student on basis of their academic and artistic achievements (which also includes a free year membership to the Caucus!). The women continued to discuss upcoming art showings and benefits they were holding. Austin videotaped some great footage of the women during their meeting, while I took some notes and intently listened.
Bonnie and Marie officially closed the meeting around 7:45, and invited us to come back anytime. All ten women were very pleasant and friendly, and it was wonderful being in the presence of so many talented members of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Women’s Caucus of Art.
The Women’s Caucus of Art meets every second Wednesday of the month, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in the faculty
lounge of Moore College of Art and Design.

Visit these links for further information:
http://phila-wca.blogspot.com
http://www.rubiahandwork.org
http://www.moore.edu
http://phillyart.net/bonniemacallister
http://afonline.artistsspace.org/view_artist.php?aid=6482
http://www.alisonnastasi.blogspot.com

Article by Olivia
Accompanied by Austin"

http://philadelphiart.vox.com/

Networking Day Recap (April 5, 2008)

Today we traveled to DC for my fifth networking day as a member of the Women’s Caucus for Art. Marie Elcin and I spoke about "Women Helping Women: Stitch by Stitch", our collaborative project with Rubia.

Disregard my shoes...I know that Cherie Redlinger has better photos of the quilt (in progress)


Paula Molnar & WCA-Phila Co-President, Marie Elcin (who sewed the quilt), me at the podium


With Sharon Burton and Katie Weaver (WCA/DC President), Stitch by Stitch Contributors


Stitch by Stitch Contributor and WCA National President Marilyn Hayes (with her mother)

Member News

Nicole Dul announces"Grain of Salt", Two-person show, Brooke Schmidt and Nicole Dul, Opening June 1, Reception 1-4pm, continues to June 29th, Orchard Artworks,520 Tomlinson Road, Bryn Athyn, PA, 19009.

Cindy Back will be included in group exhibitions at Community Arts Center in Wallingford, PA, the Athenaeum in Philadelphia, and the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg in the next two months.

Diana Riukas will have an unveiling in May 2008 of her public mural she created for Carroll Robbins School in Trenton, NJ. This mural was made possible by a fellowship/grant she was awarded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Jane Craven has a show at the Shore Institute for the Contemporary Arts, April entitled "Ocean" www.sica.org. There is an urban sculpture park, "Sculptoure" in Long Branch NJ sponsored through SICA as well that she has a piece in from May through October.

Sharon Burton co-sponsored and co-curated Making Herstory 3: Connected Sisterhood, featuring 25 women artists from the DC and Baltimore Metro area at Peace and A Cup of Joe in Baltimore, Maryland, in March. Sharon is currently exhibiting in a group show with the Prince George's Artists Association at Snow Hill Manor in Laurel, Maryland until early May.

Virginia Maksymowicz announces "Stations of the Cross" exhibition with Muriel Castanis and Henry Bermudez at the National Museum of Catholic Art and History, New York City (February-April); "Couples," group show at the Islip Art Museum, Islip, NY (April 2-June 1); "Structure and Metaphor," solo show, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts (May 9 - June 22).

Debbie McCarthy's work was featured in a silent auction benefit during the Vagina Monologues performance at Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield, IL this Spring.

Bonnie MacAllister's Elegy for Edna Andrade

For Edna Andrade:

I’ve been scanning pdfs

Of women’s arts catalogues

For her entries. One might think,

There is no connection

Between her and me,

But we shared these Philadelphia streets,

That same academy,

Galleries in locks,

Prints at the Art Alliance,

Our membership in the caucus.

Her optical paintings always reminded

Me of light boxes, distilled in space.

I stared at them at the ICA

Unable to plot out her methods,

The factors prime and discrete.

I envisioned a mobius,

Stripped through the canvas,

Manifold In knot theories,

Her objects defied topology,

Now she enters her own algorithms.

In Memoriam: Edna Andrade 1917-2008

Edna Andrade received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women's Caucus for Art in 1983. She lived and worked in Philadelphia. You can see her work and bio here: http://www.locksgallery.com/artists/andrade/works.html

To learn more on Andrade, you can also read an essay by member Diane Burko in the 1983 LAA catalogue by clicking on the link before, scroll down to 1983 honorees and click on the pdf file:

http://www.nationalwca.org/awards/pasthonorees.html

Curator Dr. Deb Miller responds to "The F Word Revisited" review

I was going to post this in the comments section of the original post, but Dr. Miller took the time to respond, and I thought she deserved to have her response more visible. Let's hear it for dialogue on women in the arts!

The title of the show is "The 'F' Word Revisited: Female/Feminine/Feminist." The implication was that more than 40 years after the Women's Movement began, women should have all options open to them, they don't have to be any one of the above, they can be any or all. There was never any intention for this show to be political or purely feminist; it was designed to be autobiographical, to present viewers with the influences and motivations of these women artists and to show the variety in women's art (i.e., it's not all pink, and it's not all angry). The artist's and curator's statements clearly are important, as they explain the concepts that some viewers and critics might have missed. The variety, in my eye and mind, creates a visually exciting and intellectually stimulating show; I always try to steer away from repetitiveness and boredom in my curating, and prefer to offer different interpretations of a theme by different artists, all of whom have had individual experiences and none of whom think alike. To me, that's an important statement about women in general: we're not all stereotypes.
Dr. Debra Miller, Curator

THE GHOST TREES: Michelle Wilson's installation in the Window on Broad

WCA Phila. member, Michelle Wilson currently has an installation in the Window on Broad entitled "THE GHOST TREES". The Window is located at 322 South Broad Street, on Philadelphia’s own Avenue of the Arts, and is viewable from the street twenty-four hours a day. To see images of the installation, please visit www.rocinantepress.blogspot.com . During the day, subtle embossing can be seen on the 6' x 3' sheets of handmade paper, while after dark, the installation is a work of illuminated art.

Please read on below as Michelle responds to questions posed to her on her experience in installation art:

How does installation work fit into your artistic practice?

Installation sort of grew out of my work by accident. My background is in printmaking, I have always been interested in create pieces with a sense of space – some sort of presence that extends off the wall. Some pieces just grew to be larger and more interactive. A turning point was when I collaborated with Marie Elcin on a piece that turned into an installation. I realized that I was intrigued by the integration of space into the art. Now I see it as an integral part of my work, a way of creating a place or a story that takes over and hopefully affects people in some way. I also feel it keeps me from limiting my options; I have become more multidisciplinary and open to new ideas and new ways to execute them, both in my more object-based studio work and in my installation practice.

What are the pros and cons of working in installation?

I think I’m still a newbie to installation art – so I definitely find challenges with every installation! First of all, I’ve learned if you depend on technology, something will go wrong at the last minute, so budget extra time to make sure you can get it right! I’ve also learned if you can, try to install parts of the installation in your studio – it’s important to see how the parts come together. Don’t wait till the day of installation to put everything together. Finally, I’ll add, when doing installation, try to stay flexible to a certain degree. Unless I have the opportunity to spend a great deal of time in the space you will be installing, I find that there are always surprises about the space that crop up, and I have to find ways of working with them in the installation.

The pros are that installation is a chance to push yourself to complete a space, rather than just hanging an object on a wall or on a pedestal. It forces you to think more fully about your content and how to execute your work. Overall, I think the best characteristic of working in installation is that it makes me as a artist more interdisciplinary, allowing my work to take surprising turns that I wouldn’t have thought of if I remained solely in one medium.

Which came first, the opportunity or the idea for your window on Broad, and what was your inspiration for the installation?

THE GHOST TREES is actually a scaled down version of a larger, more ambitious installation that I dream of doing, called THE GHOST FOREST. I had been proposing FOREST to various spaces, and because my installation history was not extensive, and also because I believe it was difficult for those I to whom I was proposing to envision, I kept getting rejected. So I decided to scale it back and propose a smaller version to a smaller space and hope to be accepted. After attending The University of the Arts, I had spent two years watching the various incarnations of the Window on Broad, and I was excited to try something there myself.

The inspiration for THE GHOST TREES was in my love for both paper and nature. I have a growing interest in my art in material metaphors – my chosen material as a reflection or direct correlation of my content. I wanted to create a piece about deforestation, and one that could encourage recycling. The idea of using watermarks – to use illumination to create a sense of ghostliness – came as I began to learn papermaking. I envisioned the trees that had been cut down coming back to haunt the paper itself, and remind everyone of the massive amount of trees cut down every year (30 million acres – an area almost the size of the state of Pennsylvania!). I am particularly happy that the location of my installation in right in the heart of Philadelphia’s business district – I hope that all the businesspeople that pass by THE GHOST TREES take a minute to consider the paper that they go through every day, and maybe ways that they could reduce the amount.
What challenges did you face in the creative process?

A large challenge was how to actually make the paper. I was determined for it to be handmade paper with a watermark. I didn’t want it to be a printed image; I felt very strongly that using a watermark and light would be the most evocative way to express my ideas. I also felt strongly that it had to be single large sheets, rather than sheets pieced together. I felt that piecing sheets together would take away from the impression large sheets make. So I had to learn how to pour large ( 6’ x 3’) sheets, for which I needed helpers. I’m very grateful to Robert Wuilfe, Alisa Fox, and Marie Elcin for all their help in the development of this project.

How did the work change in reaction to the confines of the space and any issues that arose during the creation of the work?

The biggest change is that it almost became two installations – it’s a very different piece if seen during the day or during the night. During the day, the ambient light washes out the backlighting, so viewers can see the subtle embossing of the trees in a cave like space. It appears much more sculptural during the day. At nighttime, the illumination can be seen, and the paper appears to glow from within. Do you expect to do more installation in the future? What's happening next in your studio?

I have a few installation proposals out at this time that I am waiting to hear from. Next in my studio I have actually two series of prints I want to complete. I am also considering trying some street performance in the fall. I also have my ongoing Migratory Books Project (

www.migratorybooks.blogspot.com) that is slowly taking off. I am always interested in making work about how people interact with nature, while at the same time making work that raises awareness of environmental issues that are typically overlooked or taken for granted.

As a sidenote, it was a lot of fun getting to be Michelle's studio assistant for this project. I've never made huge pieces of paper before, and it's really interesting to see how another artist works through a process. Then, after helping out in the creation, to be totally wowed by the final presentation. Congratulations Michelle!!!!

Reminder: Environmental Distress Pieces Drop Off/Meeting

We will meet Wednesday, April 9 at Moore College of Art and Design (http://www.moore.edu for directions).

We will discuss all of the specifics for the May exhibits and May 2 opening.

Please bring work for Environmental Distress (framed, wired, ready to hang, and secured in bubble wrap.)  This is the first of two drop off dates.  The second will be on a weekend (TBD at the meeting) at Marie Elcin's house.

This is the work we have received thus far as eligible for Environmental Distress:

http://astro.temple.edu/%Etua64191/EnvironmentalDistressWCAPhila.pdf

Please check your labels.

Note:  The WCA-Phila is not responsible for damage to work.  The artist assumes responsibility. 

Postcards for "Enviromental Distress" and "Women Helping Women Stitch by Stitch"

The "F" Word Revisited at Smile Gallery, featuring member Rachel Citrino

Philadelphia WCA member Rachel Citrino exhibited with 5 other artists at Smile Gallery (21st & Chestnut) this past month. Based on the title of the show one might expect work more focused on traditional feminist themes of the body, politics, or domesticity (for example work like Liz Nicklus's "How to be a Girl" and other box assemblages using family photos and old-fashioned advertisements). However, most of the artists' connections to feminism were far more subtle.

Rachel's 8 pieces, mostly works on paper and one large painting/assemblage were bold, brightly colored abstract landscapes inspired by the Italian countryside experienced during a residency. Why are they in a feminist show? Without reading her artist statement one might suppose that the stone walls and towers allude to Rapunzel. But sometimes it really helps to read the artist statement to understand how particular artworks relate to the theme of a show!! Rachel explains how brilliant and fecund the land seemed in contrast to the sparse stone architecture of the aging village communities. Here is the connection. Her colors and compositions are exuberant and lively, showing her joy in her ties to a place. Modern life has separated humanity from nature, but Rachel dives back in, allowing her creative energy to sing with that of the earth.


I still wonder at the curator's need to bring these artists under the title of feminism. Yes, they are women-- strong women with strong work. However, visually the work would have benefitted by being shown in a series of 2-person shows, as the individual artists work did not always speak to each other. Are we coming to a point where the "F" word will be eclipsed by the "H" word? Perhaps this was the point. Feminism has had a negative connotation in much of popular culture. And these artists prove that it doesn't need to. As feminists we can rejoice in being female, create our own image of what it means to be a woman, align ourselves with the richness of the earth, reclaim "women's work" as valuable craft and occupation.


In this exhibition I recognized some of the challenges we face in our member shows. How do you bring together the work of diverse practise in a common show? In the "F" Word Revisited show, the curator made use of prominently displayed artist statements to allow the artists to explain how their work fit the theme. But we are visual artists and should make an effort to have the art speak and make visual connections from piece to piece, whether they be through basic design aspects such as color, line, pattern, or through common materials, or through carefully curated pieces to match a particular theme. Food for thought.
Congratulations to Rachel Citrino on her show and her excellent presentation of work!

Rubia quilt-in-progress pics

It's almost there!!! The panels are currently assembled in 7 vertical strips with the horizontal borders sewn in. Next step is to put in the vertical borders between the strips and then a backing! It's been a challenge because not everyone followed directions.....Some people have a 10 inch panel with no selvedge, and extra border pieces had to be sewn in. Some people worked right to the edge of the fabric forgetting it was supposed to be a 10 inch image area, and some of their image had to be cropped. Please understand if your image was cropped--I tried to keep the best composition possible!!! I've had the finished sections up on the wall of my living room as they were completed, and every time someone comes in they say, "WOW!"