Exhibition: "What They Taught Us" at the Central Library

What they Taught Us at Free Library Central

The culminating exhibition for our collaborative book project completed back in June with students of Arise Academy Charter High School is now installed in the 2nd floor hallway that leads to the Prints and Pictures Department of the Free Library, Central Branch, 20th and Vine Streets. Each case contains one of the accordion books, a mirror that allows one to see the reverse side of the book, pictures of our collaboration sessions at Arise, and information about the project, the students, and the WCA. Project participants include WCA members Marie Elcin, Ruth Schanbacher, Katie Haegele, Bonnie MacAllister, Rachel Udell, Allison Altergott, Ellie Brown, and Ellen Bonett along with Arise students Dianne Pough, Braejean Turner, Jasmine Tyler, Jacquaya Randolph, Shartece Brown, Miaya Veal, and Jyqueen Galloway. The exhibit will be on view from August 16th - October 29th during library hours.

Thank you to all the participants and those who worked so hard to make this collaboration possible. Thanks to Arise Academy for permitting us to work with their students. Special thanks also to Karen Lightner, Head of the Art Department and Curator of the Print and Picture Collection at the Free Library for offering us this opportunity and for her assistance in installing the displays. Thanks to Ellie Brown for jumpstarting this project. Check it out next time you're at the library! You have until October 29th to get over there!

Collaborative Book Project in Progress!!!!

Above are some of the books that were constructed this afternoon in the bright spacious Midwives Collective Gallery for our collaborative book project workshops to be held in May. (Thanks Midwives, you rock!) The books are all of a standard size, accordion fold structure, but each has been started off with a different cover (some even including handmade paper ala member Michelle Wilson).

Thanks to Marie Elcin (et fille),

Allison Altergott,

(new member!!!!) Ruth Schanbacher (of HandmadePhilly fame),

and coordinator Ellie Brown for all coming today to get us started. Thanks also to Ellen Bonett who took our pictures and also made books. Any questions about the collaborative book project can be sent to phila_wca@yahoo.com .

We've recently been informed of the exhibition dates at the Central Library for the project:

August 16th-October 29th in the hallway cases, rare book and print dept, 2nd floor.

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

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.