Artspace Liberti

First Friday, February 3: Karla Siegel

2012-01-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

Karla Siegel: Paintings

January 13-February 26, 2012

Reception: Friday, February 3, 6:30-9:30PM

Artspace Liberti is proud to present its first exhibition of 2012, Karla Siegel: Paintings. This exhibition runs from January 13- February 26. The reception for Ms. Siegel will be held on February 3, on the First Friday of the month, from 6:30-9:30PM.

Siegel’s paintings on view at Artspace Liberti take their cues from the tradition of portraiture and still life in art history. She arranges these compositions in her home or observes them in places found in her daily life. Working from photographic sources made from these arrangements, she takes an objective view of them, choosing to focus on formal elements such as color, light and form. The paintings record these images but they are captured as if only registered as brief glimpses captured in motion. Movement blurs the subject sometimes to the point of pure abstraction, capturing the speed in which we experience a space, sometimes barely registering it as a well-defined memory. Foreground and background flatten into a narrow space. There is no hierarchy created by the illusion of depth or scale. Equal attention is demanded across the surface of the painting. Supporting and disparate information sometimes are cut into the composition, building meaning through association, creating a fuller account of an experience that in some ways cannot be captured by a single space or arrangement.

Karla Siegel is a Philadelphia painter, trained at Tyler, obtaining her BFA in 2004. Her work has been widely exhibited in the Philadelphia region as well as New York. In addition to her career as a painter, Ms. Siegel has worked at a number of Philadelphia art institutions including the Mural Arts Program, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Main Line Art Center.

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While the gallery does not maintain regular viewing hours, visits can be scheduled by appointment. Please e-mail us at artspaceliberti@gmail.com to arrange a visit. Viewing is also possible during Sunday church services between 9:00AM-1:00PM.

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Artspace Liberti is a multi-discipline arts venue organized and maintained by liberti church east.

http://artspaceliberti.blogspot.com

November/December- Bonnie Kaye Whitfield

2011-10-28T13:49:00.001-07:00

Time To Work by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield
November 4th - December 11th
Artspace Liberti
2424 E. York St.
Philadelphia, PA 19125

Contact: Rob Matthews - artspaceliberti@gmail.com

Artspace Liberti is pleased to announce its November/December exhibition: Time To Work- a works on paper and printmaking installation by Bonnie Kaye Whitfield. An opening reception will be held on Friday, November 4th from 6:30-9:30PM.

Whitfield’s current work revolves around that of work, organization and how these are woven into everyday life, in both seen and unseen ways. The methods incorporated in this body of work involve the accumulation of materials from her life as well as those of others along with printmaking and drawing. Time To Work focuses on three ever-growing pieces. In their own individual ways, these works touch on our need for work, organization, accounting for how our time is spent and how we calculate the value of our lives as a result. The work uses “seemingly insignificant objects …to illustrate how the everyday influences behavior.”

To-Do is composed of a massive amount of to-do lists collected by Whitfield both of her own creation and that of people that have donated them as well. Visitors to the exhibition will be encouraged to add their own lists to the collection.

In & Out is a collection of three handmade, printed books documenting the beginnings and endings of multiple work periods. Rather than being presented in a traditional, bound book format, the books of In & Out become tangled with one another weave their way across the wall.

Cover Letters is a growing collection of collected cover letters that have been printed, drawn and collaged on top of. Similar to To-Do this is a growing collection and visitors are encouraged to add to the piece.

Bonnie Kaye Whitfield is Philadelphia-based printmaker, designer, & conceptual artist. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland to Americans living abroad, she grew up in suburban Georgia. She holds a BFA from The University of Georgia in Art Education and an MFA in Printmaking from Pratt Institute. She has shown work throughout the United States, including the Art Students League and Flux Factory in NYC, the Hunterdon Museum of Art in Clinton, NJ, and the Center for Contemporary Art in Sacramento, CA. In 2009, she started a screen-print & home textile design studio, Kaye Rachelle Designs.

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While the gallery does not maintain regular viewing hours, visits can be scheduled by appointment. Please e-mail us at artspaceliberti@gmail.com to arrange a visit. Viewing is also possible during Sunday church services between 10:00AM-2:00PM.
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attached image: detail from In & Out, dimensions variable.
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Artspace Liberti is a multi-discipline arts venue organized and maintained by liberti church east.
http://artspaceliberti.blogspot.com/

POST Weekend and Ellie Brown Lecture

2011-09-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

Ellie Brown- Daltin, 14, Student; 2011, digital c-print

We are excited to be able to offer you a couple of more events in order to see Ellie Brown's wonderful BAG installation.

Artspace Liberti will be participating in the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours weekend (POST). We will be open the weekend of October 15-16 during the "east of Broad" weekend for POST. In addition to that, we are happy to offer to you the opportunity to hear Ellie Brown speak about the BAG body of work. This series of photographs and objects naturally lends itself to an engaging narrative related to the subjects of the photographs and the objects they carry with them, choose to keep and choose to give to Ms. Brown.

It will be a great weekend of art events at the 2424 Studios building.

Join us for the following events:

POST reception: Friday, October 14, 7-10PM

Ellie Brown's artist talk: Saturday, October 15, 3PM

POST weekend hours: Saturday, October 15, Noon-6PM

Sunday, October 16, 1-6PM

September 2 Reception for Ellie Brown- BAG

2011-08-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

ELLIE BROWN

BAG: a photographic installation

September 2nd-October 22nd

Artspace Liberti

2424 E. York St.

Philadelphia, PA 19125

Contact: Rob Matthews - artspaceliberti@gmail.com

Artspace Liberti is pleased to launch its second season of exhibitions with Ellie Brown’s BAG photography project. Conceived of by Camille Thoman and realized by Ms. Brown, the photographs in BAG were taken in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Urbana, Montana and Iceland. This Artspace exhibition marks the first time the work has been viewed in Philadelphia. An opening reception will be held on Friday, September 2nd from 6:30-9:30PM.

Brown’s process begins by asking her subjects (be they friends or strangers) to reveal the contents of their personal bags. The resulting photographic diptychs each show the person holding their bag along with the contents of the bag as arranged by the owner. During the photographic shoot, the person is asked what they are and are not willing to part with from their bag. The material that the person was willing to part with is on display under the photographic portrait. In addition, all of the contents of the bag are cataloged under two categories: what the person was and was not willing to part with.

The exhibition explores notions of material attachment in how we choose what to carry with us on our person, as well as with what we are willing to part. The photos also explore the public persona expressed through the exterior of the bag versus the private persona expressed through the interior contents. On the surface, the project can be seen as ‘fun’. The areas to consider more thoroughly are how difficult or easy it may have been for people to part with the objects in the bag, what the object they carry say about their socio-economic status, gender, and how all of the elements give us clues to the identity of the model.

http://elliebrown.com/section/94108_BAG.html

The artist’s reception will be held on Friday, September 2nd from 6:30-9:30PM at 2424 E York St in Philadelphia between Gaul and Cedar Sts.

We will also be open the weekend of October 15-16 for Philadelphia Open Studios Tour (POST).

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Artspace Liberti is a multi-discipline arts venue organized and maintained by liberti church east.

http://artspaceliberti.blogspot.com

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image: Hallbjorn, 65, Electrician, 20x30", digital c-print, 2011

May/June Exhibition: Home by Emilie Keim

2011-04-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

Interior 7 (Family room bed with pile of clothes), 2011
Caran d’Ache crayons and oil on rag board
6 x 6 inches

Artspace Liberti is proud to present its May/June exhibition, Home- paintings by Emilie Keim.

As the title suggests, Keim’s work is inspired by her surroundings including her house and her neighborhood in South Philadelphia, following a methodology similar to that of Bonnard and Vuilllard. The intimately-scaled works are captured quickly using color and light to create a mood a

nd investigate narrative of Keim’s invention. Time is referenced on a personal level but also in a larger sense moving through the calendar year and allowing the palette to change as a reaction to the shifting sun.

Garden 2, 2010
Caran d’Ache crayons and oil on canvas over wood
10 x 10 inches

Keim’s subject matter of the interior and exteriors that surround her also conjures up the themes of nostalgia and childhood. The quick application and removal of paint suggests the passing of time and an attempt to capture the fleeting and ephemeral.

On the Roof 2, 2010
Caran d’Ache crayons and oil on rag board
8 ¾ x 10 ½ inches

Emilie Keim lives and works in Philadelphia. Recent group shows include exhibitions at Brooklyn Artists Gym in Brooklyn, NY and VASTU in Washington, DC. In 2009 Emilie graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with a Certificate in painting.

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The artists’ reception will be held on May 6th from 6:30-9:30PM at 2424 E York St in Philadelphia between Gaul and Cedar Sts.

While the gallery does not maintain regular viewing hours, visits can be scheduled by appointment. Please e-mail us at artspaceliberti@gmail.com to arrange a visit. Viewing is also possible during Sunday church services between 10:30AM-12:00.

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Artspace Liberti is a multi-discipline arts venue organized and maintained by liberti church east.

In the News

2011-03-11T08:36:00.001-08:00

Check out this review by Jeffrey Bussmann of Rubens Ghenov's exhibition at the gallery:

http://postnonprofalyptic.blogspot.com/2011/03/unpacking-art-of-rubens-ghenov.html

March/April Show- Rubens Ghenov

2011-02-22T15:28:00.000-08:00

O Astronauta da Saudade - 72x60", acrylic, carbon transfer, spray paint, graphite on canvas

Artspace Liberti presents its March/April exhibition of Rubens Ghenov's paintings, "ie: Brazilein Chaekkorias, rotted one note". This exhibition runs from March 4- April 24, 2011. There will be a reception for the artist on Friday, March 4 from 6:30-9:30PM.

The reception will also include a sound composition from Milton Jaula, also known as Gaiolinha. This composition will also be available as a free download as the opening of exhibition approaches. Follow this link for the download: http://soundcloud.com/milton-jaula

Gal Coastal - 20x15", acrylic, graphite, spray paint on linen

Compilation of artist statements:

"My work is concerned with fact, fiction and a subsequent offspring of paraficiton. In these recent works, I have been concerned in placing these fictive and factual elements within a narrative and architectural structure, taking inspiration from Korean Chaekkori (scholar's accoutrements) paintings and the conflicting architecture of São Paulo's sprawling favelas and its Latin American modernist skyscrapers. These "objects" are displayed upon and simultaneously support shelves of pau-brasil, the dark red, pigmented wood that begat the country's name.

...I work as if a writer under the guises of different pseudonyms or like Fernando Pessoa, heteronyms, performing vicariously through them or simply as myself. The stories concoct folklore and vice versa, reciprocally feeding one another. As a story teller, whether in fact or fiction, I am not interested in the terminus but intrigued by the seeds left over from what has been, from tangents and births which accumulate possibilities for reinvention, also looking to depict the spiritual with idioms of the physical. The stories never end, but rather birth new personae expanding the vernacular of the work.

...The work also takes on a plethora of media as each piece calls for specific materials, be they painting, drawing, sculpture or sound."

The Elliptical Professor, vol. 1 - 72x60", acrylic on canvas

Biographical information about Rubens Ghenov:

"At the age of 10, my family and I moved from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for two years, where my father had found new work as a school principal. We lived in a building situated between a tobacco factory and an enormous favela, sitting on the side of a hill or the morro. Coming home after school I would open the living room window and spend hours watching the morro life. Kids flying kites atop make shift building's rooftops, people hanging laundry from telephone poles to windows, houses painted in bright colors, brick buildings juxtaposed to tin houses with trees growing in between its cracks. At night, the lights peering out of windows would create a constellation of stars on the mount emanating the booming sound of drums out of the darkness from sunset to dawn. The favela was stacked, houses upon houses giving me, the viewer, a flattened idea of its space. Through the window of my third floor apartment I watched people walking in and out of its make shift construct, negating its flatness. A Persian miniature painting made out of Brazil's struggling class stacked like a shelf in the view of my window. Worlds within a world within a world. A make shift constellation of 60 wattage bolts. The world in a mountain in a house in a window. As an immigrant from South America, my work embodies two voices, that of a Brazilian and that of a foreigner."

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The artists’ reception will be held on March 4th from 6:30-9:30PM at 2424 E York St in Philadelphia between Gaul and Cedar Sts.

Artspace Liberti is a multi-discipline arts venue organized and maintained by liberti church east.

January/February Show- Lorraine Glessner

2011-01-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

Artspace Liberti is proud to present its first show of 2011, Church Drawings- a solo exhibition featuring the drawings by Lorraine Glessner. This exhibition runs from January 7- February 20, 2011. There will be a reception for the artist on Friday, February 4 from 6:30-9:30PM.

Glessner’s drawings are responses to sound and speech- specifically sermons. She describes the process in the following way:

“I draw in church during the sermons because it helps me hear and retain the words. I also draw in meetings, lectures, etc., whenever and wherever I'm sitting and required to listen as I find I can concentrate better when I'm doing something with my hands.

I usually begin by drawing the first thing I see-a piece of furniture, the shadows in the architecture, the pattern of someone's shirt-and let the drawing take on a life of it's own. Most of the time, the object or pattern I started with isn't recognizable when the drawing is finished. Usually, I only work on these drawings for one sermon and rarely work back into them.”

The majority of the drawings on view were originally created in sketchbooks. For the purposes of this exhibition, these originals have been scanned and printed as an archival ink jet and then hand colored using a ballpoint pen.

Lorraine Glessner received an MFA in Fibers from Temple University, Tyler School of Art, where she is currently an Assistant Professor in the Fibers and Material Studies Department. Lorraine also holds a BS in Textile Design from Philadelphia University and an Associate’s Degree in Computer Graphics from Moore College of Art and Design. Recent awards include two Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Individual Creative Artist Fellowship Grant in Crafts, the Anne K Allison Award, Woodmere Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the Montserrat Award, 301 Gallery, Beverly, Massachusetts. Recent exhibitions include solo shows at Watchung Art Center, Watchung, New Jersey and Cabrini College, Radnor Pennsylvania and group exhibitions at Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, New Jersey, Artspace, Richmond, Virginia and Clay Scot Gallery, Birmingham, Alabama. Her work is included in the recently released Encaustic With a Textile Sensibility by Daniella Woolf and Encaustic Art: The Complete Guide to Creating Fine Art With Wax by Lissa Rankin. Lorraine lectures, teaches, exhibits her work nationally and maintains a studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. See her complete CV and work at www.lorraineglessner.net

The artists’ reception will be held on February 4th from 6:30-9:30PM at 2424 E York St in Philadelphia between Gaul and Cedar Sts.

Artspace Liberti is a multi-discipline arts venue organized and maintained by liberti church east.

November/December Show: Congo’s Silent Scream - a collection of photographs by Melanie Blanding

2010-11-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

Artspace Liberti presents its November/December show, Congo’s Silent Scream, featuring a collection of emotive portrait images by lead photographer of Women in Warzones, Melanie Blanding. This exhibition runs from November 5 – December 20, 2010. There will be an opening reception on Friday, November 5^th from 7:00 – 10:00pm featuring a musical performance by Will Chambers.

Melanie first traveled to eastern Congo in the summer of 2005 and was mortified by the number of women affected by monstrous acts of sexual violence. Thousands of women have been victims of this horrific violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since Hutu rebels fled Rwanda after the genocide in 1994. These rebels pillage, rape, steal and burn villages as targeted acts of war designed to terrorize and exploit the people while reaping massive financial gains for themselves.

As of 2005, Panzi Hospital, in Bukavu, South Kivu, had treated more than 3,600 women who were Victims of Sexual Violence, with no news of this being reported in the U.S. at the time. Melanie was determined to return to the Congo and share the stories of willing women. She created this collection of photographs when she returned to eastern Congo in 2006, in response to the great need for awareness and for these women’s stories to be heard. “Silence is their greatest enemy”, Melanie stated, and hopes that through her illuminating work, more people will join the mission to get these women the help they need to rebuild their lives.

The artist’s reception will be held on November 5, from 7:00-10:00pm at 2424 E York St in Philadelphia between Gaul and Cedar Sts.

While the gallery does not maintain regular viewing hours, visits can be scheduled by appointment. Please e-mail us artspaceliberti@gmail.com to arrange a visit. Viewing is also possible during Sunday church services between 10:00am – 1:15pm.

Contact:  Kacey Crawford
Artspace Liberti
Phone: 202-701-4530
Fax: 267-639-4424 
artspaceliberti@gmail.com
artspaceliberti.blogspot.com

Artspace Liberti is a multi-discipline arts venue organized and maintained by liberti church east.

September/October Show

2010-08-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Artspace Liberti presents its fall show, In3s, paintings by Stephen Evans, Timothy Gierschick II and Matthew Sepielli. This exhibition runs from September 3- October 23, 2010. There will be an opening reception on Friday, September 3rd from 7:00-10:00PM featuring a music performance by Good Dust.

These three painters represent three different approaches to non-representational work but all share an affinity for the process of creation and the experiential nature of looking at art.

Matthew Sepielli- Pick It, 2009-2010

Matthew Sepielli’s paintings explore a “what-if” approach to creating art. What happens when you combine oil paint, Vaseline, glue, white out and other materials into a painting? Sepielli is interested in the relative “alchemy” of art- combining familiar materials in something unfamiliar, unknown and somewhat unknowable.
To quote Sepielli: “It is my goal to make works whose physical structure and identity produces a meaning inherent to the moment one encounters the physical object of the work and one whose identity morphs from the moment one encounters the work, to the time one leaves it and remembers it and thus returns- though changed upon a second encounter.”

Stephen Evans- Beelzebub, 2010

Conversely, Stephen Evans’ work investigates a more minimal and calculated approach to painting. The application and development of the works are more deliberate and controlled. Evans taps into Kandinsky’s views of painting that there is an “initial, physical, and optical reaction to an image that takes place in the eye, but that it may also go further to touch on another level of a being: the emotional and spiritual level. I believe that the formal issues of art are perfect vehicles for the allegorical, and may further more leave the message to supersede the artwork itself.”

Timothy Gierschick II- Pique, 2010

Somewhere between these two approaches lies the work of Timothy Gierschick II. His paintings appear simultaneously calculated and improvised. His work is a slow call-and-response. Gierschick’s paintings are as much an internal dialogue as they are a conversation with the world. Like Sepielli, his materials are often recycled and repurposed. Prescription pads, found wood and latex paint are salvaged and reborn, combining seemingly unrelated materials. Within the structure of the work, color and shape combine and set next to one another in an Albers-like method of communication.

The artists’ reception will be held on September 3rd from 7:00-10:00PM at 2424 E York St in Philadelphia between Gaul and Cedar Sts.

While the gallery does not maintain regular viewing hours, visits can be scheduled by appointment. Please e-mail us at artspaceliberti@gmail.com to arrange a visit. Viewing is also possible during Sunday church services between 10:30AM-12:00.
Artspace Liberti is a multi-discipline arts venue organized and maintained by liberti church east.

Links:

Stephen Evans: http://sevansbooksontape.blogspot.com/
Timothy Gierschick II: http://www.gierschickwork.com/
Matthew Sepielli: http://matthewsepielli.blogspot.com

Good Dust: http://www.gooddust.com

Saturday, August 14

2010-08-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

photo by Melanie Blanding

Artspace Liberti is proud to present a screening of the documentary, Women In War Zones. Please join us this Saturday, August 14, at 7:00PM for this gripping look into the sexual violence present in the Democratic Republic of Congo. You can also learn more about the opportunities available to help bring an end to this crisis.Women in War Zones was primarily created by Philadelphians Scott Blanding, Brad LaBriola and Greg Heller.

Below is a statement about the movie from the creators with links to their website and a YouTube trailer.This movie will directly tie into Artspace Liberti's November/December exhibition of Congo photos by Melanie Blanding.

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Some wars make headlines; some do not. In the messy aftermath of the Rwandan civil war,
refugees fled to the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). As many as 100,000 of the Interahamwe, a militia partially responsible for the Rwandan genocide, crossed the border to avoid prosecution for acts against humanity. Thousands of women who have been raped and mutilated in the DRC can attest that the momentum to kill and maim is still in full swing despite a peace agreement signed in 2003. Nestled in the hills along the Rwandan border, Panzi Hospital stands as the last hope for many of Congo's victims of sexual violence.

"Women in War Zones" dives intimately into the lives of two young women who become sisters during their time of treatment at Panzi hospital. Helene and Bijo, 22 and 13, support each other in their fight and struggle to maintain hope and a sense of dignity as they come to grips with their violent and tragic past. The women, along with the staff of the hospital, look for hope in each other, God, and the upcoming presidential elections -- the first in over 40 years.

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http://www.womeninwarzones.org/page.php?page=home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPNYA2GJo44

THANK YOU

2010-06-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone that was able to come out for our first First Friday reception. We were all overwhelmed and encouraged by your support. Inside Outside will be on display until June 26th by appointment only. Of course, the work will also be accessible on Sunday mornings from 10:30 until about noon as well.

We will be taking July and August off to run a kids camp and do some construction as well. We will return on the First Friday of September with a new show featuring work by Steve Evans, Tim Gierschick and Matthew Sepielli. We look forward to seeing you then.

Inside Outside reception

Old Love performing at Artspace Liberti

Turning Violet Violet at Artspace Liberti

"backstage"

June 4-26, 2010

2010-05-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release:

artspace liberti is proud to present its inaugural show, Inside Outside, a two-person exhibition featuring the photography of Mark Havens and Seth Shimkonis.
The show runs from June 4- 26, 2010. There will be an opening reception on Friday, June 4 from 7:00-10:00PM featuring musical performances by Turning Violet Violet and Old Love.

Havens and Shimkonis are paired for both their similarities and their contrasts. Both use color photography to address the issues of space and the effects of humans on that space, be it subtle or harsh beautiful or destructive. These works do not document man at work, but instead capture the aftermath.

© Mark Havens

Mark Havens’ work explores areas outside of Philadelphia- the suburban townships and New Jersey landscape; edges of humanity that are most easily recaptured by nature. Interiors and exteriors are both on display chronicling what we do, how we live and where we retreat. Havens captures a Hopper-like silence- a palpable absence of sound. It is not a natural peace but a quiet only achieved by pushing away noise and activity.

© Seth Shimkonis

By contrast, the body of work by Seth Shimkonis focuses on the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia. Shimkonis is a resident of the neighborhood and his work offers up a loving devotion to this part of town, recording both the beautiful, worn paths of this established community and the subtle shifts that his home undergoes, be it by weather or light or time. His work is a visual poem dedicated to his urban surroundings.

The artists’ reception will be held on June 4 from 7:00-10:00PM at 2424 E. York St in Philadelphia located between Gaul and Cedar Sts.

While the gallery does not maintain regular summer hours, visits can be scheduled by appointment. Please e-mail us at artspaceliberti@gmail.com to arrange a visit.
artspace liberti is a multi-discipline arts venue organized and maintained by liberti church east.

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Performing at the reception will be Turning Violet Violet, described by the Philadelphia Weekly as “an indie outfit around a couple of years now that merges chamber-pop, jazzy textures, and quirky, literate storytelling in sharp and elegant arrangements.”
Also performing will be singer-songwriter, Old Love.

Links:

artspaceliberti
liberti church east
Mark Havens
Seth Shimkonis
Turning Violet Violet
Old Love