ready, set, draw!

Tomorrow morning I will begin making the wall drawings for my installation show Wind and Weather at the Crane building. This means showing up with paint, brushes, various simple measuring devices, and the preparatory drawings I've been making (above) to draw free-hand on walls 16 feet wide and 12 feet high. I'm curious and excited about how it will go. I've set it up so that I get to make lots of decisions about the work as I make it on-site. I have a good idea of each of the four images, but I've left a lot of details open to improvisation. The images represent rainfall, hurricanes, wildfire, and drought - four natural phenomena that seem to be growing more frequent or severe due to global warming.

Naftali and Nest & Branch

introducing...
Naftali Eliot Rosso-Cohen
Born August 30, 2009
He's already 3 months old! Needless to say, this is my main project right now.

Nest and Branch
A gallery exhibition of visual art relating to the mysteries and realities of birds
The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education
December 5 2009 - April 3 2010
Opening Reception Saturday December 5th, 5-7 pm
with an artists talk at 6 pm
Facebook event page!

I am curating this exhibition in my position as Art Program Manager at The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.
The nine artists that I selected use printmaking, drawing, painting, digital media, installation art, and book arts to explore the realities and mysteries of birds. Artists in the exhibition explore themes of migration, flocking, and nesting, as well as presenting imagery relating to endangered and extinct species.

In other news:
One of my recent works from the What Was Our Vision exhibition has been selected for inclusion in the permanent collection of The Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art.
I've been invited to give a talk on my recent work for a course on Sprituality in Art at The Barnes Foundation.
I will be an artist-presenter at Limmud Philly, a weekend of Jewish learning, in March 2010

What Was Our VIsion: Opening Reception July 17

What Was Our Vision: Sixteen Scenes from Wandering in the Desert

July 10 - August 16, 2009

Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art
Congregation Rodeph Shalom, Philadelphia, PA

Artist's Reception: Friday, July 17, 2009
Free and Open to the Public
Sabbath Eve Service with discussion of the exhibition: 6-7 pm
Reception: 7-8 pm

This exhibition will present the entire series of mixed-media works on paper,
as well as a new wall-drawn installation created in the gallery just for this exhibition.

Gallery hours:
Monday-Thursday: 10 am - 4 pm
Friday: 10 am - 2 pm
Sunday: 10 am - Noon
Hours are subject to change, please call 215-627-6747 to confirm

Organized by Matthew F. Singer, Curator, Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art

Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art
Congregation Rodeph Shalom
615 North Broad St ( at Mt Vernon St)
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Entrance and Parking on Mt Vernon St

Sacred Origins - Opening Reception May 31st

Sacred Origins - An Interfaith Art Project for West Philadelphia
Opening Reception: Sunday May 31st 2009, 5-7 pm
With an artist's talk at 6 pm

at The Philadelphia Cathedral
38th and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia

As the culmination of my year-long 2008-09 studio residency at The Philadelphia Cathedral, I will present a permanently installed artwork for the Cathedral. For Sacred Origins, I conducted a series of drawing workshops for people of all faith backgrounds in West Philadelphia.

These workshops were held at The Philadelphia Cathedral, Kol Tzedek- the West Philadelphia Synagogue, and the A-Space, a community organizing space. Participants were invited to make a small drawing symbolic of some aspect of their faith practice or background, with an emphasis on origins – the origins of their faith practice in their own life, or imagery from origin stories from their religion.

I collected over 40 drawings from community members of all faith backgrounds, and created a large-scale ( 5 feet x 5 feet) mixed-media artwork on paper mounted on panel. The artwork incorporates the collected drawings with my own personal imagery and religious images based on myvisual research process. The resulting artwork is dynamic, colorful, and quilt-like, reflecting the diverse and interconnected faith practices of the West Philadelphia community.

The piece will be permanently installed in the Cathedral as part of its permanent art collection, and will be unveiled as part of the annual Philadelphia Cathedral Festival on Sunday May 31^st, 2009.

The artwork may be viewed all day on May 31^st from 11 am to 7 pm, with a special reception from 5-7 pm. I will give a brief artist’s talk on the project at 6 pm. The opening reception event is free and open to the public, and will include refreshments.

This artwork and the Cathedral’s other permanent art installations may also be viewed during the Cathedral’s open hours: Monday-Friday 10am - 2 pm, after Sunday Services, and by appointment.
The Philadelphia Cathedral is located at the corner of 38^th and Chestnut streets in University City in Philadelphia.

March art updates!

Anniversary Art Show at Studio 34
4522 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia

This Friday, March 27, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m!

We begin our One Year Anniversary weekend with a very special visual art show featuring three friends of Studio 34. At the intersections of art and science, spirit and cognition, each Artist's work investigates the mysterious inner workings of human nature. Zoe Cohen's drawings of our cellular biology ask, "Where does the external become the internal?". Neuroscientist Greg Dunn's Asian-inspired paintings on hanging scrolls and gold leaf explore the beauty of the brain at the microscopic scale of neurons. Saliha Moore's sacred geometry lies somewhere between the organic and the mathematical. Come enjoy refreshments and pick the brains of these perceptive artists!

Artist Speakers at Penn
Tuesday April 14th, 7-9 pm
UPenn's Harrison House, 3910 Irving St, Philadelphia
I will be discussing my studio work, as well as my public participatory projects, including The Listening Station ( above).



Sacred Origins: An Interfaith Art Project for West Philadelphia
Opening Reception, Sunday May 31st, 5-7 pm
With an artist's talk at 6pm
The Philadelphia Cathedral
This is the Opening Reception for the large-scale mixed-media work that I am currently creating,
which incorporates drawings and imagery generated by people of all faith backgrounds from West Philadelphia.

What Was Our Vision: 16 Scenes from Wandering in the Desert
The Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art at Congregation Rodeph Shalom
615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia
Opening Reception, Friday July 17th.
I will be showing the series of 16 small works created in 2008,
which are based on ancient near-eastern art and pre-judaic belief systems.

February and March, into April...

Calling all people of faith in West Philly:
come out and make a drawing this Saturday!

Sacred Origins is my public project/installation piece for the Philadelphia Cathedral.
I am collecting drawings from people of all faith backgrounds ( including you!)
and incorporating them into a large-scale mixed-media work that will be permanently installed
in the main Cathedral space, with an opening celebration in May 2009.
Materials, instructions, and encouragement are provided, no drawing experience is required,
and you can spend just a few minutes making a drawing!

Remaining public drawing sessions for the project:

Saturday February 21 3:30-5:30 pm at the A-Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave
Sunday March 1 1-3 pm at the Philadelphia Cathedral, 38th and Chestnut

Ephemerality at the Schuylkill Center
On view through April 12th
This is an experimental gallery exhibition that I have curated
as Art Program Manager at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Roxborough, Philadelphia.
I selected six artists and one artist team to create temporary artworks
with natural materials on the grounds of the Schuylkill Center,
with the guidelines that the artworks created must last no more than 24 hours.
The installations, sculptures, interventions, or events created were documented
by the artists using photography, video, sound, and text.
These documentations of the outdoor ephemeral artwork comprise the gallery exhibition.
Read the article in the Philadelphia City Paper!
Artists:
Nancy Agati
Torkwase Dyson
Jenn Figg & Tatania Ginsberg
Sarah Phillips
Matt Pych
Theresa Rose & 24 Friends
Claudia Sbrissa

Upcoming in April- Save the Date!
I'll be showing some drawings from my Umbilical and Eyes Like Black Cherries series
in a 3- person show of biological/spiritual drawings at Studio 34
Opening reception:
Friday March 29th, 7-9 pm

Late Winter / Early Spring goings on...

Ephemerality at the Schuylkill Center
Opening Reception:
Saturday January 17th, 2009
5-7 pm, with an artists' talk at 6 pm
This is an experimental gallery exhibition that I am curating
as Art Program Manager at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Roxborough, Philadelphia.
I selected six artists and one artist team to create temporary artworks
with natural materials on the grounds of the Schuylkill Center,
with the guidelines that the artworks created must last no more than 24 hours.
The installations, sculptures, interventions, or events created were documented
by the artists using photography, video, sound, and text.
These documentations of the outdoor ephemeral artwork will comprise the gallery exhibition.
Artists:
Nancy Agati
Torkwase Dyson
Jenn Figg & Tatania Ginsberg
Sarah Phillips
Matt Pych
Theresa Rose
Claudia Sbrissa

Drawing Games
at the University City Arts League
Tuesdays, 7-9 pm
January 27 - March 10, 2009
Register by 12/22: Members $100; Non-Members $115
After 12/22: Members $110; Non-Members $130
In this 7-week course for adults, we'll loosen up with gestural and intuitive techniques,
draw with the "wrong" hand, and play with line in solo drawings and cooperative and group drawing games.
The course is open to new and experienced artists- anyone interested in having fun with drawing!

Grand Small Works at the FUEL Collection has been extended through January 24th, 2009
Four of the drawings from my What Was Our Vision series are on view.
249 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA

NEXUSradio
1650 AM
Sunday January 25th, 1-5 pm
This artist cooperative gallery has become a radio station for two months.
I'll be curating the afternoon of the 25th, with music, interviews, and infomercials on urban homesteading!

Sacred Origins is the title of my upcoming public project/installation piece for the Philadelphia Cathedral.
I'll be collecting drawings from people of all faith backgrounds ( including you!)
and incorporating them into a large-scale mixed-media work that will be permanently installed
in the main Cathedral space, with an opening celebration in May 2009.
Public drawing day for the project:
Sunday February 8, 2-4 pm
at the Philadelphia Cathedral, at the corner of 38th and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia.

Studio 34 in the Spring
Is presenting a three-person show of visual art with biological and pattern-based themes.
I'll be showing drawings from the Umbilical and Eyes Like Black Cherries series, and others.
Opening Reception:
Friday March 27 in conjunction with Studio 34's one-year anniversary!

Drawing Together at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
is an on-going program that I teach at the Philadelphia Museum of Art,
that offers materials and encouragement for people of all ages to draw in the museum.
The program meets in a different gallery each week- check at one of the entrances to find us!
Always Noon-2:30. Dates for Winter/Spring 2009:
January 4, 11, 18 - February 15 & 22 - March 8 & 22 - April 26

Have a bright Solstice and a Happy New Year!

Website and November Updated!

All 16 images of my recent What Was Our Vision series are now on my website!
You can also purchase the work directly from me on the site.


UPCOMING EVENTS:

Drawing Together at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
FREE! for everyone: adults, young people, families...
Sundays: November 9, 16, and 23, and December 7
12-2:30 pm
This is an opportunity for everyone to draw in the galleries of the Art Museum!
Facilitated by Yours Truly. Sunday museum admission is pay-what-you-wish...
Inquire at the West Entrance for the gallery location of the program- it changes each time.

Drawing Games at the University City Arts League
Four Wednesdays, 7-9 pm.
November 19, December 3, 10, and 17.
$50 for members, $65 non-members
In this four-week course for adults, we'll loosen up with gestural and intuitive techniques,
draw with the "wrong" hand, and play with line in solo drawings and cooperative and group drawing games.
The course is open to new and experienced artists- anyone interested in having fun with drawing!

Studio Series at Studio 34
Saturday November 22
8 pm, $5 donation
4522 Baltimore Ave, West Philadelphia, PA
As part of the evening's line-up, I will be giving a slide talk on Art and Research,
which will present my recent work along with images from science and archaeology
that I have used as reference materials.

coming in December...
I will be exhibiting work from the What Was Our Vision series in a huge group exhibition:
Grand Small Works at the FUEL Collection
249 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA
December 2008

Closing and Opening!

NEW: Closing Reception
Saturday September 27th
4-6pm
this will be an informal closing reception to offer another chance
for you to see my work while it is installed in the Cathedral.
feel free to bring a treat or bottle to share for the reception!

What Was Our Vision:
Sixteen Scenes from Wandering in the Desert
an exhibition of new works on paper

September 1 - 28, 2008

The Philadelphia Cathedral
3723 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA

The Cathedral is also open to the public Monday-Friday, 10am - 2 pm
Other viewing times available by appointment- please email me.


---------------

October 4th and 5th, Noon to 6 pm

Come visit me in a more informal setting in my studio where you will be able to view the work
from What Was Our Vision ( although not in as spectacular a setting) as well as other recent and older work.

My studio is in the Cathedral House on Chestnut at 38th street in University City.

Also, See four artists' work in one stop on your Philadelphia Open Studio Tour at the Cathedral!
I am coordinating a group show of three POST printmakers that will be on view in the Cathedral Gallery on October 4th and 5th:
Anne Canfield, Elaine Erne, and Elysa Voshell
with a reception on Sunday the 5th from Noon-2 pm.

www.philaopenstudios.com

What Was Our Vision- Opening September 4th!

What Was Our Vision:
Sixteen Scenes from Wandering in the Desert
an exhibition of new works on paper

September 1 - 29, 2008

The Philadelphia Cathedral
3723 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA

Opening Reception
Thursday September 4th 6-8 pm

The Cathedral is also open to the public Monday-Friday, 10am - 2 pm
Other viewing times available by appointment- please email me.

I will be presenting a series of new works on paper, in my first exhibition as the Philadelphia Cathedral Artist-in-Residence for 2008-09. The sixteen small works on paper will be exhibited in the main chapel of the Philadelphia Cathedral, interspersed with the historical and contemporary stained glass windows of the Cathedral.

I am the Cathedral's first Jewish Artist-in-Residence, and What Was Our Vision is a series of mixed-media works on paper that I have developed based on visual research into the belief systems of the Ancient Near East. My work is motivated by my interest in origin, identity, and place. My search for meaningful connections to the history of Judaism led me to explore the iconography and earth-based belief systems of the Ancient Near Eastern cultures that Judaism developed from. In What Was Our Vision, I synthesize invented imagery along with found iconography relating to earth, trees, water, sky, gods, and goddesses. With these images, I imagine what visions my ancient ancestors may have had as they traveled desert landscapes as nomads and cultural go-betweens.

The setting for this exhibition is an important component to the meaning of the work. By exhibiting this series of images in the Cathedral space, I hope to draw attention to the historical and spiritual connection of all faith practices, as well as to offer a vision for religious imagery that speaks to a spiritual connection between earth and body.

July and August news...

Late Notice Update, an August Class, Save the Date, and Call for Artists...

On Tuesday July 22, I will be giving an informal talk on my public, participatory projects
The Listening Station and Show Someone How You Feel About Something
at:
Basekamp at 723 Chestnut St, 2nd floor
in Center City Philadelphia.
The talk will be from about 6 - 8 pm, and will include lots of discussion and Q & A.
It's an informal potluck dinner too, so bring something to share!

August Class:
I am offering a 4-week studio course at the University City Arts League in August.
open for registration now!
This is the first course I am offering at the Arts League in five years.
The course is a drawing from nature workshop called "Cells to Stems"
and will cover general drawing techniques while we draw from still lives,
dissected plant material, and cellular images from the web and microscope.
The course will be best appreciated by those with some (even just a little) previous drawing experience.
It's Mondays, July 28 - August 18, 6-9 pm, and is a bargain at $70/$55 for members.
please call 215-382-7811 or email info@ucartslague.org

Save the Date:
Looking ahead, I am preparing for a solo exhibition at the Philadelphia Cathedral,
where I am the artist-in-residence for 2008-09.
The exhibition will present a new series of twelve small works on paper (example below)
in the main Cathedral space, and there will be an opening reception on
Thursday, September 4th, from 6-8 pm.
More details to come- Save the date!

Call for Artists:
I am the new Art Program Manager at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education,
under Program Director Mary Salvante.
My first curatorial project at SCEE is an experimental gallery exhibition for 2009 entitled Ephemerality.
This is an opportunity for Visual Artists from all disciplines to experiment with short-lived outdoor installation work using mainly natural materials at a gorgeous 350-acre nature preserve in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Proposals are due August 29th.
Please see the full prospectus for more information, and email me with any questions.

new interview on Funnel Pages blog

A nice long audio interview of me with Dustin Metz is currently on the Funnel Pages blog.
Funnel Pages is a great new Philadelphia local arts listing and commentary site.
In the interview, I discuss my public projects and thoughts on art and society.

News from late May

My public drawing project Show Someone How You Feel About Something
is the subject of this week's Philadelphia City Paper's lead arts article!

The project concludes this weekend with the Final Viewing and Postage Party.
at the A-Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave, Saturday May 31, 5-9pm
Stop by anytime to make a drawing and view the 150 drawings displayed on the walls!
If you come later in the evening, you can help put the drawings in their envelopes and stamp them.
A procession to the mailbox at 48th and Baltimore at 8:45 pm will send all the drawings on their way...

The reception for the group show Panoply is next Wednesday, June 4, from 5-8 pm

at the offices of the Philadelphia Foundation, 1234 Market St, Philadelphia.
This is a wonderfully eclectic group show of artists from West Philly's 40th St Artist-in-Residence program.
I am exhibiting four large framed ink drawings from the Umbilical series, all of which are for sale.

Finally, I will be giving a slide presentation on my work at the Philadelphia Cathedral
in West Philadelphia, to kick-off my year-long Artist Residency there.
This residency provides me with a very large studio, and opportunities to exhibit my work
in the Cathedral, as well as the chance to create a permanent installation piece
for the space by the end of my year there. I'll be moving into the new studio on Monday June 2,
and am looking forward to beginning a new body of work, and having visitors!

The lecture will be directly after their services, Sunday June 8th at about 11:30 am.
The Cathedral is a wonderful space, if you've never visited, it's definitely worth it!
Located at 3723 Chestnut St, West Philadelphia.

show someone in west philly!

Show Someone How You Feel About Something

is coming to West Philly for the whole month of May!

Come to the A-Space or Clark Park. Make a drawing to send to someone and address an envelope for the recipient. Your drawing and envelope will be displayed in the A-Space until the end of the month, when there will be a Final Viewing and Postage Party to put all the drawings in the mail.

throughout the month of May , 2008:

Mondays 6-8 pm, Saturdays** 12-2 pm, Sundays 12-2 pm

Final Viewing and Postage Party:
Saturday May 31, 5-9 pm

The A-Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave, West Philadelphia, PA

**weather permitting, Saturdays are at Clark Park, 43^rd and Baltimore Ave, West Philadelphia, PA

summer continuing education courses

I will be offering two four-week workshops at the University of the Arts this summer:

my 5 min 54 seconds of fame

a new video on my studio and public work!

part of David Kessler's Studioscopic series, profiling Philadelphia artists for uwishunu.com

New.

New etsy shop

New website

New web presence




Upcoming event:
Friday, April 4: Everything Must Go at the Flux Factory!
I will be inviting you to Show Someone How You Feel About Something.

I am showing four framed drawings from the Umbilical series in Panoply, a group exhibition at The Philadelphia Foundation.

right now

you can currently see some of my recent work in two semi-public places:

a large drawing on linen
from the "Eyes like Black Cherries" series, at:
The University of the Arts Staff Exhibition
Hamilton Hall, at Broad and Pine.
now until mid-March
Reception: Wednesday February 20, 4:30-6:30 pm









four of the "umbilical" series drawings at:
The Philadelphia Foundation Board Room
1234 Market St, 18th Floor.
now to June 9, 2008
possible reception tba...

future plans...

In April, I will be participating in Everything Must Go at the Flux Factory in Queens, NYC. This amazing collective art space is closing up due to the immanent demolition of the building it inhabits... I'll be conducting Show Someone How You Feel About Something with the current residents of the space, as well as with visitors to the opening reception on the evening of Friday April 4th, 2008. Participants will be invited to make a drawing and paste onto the wall of the ill-fated building... photo documentation will preserve the drawings for posterity.

And, back in Philly:
For the month of May 2008, I'll be doing the Show Someone project at the A-Space in West Philly- literally around the corner from my house.
Exact times to be determined, but I'll be out on the street encouraging people to make drawings to be mailed, a few times a week during May. The drawings and addressed envelopes will be on display in the A-Space throughout the month, and the project will culminate in a Postage Party when all the drawings will be put into their envelopes and stamped.
Hooray!

Artist-Centered Critique

Unfortunately, this Continuing Education course at the University of the Arts didn't attract enough participants, but I'm keeping it here because I love the idea so much! Please contact me if you are interested in being part of an artist's group like this in the future.

Artist-Centered Critique using the Critical Response Process

In this course, participants help one another achieve their artistic goals by requesting—and providing—useful and sensitive feedback on creative work. (While this process can be used for all varieties of creative work, the instructor’s area of expertise is the visual arts.) This collaborative back-and-forth is guided by a method called Liz Lerner’s Critical Response Process, which provides a safe, considerate environment in which creative people can ask for specific input and receive the constructive opinions they need to move their work forward. After a workshop outlining this communication process, participants will take turns being presenters of their own works and responders to requests for opinions regarding the work of fellow participants.