The Commonwealth: Review 3 | Candy Depew at 12:40 AM

Although the December weather outside was a bit frightful, the lecture inside, ‘Departures from Craft’, the third installment in The Commonwealth lecture series at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, included the bright, colorful, and fantastical work of local artist Candy Depew. A self-described cultural entrepreneur, Depew is a multifaceted artist whose work fuses the 2D (silk-screening and cut vinyl) with the 3D (ceramic and fabric) to produce suites of objects, imagery, and ‘interventions’ that find their place within the decorative arts...Read more.

THE COMMONWEALTH:Adelaide Paul | Artist as Scientist, Scientist as Artist? at 12:31 PM

THE COMMONWEALTH:
Speaker: Adelaide Paul
Topic: Artist as Scientist, Scientist as Artist?

Admission $5
PAA Members and Students (w/ID) FREE

Buy Tickets Online, Click Here!

On Thursday, April 14th, PAA will host Philadelphia sculptor Adelaide Paul for a lecture entitled “Artist as Scientist, Scientist as Artist?” Ms. Paul's challenging body of work, mainly focused on the anatomy of animals, has garnered her national attention, including multiple fellowships and awards. Her presentation will highlight selections from her portfolio and examine how the boundaries between art and science are becoming increasingly blurry through the use of new materials and by reappropriating traditional craft techniques.

The Commonwealth: Review 2 | Svenja John at 12:26 PM

The topic for the second lecture in the Commonwealth Series, held on 11 November 2010 was ‘Globalization in the Craft Movement’. Svenja John, a German jewelry maker was invited to present her ideas on the subject. The confluence of John’s artist residency at the University of the Arts as well as the participation of a group of German guest artists at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Women’s Committee Craft Show, made her contribution to the series possible and timely. John’s presentation of her own experience... Read more.

The Commonwealth: Review 1 | David McFadden at 8:07 AM

Review, by Erin Colleen Williams

The Commonwealth Series of Lectures at the Philadelphia Art Alliance provides a thoughtful perspective on the current and future states of art, craft, and design. Who more appropriate to speak on these topics than David McFadden, the head curator of the Museum of Art and Design (formerly the American Craft Museum,
controversially renamed in 2002). His lecture, entitled ‘The Blur Zone’, discussed the exciting but also perplexing state of contemporary craft where the traditional disciplines of sculpture, painting, design and craft media have merged to create a new, unified field. Read More

Image: Geoffrey Mann, Attracted to Light (Long Exposure series), Mfr. Rp Nylon, 35 x 40 x 42 cm, edition of 5 plus AP. Photo: Sylvain Deleu

THE COMMONWEALTH: Judith Schaechter Topic: Blurred Horizons: Fine Art vs. Craft by Judith Schaechter at 8:21 PM

Thursday, March 10th, 2011 at 7pm

The Philadelphia Art Alliance is pleased to present the next installment in our new flagship lecture series, The Commonwealth. On Thursday, March 10th, PAA will host Philadelphia artist and educator Judith Schaechter for a lecture entitled “Blurred Horizons: Fine Art vs. Craft”. Ms. Schaechter, a distinguished artist who has received multiple fellowships from prestigious foundations such as The National Endowment for the Arts, PEW Trust and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, will speak about the inspiration for her modern stained glass work and examine the trajectory of craftspeople who have sought to position themselves as fine artists over the last half-century.

Checkout Judith's blog:
http://judithschaechterglass.blogspot.com/2011/03/blurred-horizons.html

Admission $5
PAA Members FREE
Students FREE w/ID

The Philadelphia Art Alliance
251 South 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 545-4302

Tram: 19th St Trolley Station
Get directions - Is this accurate?

The Commonwealth - Reviewed at 11:24 AM

Over the next week the AJF blog is going to feature a series of reviews related to ‘The Commonwealth: A series of lectures and panel discussions exploring issues relating to the modern craft movement.’

According to Doug Bucci, the organizer: In January of 2010, the Philadelphia Art Alliance (PAA) took a major step to re-brand itself as a pre-eminent presenter of Contemporary Craft and Design. Their new mission stated: ‘The Philadelphia Art Alliance is dedicated to the advancement and appreciation of innovative contemporary craft—works in ceramic, glass, fiber, metal and wood—and to inspiring dynamic interaction between audiences and artists in a setting of historic and aesthetic significance."

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