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: Departures from Craft by Candy Depew at 9:24 PM

The Philadelphia Art Alliance is pleased to welcome Philadelphia artist and Owner of the Candy Coated Center, Candy Depew for a lecture and presentation as part of our new series, The Commonwealth. Ms. Depew, a self-proclaimed "Cultural Entrepreneur", will speak about the changing tradjectory of craft artists, who are exploring new ways to create and connect with a wider general audience.

Continuing with PAA’s mission of the advancement and appreciation of contemporary craft and design, The Commonwealth is a series of lectures that will explore the current issues pertaining to the modern Craft movement, through panel discussions and lectures by artists, academics and curators from the notable craft specific institutions in the city and the larger Northeast Corridor.

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?

WUNDERWERK: Selected Works from Austria/Germany: 1970-2010 at 8:24 AM

The Philadelphia Art Alliance is pleased to host a special exhibition, concurrent with the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show (whose theme this year is Germany), on our Third Floor during the entire month of November. WUNDERWERK, Selected Works from Austria/Germany: 1970-2010, includes over 50 pieces of jewelry by renowned artists such as Claus Bury, Wolfgang Rahs, Peter Skubic, Svenja John and many more. This extensive collection of German and Austrian jewelry was assembled from private and public collections the world over, and was organized by internationally-recognized independent curator Helen Drutt. The exhibition will remain on the Third Floor through November 28, 2010. Featured Artists: David Bielander, Helen Britton, Claus Bury, Bettina Dittlman, Georg Dobler, Christiane Forster, Karl Fritsch, Toni Goessler-Snyder, Mirjam Hiller, Therese Hilbert, Mari Ishikawa, Svenja John, Hermann Junger, Helfried Kodre, Daniel Kruger, Otto Kunzli, Fritz Maierhofer, Falko Marx, Erico Nagai, Wolfgang Rahs, Gerd Rothmann, Peter Skubic, Caroline von Steinau-Steinruck, Josef Symon, Norman Weber and Petra Zimmerman.

Core 77 asks "Why a jewelry designer?" at 8:07 AM

On October 12 the University of the Arts Industrial Design program and Bresslergroup partnered to host the second Philadelphia-based Designer's Accord Town Hall Meeting. This also took place during DesignPhiladelphia, the largest design event of its kind in the nation. Tying in to the DesignPhiladelphia schedule broadened the attendee base, exposing the Designers Accord to a larger audience and widening the discussion through new voices........

Link to the Core 77 Post...

PAA Announces New Program Series! at 10:42 AM

The Philadelphia Art Alliance is thrilled to announce our newest program stream, The Commonwealth! Continuing with PAA’s new mission of the advancement and appreciation of contemporary craft and design, The Commonwealth will explore the current issues pertaining to the modern craft and design movement, through panel discussions and lectures by artists, academics and curators from the notable craft specific institutions in the city and the larger Northeast Corridor. The selection of critically acclaimed speakers represent the next generation of craft artists and curators, who will seek to provide a clearer understanding of the place of craft and design in the larger context of modern fine art. This series is the product of collaborations between PAA and nationally featured artist/educator Doug Bucci, who is serving as Program Curator. The Commonwealth will kick off on October 14th, 2010 with a lecture by David McFadden, Senior Curator of the Museum of Art and Design in New York City, and will continue with subsequent lectures each month (excluding January) until the series wrap-up in May 2011. The dates, times and topics are as follows:

• October 14 – 7:00 PM:
  Speaker: David McFadden, Chief Curator, Museum of Art and Design, NYC
  Topic: The Institutional Joining of Art Craft and Design
• November 11 – 7:00 PM:
  Speaker: Svenja John, Internationally renowned German jewelry artist
  Topic: The Global Craft Movement
• December 9 – 7:00 PM
  Speaker: Candy Depew, Cultural Entrepreneur and Director, Candy Coated Center, Philadelphia
  Topic: Departures from Craft

Spring 2011 Schedule

• February 10 – 7:00 PM
  Speaker: Melanie Bilenker, Philadelphia jewelry artist
  Topic: Objects of Memory
• March 10 – 7:00 PM
  Speaker: Judith Schaechter, Philadelphia glass artist
  Topic: Social Movements
• April 14 – 7:00 PM
  Speaker: Adelaide Paul
  Topic: The Influence of Science and Technology
• May 12: 7:00 PM
  Wrap Up Panel Discussion with 2010/11 featured lecturers
  Moderator: Rama Chorpash, Chair and Assistant Professor, Industrial Design, UArts

PAA announces this new series with great excitement, as we embark on the next chapter of our distinguished history. Having successfully navigated through our transition from a multi-disciplinary art center to one focused on contemporary craft and design, PAA is poised to embrace our new mission, and position our institution as a pre-eminent presenter of thought provoking craft and design exhibitions and programs in the Philadelphia region and beyond. The Commonwealth will solidify this commitment and usher in a new era for PAA and our constituents.

For more information, call 215-545-4302

SNAG 2009: The REVOLUTION will be televised ! at 4:17 PM

REVOLUTION, the 2009 Society of North American Goldsmiths conference, will take place
May 20-23rd in Philadelphia, birthplace of the American Revolution. Revolution can be
defined in many ways: a sudden change; a movement against a current situation; the
actions of individuals or groups of individuals "revolutionaries." On SNAG's 40th anniversary,this conference will provide the critical context to consider the future of our profession,provide us the opportunity to reflect upon our history, and ultimately celebrate the independent thinkers and decisive movements that ensure change, growth and evolution in our discipline.

Philadelphia is not only known for the Declaration of Independence and the first Capitol,but it is also a city of firsts in the Arts; opening the first art school and art museum in America, and the first and oldest Diamond District in the United States. The city continues its revolution in arts education, as Philadelphia contains three major art schools with three historically strong and distinctive metals programs: TheUniversity of the Arts, Tyler School of Art/Temple University, and Moore College of Art & Design.

The conference will take place in the Loews Hotel, a National Historic Landmark which was Howe & Lescaze's 1932 PSFS (Philadelphia Savings Fund Society) building. This building is widely considered the first International Style skyscraper, and is a dramatic setting for our gathering.

From Independence Hall to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia has much to
explore and enjoy, and is the perfect setting for SNAG 2009. We have an exciting program of speakers and exhibitions that investigates and provokes dialogue, surrounding REVOLUTION from both historical and contemporary perspectives. We hope to see you in May 2009.

For more information: www.snagmetalsmith.org

Doug Bucci & Vickie Sedman
SNAG 2009: Philadelphia Conference Co-Chairs
January 2009