And...GO!

Photo from our opening party by Roman Blazic

Oh hi! Sorry for the super long silence here on the blog. I've been nuts getting everything ready for the opening party, then opening the space! So I'm back (yay!) and wanted to first thank EVERYONE who helped with the party profusely. It was a huge success! The donations of both time, services and food were awesome! J. Kyle Keener did an incredible job with his photos. Joshua Parker Coombs and Jenny Welsh did an amazing job on the food. DJ Snk Pk was fabulous, yet again! All of our PSG Managers, Monitors and Interns kicked ass on getting the space ready. And huge thanks to Lil' Dan's, Sweetbox Truck and Philadelphia Brewing Co, for food and beverage donations!

I also wanted to answer a few questions people have had:

1. Wait, weren't you guys already open?

Well sort of. The gallery has been open since May 2012. And we've been running classes since December 2012. We've been waiting on an upgrade to our electrical service which finally happened 2 weeks ago, so now our shops are ready to be used!

2. So what can I do at the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym?

All kinds of things! We have a wood shop with a bandsaw, drill press, compound miter saw (aka chop saw), disc and belt sanders, table saw (Saw Stop coming soon!) and a metal shop with a MIG Welder, TIG Welder, 3 Oxy-Acetylene Rigs, Plasma Cutter, slip roll, bench grinder, abrasive cut-off saw, drill press, and horizontal band saw. We also have a mold making and casting area and a variety of hand tools available.

3. What about classes? 

We have a new bunch of classes coming soon. Needle felting, TIG welding, Building with Reclaimed wood, BYO Bicycle and more! Check out the blog early next week for specifics!

4. What about the stuff you don't have? 

The Philadelphia Sculpture Gym is a work in progress. We are working very hard to get everything up to full speed but ask for your patience in the beginning while we get everything situation and running smoothly. We will add new equipment and new areas (like ceramics and small metals) as soon as we are able. We appreciate any help in the form of equipment donations, wonderful advice and/or volunteer time! The space will only continue to get better as it goes on.

5. Sounds great. What about studios? Storage? Lockers?

We have all of those things! 50 sq ft studio spaces are available for $100/month. We also have pallet storage for $30/month or shelf storage for $10/month. Lockers are available for $5/month (full locker) or $3/month (half locker).

6. Awesome! How do I get started?

Everyone has to do a safety training class in order to use the space. Very soon these will be available online. For now, shoot me an email at philadelphiasculpturegym@gmail.com to set up a time to come in. Once you've passed your safety training. You'll be able to come in to use the space Tuesday through Sunday, 11am - 11pm. Starting in August we will also be open on Mondays and will expand our hours in either direction as soon as we are able!

7. Will there be someone in the shops to help me?

Yes, we will have a shop monitor available at all times to assist with using equipment safely.

Any other questions? Send me an email at philadelphiasculpturegym@gmail.com and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!