THIS WEEKEND! POST East of Broad

This weekend is POST (Philadelphia Open Studio Tours) East of Broad. Come check out the artists at the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym at 1834 E. Frankford Avenue in Fishtown! We are right in the middle of the Frankford Ave arts district and just off the Berks El stop! Plenty of parking, easy to walk to, near lots of amazing restaurants...AND lots of artists all in one place. Come check it out from 12-6pm on Saturday and Sunday!

POST Deadline June 1!

FINAL DEADLINE JUNE 1

- Connect to tens of thousands of arts enthusiasts from around
the region: 2012 audiences estimated at 36,876!

- Build and maintain an audience for your work, connect with
clients, arts professionals, and other artists.

- Program staff can assist artists in need of studio space for the
weekend of the Tour.

- Submit your portfolio for potential inclusion in the annual
POST exhibition series: 4 headlining shows in 2012

- Promote your work and studio location throughout the year:
POST visibility exceeds one million impressions

- Enjoy exclusive benefits from local businesses including Blick
Art Materials, Photo Lounge, and more.

- Participate in special promotions like GPTMC’s With Art
campaign and the Knight-funded Made In Philly project.

TO SIGN UP VISIT www.philaopenstudios.org

THANK YOU!

A huge thank you to everyone who came out for POST 2012! We had a great crowd and really appreciate you all taking the time to come see the space and check out what we are up to!

Another big thanks to the amazing and fabulous volunteers that are helping to make PSG happen...Molly, Brynn, Jenny, Jen and Gus, this weekend and this place would not happen without you! A special thanks to Gus for teaching everyone the casting process. We did 9 pours in 2 days: 7 aluminum and 2 bronze, poured by 5 different people (including 2 newbies, Rose and Kriss!) Check out the photos below to see some of the process!

 Olivia making a sand mold

 

 Poured shoe prints

 Furnace set up

 Side view

 Brynn pouring...

   

 Kriss pouring...

and Rose pouring!

 Our flasks!

   

 Molly making a sand mold

 Brynn ramming the sand

 We cast a bunch of PSG medallions...

  

 Hot furnace!

  

 Gus's work...

 Brynn slagging the aluminum

 Brynn suited up for grinding!

 

 Justin getting ready to pour bronze

 

 ...using tongs to remove the crucible...

 

 ...picking up the hot crucible with the shank...

 

 ...pouring...

and done! 

Thanks again to everyone!!!!

Kickstarter Update: 100%!!!!

 

We met our Kickstarter goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone who isn't on our Facebook, Twitter or following our Kickstarter might have missed the craziness that went down early Saturday afternoon, so let me retell the details for everyone. Justin and I had been up too late the night before (1:30am for me and 2am for him)...he was finishing up the last 18 bases for a commission I had gotten a while back, as our client was coming to get them the next afternoon. I was up contacting everyone I know and don't know to promote our Kickstarter page, as we had 4 days and $2,910 to go. We both went to sleep exhausted and woke up early to start all over again (5:30am for me and 6:30am for him), me with emailing and him with bases...and we had roofers coming at 8:00am...AND we had to get ready for POST! As I was getting ready to run out the door to get snacks for the Open Studio, we got a $100 donation...then a $200...then another $100.....then $25...I was so excited about this that I started a Facebook post, and as I check back to see what the percentage was its said 100%. Lis Kalogris had made a pledge to put us over the top! I started screaming (yes, screaming...classy lady here...) and Justin came running upstairs, thinking something awful had happened. I gave him the news and proceeded to bawl my eyes out, overwhelmed by happiness at the support we've received and the fact that we met our goal and therefore I would not be having a nervous breakdown over the following 4 days. I teared up at the thought of what had happened all day long...so if you saw me looking weepy at POST it was due to happiness.

 

 

So a huge thanks to all of our backers! This has been a tremendously amazing experience and we are ecstatic to have met our goal...again, we could not have done it without you! THANK YOU!
(And I'll be back today to post the names of our donors over the last week, so check back this afternoon.)

Image from here

Come visit us during POST this weekend!

 

One last reminder that this weekend is Philadelphia Open Studio Tours East of Broad and Justin and I will have our studio open to the public on Saturday, October 15th and Sunday, October 16th from 12-6pm both days! 

Come on by to say hi and talk to us about our art and/or the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym! 

Our studio is currently located at 1513 N. Hancock Street in Fishtown. We're easily accessible by public trans, car, or even walking if you are in the area! We're not far from the Crane building and there are lots of other fabulous artists to check out in the area.

Hope to see you there!

 

 Here I am in the studio!

 

Here's an in progress piece of Justin's

 

And if that's not enough to get you here, we'll also have SNAP and cider and delicious food...

Woo hoo!

Image of Darla by Michael Persico, SNAP image from here

Tonight! Crossing Jordan at the Skybox

For anyone who has never seen a show curated by Eileen Tognini, you've been missing out! She really puts together the whole package...the work is amazing, its promoted well, the openings are packed, the food is always great, AND she's one of the sweetest people I know. Sounds great, right? It will be. I'm really excited to see this exhibition of work by Alison Stigora...the Skybox space at 2424 studios is massive and it always takes strong/huge work to fill it. From the images I've seen so far it looks like this exhibition will not dissappoint, so check it out tonight, or this weekend during POST, as the space will be open from 12-6pm on Saturday and Sunday. See below for more details!

Join us for the Opening Reception on Friday October 14, 7-10pm
Exhibition Runs October 14, 2011 – November 19, 2011

Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Saturday, Noon – 6pm
Open for the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours on October 15th and 16th from Noon to 6pm
The Skybox at 2424 Studios, 2424 East York Street, Philadelphia PA 19125
In conjunction with Eileen Tognini, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists presents a solo exhibition and larger-than-life installation by CDP Fellow Alison Stigora, where the charred remains of salvaged timbers are juxtaposed with a turn-of-the century industrial space to create a powerful story of survival and rebirth.
The charred remains of salvaged timbers are re-imagined into a large site-specific installation by Alison Stigora in the soaring space of The Skybox at 2424 Studios.  Stigora presents an original installation utilizing 10,000 hand-charred tree limbs, which were gathered from fallen wood from two nature preserves and two private estates and burned over 184 hours.  Sprawling across the floor and climbing up two stories, the burnt wood undulates and inspires both physically and metaphorically. Juxtaposed with the turn-of-the century industrial space of the Skybox, Crossing Jordan communicates a powerful story of survival and rebirth.
For Stigora, burnt wood is a powerful medium that resonates with people in a primal way – fire creates a deep blackness that cannot be achieved otherwise. In the burning process, wood cracks and scales from the heat, creating a maze of scars on the wood’s surface.  The process of destroying and recreating is what allows a sculpture or drawing to develop. Stigora salvages charred remains from the aftermath of a fire and allows those same ash-covered remnants to communicate their story of survival as they are reborn into new sculptural works and installations.
www.eileentognini.com |  www.2424studios.com | www.alisonstigora.com

Image and info from here

POST THIS WEEKEND! October 15-16 12p-6pm...Come visit us!

This weekend is Philadelphia Open Studio Tours East of Broad and Justin and I will have our studio open to the public on Saturday, October 15th and Sunday, October 16th from 12-6pm both days! Come on by, say hi, have some fancy drinks (Like SNAP and cider...my favorite!) and fancy food, talk to us about the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym, meet the famous Olivia! 

Our studio is currently located at 1513 N. Hancock Street in Fishtown. We're easily accessible by public trans, car, or even walking if you are in the area! We're not far from the Crane building and there are lots of other fabulous artists to check out in the area.

Hope to see you there!

This weekend! October 16th: CAFe 2011

This event sounds like fun! For more info visit www.inliquid.com

POST visit to Philadelphia Traction Company

 

FRESH Air Handler by The Dufala Brothers

So we got back from a trip to Delaware this weekend with very little time to check out studios, so we headed for the Philadelphia Traction Company. We were so caught up with talking to Billy and Miguel that I forgot to take many photos so if you ever have a chance, be sure to check out their space as it is amazing and there's always a ton of exciting things going on (like giant airplanes and lions and whatnot...)

Here's a bit more about them from their website:

Philadelphia Traction Company is a collaborative workspace and art center in West Philadelphia. The cooperative studio is the result of the collective ambition of six professional sculptors, all graduates of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts of various years. Once the site of a famous trolley manufacturing company established in the late 1800’s, this historic building is a gargantuan facility with 40’ ceilings that provides the kind of space it takes to work large.
Founded in May 2007, Philadelphia Traction Company is currently a hub for the diverse work of its founders, representing a wide scope of form, expression, and technique. In the near future, Philadelphia Traction Company will provide gallery space and private studio opportunities. 

Check out some of the  artists who have space in the building:

 Jeff Dentz
Billy Blaise Dufala
Pavel Efremoff
J. R. Greig. Jr
Jordan Griska
Miguel Antonio Horn
Zach Kainz
Joshua Koffman
Jason Lombardi

POST: West of Broad - Oct 1 & 2

This weekend is the first weekend of the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours! You have a chance to visit Artist Studios and Work Spaces in Center City West, Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy, Germantown, East Falls, Manayunk, Roxborough, Fairmount, Francisville, and West Philadelphia. Need to plan your tour? Check out their website and search for artists by area.
We highly recommend checking out the following artists:

Philadelphia Traction Company
Michael Konrad
NextFab Studio
Zoe Cohen
Genevieve Coutroubis and John Karpinski
John Phillips and Gina Michaels
Elisabeth Nickles
Philadelphia Sculptors at UArts

Have fun!!!

Save the Date: POST - October 15th and 16th!

Justin and I will be opening our studio as part of the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours this year. We moved into a temporary space earlier this month (photos yet to come...its still just piles of stuff) that will be our art making home until we secure a location for the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym. Please feel free to come and check out the space, introduce yourselves, ask questions about our art or the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym and partake in the snacking/drinking (last year we had SNAP and Apple Cider and it was amazing!!!)

Our studio is currently located at 1513 N. Hancock Street in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia. We'll have our studio open from 12-6pm on Saturday October 15th and Sunday October 16th.

Our Kickstarter fund will also end on the 16th, so hopefully we will be there celebrating and would love you to join us!

Check out our pages on the POST website for more info and a map!

Darla Jackson
Justin Grant

Summer Solstice Event at the Kimmel Center

This Saturday, June 18th the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym will be at the Kimmel Center from 12-6pm promoting our soon to be space, our sculpture, and POST! Our table will be inside the Kimmel Center on Tier 1 or 2 (if we find out exactly where, we will let you know!)
Stop by to enter for a chance to win a free 1 month membership (you are still eligible to enter again even if you entered at Trenton Ave Arts Fest...Just let us know you already filled out a questionnaire and we'll just put your name in), or to make a tax deductible donation to the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym Fund (to match the grant we were given by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation). We'll also have Philadelphia Sculpture Gym t-shirts and tote bags available!!

The entire event runs from 12 until 2:30am (!!) so come on by anytime on Saturday! Check out the Kimmel Center's website for a full list of events.

We hope to see you there!