regular girl reviews

michael willett | part time studios

2010-11-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

michael willett's paintings are catchy. kitschy and catchy, too. i really liked the small installation around these "geometric and minimalist" paintings. what i really liked was the way he packaged the paintings like record albums: same size, same shape, same feel and slid into a plastic sleeve... just like an old album.

and since we just got a new turntable...

i would defiantly stop by this creative haven for a look / see before the show's over on November 28th.

soundoffka vol. 2

2010-11-09T11:17:00.001-08:00

vwvoffka.

no, i can't pronounce it, nor do i know what it means.

but it's an interesting little place on frankford ave right across from highwire gallery so i go in on a monthly basis. so far, what i've seen has been interesting but nothing to write home (or blog about).

although, a few months back - july, to be exact, they did a show called "OLFACTICS" and it was amazing. it was a totally sensory delight for me, although some painters that i went with thought it trite.

anyway, their latest show, soundoffka vol. 2, was a complete bore for me. and i really like some of the artists included, like bonnie macallister. but i was underwhelmed. i guess i really just don't like sound and video installations.

the one redeeming piece is the one in the window by cory pace + sarah webber. unfortunately i completely over looked it until i was ready to leave.

looking forward to see what they come up with next month.

.matrix | Philadelphia Photo Arts Center | Crane Arts Building

2010-04-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

omg, i swear i am really almost finished now, but there is just one last gig at the crane that was too fabulous not to discuss....

the work in the hallway for the current show .matrix is by gd loft and hot damn, is it well done.

i really did enjoy the view. however, i found myself looking for patterns and when i couldn't find them i was a little annoyed. also, i could have done with a little less porn, but love love loved the whole section based on believing.

Brand, Re-brand, De-brand? | UD/ART | Crane Arts Building

2010-04-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

ok, so i'm a huge fan of maximizing my time in once space. and i really do just like the crane arts building, in general.

and i've seen a number of good shows in the UD/ART space.

i didn't have the time to really take any notes last night (because i was in the hall and across the hall) and, sadly, their website is not up to date, so i cannot reference any of the work in this show which seems to be satisfying both of the city wide art happenings going on at the moment: half the show was print (philagraphika) and the other half was ceramics (NCECA).

the print work really was very exciting, and because i'm a little anti right now, i more than ignored the clay. shame on me, i know.

Like a Moth to a Flame | Inliquid

2010-04-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

who can deny that this bright, airy and beautifully constructed piece of work is stunning in the hallway at the crane arts building.

i love the connection to independence charter school, but i more love the flame by leah reynolds. "vaporous". check it out at the crane.

Bifurcation, Hysteresis, Catastrophe | Nexus

2010-04-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

wow. what a serendipitous event last evening at the crane arts building. not only were my self-serving needs being met (because of an early photograph of a plastic bag) but a good number of shows were also happening.

an intriguing confluence of materials, mindfulness and science. Bifurcation, Hysteresis, Catastrophe, a part of the new members show at nexus, is so theatrical, so alive with complicated biology and natural happenings that i was shocked when katie wood explained to me that the graphs and formula's scrawled on the walls were, in fact, fact and not science fiction. jebney lewis, the new member at nexus, and his cohorts, katie and todd parsons, have created this small universe of the state of natural environments to come as the earth warms. the structures are fantastically crafted from steal, wood and plastic bags, float dramatically in the darkened space. they create an atmosphere of slightly confused beauty. and you can get lost in them.

i completely ignored the writing on the walls during my visit until my gallery gal pal, kristi, pointed it all out and encouraged me to talk to katie about it... and while, at first, the science behind the installation didn't matter in the least to me, understanding it's reality makes the experience even richer.

you should definitely go see this work.

click here.

upcoming reviews

2010-04-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

this is more or less me lighting a match under my own tush.

tonight - nexus new members show

this weekend - macas & goggleworks (yes, i will be reviewing my own show, thank you very much).

next week - the west collection

the week after - muse + highwire's NCECA contribution

Mount Airy Contemporary Artists Space | Home: Reflections and Projections

2010-03-03T06:44:00.000-08:00

Mount Airy Contemporary Artists Space is currently presenting

Home: Reflections and Projections

an exhibition of the works of Christina Day and Brenna K. Murphy

let me start off by saying a couple of things.

1. i know colin and andrea, the co-directors of macas.

2. i like them. they are my friends.

3. i've never actually written a review before.

so here goes.

the hair.

brenna murphy's work is stunning. many of you who know me would agree that i can be a little off, a little crazy and a little over the top when i work on my own projects. i might be crazy, but brenna is nuts. she's creating beautifully articulate artwork with her hair. now it would be one thing if she was sewing it with a needle and stitching these works in a traditional way. but, she's not. she's poking the paper with a straight pin and then threading each hair through the aforementioned hole. the result is a an amazingly realistic "drawing" of everyday items. egg beaters, other kitchen appliances, living rooms. bed rooms. really well conceived bedrooms. i want to live in one of her bedrooms.

this is not actually taken in the gallery, but it is similar to what's in the gallery.

art attack.

chrissy day's work is interesting. she makes these "refractions" that are fabulous. she's altering found mirrors, specifically at the gallery are old medicine cabinets, and creating a new way to react to them. additionally, she has some sculptural video pieces in the gallery that i couldn't quite get into because i was a little too short to comfortably interact with. and finally, there was the architectural sculpture that bit me. hard. i was bee-lining across the crowded room to get what i thought was a pen (it ended up being a corkscrew, but that's a conversation for my eye doctor) and ran into this, this... staircase. a small portion of a staircase that was kind of interestingly sticking out of the floor and simultaneously connected to the wall. it made such a loud noise that the room went quite and someone yelled "art attack". it was funny. kind of. and i still have a giant bruise two weeks later.

on of chrissy day's refractions

perpetrator: "wall to wall".

victim's injury 2 weeks after incident.

macas

i love love love that macas held this opening not on a first friday. first friday is always so hard for me because of my commitment to highwire gallery and where ever else i might be showing...so while ive been to many of their show's over the year, this was the first time i was able to attend an opening, which was well attended and super fun. despite the injury.

the space is small and intimate. the directors are thoughtful and well versed. they are only open on saturdays, but you can make an appointment. please do. this is a show that should be seen.

and while you're there, visit a couple of the other great spots in the neighborhood, like my new (well, not so new) favorite, the wine thief for dinner. or earth, bread + brewery for pizzas, or infusion for coffee. yum. or jean-jaques to buy local handmade craft. or one salon to get a haircut. ok, is it obvious i want to support the local economy? and also, i'm a big fan of doing a lot of things while i'm in a specific neighborhood. if you're going to go, you may as well see all you can see.

macas: http://www.mountairycontemporary.com/

brenna k. murphy: http://www.inliquid.com/artist/murphy_brenna/murphy.php

chrissy day: http://www.chrissyday.com/