Barrels of Fun: Mt. Airy artists beat the blues

While useful, the typical blue rain barrel isn’t exactly beautiful. So, when the Philadelphia Water Department donated five barrels to the Mt. Airy Business Improvement District this past April, the Mt. Airy Art Garage, a community art nonprofit, volunteered their creativity. Neighborhood artists were recruited and soon word spread, attracting more local artists—adults and kids—to

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Turn Here: Green Art at the Gersham Y

One of Tim Gaudreau’s “Lost Posters” looks for missing coniferous forrest. | Photo Credit: Gersham YThere’s a new art exhibition in town, and its turning heads! Turn Here, a collection of environmentally-themed art, is now on display at the Borowsky Gallery of the Gershman Y. The exhibit features four artists, including Philadelphia-local Amie Potsic. The

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Season for Art: Philly artists showcase eco-themes in current exhibits

Elaine Kurtz, Untitled, 2002, Image via Canary PromotionLast week, we reviewed South Philly artist Shelley Spector’s “Dreck Groove” exhibit on display at Breadboard’s Esther Klein Gallery. The exhibit (February 17 to March 30) features Spector’s use of reclaimed materials to display embroidery representing recent natural disasters. 
But Spector isn’t the only artist showcasing environmentally-centric work this

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Green Weaver: Shelley Spector turns reclaimed fabric into environmental art

Photo by Ken Yanoviak, courtesy of Bridgette Mayer Gallery  For Shelley Spector, scraps of discarded fabric are more inspiring than a blank white canvas any day. Bits of boldly-patterned textiles serve as Spector’s foundation for her latest exhibit, “Dreck Groove”. The exhibit is a patchwork of reclaimed materials the South Philly artist gathered from her

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Fracking Lesson: Temple brings arts and sciences symposium on natural gas drilling to Philly

Fracking—the controversial natural gas drilling technique is constantly in Philadelphia news. But what do you really know about the issue? In an effort to bring some clarity to what fracking is and how it’s affecting Pennsylvania, Temple Gallery, in conjunction with the Center for Natural Resources Development and Protection is holding a day-long conference today,

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DesignPhiladelphia takes over the city this weekend

This weekend, the 2011 Community Arts Festival (CAFe) comes together to promote local artists and the importance of environmental sustainability. Featuring organizations from all over the city, there are plenty of diverse passions to discover: ceramics with Old City’s Clay Studios; Arabic calligraphy with Albustan Seeds of Culture, a local nonprofit that teaches Arabic language,

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Full Spectrum: The Greenhouse Projects exhibit combines historical science with modern growing methods in a high-tech eco-structure

Peeking out between the colonial brick buildings on South 5th Street, a 52-foot, ribcage-like structure is a stranger amidst the relics of Old City. Neon orange, green and blue plastic panels, as well as plant life, stick out from all angles. The structure is a greenhouse and part of “The Greenhouse Projects,” a special exhibit at the American

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Dispatch: Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?

"The world is flat” is a large map of the world I made of found cardboard. It was originally created for the Chestnut Hill Arts Initiative and exhibited in an abandoned car dealership window as part of a series of installations in public venues. Painted with acrylic, charcoal and pencil, it feels to me more

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