Toy Stories: Artist Talk and Beaded Lizard Keychain Workshop

Please join Paradigm Gallery + Studio at the Paradigm Arts Building (12 N. 3rd St) on Sunday, August 25th at 12:00pm for a ticketed tour celebrating the debut solo exhibition of ceramacist Jeff Rubio, Toy Stories. In partnership with local independent curator Anaïs Cooper-Hackman, Toy Stories repurposes iconography like beaded key chains and board games from Rubio’s childhood as narrative instruments for storytelling and how they have shaped his professional and personal identities. Visitors will recognize iconic characters like Wario or “Street Sharks”, and a weapon from Sailor Moon.

Visitors will receive an intimate insight into the toybox of Jeff Rubio’s mind as he and the curator weave in the stories that are the foundation the exhibition.

Following the tour will be an artist-led workshop where attendees can revert back to their childhood selves at camp and make classic beaded lizard keychains that inspired the ones on display in the exhibition. Through the workshop, Rubio aims to bring forth the importance of community and creativity in his practice, especially since he is fueled by his supportive circle of artistic friends and collaborators.

Artist Talk tickets are free, but reservations are required. Beaded lizard keychain workshop are for purchase in the ticketing section.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

12:00 PM- Attendees are welcomed to the 1st Floor gallery

12:15 PM– Artist + Curator Talk begins, led by Anaïs Cooper-Hackman and Jeff Rubio

1:00 PM – Tour concludes with a 15 minute break

1:15 PM – 2:30 PM -Artist Jeff Rubio leads beaded lizard keychain workshop.

An event for all ages. All supplies are provided.

About Jeff Rubio
Jeff Rubio is a Filipino-American ceramicist based in Philadelphia. His practice employs playful motifs yet is highly technical, and rooted in queerness, nostalgia, and joy.
Rubio received his BID in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute in New York. He has been featured in group exhibitions at Huddle, Philadelphia and Good Mother Gallery, Los Angeles.

About Anaïs Cooper-Hackman
Anaïs Cooper-Hackman is a curator based in Philadelphia, PA. She is the former Associate Director of the now defunct HOT•BED Gallery, an art gallery, event venue, and artist studios in Philadelphia. Among many things, during her time at HOT•BED she helped launch a concept called MICRO•GALLERY, a no-limits playground for guest curators and artists to produce and exhibit unconventional work. The inaugural season of MICRO•GALLERY included a Venice Biennale of Architecture-bound installation by Jefferson University’s Synesthetic Research and Design Lab, a community media lab for the production of experimental art in partnership with Lino Kino, and an immersive neon cave installation by neon bender Alissa Eberle. Currently, she is the Programming & Partnerships Director at Ray, a multi-family real estate company with locations in Philadelphia, PA; Harlem, NY; and Phoenix, AZ where she manages an in-house gallery concept called Studio 105.

About Paradigm Gallery + Studio
Paradigm Gallery + Studio® was established in 2010 by co-founders and curators, Jason Chen and Sara McCorriston. The gallery exhibits meaningful, process-intense contemporary artwork by emerging and mid-career artists from around the world. In 2022, Paradigm announced the opening of its new 5-story, 7,000 sq. ft. home, The Paradigm Arts Building, in Old City, Philadelphia. Now open to the public, the building boasts multiple floors of exhibition space, integrated in-house design and printmaking, a dedicated events floor, and art advisory offices. With this, Chen and McCorriston expanded their vision for the greater Philadelphia arts community. The gallery is at the heart of this vision, anchoring Paradigm’s overall mission of increasing access to the commercial art world, supporting artists and advancing their careers, and collaborating with like-minded partners to build a more equitable, sustainable arts economy for all.