PRIME | Uwishunu

Big Changes, Opening Reception @ James Oliver Gallery

By Christopher Wink on Uwishunu.com

Karen Freedman, “Reclamation: Cooling the Flames” , Mark Field, “Proteus Pretending to be a Spider”

One curator out, another one in, and a third anniversary on the way. It’s not a bad time for the James Oliver Gallery. Founding director James Oliver is moving to California to open a second location and is being replaced by Veronica Scarpellino, as the Society Hill gallery celebrates three years at 7th and Chestnut.

To mark the big changes, the gallery is hosting an evening reception Sat. Sept. 12th for a new installation called “Prime,” featuring three artists. The exhibit, featuring installation sculptor Yi Sheng, encaustic painter Karen Freedman and photographer Mark Fields, runs from the opening reception to Oct. 11.

Catalogs of “Prime” will be available, and change, I’d imagine, will be in the air.

Prime
Reception: Saturday, September 12, 2009, 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Exhibit runs Sept. 12 – Oct. 11, 2009

James Oliver Gallery
723 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 923-1242
www.jamesolivergallery.com

Artist Karen Freedman on Encaustic

What is the medium Encaustic? Artist Karen Freedman in her own words ...

order & repetition

"No matter how many alternate paths my work takes I always seem to return to order and repetition. These twin elements are with me as an underlying touchstone of inspiration. In the “Reclamation” series, I take this concept of order and repetition and introduce a semblance of disarray without ever really abandoning the grid-like structure. The use of colors may seem arbitrary yet they are chosen and arranged to give structure and movement to the randomness I have imposed on the grid. I rely on the symmetry of patterns in the “Abacus” and “Repatterning” series to explore the changes color and light undergo through the use of multiple layers of translucent and opaque colors. These three series are intended to work either as independent of each other or to compliment each other. I design and use multiple stencils to create my patterns and grids. They are painted on a 12" x 12" x 1 ½" wooden substrates. This allows for the possibility of various groupings that have the potential to form yet another grid-like composition.

"I began painting with encaustic in 2005 after viewing an encaustic painting demonstration by an exhibiting artist at a Philadelphia gallery. It is a medium made of beeswax, damar resin, and pigment. Once melted, the encaustic is painted onto a rigid but porous surface, then fused or reheated to bond each layer to the previous layer. By alternating layers of translucent pigment with opaque pigment I can create a sense of depth in my paintings that I find unique to this medium. There has been much discussion among artists as to whether those of us who paint in this medium are making “encaustic paintings” or paintings that happen to use encaustic medium. For my part, I cannot separate the encaustic medium from my artwork itself. The use of encaustic enhances the effects that I can create with texture and color. I am drawn to its warmth, to its tactile quality. I love the physical demands of working with wax and I am challenged by its constraints."

Karen Freedman has exhibited nationally. Her work was included in “Encaustic Works 09” at Castle Gallery, College of New Rochelle, NY, sponsored by R&F Paints, juried by Heather Hutchinson and “On the Edge”, Second National Encaustic Painting Conference at Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA, and juried by Laura Moriarty. She is featured as September’s “Artist of the Month” on the R&F Paints website.

Karen’s work can currently be seen at “Prime” at the James Oliver Gallery in Philadelphia, PA September 12 – October 11, 2009.

Interns Wanted!

Intern Job Description

Established Philadelphia contemporary art gallery seeks intern(s) for single semester or yearlong commitment. This opportunity will provide the candidate(s) with a comprehensive view of gallery management, arts and event marketing initiatives, and will give intern(s) the chance to be directly involved in the planning and implementation of gallery programs, exhibitions, and events.

Responsibilities will include:
• Participation in exhibit installations and breakdowns.
• Database management
• Will help to maintain gallery’s media correspondence: twitter, blog, e-mail etc.
• General gallery maintenance
• Will help with the transition of the Gallery’s new Director
• Answering telephones and functioning as a point-person for visitor information
• Will help with the organization and planning of events and openings
• Will aid in the layout and design of exhibition cards and files for catalog printing

Qualifications:
• Mac proficient
• Extremely detail-oriented and organized
• Professional demeanor and an understanding of proper etiquette when dealing with artists, clients, and guests
• An interest or background in Art History, Studio Art, or Arts Administration
• Proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Word, and Excel
• Ability to commit 8-16 hours to the gallery per week
• Art handling skills a plus

While this position is unpaid, a credit-based internship is possible for college students. Interested applicants please submit a resume and cover letter to Veronica Scarpellino with the subject line “Gallery Internship" at info@jamesolivergallery.com.

Fringe at JOG

James Oliver Gallery welcomes the Philly Fringe Festival on Friday, September 11th at 10:00 PM, and Saturday, September 12th at 5:00 and 10:00 PM. The Saturday performances will bookend our opening reception for PRIME.

Cutting-edge, DC-based choreographer and performing artist Kelly Bond will perform "Splitting the Difference", a spectacle of the body that generates an intense physical experience for both audience and performer.

This solo performance work uses physical sensation and text to connect to its audience empathetically - seeming to say "this is your body, too" - and to create an opening through which the viewer can identify personally.

Kelly Bond is an internationally practicing choreographer and performing artist. Her work has most recently been presented at Artomatic in DC, and in Madrid at the In-Presentable Festival, which she co-curated. She was awarded a Young Emerging Artist grant from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities and holds a Master of Arts in European dance-theatre practice from Laban in London.

This work is funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

James Oliver Gallery
723 Chestnut Street, 4th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Friday, September 11th at 10:00 PM
Saturday, September 12th at 5:00 PM and 10:00 PM

Ticket price: $10.00 at the door

www.liveartsandfringe.com