But Is It Art? Program: June 1-August 1, 2014

Ninth Annual Community Juried Show

BUT IS IT

ART? COMMUNITY JURIED SHOW v.9

June 1– August 1, 2014

6.01– 8.01.14

off the wall gallery AT DIRTY FRANK’S NE Corner 13th & Pine @OTWDirtyFranks facebook.com/OTWDirtyFranks

WHAT'S COMING UP August 3 – September 26

2014 Midsummer Show Opens Thursday, August 7, 7–10 pm

September 28 – November 21

2014 Autumn Invitational Opens Thursday, September 25, 7–10 pm

Sunday, October 12

Sunday with the Masters 2013 Mary Liz Fellow Robert Bohné and ’14 Fellows Russell Brodie and Jon Laidacker

Thursday, October 30 11:59 pm

Submission Deadline for Tenth Annual Juried Exhibition

November 23 – December 27

Tenth Annual Juried Exhibition Opens Thursday, December 4, 7–10 pm

AND WHAT ABOUT OUR JURY? When you have a theme as challenging and compelling as “But Is It Art?,” it take a special jury to serve as the architects of the show. We are fortunate to have just such a group of dedicated professionals who have contributed countless volunteer hours.

For their insights and expertise, we are deeply grateful.

DoN BREWER artist and author; founder, DoNArTNeWs Art News Blog; member, The Plastic Club and Photographic Society of Philadelphia. brewermultimedia.com @DoNNieBeat58

VERONIKA SCHMUDE

artist, urban explorer and lighting technician; member, Photographic Society of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Sketch Club and Rittenhouse Square Artist Guild jpgmag.com/people/VeronikaS

JENA SERBU

artist and filmmaker; co-creator, Uncut Productions and Sweetbread Studios. jenaserbu.com sweetbreadstudios.com @jenaserbu

FRANK SHERLOCK

Poet Laureate of Philadelphia; 2013 Pew Fellow in the Arts; organizer, Write Your Block project franksherlock.blogspot.com @FrankSherlock

JODY SWEITZER

on the cover, from top, left to right: Russell Brodie s Schuylkill River, Jaipur Clock Tower, artist; instructor, the Arts; Tecu Mish Munha Ke s Road Trip, Jon Laidacker s Bud Light, Portrait of University a Special, A of Special, Figure Study (seated), Russell Brodie s 45th Off Street.the Wall Gallery jodysweitzer.com curator, ON COVER, TOP ROW DOWN: detail from Susan Hinchey and Missouri Hinchey-Modglin’s “Mother Flicker,” detail from Jim Biglan’s “Misunderstood,” Jacque Ferretti’s

“Black birds visit white swan,” Kyle Baker’s “Stamped,” Jesse r Lentz’s “Sea,” Jim Biglan’s “Saliva,” Cynthia Harvey’s “Fight,” Hokey’s Untitled.

From inspiration to interaction, all art is subjective.

EYE OF THE

When you walk through our door and the artwork on the Wall catches your eye for the first time, you’re asking the same questions that most art audiences reflexively entertain: Is it art? Or isn’t it? And what makes it art?

BEHOLDER

This is you engaging with the art...exploring...feeling...finding meaning...connecting...putting the art in the context of your own life...and perhaps, in the best circumstances, discovering a fresh perspective—one you may never have had before.

You might be intrigued by the subject matter or the medium or one specific aspect of the work. But it’s nearly impossible to escape the societal stamp of approval that makes some art “great” and other art a more ponderous experience.

Are you going to question the validity of a work you see at the Louvre or the National Gallery, London or the Met? Probably not. But how about when you walk into the Pompidou or the Tate Modern or MoMA (or the Met’s Whitney Biennial)? That’s another story, isn’t it?

It was really only a matter of time before we tackled the question BUT IS IT ART? head on, since it’s part and parcel of who OFF THE WALL is—and who we have been since setting up shop in 1978 as Philadelphia’s pioneering alternative art space.

This is a juried exhibition but one that invites you to be a juror, too. Our jury didn’t presume to decide what is art and what isn’t. Rather, they selected works that beg the show’s question.

Essential to jurying were the statements that artists submitted with their work. Each is two sentences long but as varied as the artwork itself. Haiku-like reflections. Mini-manifestos. Laidback observations. Words propelled by clear intention.

Now through August 1, we invite you to pair statement and visual art and decide for yourself. And don’t try to do it all in one trip. That’s the other thing about art that challenges you.

It beckons you to return again. And again. So enjoy the summer, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Jody Sweitzer Curator

Togo Travalia Manager

JOHN BACCILE Try putting your nightmares, heebie-jeebies, and funny feelings into little boxes and calling them art. Soon they’ll stop troubling you, but you can rest assured that something else will come along and take their place.

Visit John online at johnbaccile.com

“Terrorarium” found object assemblage NFS

BECKY BAILEY Art communicates. My works are art because they are created using an alphabet of visual forms—combined together as words are combined to form a sentence—resulting in a visual language that the viewer can read and relate to.

“Growth Mini” marker, gouache and acrylic on canvas and paper 100.

Visit Becky online at beckybailey.net

MARSHA BAILEY “Compass” found object assemblage 100.

(continued)

MARSHA BAILEY (continued) For centuries, there has been speculation as to the location of the lost artifacts of the Ritual of the Three Lost Moons. These recently discovered items finally shed light on the mystery: a really good compass, in order to be oriented to this ritual celestially speaking; and a memento, kept in view during the ritual, to help participants reminisce.

Visit Marsha online at baileyartist.com

“Relic” found object assemblage 100.

KYLE BAKER To define is to limit, so no matter the artistic process, trying to define art is trying to put a limit on something limitless. Knowing this allows me to be the executive, go outside of the norm, and make decisions to continuously push myself, my work and my content.

JURY CITATION (above): Best Representation of Art “Stamped” oil on wood 75.

See more of Kyle’s work at facebook.com/kylebaker24

“Self Portrait” oil on wood 400.

SARA BENOWITZ Art requests a moment of reflection about what it’s all about, anyway.

Inspired by the remains of a baseball that made me grin with its empathic appearance in the mud one rainy day when I felt like crap, and Anais Nin’s quote, “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom,” this piece, “Live Hard,” reflects upon and salutes the courage inherent in living a life.

See more of Sara’s work at inliquid.com/ complete-artist-list/benowitz-sara

JURY CITATION: Boundary Buster

“Live Hard” found baseball and National Archives microfilm box 100.

JIM BIGLAN “Saliva” uses texture in a similar fashion to the Abstract Expressionist painters. Also similar, the artwork is based on a physical process—in this case chewing.

“Saliva” 100 pieces of bubble gum on board 150.

“Worries” found objects and beef jerky 250.

“Worries” depicts anxiety and pain alluding to a crucifix. Some of these objects include nails, hair, beef jerky and pantyhose. (continued)

JIM BIGLAN

JURY CITATION: Best Answer to “But Is It Art?” “Misunderstood” uses text as the main focus. The content is a play on the artist’s main complaint about most people not getting their work.

“Misunderstood” chalkboard with text 200.

See more of Jim’s work at google.com/profiles/james.biglan

NICK BROWN “Big Cookies #1 & #2” high-fire ceramics 200. each

MARLENE BUGANSKY I believe that art comes from the depths of the soul. To me, painting is an expression of my inner feelings.

“Collage in Blue” acrylic and paper on canvas 300.

SARA COCCHI “Use Me” calls attention to the art and design of the functional object.

The evolution of a design born out of functionality reflects the adaptations of the natural world around us.

“Use Me” brass and copper 80.

Visit Sara online at chushingura521.wix.com/saracocchi

EBONY MALAIKA COLLIER As someone who usually paints abstractly, I find mixed media techniques open up representational work in a way that paint would not.

Of course, colors are essential to both approaches—and to the work in this show, which comes alive through the use violet and yellow.

Visit Ebony at facebook.com/E.M.C.visualart & at ebonymcollier.wix.com/emcvisualart

SARAH DAMIANO

“Still Life Flowers in a Vase” mixed media 75.

“No Parking” charcoal, pastel, conté crayon, printing ink and acrylic 550.

(continued)

SARAH DAMIANO (continued) These pieces aim to bring to the forefront background elements of the city that are often forgotten and overlooked. By creating portraits of these ordinary objects, I hope to highlight their beauty and elevate them to the level of art.

Visit Sarah online at sarahdamiano.com

“The Underworld” charcoal and conté crayon 800.

LORI EVENSEN In a world where all is destroyed, art can give us hope and teach us how to be human. These paintings are designed to make people think and interpret their surroundings through a new lens.

Visit Lori online at lorievensen.net “Chevron” acrylic on canvas 140.

“Lightbeams” acrylic and mixed media on canvas 25.

JACQUE FERRETTI I discovered the white swan during a walk through the city—instantly captivated by the way someone had placed the white plastic swan so proudly on a backyard wall, in seeming defiance of the hopelessness of its surroundings. I painted the black birds thinking they would come as guardians and assume their rightful place.

JURY CITATION: Best of Show

Visit Jacque online at jacqueferretti.com

“Black birds visit white swan” oil, plexiglass and photography 750.

EILEEN FETSURKA As a photographer, I’ve always been drawn to textual works of art. This weaving is part of my exploration of tactile art in the digital age.

“Luminous” Cordura, cotton and wood 75.

Visit Eileen online at flowersinflightpa.com

BOB GORCHOV

“goat” acrylic and pencil 165.

This image of a goat is a reworking of an older image I had stored in the closet in my apartment/studio— with the old (former) image serving as a source of inspiration to rework it, months or years later, and see it from a new perspective. A goat is still a goat, but the old image is a distant cousin of the goat that you see on the wall.

See more of Bob’s work at google.com/RobertGorchov

CYNTHIA HARVEY Art triggers emotional response through both discord and order. Areas of calm allow the brain to soak it in before diving back into the chaos.

JURY CITATION: Honorable Mention

“Fight” oil on canvas 500.

“Subway” oil on panel 300.

Visit Cynthia online at cynthiaharvey.com & at facebook.com/CynthiaMHarvey

SUSAN HINCHEY & MISSOURI HINCHEY-MODGLIN Susan: Art is taking something from the abstract world—a dream, a memory, a feeling—and making it a concrete image.

Missouri: Art is copying nature, good or bad, and putting it down so that it can be held and seen, frozen in time.

“Mother Flicker” found object assemblage 150.

JURY CITATIONS: Best Use of Unconventional Materials

HOKEY

(tie, above and below)

Inspiration and beauty come in many forms—a bad tipper in a bar, an interesting shape found in an everyday space. These works and many more I have made may not be the usual path to creativity but they have inspired me to do just that—create...art.

Untitled foam insulation and paint 100.

HARRIET KLINE Sunlight filtering through water in a rocky stream.

Cools the mind and soul.

“Rivlets” watercolor on paper 150.

Visit Sarah online at sarahdamiano.com

Depict the strength of the setting sun as it seeps into every nook and cranny.

Brilliant and vibrant.

Sunset” multimedia on YUPO 200.

See more of Harriet’s work at facebook.com/pages/Harriet-Kline-Arts/135981819883707

TAMMY KUSHNIR This is art because it takes objects and puts them together to convey a feeling that life is fragile.

Feelings are prominent in any form of art.

“Fragile” found object assemblage 50.

Visit Tammy online at tammykushnir.com

JESSE R LENTZ Like many found-object artists, I have taken something thrown away and repurposed it—giving it a new life. By growing the trees from the pages of a book, knowledge and growth are symbolically intertwined.

“Sea” found object assemblage 150.

JURY CITATION: Honorable Mention

“Psalms” found object assemblage 150.

Visit Jesse online at peanutbutterandjesse.com

LELENE MICHEL Celebrating the Cobra avant-garde art movement and my own Haitian heritage, the use of sharp lines, abrasive brush strokes, and expensive colors embodies what Art is for me: freedom in the most primitive, yet divine sense of existence.

“Primitive Praise” acrylic on wood 200.

Visit Lelene online at gratitudeincolor.webs.com

STEPHEN MILLLNER

“Pure White Lining” found object assemblage 65.

Visit Steve online at stephenmillner.com

Works of art that employ everyday items inspire closer examination. From their very ambiguity comes the urge to go back a second or third time to see what exactly is going on— is this a doll’s place setting or a graphic arrangement of trash?—and to read the copy—pure white living?!...oh, lining!

BILL MYERS I used salsa, cream cheese spread, Chobani honey-blended Greek yogurt, Jell-O sugar-free vanilla pudding, Smucker’s peanut butter & jelly, and Dannon Fruit On The Bottom mixed berry yogurt and some varnish to hold it all together and create my “Food on Canvas Abstract Creation!!!!”

“Food on Canvas Abstract Creation!!!!” mixed (once edible) media 100.

See more of Bill’s work at paop1860.ning.com/profile/billmyers

THERESA O’BRIEN-TAORMINA My ideas about what art is help me make them come to life. I used my hands, and molded my hands, to create art—away from technology and yet still connected to it.

“Childhood Memories” plaster and rubber 50.

See more of Theresa’s work at jaj815tobt.wix.com/theresaot

ARTHUR B. OSTROFF These pieces were created spontaneously.

But the end results contain the same effort and reflection that any valid work of art must have, if it is to be considered art.

“Ancient Wall” sawdust, acrylic paint, iridescent powder and oil pastel 250.

“Moonglow” sawdust, acrylic paint, iridescent powder and oil pastel 250.

Visit Arthur online at aostroff.com

JENNIFER OWENS Aything that touches the soul, inspires passion, or allows the artist to share a small piece of who they are is art worth noticing. Art has no inhibitions.

“Long Distance” gel pen and Lisa Frank stickers on envelopes 50.

HEATHER RAQUEL PHILLIPS

I am untrained in painting so when I paint, it’s complete freedom and joy.

I’ve grown to love the work of folk and naive art makers for the sheer raw creativity and honesty that is contained in each artwork.

“My Story of Cuba” acrylic and gouache on paper 150.

“Chevron” acrylic on canvas 140.

“Tree Pose” watercolor and gouache on paper 100.

Visit Heather online at heatherraquelphillips.blogspot.com

RAYMOND PUERINI I am an experimental mixed media artist that enjoys using a variety of techniques, media and tools to create new artwork. The process is as much an inspiration for my works as the subject matter of the pieces.

“Octopussy” acrylic and ink on paper 270.

“Bleed” ink on paper 100.

Visit Raymond online at jellowillkillus.wix.com/rap-art & at facebook.com/Jellowillkillusart

CHUCK SCHULTZ Spellbound, What’s Love Got to Do with It?, The Wedding Singer and The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis, are art.

Steven enjoyed these art forms at one point but they were discarded so this is his art catalogue for these objects.

“Steven’s VHS Collection” found object installation 50.

ALEXANDRA THOMAS “Korus in Leather” is my interpretation of an idealized male figure from ancient Greek art—limbs truncated, as if saved from some ruins, while its skin adds the twist of being made with a modern faux-leathering technique usually reserved for furniture-making.

The result is 3D—but a work that is one-dimensional in embodying contemporary social ideals for men and the objectification of the male form.

“Korus in Leather” collage, acrylic paint, found objects and polystyrene 350.

Visit Lexi online at alexandraetart.wix.com/lexithomas

NOA TRAVALIA Art should tell you a story or tell you how to do something.

“Instructions for Feeding Cats” pen and marker 40.

HARVEY WEINREICH Like a snowflake, every paint chip is different. I’d take a paint chip over an old master painting pretty much any day.

See more of Harvey’s work at facebook.com/harvey.weinreich “Paint (left) & “Son of a Paint Chip” Chip” mixed media 30. each

WANNA BE

ON THE

WALL? our next call for entries: DUE 10.30.14 WHAT’S THE THEME?: We’ll announce the theme on Facebook and Twitter on Friday, August 15.

HOW DO I ENTER?: Entry brochures will be available in hard copy and on issuu.com by Labor Day weekend.

Our yearend juried exhibition requires entries on disc.

HOW MUCH?: It’s $5 per entry, which will fund up to $500 in prizes.

off thewall gallery AT DIRTY FRANK’S facebook.com/OTWDirtyFranks