Now that we’re actually back from two trips to
Philadelphia and one to St. Louis it’s time to reflect on it all.
The weekend of the Philadelphia Antiques and Art Show there was WEATHER! Many thanks for all who braved the elements and total understanding to those who didn’t. Between the rain on Friday and the wind on Saturday travel was treacherous.
The weekend of the Philadelphia Antiques and Art Show there was WEATHER! Many thanks for all who braved the elements and total understanding to those who didn’t. Between the rain on Friday and the wind on Saturday travel was treacherous.
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| The Gallery's booth at the Philadelphia Antiques and Art Show. |
On Friday the drama of the rain hitting the roof of the tent was great, but we really had no idea of what it was like outside. In fact the parking lot was mostly flooded. The water was only an inch or so deep but it was amazing to see what seemed like hundreds of feet of water stretching out before us. Saturday was a windstorm and the management made the announcement that the tent was perfectly safe -- it was anchored to the concrete of the parking lot and made to withstand tornadoes. The skin of the tent did ripple though.
At Philadelphia Museum of Art there’s a show of
1930s prints, We the People, American Prints from Between the World Wars, with
works by Will Barnet, Pele deLappe, Sue Fuller, Riva Helfond, Millard Sheets,
and Harry Sternberg, and others as well. It was along the corridor to their
blockbuster The Impressionist’s Eye but it wouldn’t surprise me if some people
got waylaid entirely. The room was packed the whole time I was there with both
visitors who seemed familiar with the material of that era even if they didn’t
know those particular artists, and others to whom it was completely new. It was
a terrific audience. Well done to Curatorial Fellow Jillian Kruse. On view
through July 24.
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| Riva Helfond, Out of the Pit, 1935. This lithograph is used on the Museum's advertising for the exhibition. |
On a totally different continent, the Museum’s
Crossing Borders, Painting in the Crown of Aragon, 1400—1500, is a Renaissance
one-room jewel of a show.
In St. Louis at the Mercantile Library Fine Print, Rare Book, and Paper Arts Fair we missed the worst of the rain but nearby areas were flooded and everything was growing like mad. They’re two to three weeks ahead of New York City so there was a lot more green than we’ve had although we’re starting to catch up.
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| The Gallery's booth in St. Louis -- the 13th Annual Fair. |
The Library’s show of historical area maps was extended for the
weekend of the Fair. It was fascinating, both for it’s emphasis on the St.
Louis neighborhoods along the Mississippi River and for depictions of the
river’s length and it’s delta in Louisiana – clearly challenging subjects. A
banknote featured what might be the earliest printed view of St. Louis.
There was also a quick visit to a charming nearby town, Florrisant, with some wonderful old buildings.
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| Close up of the town view. |
There was also a quick visit to a charming nearby town, Florrisant, with some wonderful old buildings.
This past week was a return visit to the
Philadelphia Museum of Art for a series of talks relating to the We The People
exhibition. There were so many terrific ideas: selections for the prize winners
of the “Fine Prints of the Year” series, (artists' verses collectors' juries,
traditional verses modern images, styles, and/or techniques); technical
developments on WPA Printmaking Projects (especially carborundum prints and serigraphs)
and transition of genre subjects to heightened social awareness and specific
industries and then to wartime imagery shortly before the programs were shut
down; and totally unknown to many (including me), two versions of large
scrapbook-like volumes holding samples of Philadelphia WPA prints from which
authorized visitors could make their selections. WOW!!!
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