The First Friday Preview
For nearly 30 years, art lovers in Philadelphia have reserved the First Friday of every month for gallery hopping. To bring this tradition to you virtually, CraftNOW invites curators and artists for intimate previews on Thursday nights.
This month’s program is co-organized by Heather Moqtaderi, Director of Past Present Projects.
Visual artist and political organizer Tabitha Arnold will present weavings created as 2021 Artist-in-Residence at Glen Foerd. Her meticulous, tactile images speak to the radical past and ongoing struggle that threads all working people together.
Sculptor Marguerita Hagan will speak about two current exhibitions that feature her contemporary ceramic work. Hagan’s sculpture Flourish is on view at the Academy of Natural Sciences’ exhibition Invisible World of Water. At No. 5 Butchie Alley, Hagan and gallery owner Terri Saulin present The Gift, a special winter holiday exhibition and pit-firing workshop.
Laura Igoe, Chief Curator at Michener Art Museum, will present on Daring Design: The Impact of Three Women on Wharton Esherick’s Craft, an exhibition that explores the significant impact of three women—Helene Fischer, Hanna Weil, and Marjorie Content—on the artistic development and career of sculptor and studio craftsman Wharton Esherick. Artist Miriam Carpenter will join Igoe to speak about her current exhibition, Miriam Carpenter: Shaping the Ethereal, also currently on view at the Michener.
Pam McLean-Parker, Exhibition and Program Coordinator at the Wayne Art Center, will share CraftForms 2021, the 26th International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Craft showcasing works in basketry, ceramics, decorative fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, paper, wearable art, and wood. Also on display as this year’s CraftForms Companion Show, The Process of Becoming: The Jewelry Collection of Carolyn L.E. Benesh narrating the story of a life fueled by a passion for the created object and friendships that were formed in the process.
If you are interested in presenting at a future First Friday Preview, email leila.cartier@craftnowphila.org
Click here to access October 2021’s First Friday Preview
Click here to access September 2021’s First Friday Preview
Click here to access June 2021’s First Friday Preview
Click here to access May 2021’s First Friday Preview
Click here to access April 2021’s First Friday Preview
Click here to access March 2021’s First Friday Preview
Click here to access December 2020’s First Friday Preview
Click here to access October 2020’s First Friday Preview
Click here to access September 2020’s First Friday Preview
Click here to access July 2020’s First Friday Preview
Click here to access May 2020’s First Friday Preview