The First Friday Preview, September, 2020 

For nearly 30 years, art lovers in Philadelphia have reserved the First Friday of every month for gallery hopping. To continue this tradition, CraftNOW will help bring together a group of curators and artists for an intimate preview on Thursday nights. 

On the Agenda –

Galerie Marie – This international art gallery highlights a collection of dolls made by gallery owner and artist Kimberly Camp. Tonight’s preview will include a brief talk about Camp’s new immigration series of porcelain dolls and a few that seem to come from another world. From antique trade beads to camel belly leather, Camp’s work received the Award of Excellence during the American Craft Council Baltimore Show earlier this year and is currently on view in The Clay Studio 2020 National exhibition.

Michener Art Museum – Laura Igoe, Curator of American Art at the Michener Art Museum, will introduce Rising Tides: Contemporary Art and the Ecology of Water. The exhibition features work by seven local artists who visually and materially explore the effects of global warming, climate change, pollution, and related environmental concerns on bodies of water and aquatic species. Marguerita Hagan, one of the participating artists, will provide a closer look at her ceramic sculptures and dynamic installation, Interdependence, featured in the exhibition.

Da Vinci Art Alliance – Da Vinci Art Alliance was founded by a collective of immigrant craft artists and artisans working in the South Philadelphia building they own today. DVAA’s exhibition CRAFT! showcases contemporary craft from the region in a range of its varied forms. DVAA’s Executive Director Jarrod Markman and exhibition Juror Thora Jacobson will share the 3D tour and discuss some of the selected work.

The Clay Studio – The exhibition 100 Years 100 Women commemorates the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, giving women in the US the right to vote. The Clay Studio invited 50 artists to each choose two women they admire and honor them by making a modern-day commemorative plate. The work embraces a wide definition of women, transgender, and female-identifying people and includes famous, anonymous, and personally inspirational women.  

Craft Business Survey Results – CraftNOW has been working all summer with Andrew Dahlgren and Heather Holiday to learn about the barriers to developing a craft career and what type of support is needed in Philadelphia. Dahlgren and Holiday share their findings of the recently completed Craft Business Survey, which has led to new insights about the current state of Philadelphia’s artisan community and elevating the city’s Craft Capital.