Abington Art Center

Global Suburbia

August 30-November 30, 2008

As it turns out, many U.S. artists grew up in the suburbs, so most have been influenced by suburban environments, though only a handful actually make art that address these issues. “Global Suburbia” features art inspired by the suburbs of London, Bangkok, Barcelona, and Normandy, next to art inspired by Austin, Phoenix, New Jersey, New York, and California suburbs.

What are the suburbs? Do they incubate an industrially standardized lifestyle, or “super-cool” serial living? What is their environmental impact? What are their cultural contributions? Are they really the safe havens they pretend to be? Does suburban ennui/boredom feed innovation or further disaffection?

Curated by Sue Spaid, “Global Suburbia” includes: Chris Ballantyne, Amy Bennett, Mark Bennett, Center for Land Use Interpretation, Götz Diergarten, Barbara Gallucci, Fritz Haeg, Michael Barton Miller, Sarah McCoubrey, Matthew Moore, Hiro Sakaguchi, David Schafer, Mark Shetabi, Lee Stoetzel, Eva Struble, Thomas Wrede

Download the curator’s essay on “Global Suburbia.”

Concerts at the Manor Summer 2008

Thursday Evening Concerts at Abington Art Center are co-hosted with Abington Township Parks & Recreation. Concerts begin at 7pm* and the grounds open at 6pm.

The presenting sponsor of Concerts at the Manor is Abington Bank.

Concerts are FREE (donations requested) and are held RAIN or SHINE

Summer Schedule:

Hovering Above

June 7 - November 30, 2008

Art experiences inevitably alter how human beings perceive their everyday environment. To this end, art’s presence helps people develop skills that enable them to experience color relations, notice facial expressions, appreciate nature’s details or discern relative distances. Artists exhibiting outdoors at Abington Art Center have typically sited their works on the ground. Eager to discover what kinds of ascendant sculptures artists might propose, we invited thirteen artists who had already indicated an interest to make airborne art to propose projects for “Hovering Above.” Not only does the prospect of hanging art on high pose an interesting artistic challenge, but it requires visitors to look up to discover the work. Visitors to “Hovering Above” will also gain a greater appreciation for our forest’s canopy.

Curated by Sue Spaid. “Hovering Above” includes sculptures by: Actual Size Artworks, Roberley Bell, Sylvia Benitez, Jamie Dillon & Nick Paparone, Caroline Lathan-Stiefel, Carole Loeffler, and Mike Ross

Watch a video of the Making of Hatshepsut with Sylvia Benitez.

sylvia

Inspired Flora – Artwork for Selection

Floral Designers,
Thank you for participating in Inspired Flora, Abington Art Center’s inagural weekend celebrating the artistry of floral design. Here are digital versions of the artwork that will be on exhibit during “Metamorphosis.” Please email your top two choices using the contact form below and someone will get back to you to confirm your selection. As pieces are selected the images will be removed from this area of the website. A description of the entire show is also on AAC’s website.

The artwork should physically be on site (and maybe even installed) by Tuesday, April 9. You are welcome to come during business hours to see the original piece that you have selected.

FAQs

• set up is at 9am on Friday, April 11. We’ll have people help unload your materials and we’ll have tables for prep space.
• we encourage you to attend Inspired Flora on Saturday (10am-5pm) and/or Sunday (10am-3pm) to speak with visitors
• you are responsible for supplying a pedestal for your arrangement.

John Kalymnios “Butterflies” butterflies, motor, aluminum, 2004, 38″ x 11 1/2″ x 12″

Kate Javens “Untitled” oil painting, 2005, 18″ x 24″

Michelle Stuart

Richard Ryan “Change Here”

Metamorphosis

April 12 - July 27, 2008

“Metamorphosis” is a virtual insect world produced by more than a dozen artists. Butterfly enthusiasts visit botanical gardens, conservatories, and natural science museums to witness live butterflies and moths. At Abington Art Center, a visual “butterfly effect” will be on display with works by Linda Burnham, David Chow, Tera Galanti, Michael Gallagher, Kate Javens, Patricia Johanson, John Kalymnios, Susan Magnus, Huib Petersen, Lamar Peterson, Richard Ryan, Joseph Scheer, Ben Snead, Doug & Mike Starn, and Michelle Stuart. Curated by Amy Lipton.

The effect of a butterfly’s wing can be felt around the world.
- Edward Lorenz, meteorologist

What has come to be known in chaos theory as the “butterfly effect” proposes the idea that the power of small actions can set chaotic changes in motion that manifest on a much larger scale. The “butterfly effect” asserts the ecological concept of interdependence, the interconnectedness of all life, and calls attention to the fragility of the planet. Abington Art Center’s exhibition “Metamorphosis” reminds us how the repetition of small actions can reap enormous and significant consequences.

Have you ever wanted to write your own copy for museum labels? If so, here’s your chance. Select comments will be added to the wall labels in the upcoming exhibition. All ages are encouraged to submit their “new views.” If you are a young person, please indicate your age. THANKS! NEW VIEW COMMENT AREA

A Weekend Celebrating the Artistry of Floral Design

Twenty of the region’s top floral designers will create arrangements inspired by the artworks in Abington Art Center’s exhibition “Metamorphosis.”

The entire weekend of April 11-13, 2008 will be devoted to showcasing this new floral event.

Inspired Flora is a new take on Abington Art Center’s spring fundraiser with not one, but five activities to engage your senses and inspire your imagination. Organized and produced by a committee of dedicated volunteers, Inspired Flora raises funds to support Abington Art Center’s public programs, exhibitions and arts education initiatives.

This first Annual Inspired Flora will feature floral arrangements by prominent designers, to interpret and complement the museum’s Spring exhibition of moth and butterfly imagery – fleeting, beautiful, transforming, cyclical, captivating.

Behind-the-Scenes Preview Morning
• April 11 • 10am-12pm • $25/$20 for AAC members
It’s your opportunity to meet the designers and chat with them as they install their floral designs. Includes continental breakfast. Limited Tickets. Reservations Required – call 215-887-4882 NOW there are only a few tickets left.

Gala Event
• April 11 • 7-11pm • $250 per couple; $150 per peron; $125 for AAC members
Join us for a fun evening of artistic floral designs, mouth-watering dishes from Jeffrey Miller Catering, music with Denise King Jazz and dancing. Black Tie optional. Advanced reservations only.

Inspired Flora Weekend
• April 12 • 10am-5pm admission $10 public, $7.50 AAC members & $5 children
• April 13 • 10am-3pm admission $10 public, $7.50 AAC members & $5 children
Attend this Event. Buy Your Tickets Online.

EUREKA! Family Workshops
• April 12 • anytime between 11am & 3pm • FREE with admission to Inspired Flora
Each month Abington Art Center presents fun workshops for families of any size, shape and artistic ability. This month is no exception. We’ll make twisted wire sculptures with flower embellishments and natural materials.

Afternoon Tea
• April 13 • 3-5pm • $40 per person; $35 AAC members; Champagne $5
Sunday afternoon it’s tea time. Luxuriate in aromatic teas and classic cream tea favorites while enjoying music by Ken Ulansey. Advanced reservations only.

Solo Series 2008: March

March 8 - April 5, 2008

Abington Art Center’s four galleries take a turn this season as artists install simultaneous solo exhibitions. Selected for inclusion in the second edition of the 2008 Solo Series includes artwork by Caroline Lathan-Stiefel (all-encompassing installations), Laura Watt (geometric pattern paintings), Kimi Weart (graphite drawings) and Jacques Wilmore (imagistic oil paintings). There will be a public preview party on Sat., Mar 8 from 3-5pm; $5/Free for AAC members.

Solo Series 2008: February

February 2 - March 1, 2008

Abington Art Center’s four galleries take a turn this season as artists install simultaneous solo exhibitions. Selected for inclusion in the first edition of the 2008 Solo Series includes artwork by Louise Barteau-Chodoff (video installation), Danielle Bursk (intricate ink drawings), Rosalyn Richards (oil paintings) and Nyugen Smith (bundle houses). There will be a public preview party on Sat., Feb 2 from 3-5pm; $5/Free for AAC members.

Annual Juried Show 2007

Each year Abington Art Center celebrates the talent of our friends and neighbors. Over 50 works of art by local and regional artists are on view through January 25, 2008. At the opening reception on Saturday, December 8 an award ceremony recognized outstanding works including Best in Show, Ceramics, Jewelry and Works on Paper. Below is the full list of award recipients:
Best in Show: Bruce Campbell “Untitled”
Trustee’s Award: Jessica Hersh “Barbie Teapots”
Janet & Stan Angelo Award for Excellence: Carole J. Meyers “Bedtime Stories”
Jim Bachman Memorial Award: Paul Gorka “Swimming in Hell”
Yvonne M. Kelly Award for Mixed Media: Suzanne Hunter “Combat Clutchbag”
Marjorie Carmosin Memorial Award for Jewelry: Adrienne Neszmelyi “Moorish Inspired Salt and Pepper Shakers”
Tile and Mosaic Award: Rochelle Leibowitz “Celebration of Life”
Miriam Belber Award for Best in Jewelry: Julie Mann “Keepsake Box”
Calfayan Construction Award for Technical Merit: Lisa McQueen Knight “For S. Plath”
Calfayan Construction Award for Creativity: Amy Mash “Untitled 1 & 2″
Elaine Adler Award for Ceramics: Heather Mae Erickson “Sprinkle”
Adler Memorial Award for Ceramics: Nancy Reese “Untitled (smoke and white)”
Home Depot Honorable Mention: Thom Hasenmayer “Amazing Drawings of Real Life Events”

ABOUT THE JUROR: Andrea Kirsh is an art historian who moved to Philadelphia in 2003. She has diverse curatorial and administrative experience in museums and public art, and has organized exhibitions of Carrie Mae Weems, Nam June Paik, Pat Oleszko, Fishli and Weiss, Chris Burden, William Wegman and Robert Arneson, among others. She wrote “Seeing Through Paintings; Physical examination in art historical studies” (YUP, 2000) with Rustin S. Levenson, and is adjunct faculty at the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation and Georgetown University, Department of Art History, and on the board of the College Art Association. Kirsh contributes regularly to Roberta Fallon and Libby Rossof’s Artblog, and writes the series “Philadelphia Introductions” for InLiquid.com.

Stan Singer “Color Me Bright”

December 8-December 22

Abington Art Center’s Community Gallery will be featuring the photography of Stan Singer. Photography entered Stan’s life at an early age with the present of a Brownie Hawkeye camera. For decades, Stan has had a successful career as a financial advisor, but photography is an avocation which has become a budding second-act profession.

Many of Stan’s images are captured while traveling. He has won numerous awards and most recently, his photographs have appeared in Shutterbug magazine and in Cowboys and Indians where he won first prive in the portrait category for “Feelin’ Jumpy.”

There will be a public preview party on Sat., December 8 from 3-5pm. Please join us.

Magical Realism

You may not believe what you see…

The artists in the fall group exhibition at Abington Art Center use allegory, fantasy, and myth to convey a sense of “otherworldliness.” Nature is often predominant and people, places and things take on heightened presence beyond the literal realm.

With roots in 1920s Europe, magical realism initally described painters trying to show reality in new ways. Unlike surrealism which focused on the subconscious world, in the work of these artists, magic is inherent in everyday reality—events that seem impossible are commonplace, and common things are not as they first appear. Perhaps best known as a literary genre, works of magical realism employ skillful time shifts, convoluted narratives and plots as well as elements of myth and dream represented in conventionally realistic terms. The results are artworks rich in imagery and meaning that challenge our definition of reality.

Magical Realism features 6 contemporary artists with visually powerful artworks.

New Performance Area

After careful consideration the firm of Purdy O’Gwynn was selected to develop a design for the new outdoor performance area at Abington Art Center. Purdy O’Gwynn proposed a flexible stage that will have a minimal, yet elegant year round presence that would be unobtrusive to the Sculpture Park. The performance area will be seasonally active and will provide space for any number of different events and functions. Below is a sampling of pictograms that show the flexible uses of the performance area. The project will move ahead as funding permits. At this time the goal is to have the stage built and active by summer 2008. Please help us make this a reality.

Purdy O’Gwynn Architects was formed around a collective desire to make buildings that elevate the quality of life. The firm was formed incrementally, with each partner adding distinct interests and strengths to the collective vision.

After starting the practice with a residential emphasis in 1994, Linda O’Gwynn was joined subsequently by her husband Tom Purdy in 1997. Tom worked at Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates on large, highly detailed buildings, primarily for library, museum, and university clients.

In order to achieve a consistently high level of design quality, the firm is organized with a Partner-in-Charge of each project who is intimately involved with both design and project management. Our office, located in a 19th century loft building near Independence Hall in Old City Philadelphia, provides an open studio environment for ten architects and interns.

While the majority of our recent work has been in the mid-Atlantic region, the partners have worked on projects throughout the U.S. and in Europe. Our focus has been the design of cultural, educational, religious and residential buildings. Representative clients include the Chemical Heritage Foundation, the Pennsylvania State University, the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, the Doylestown United Methodist Church, the Fairmount Park Commission and the University of Pennsylvania.

The high quality of our work has been recognized by local and regional design awards, competition prizes, publication in various books and journals and invited teaching positions.

Habitat

Downloadable Curator’s Essay for Habitat

AAC’s new season of installations in the Sculpture Park features sculptures that address concepts and questions of human and non-human habitats. Brandon Ballengée created a nest-like wildlife sanctuary of logs and sticks. A series of stools by Austin Thomas that she calls “Patio Perches” creates a woodland sitting room. Elizabeth Demaray and John Walsh created a series of metal bird perches which attract birds with a sound component. Simon Draper constructed a small shed not for storage but rather with seating and a sky view. Knox Cummin’s wildlife blind shelter provides a quiet space for observing nature. A greenhouse was built by Anne Katrin-Spiess to grow healing medicinal plants. The artists in Inside/Outside: Habitat challenge us to answer the questions: Can we learn to value the interdependency of all species and their habitats? Can we come to empathize with the habitat needs of our non-human neighbors?

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Brandon Ballengée explores the boundaries between art and science and creates multidisciplinary works out of information generated from ecological field trips and laboratory research. Since 1996, Ballengée has collaborated with numerous scientists to create his artwork. In 2003, he was an artist in residence at the Natural History Museum in London. He participated in the 2004 Geumgang Nature Art Biennale in Gung Ju, South Korea. In 2005, he participated in the Waterways Project installed at the Venice Biennale. He currently is working towards a dual art and science Ph.D. at the University of Applied Sciences and Art, Hochschule für Gestaltung in Zürich, Switzerland. Ballengée is originally from Ohio and currently resides in New Haven, CT.

The sculptures of Knox Cummin’s have been clustered around three interrelated themes: bridges, houses and boats. For the artist, these three structures are metaphors for the varying combinations of safety and mobility that human beings require for survival. Cummin has exhibited his work extensively in museums, galleries, sculpture parks, nature centers and public spaces since 1985. He is the Founding Member and Vice President of Philadelphia Sculptors and he lives and works in Philadelphia and Vermont. Cummin’s residency at Abington Art Center is funded by the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission. Downloadable curator’s essay about Knox Cummin’s residency

Elizabeth Demaray is an artist whose work transcends traditional practice. As a conceptually-based sculptor, she domesticates the great outdoors by knitting sweaters for plants, upholstering stones and manufacturing alternative forms of housing for hermit crabs out of plastic. Demaray is the recipient of the 2005 NYFA Fellowship in Sculpture, the 2003 Aldrich Emerging Artist Award at The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, the 2003 Emerging Artist Fellowship at Socrates Sculpture Park, the NYMOMA / P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center 2001 National Studio Award, and the 2002 California Artist in Residence Award at Headlands Center for the Art. A northern California native, Demaray currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.

James Walsh was born, lives, and works in Brooklyn, NY. He works in a variety of media including video and audio installation, and he has a keen interest in natural history. He is the author of Foundations (1997) and Solvitur ambulando (2002), both from Left Hand Books, Kingston, NY. He has exhibited his works in solo and group exhibitions including at Bard Center for Curatorial Studies, Annandale, NY; Peekskill Project, Peekskill, NY; Southworth Planetarium, Portland, ME; and University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME.

Simon Draper was born in Wales and currently resides in Cold Spring, New York. The reuse of materials and objects has been a recurring theme in Draper’s work, and recently he has started to incorporate older artworks and other artist’s works into his own. He believes his shed pieces embody more lyrical ideas and allow people the opportunity to dream. Draper studied at the Bath Academy of Art in Wiltshire, England and also at the Cooper Union in New York. He has exhibited his works in numerous solo and group exhibitions including Meditation, Dedication, and Prayer at Van Brunt Gallery in Beacon, New York and Six American Artists at Anna Carnadona Gallery in Alba, Italy.

Anne-Katrin Spiess is an artist working in the field of “Land Art”. She creates site-specific temporary installations in wide-open, solitary and remote landscapes such as deserts and prairies, and her works are increasingly calling attention to environmental issues. Over the past 10 years Spiess has exhibited her work in galleries and museums across the country and abroad. She has been included in the 2006 exhibition for the International United Nations Environment Program in Algiers, Algeria, the 2005 exhibition “ WATER” at the Maine Center for Contemporary Arts, and the 2001 exhibition “Artists respond to the closure of Fresh Kills Landfill” at Snug Harbor Cultural Center in New York. She is the founder and publisher of LAND, an online environmental art journal (www.landviews.org). A native of Lugano, Switzerland, Spiess currently resides in New York City.

Austin Thomas creates architectural structures called “perches.” Her intention for them is to be used and enjoyed. She says they are “not complete unless they draw people in and onto them.” Thomas’ perches promote contemplation, interaction of all kinds, and offer a new point of view from which to take in one’s surroundings. She has exhibited sculptures and drawings widely in solo and group exhibitions. Her work was included in The 48th Corcoran Biennial, Corcoran Museum, Washington, DC; Playpen, The Drawing Center, New York, NY; Float, Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens, NY; and High Desert Test Sites, Joshua Tree, CA.

Video

Video produced by WHYY.

out of the blue

Conceived by artists Joy Episalla and Joy Garnett, organized by Abington Art Center curator Amy Lipton, “out of the blue” is one of the most significant shows to premier at Abington Art Center, presenting works from 22 prominent regional, national and international artists hailing from Philadelphia, NYC, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, London, Toronto and Vancouver.

The exhibition focuses on the dynamics of human creativity as a metaphor for geological and atmospheric phenomena. Treating issues of weather both literally and symbolically, out of the blue approaches the creative process as a kind of weather system.

On display, in addition to artworks, is a selection of “ephemera” loaned by the curators and participating artists. Found objects, artist multiples, books, CDs and vernacular artifacts displayed in nearby vitrines, reflect the artists’ sources and provide a map of their thought processes.

Works by:
Stephen Andrews, Robert Bordo, Emily Brown, Diane Burko, Dawn DeDeaux, Christos Dikeakos, John Dougill, Joy Episalla, Joy Garnett, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Erik Hanson, Geoffrey Hendricks, J.J. L’Heureux, Bill Jones, Zoe Leonard, Frank Moore, Eileen Neff, Andrea Polli, Hunter Reynolds, Austin Thomas, Bing Wright, Carrie Yamaoka

Trouble in Paradise

Originally curated for the Van Brunt Gallery in New York City in May 2004, Trouble in Paradise explores the implications of loss in the natural world using a variety of artworks and sensibilities.

Here in the United States we are currently witnessing a broad scale effort to unravel decades of hard won environmental legislation and protections. This effort is an attempt to undermine policies that have been in place, having been built slowly but steadily over the past four decades. The beginning of this up hill battle can be traced to Pennsylvania born author Rachel Carson’s 1962 book “Silent Spring”. Challenging in its time, this book brought wide public attention to the devastating effects of pollution and contamination of our water and land. Today, those in positions of power reveal their state of denial concerning global warming, extinction of species, and health issues relating to different types of pollution. If the situation does not change quickly, degradation of the environment will take a terrible toll into the unforeseeable future.

We live with this and many other deeply disturbing issues related to loss and they influence our lives in subtle and profound ways. The reality of ongoing loss on such a grand scale can cause feelings of despair. With the barrage of daily information via the media and Internet, we may feel hopeless and ineffectual at our lack of ability to do anything as individuals.

Issues related to the land have been addressed in contemporary art in various ways since the 1960’s. Art, as it always has, can help us reconnect our senses to the beauty of the natural world and can provide an alternative vision. My goal for this exhibition was to contrast artworks depicting the splendor and beauty that are diminishing on our planet with the grim reality of what is being lost. My hope is to bring awareness to the viewer of the need for protection, preservation and the preciousness of what remains.

Ultimately we need to feel hopeful regarding our future if we are to help bring about a livable future for generations to come. Trouble in Paradise presents a strong case for the results of the alternative should we remain silent.

Amy Lipton
Curator

Elements

September 14-November 22, 2006

Downloadable Curator’s Essay for Elements

Elements brought together the work of four women artists who have been individually focused on the interconnections of art and science. Though not stylistically similar they have all made bodies of work related to earth, air, fire and water and sometimes in combination. In early Greek philosophy these four elements were believed to be the basis of all matter. As the theory was expanded upon it became the basis for western thinking about the natural world until the rise of chemistry in the 18th century. The work in this exhibition relate to both the archaic as well as scientific thinking regarding the elements and their properties.

Eve Andrée Laramée
Eve Andrée Laramée’s work comments on how human beings contemplate and consider nature through both art and science in a way that embraces poetry, absurdity, contradiction and metaphor. Her artwork investigates the environmental legacy of the development of atomic weapons through photographs, text, maps and video. In “Fluid Geographies” Laramée documents the effects of radioactive and other toxic waste on the arroyos and the Rio Grande watershed near the Los Alamos National Laboratories.

Stacy Levy
Stacy Levy works with water, wind, tides, pollution, decay and microorganisms–using art as a vehicle for transplanting the patterns and processes of the natural world into the language of human understanding. Her sculpture tells the story of the site and the intersection of ecological and cultural influences. Past projects have included mapping the watersheds with water collected from the tributaries of the Delaware River in Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Dove Bradshaw
Dove Bradshaw has an extensive exhibition career working in the realm of science and poetry where she takes on the role of catalyst. Her installations have included beakers, substances dripping from glass funnels, crystallizations and evidence of procedures that might be commonly found in the science lab.

Scale

SCALE by Steven Siegel

The winter of 06-07 finally brought down “Scale” and the remanents of the sculpture will be removed soon.

In the fall of 2002, artist Steven Siegel left behind his largest sculpture in North America at Abington Art Center. Made up of more than 20,000 pounds of recycled newspaper, the piece appears to be made of stone, echoing the piled strata from the natural world. As the years have passed, the piece has begun to degrade, offering prime real-estate to microbes, fungi and flora.

To the casual observer, the sculpture served as a reminder of the natural cycle. The only difference between Siegel’s sculpture and a tree falling in the woods to decompose is that this ten ton “tree-replacement” first was harvested, shredded, pulped, rolled, cut, printed and thrown away before making it back to the forest to degrade.

Renowned for his elegant site-specific installations of recycled materials, Steven Siegel came from Redhook, NY to Abington Art Center to work on a new site specific sculpture for AAC’s Sculpture Park. His work reflects on the interface between culture and nature and raises issues of ecology, geology, land use and the human impact on the environment. Siegel’s other work can be found in Italy, Denmark, England and across the United States.

If you visit during gallery hours, there is a free audio tour available. This tour will give you a description of the sculpture and its site, offering details on the artist, the concept and the construction. Just ask the receptionist at the front desk.

Construction process

Look at what the cycles of nature have done over time.

The Secret Life of Plants

February 5 to April 3, 2004
Photography by Andrea Baldeck, Tom Baril and Frazier King
Curated by Stephen Perloff

A collection of amazing photographs that share a love of nature and an exploration of seeing, The Secret Life of Plants borrows its title from Stevie Wonder’s 1979 album Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. Guest curator Stephen Perloff invited three artists who have devised ways of showing well-known subjects in remarkably different manners.

Few photographers are capable of bringing their viewers to look on something as familiar as a flower with such a new and fresh perspective. Using the lushness of his own photographic methods to mirror the lushness of the flower itself Tom Baril (formerly a printer for photographer Robert Mapplethorpe) intends to reveal “the underbelly, the overlooked and the under appreciated.”

For Frazier King, each orchid displays itself differently - some appear to be a dancing figure, others a prehistoric bird; some feature a tactile sensuality through veins and soft shapes, while others seem to belong to another planet. The beauty of the orchid lies in the viewer’s perception and willingness to see.

Using the camera to freeze a moment, Andrea Baldeck hopes to isolate a flower and present it to the viewer in a new light. Once familiar shapes become mysterious, stirring the imagination - it is this sense of rediscovery in simple and familiar shapes that become important.

Much like the album that inspired it, this exhibit is meant to be enjoyed on several levels, and asks the viewer to find meaning for themselves within the layers of known and unknown. A visit to The Secret Life of Plants allows for sight and insight: a prelude to the wonders that spring will soon bring.

The Lost Meeting

June 5-November 23, 2005
by J. Morgan Puett, spurse, curator Julie Courtney composer David Lang and other collaborators.
Opened June 5th, 2005, The Lost Meeting was a multi-layered art installation in an abandoned 1836 Quaker Meetinghouse on the edge of AAC’s Sculpture Park. The Lost Meeting travelled between fine art, history, architecture, technology and fashion and considered the role of mediators in the everyday. The Lost Meeting received major funding from the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, (PEI), a program of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

To link to the The Lost Meeting project website
CLICK HERE!

Passages

June 5-November 23, 2005

Passages came at a time of transition and expansion at Abington Art Center. The Sculpture Park is poised to undergo a transformation in terms of the way it is viewed and in allowing for new spaces in which art can be seen. Passages aimed to investigate this time of change in our landscape at Abington Art Center both in a physical and metaphorical sense. Passages can be thought of in artistic terms as a visual space where the development of an idea is expressed. In literary terms a passage denotes a phrase or selection of writing. The word has several other meanings and implications. Physically, a passage can be seen as a walkway, path, route, channel, course, means of access, bridge, clearing, scope, space, area, vista or span. These common terms are all typically used in relationship to the landscape both in the vernacular as well as by landscape painters and architects. Poetically, passages can also imply a journey, period of time, season, migration, transformation, ritual, or rite of passage. In a deeper sense, passages conveys the life cycle of birth, growth, and decay.

Roy Staab
For over two decades Roy Staab has traveled the world constructing hundreds of works out of reeds, native grasses, willows, knotweed, maple saplings, bamboo and other found natural materials. He travels from continent to continent, in order to make his works in diverse natural locations around the globe. Staab creates site-specific sculptures that are delicate and ephemeral. His work in our woodlands made use of an unwanted invasive, the Norway Maple. Hundreds of these saplings were woven into three overlapping circular forms that were suspended from a living Katsura tree with arched limbs draping over the site. Staab chose this location due to the natural circular passage the Katsura provides. Staab’s goal is to create art that is sensitive to nature, fits in with the environment and is biodegradable. The ephemerality of the work is intrinsic to its reason for being, relating the sculpture to natural decay and the forces of nature that operate over the passage of time.

Warren Angle
Warren Angle makes work that operates at the intersection of art and ecological issues. His installations are composed of a wide range of materials and found objects and he is inspired by poetry, prose and humor. Angle’s work is influenced by being raised in the rural farm country of the mid-west and comments on the desire of humans to manipulate and preserve nature. La Brea was created on site by Angle for Passsages. This piece alludes to the November 2004 oil spill in the Delaware River and the plight of water fowl and other species in the aftermath of this and other similar environmental disasters. The site appears as a pool of tar, but on further observation it is in the shape of the United States map. The surface is punctuated with roughly one hundred duck heads forming the pattern of the first United States flag. La Brea calls attention to the industrial use and navigation of our waterways and the fragility of their ecosystems when such accidents occur.

Joan Bankemper
Joan Bankemper develops community-based art projects that involve planting and growing gardens in both urban and rural areas. Her works blur the boundaries between art and nature and bring people together to recognize nature and neighborhood in their own surroundings. For Passages, Bankemper created five new birdhouses related to her 2002 work “A Dovetail Garden”. Bankemper’s five sculptures on view each represent a different point of passage in terms of her own life including, adolescence, womanhood, marriage, motherhood and spirituality. A Dovetail Garden is installed on the lawns and around the periphery of the grounds bordering the woods. These whimsical, mosaic shard birdhouses are surrounded by special plantings selected to attract and eventually feed birds on our grounds. A Dovetail Garden also calls attention to the migration routes of birds as they are attracted here for the season.

Michele Brody
Michele Brody creates site-specific sculptural installations using living plant materials. Her works offer a space through which the viewer can enter, pass through or sit. When entering her installation one is being made aware of the passage of time through the germination, growth and decay of sprouting plants. Brody’s works invite viewers to experience the actual process of change and transformation as witnessed in this life cycle. For Passages, Brody installed “Arbor Lace II”, which was sited on an existing slate path and was also related in scale to the adjacent gallery windows. The piece consisted of a lace covered walkway constructed of copper pipes. The pipes supported a hydroponic drip irrigation system to water grass seed planted within pockets sewn into hanging lace walls. The growing grass created a brilliant living green pattern, that went fallow in its natural cycle.

Lisa Murch
Lisa Murch is influenced by her undergraduate studies in entomology, biology and zoology. She creates sophisticated and intricate sculptures using common materials such as paper, wire, thread and yarn. Her delicate works transform these mundane materials into the extraordinary. Murch explores the complex relationships between organisms and their environments and is inspired by natural forms and processes. Her sculptures make reference to plants, seeds, wings, birds and insects. Murch’s work, Typha Latifola (Cattails) merged inconspicuously into the vegetation at first glance. On closer examination the cattails proved to be meticulously crafted from ordinary plastic vertical blinds. While referencing the natural world Murch’s works are also humorous, imaginary, worlds that focus on the interconnections between all of nature and the transience of life.

TreeLines

Downloadable Curator’s Essay for TreeLines

TreeLines Sculpture Park Exhibition & Purification Series by Thomas Matsuda

Sculptor Thomas Matsuda created Purification Series on-site at the end of May 2006 as part of the Inside/Outside: TreeLines exhibition. The five tall standing works of charred wood and the blackened earth were created from burning a dead pine tree from Abington Art Center’s woodlands. The burning left behind a black deeply-charred surface. Their stark presence is meant to conjure up ideas of life, death, rebirth, and the burning away of illusions and desires.

After shaping the pillars of pine deadfall with a chain saw, Thomas Matsuda grouped them together and surrounded them with kindling. This piece was inspired by Buddhism and the Hopi Prophecy:”…sacred writing speaks the word of the Great Spirit, what shall we bring forth, purification or destruction?” Prior to the burning, Matsuda asked onlookers to reflect on the current world situations, he chanted the prophecy and “purified” the area by burning a sage smudge stick. Matsuda studied with the renowned Buddhist sculptor Koukei Eri in Kyoto. His work reminds us of nature s creative as well as destructive forces. Matsuda will also exhibit his meditation drawings made from charcoal created by the burning process. Matsuda lives and works in Conway, MA.

The resulting sculpture stands at the bottom of the Sculpture Park lawn and is visible from the Art Center’s terrace. It is a powerful and quietly beautiful piece of sculpture.

Watch the WHYY Experience video about Abington Art Center & Thomas Matsuda

AAC’s second season of new installations in the Sculpture Park and galleries, Inside/Outside: TreeLines, featured the work of six artists whose sculptures and installations draw both literal and figurative connections to trees. The works in the exhibition were diverse, ranging in medium from burned wood, to fabrics, to traditional bronze. Some of the artists made direct use of trees from the Art Center’s Sculpture Park. In the works of Thomas Matsuda and Chrysanne Stathacos, a meditative space is provided through the artists use of ritual. Jason Middlebrook offers a different type of solace, providing our squirrel neighbors with a bridge sculpture of their own. Steve Tobin’s bronze Root sculptures turn nature directly into art and provoke a sense of wonder at the tree s hidden intricacy. Robert Lobe changes the landscape by wrapping trees in a way that is very industrial and unnatural. Joy Episalla’s scrim photograph blends into the woodland landscape like a distant English folly. The artists in TreeLines enable us to have a new vantage point in considering the connections between our busy lives and the natural world.

Steve Tobin
To create his bronze sculptures of tree roots, Steve Tobin excavates dead roots as large as 30 feet in diameter and then casts them in bronze. It can take up to 200 castings to make a single piece. The natural structure, from the trunk down to the tiniest roots, are cast individually and then welded together. Tobin s objective with these sculptures is to make the unseen realm visible. His most famous sculpture from the root series is Trinity Root 9.11 a memorial sculpture installed at Trinity Church in New York City. Tobin s work is in the collections of museums such as the American Craft Museum in New York, the Philadelphia Art Museum, and in the White House. He lives and works in Coopersburg, PA.

Chrysanne Stathacos
Chrysanne Stathacos creates opportunities for reflection and connection to the natural world through installations, performances, videos and public art. For TreeLines she created, Refuge, a Wish Garden, an interactive artwork around a large tree for making wishes, meditating and healing. Visitors are encouraged to participate in the artwork by tying colorful strips of fabric (wishes) into the tree.

Jason Middlebrook
Jason Middlebrook lives and works in Brooklyn, but has spent time living in the midwest and on the west coast. His art involves themes drawn from ecology, geology, archeology, and art history and speaks to this country’s paradoxical attitudes about nature. His interest in the importance of trees as ecological providers led him to create a series of bridges for squirrels spanning various tree lengths.

Robert Lobe
New York City artist Robert Lobe finds real trees and rocks in the natural landscape, and hammers large sheets of aluminum around them to create free-standing trees stripped of color, detail, and texture by a uniform, hard, metallic surface. Lobe s sculptures are a kind of sculptural trompe-l’oeil. They explore the relationships between human technology and nature, and can serve as environmental warnings. Lobe has used sites in New Jersey, the Adirondacks, the Berkshires, and Nova Scotia. His work is included in the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Brooklyn Museum, Newark Museum, Walker Art Center, and the Whitney.

Joy Episalla
Joy Episalla installed a large scrim photo-mural titled Grand Tetons of Yonkers between two trees in the Art Center woods. When viewed in the context of our woodland, the iconic mountains, evergreens, and water overlap and blur into the existing landscape of trees, becoming part of the scenery like a distant English folly. Joy Episalla has been exhibiting extensively in the U.S. and internationally including the Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus; Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago; The Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans; and Studio 1.1, London.

Rosenwald Project

Genesis of a Collection: The Legacy of Alverthorpe

April 15 to November 24, 2004
For eight months Abington Art Center focused attention on the history of the place it calls home – Alverthorpe Manor – and the fine art and rare book collection that it housed. Lessing J. Rosenwald’s collection, now housed in The Library of Congress and The National Gallery of Art is exceptional in its breadth and depth, but also in its quality and condition.

Twenty five years after the death of Lessing Rosenwald, Abington Art Center presented an exhibition about this chapter of local history and its legacy to the nation. Through diverse programs, and in collaboration with many cultural organizations which benefited from the Rosenwalds’ generosity, the story was recovered and reconnected for new generations and old friends. Though the collection has been physically gone for over 20 years, the memories, stories, and Alverthorpe itself, keep the legacy alive.

Rosenwald History Flyer

Patron Membership

Patron Circle Membership provides additional support of Abington Art Centers’ programs, exhibits and outreach activities. At this level, Patron Circle members get a a special access pass to art and culture as they enjoy behind the scenes tours, wine tasting and complimentary art prints, listing in our Annual Report, plus free admission through reciprocal membership at over 100 participating museums across the nation.

PATRON a member favorite
$125 ($50 is tax deductible)

General membership benefits, plus…
• FREE original art print
• Two complimentary tickets to member-only private party
• Listing in Annual Report
• Annual Lunch with Curator & private tour
• Free admission through reciprocal membership at over 100 participating museums across the nation

CONTRIBUTING PATRON
$250 ($175 is tax deductible)

Above benefits, plus…
• Annual tour of private homes & gardens
• 20% of gallery sales
• Unlimited complimentary admission for guest to preview parties

BENEFACTOR PATRON
$500 ($400 is tax deductible)

Above benefits, plus…
• Invitation to meet the artist dinner
• Private tour of a regional collection and/or artist studio
• Complimentary terrace seating during the summer concert series

ALVERTHORPE SOCIETY
$1000 ($800 is tax deductible)

Above benefits, plus…
• Annual Directors dinner
• Two complimentary tickets to the Wine Tasting
• Listing on signage on the Art Center and listing on the website

Download and print a membership application. Join now!
For additional information contact the Membership Department at 215.887.4882 ext 200

CHOOSE A FAVORITE WAY TO GIVE

GIFT MEMBERSHIP
A gift of an Abington Art Center membership introduces your friends & or family members to an exciting year filled with fresh and innovative approaches to visual art and educational programs along with a multitude of cultural activities. Give the gift of membership and help us grow our community of friends that are committed to art and culture.

UNRESTRICTED / RESTRICTED GIVING
Gifts may be made for a specific purpose or unrestricted to provide for the greatest need within the Art Center.

PLANNED GIVING
Bequests in the form of securities, cash and or other tangible property.

COMPANY MATCHING GIFT
If your company participates in a matching gift program, it a great way to increase the value of your gift while supporting Abington Art centers’ exciting programs The impact of your gift to the Art Center may be doubled or tripled!

General Membership

Join • Enjoy

Enjoy all that Abington Art Center has to offer. Members receive free or discount access to innovative and exciting programs, classes and events.

INDIVIDUAL $50
DUAL/FAMILY $65

• FREE admission to preview parties
• Discount on studio classes
• 10% off purchases in AAC’s Gallery Shop
• Subscription to Center Canvas, AAC quarterly newsletter
• Advance notice of the summer concert series & Sculpture Park Fun Days
• Members-only special shopping days/nights
• Invitation to special events
• Reduced rates on special lectures & programs
• Art and travel opportunities to regional galleries and museums

MEMBER PLUS $75 a best buy

Above benefits, plus…
• Discounted tickets to the annual wine tasting
• Discounted tickets to Art-on-Tap event
• Free Eureka family weekend drop-in workshops
• Free art activities during Sculpture Park fun days & Concerts in the Manor

Get more rewards by choosing to step up a level!
Patron Circle membership includes reciprocal membership at over 100 participating museums across the nation, along with many more rewards, free original art print, complimentary tickets to wine tasting and much more.

Join online by selecting the “Donate Now” option on the right side of your screen. Simply designate your gift as membership. Or download and print a membership application and fax or mail to;
Abington Art Center
Membership Department
515 Meetinghouse Road
Jenkintown PA 19046
Fax: 215.887.5789
For additional information contact the Membership Department at 215.887.4882 ext 200

Archive

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Press Releases

Monthly Programs & Events
August Events

September Events

Exhibitions
Magical Realism “Otherworldly”

Magical Realism Artists

Future Plans

IMAGINE…27 ACRES FOR THE ARTS
Abington Art Center has launched an effort to improve the grounds around our home in a way that will increase the art activities, beautify the neighborhood, reclaim an historic landscape and preserve a rare piece of open space. AAC’s educational and curatorial activities will grow side by side with the changes in the landscape. And all of these improvements will be made possible with your support.

Abington Art Center is unique in that it takes art out of the formal museum setting and makes it accessible to all. In response to growing demand for its outdoor programs, Abington Art Center initiated a master plan process in 2002 in partnership with Abington Township. Created in concert with landscape architects and planners, neighbors, staff, volunteers and township officials, the master plan was developed to guide the Center’s programmatic and site decisions over the next ten years.

Already some changes can be seen along Meetinghouse Road and at the corner of Meetinghouse and Jenkintown Roads. Also, the opening of “The Lost Meeting” installation in the 1836 Little Abington Meetinghouse was the first step in introducing the community to the breadth of the Sculpture Park. These changes will be followed shortly by other improvements for casual and repeat visitors to enjoy self-guided and spontaneous tours of the Sculpture Park.

In October 2005, Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell awarded AAC a matching grant of $500,000. Now, Abington Art Center’s Board of Trustees has kicked off a capital campaign and is asking the community to help us match the Governor’s pledge.


27 Acres for the Arts, for the Community and for Open Space
• Preserve our unique and invaluable landscape

• Provide the community greater access, better services and more convenience

• Increase cultural and educational opportunities

• Commission artists to make new works, participate in residency programs and design park amenities

• Enhance the quality of life in our community and region.

Phase One:

Woodland and Perimeter Pathway Systems - will improve pedestrian access to the Center for self-guided, spontaneous tours of the grounds. The perimeter path project will enhance the streetscape of Jenkintown and Meetinghouse Roads including the creation of a new space at the corner for signage and public sculpture.

A Seasonal Outdoor Performance Area - will take advantage of the natural amphitheater on the site. Here families will enjoy outdoor concerts and performances.

A New Visitor Orientation Exhibit - an outdoor exhibit will provide information to guide and enrich the visitor’s experience.

Improved Signage - will direct visitors to all major exhibits and landscape elements allowing them to successfully navigate the site.

Public Artists Commissions - will enhance the Sculpture Park with innovative practical items such as footbridges, walkways, lighting and benches that will interweave art, function and the natural environment.

Exclusive Caterers

Renters must use one of our exclusive caterers.

Check our Availability

Check facility availability online at:

Facility Information & Rates

Peak Season:
$3,000 for Manor Package
(May/June/September/October)
or an hourly rate of $400.

Non-Peak Season:
$2,000 for Manor Package
or an hourly rate of $300.

Anyone wishing to rent the facility must be a member of Abington Art Center.
Membership levels begin at $50.

For details call Sharon Blazick at
215-887-4882 ext 215
or email: Sharon Blazick

The Manor Package includes the Pavilion, Sculpture Park, access to the interior of the building for five hours, and a rental supervisor. We allow two hours of set-up time prior to the start time of the event and one hour of breakdown following the end time of the event with no charge. Overtime charge is $450 an hour/peak season, $350 an hour/non-peak season.

The hourly rate includes the Pavilion, Sculpture Park, and access to the interior of the building. Set-up and breakdown time are billed at the same hourly rate. In addition, renter must pay a one -time fee of $100 for rental supervisor.

In addition to the rental fee, we require a $500 Security Deposit refundable within ten business of your event.

Outreach

AAC is committed to serving our surrounding community with special arts programming. We serve a variety of groups including foster children and youth at risk. Don’t hesitate to contact us for assistance, we are always interested in designing new programs for groups with special needs. 

Art Programs for Seniors
Abington Art Center offers art workshops and programs for seniors of all levels and abilities that are individually designed and priced according to the needs of your residence or center. They are provided in our AAC studios or off-site at your facility.

Art experiences include drawing, painting with watercolors and acrylics, and more. Inspiration is derived from a number of sources including still lifes, portraits and famous painters. Brochures are available.

Group Tours

Group tours of AAC’s Sculpture Park and Galleries are a fun and educational way to explore traditional and non-traditional art forms created by today’s artists. These experiences are inquiry-based providing guests the time to reflect on and dialogue with the art.

AAC’s outdoor Sculpture Park is a great way to experience nature and its relationship with environmentally based sculpture - and everyone is allowed to touch the sculpture!

Group Tours: $50.00 per 15 people

For Educators

School Programs
AAC offers schools artist residencies that integrate the arts into the academic curriculum.  Our mosaic mural residency is an eight-month after school program that starts with the student design process and ends with a large scale mosaic mural located on the school grounds. This is one of our most popular and exciting programs.

The length and cost of the residencies depends on the needs of the school.

We also offer short workshop visits to teachers’ classrooms for a fun and educational experience that cost $75.00 an hour.  

Project Sculpture
This is a program based on the process of building environmentally based, contemporary, large-scale sculpture. Students are given a slide lecture in their school on the creative process followed by a visit to Abington Art Center’s outdoor Sculpture Park. Students are then given a guided tour on the museum grounds where they discuss how the art interacts with nature. They can even touch the art!

After the tour students meet in AAC studios and create their own three-dimensional sculpture from a variety of materials. The on-site experience lasts for two and a half hours and students walk away with a better understanding and insight of how art and nature interact.

Project Sculpture Slide Visit, Tour & Hands-on Project:  $250.00
Project Sculpture Tour & Hands-on Project:  $150.00

Volunteers & Interns

All inquiries should be made by contacting the appropriate AAC staff member through the contact form on the bottom of this page.
For volunteer positions — Attn: Jess Madoll
For student interships — Attn: Marge Horner

Event Staff
Work with the Art Center staff and other volunteers on Thursday evenings this summer as we host the Concerts at the Manor and the Movies Under the Stars. Experience many aspects of event coordination from set-up and tear-down, greeting visitors, providing information, working the concession booth, to guarding sculptures and artwork. Event volunteers are needed 5:30-9:30pm Thursday evenings starting June 28 through July 26; 4:30-9pm August 2 for Kid’s Day & 6:30-10:30pm August 9, 16 & 23 for the Movies. Must commit to at least four events. Event staff T-shirt is provided. Must be hard-working, friendly and dependable. Teens and adults welcome.

Museum Education Activity Facilitator & Tour Guide
Work with the Art Center staff and other volunteers on Saturdays this summer as we launch new visitor activities. Experience many aspects leading museum education activities including facilitating EUREKA! family art activities and guiding gallery and Sculpture Park tours. Museum Ed volunteers must commit to volunteering for at least 2 Saturdays per month. Every Saturday volunteers are needed from10:30am-2pm and on EUREKA! Saturdays: June 9, July 14, August 11 and September 8 volunteers are needed from 10:30am-3:30pm. There will be a training session in late May. Background checks may be requested. Tour scripts, exhibition information and an event staff T-shirt will be provided. Must work independently and be friendly and dependable. Teens and adults welcome.

Gardening & Landscaping
Maintain planters, terrace perennial beds and landscape around Abington Art Center’s pavilion and Sculpture Park. Volunteers who are able to commit at least 3-4 hours per month are needed for weekday mornings beginning mid-April through October. Some weekend mornings may be available. Basic gardening knowledge is required as work will include planting, weeding and pruning. The garden project may require some lifting and definitely involves getting dirty. Must be hard-working and dependable. Teens and adults welcome.

Gallery Shop Volunteers
Experience all facets of retailing in AAC’s beautiful gift shop where proceeds help to support art center programs. Work with an AAC staff member while you learn about local handmade crafts and global fair trade merchandise. Create enticing displays, make sales, and promote the Art Center to our visitors. Friendly, detail-oriented volunteers who can commit at least 3 hours per week are needed year-round Tuesdays & Wednesdays 10am-5pm, Thursdays until 7pm, Fridays 10am-5pm, and Saturdays 10am-3pm. Experience in handling money appreciated, training will be provided. Teens, adults and seniors welcome.

Student Internships
Volunteer internships are available throughout the school year. Students must be interviewed before acceptance into the program. These internships are designed for high school students seeking the opportunity to gain a better understanding of teaching children art in the classroom. Interns are given the responsibility of assisting the teacher with organizing supplies and working one on one with children, guiding them through the art process.

Our summer internship program is based on the same philosophy of learning and mentorship. Applications are accepted in early May followed by an interview process for acceptance into the program. Some stipends are available. Call for an application.

Public Support

Abington Art Center receives operating support from:
Advanta Foundation
Asplundh Foundation
Barra Foundation
Beneficia Foundation
Independence Foundation
Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative
Philadelphia Cultural Leadership Program of The Pew Charitable Trusts
Pennsylvania Humanities Council
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Sheila Fortune Foundation
Sovereign Bank Foundation
William Penn Foundation

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Capital Campaign

• Fulton Bank
• coming soon: a complete list in PDF format

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Special Gifts

• Meadowbrook Farms
• Pierre & Carlo at Trilogy
• Whole Foods

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Program Support

Donor Thank You Party

• Citibank

Concerts At The Manor

• Abington Bank
• Allegheny Art Company
• Penn State Abington
• Trolley Car Diner

Kid Fest

• Target

Art on Tap

• Bonefish Grill
• Weichert Realtors

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Corporate Members

Donor Level

Allegheny Art Company

Citibank

Supporter Level

A.M.Ross and Son

Joshua’s

Penn State Abington

Fundraisers

ART ON TAP, October 10, 2008