Thursday, January 31, 2013

Farm Truck's First Friday Opening Night at PSG !





Check out the Process Show: Metal and Support the Farm Truck's Opening Night
 at the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym!
Friday, February 1st
6:00-9:00pm 




The Farm Truck is a Philadelphia based food truck and mobile farmers market committed to serving up fresh, local and seasonal produce as well as gourmet sandwiches, salads and soups!
The menu is looking delicious! 


Check out the Farm Truck's Website,  Facebook & Opening Night Event

February Workshop Schedule

PSG Instructor Bevan Weissman working on a piece for Sphere's on Fire

TIG Welding *NEW*
This workshop is designed to introduce students to the basic process of TIG welding. No previous experience necessary.

Sunday, Feb 10th, 12-2pm - $50
Sunday, Feb 17th, 12-2pm - $50
Sunday, Feb 24th, 12-2pm - $50

Alginate Molds *NEW*
In this workshop students will learn how to use alginate, a moldmaking material that allows you to easily cast from life. Students will be making alginate molds of their hands and casting the finished pieces in plaster. No previous experience necessary.

Saturday, Feb 16th 12-3pm - $75


Sphere's on Fire *NEW*
This one-day intensive project-based workshop takes students through the races of creating a decorative spherical oil lamp. We will use the oxy-acetylene torch to cut designs into a hollow stainless steel sphere, and then embed an oil lamp inside to create a beautiful and functional art piece. No previous experience necessary.

Sat Feb 23rd, 10am-5pm - $125

Animal Sculpture at the Zoo *NEW*
This workshop will take place at the Philadelphia Zoo, in one of the small mammal and/or reptile houses. Students will sculpt animals from life. No previous experience necessary.

Sunday, Feb 24th 11am-3pm - $50 (plus $14 Zoo admission)

Aluminum Casting
Aluminum Casting
This workshop will show students the basics of making Greensand molds and casting in aluminum. No previous experience necessary.

Saturday, Feb 16th, 10am-5pm - $75

Oxy-Acetylene Welding
This workshop is designed to introduce students to the basic process of gas welding. No previous experience necessary. 

Sunday, Feb 17th, 11-1 pm - $50
Sunday, Feb 17th, 2-4pm - $50
Sunday, Feb 24th, 11am-1pm - $50
Sunday, Feb 24th, 2-4pm - $50

Interested in signing up for a class, or have questions? Email Programs Manager Jenny Welsh at PSGJennyWelsh@gmail.com.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Support PSG on Lucky Ant!

Want a way to help get PSG finished and open while getting back a little something? Then check us out on Lucky Ant! Lucky Ant is a crowd-funding site geared towards small businesses and we launched a project with them to help raise the remaining funds needed to finish our space and open our doors to the public! As you may (or may not) know, the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym was started when I received a Knight Arts Challenge grant in 2011. The funding for PSG has come entirely from the grant and the funds we raised to match it. The work is done by a dedicated group of volunteers. And most of the tools and equipment are donated. We are working on finishing up and getting our doors open, but we need your help. Please consider a donation to PSG through Lucky Ant. We have a variety of donation levels available, all with amazing givebacks (aka fancy rewards!) including gift certificates, parties and events, and more! Check it out HERE. Thank you so much for your support!!!!

Monday, January 28, 2013

Weekend Recap!


Jenny and Til on the welding torches
Huge thanks to everyone who came to PSG this weekend...to volunteer (Josh, I'm lookin' at you...), to take a class, or to come for the wonderful (yet chilly) sculptor gathering/potluck that was organized by Gail Ferretti. It was so great to meet everyone! As always, the interest and excitement that everyone has shown the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym is so amazing. Thanks so much for the amazing support!
Jeff, of My Dear Watson Brewing Co., learning how to gas weld

Happiness is melting metal with fire...
Thanks to everyone who braved the cold to come out on Sunday!

Potluck!


Thursday, January 24, 2013

CFEVA's Visiting Curator Exhibition


Jen Mergel is the Beal Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Since joining the MFA in 2010, she envisioned and organized the inaugural installation of the Museum’s first contemporary collection galleries, open in September 2011, and developed a new solo exhibition series, including the shows "Kristin Baker: New Paintings" (2010) and "Jedediah Caesar: Soft Structures" (2011). Currently on view is her installation "Sparking Dialogue," featuring three generations of contemporary text-based works, and "Passages: Felix Gonzalez-Torres," the 20th-anniversary serial installation of all five of the artist's beaded curtains. She is now organizing first solo shows in Boston for numerous artists, including Ridley Howard, Sarah Braman, and Shinique Smith, as well as a thematic exhibition of contemporary Latin American art entitled “Message in a Bottle.” Previously, she was curator for many exhibitions at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, including “Tara Donovan,” “Momentum 13: Eileen Quinlan” and “Charles LeDray: workworkworkworkwork,” and at the Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, including “Chance Encounters” and “Defying Distinction.” Mergel has taught at Harvard and Boston University.

Dates
Application Deadline: March 15th
Digital Portfolio Reviews: March 16 – April 9
Exhibition: June 6 – July 26, 2013

Details and Requirements
To apply please visit <https://cfeva.slideroom.com/>. Artists will be asked to provide a resume, artist statement, image list and five images. The total application fee is $20 (this includes the fee to use Slideroom). Artists must reside within 100 miles of Philadelphia and must not currently be a student.

For more information please contact Genevieve Coutroubis at (215) 546-7775 x11 or genevieve@cfeva.org.

Sculptor Potluck - Sunday, January 27th

 

We'll be hosting a Potluck this Sunday afternoon for local group of sculptors. Anyone who is interested in stopping by and checking out our space, please come by!

Sunday, Jan 27th, 1 - 5pm
Philadelphia Sculpture Gym
1834 E. Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Save the Date: Process Show: Metal

Congratulations to the selected artists! Come check out the 3rd installment of our process show series, Process Show: Metal, this upcoming First Friday, February 1st from 6-9pm!




Monday, January 21, 2013

Weekend Recap: Casting, Welding and a Wedding


 This weekend was packed! We had a full aluminum casting workshop on Saturday AND a full day of oxy-acetylene workshops on Sunday. Congrats to everyone who participated in the workshops, you all did an amazing job! I even got a chance to cast some work in the space (in resin though!) and want to thank Josh Heake for helping out with that. (They came out great Josh! Thanks!)

 Making Greensand molds
Firing up the furnace
Molten Aluminum!
One of the flasks after being poured
Dave's medallion came out great!
Jay's casting looked amazing.

I even got to cast some work this weekend...in resin.

Oxy-Acetylene Welding workshop!
Nice job guys!
AND THEN, on Sunday night, my dear friend Nora and I went to an amazing wedding. The bride and groom, Billy and Jess, are collectors of my work and had asked if I would display my art at their wedding. I was so honored! Congrats to you both, I am so happy for you!!!

And a huge congrats to Billy and Jess on their wedding.

Billy and Jess holding my work and kissing!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Coming up...


We are in the process of finalizing the details of our February workshops, so keep an eye out for our upcoming newsletter with more info!

To be first on the list, make sure you sign up for our monthly newsletter:




Tuesday, January 15, 2013

So you need a lawyer? Direct Dialogue at CFEVA

Looking for a Lawyer? Check out this upcoming lecture at CFEVA about tips for searching for, Interviewing and Hiring a Lawyer!

Monday, January 14, 2013

Weekend Recap

Josh's casting came out great
We had an amazing first weekend of January workshops! Both our Aluminum Casting workshop and our Oxy-Acetylene Welding workshops were great... A huge thanks to Jenny and Gus for teaching the classes, to Brynn for assisting, to Molly for helping out and for bringing mini pies, and to everyone who attended a workshop. Check out the photos from this weekend and if you are interested in our future workshops, check out our website for more details!

Close up!
Greensand Molds
Poured!
Welding Instructor, Jenny Welsh, demonstrating how to light a welding torch
Some practice welds from the Oxy-Acetylene Welding workshop
Jenny showing Julie the basics.
Julie gas welding.
Thanks to the Canny family for coming out for the welding workshop!
Even I got in on the action...It feels so good to be welding again!

Friday, January 11, 2013

Friday Giveaway! Aluminum Casting Workshop!!!


Happy Friday everyone! We've all been busy here getting ready for the first weekend of January workshops (Aluminum Casting and Oxy-Acetylene Welding)... Interested? We are giving away 1 spot in our 1/19 Aluminum Casting Workshop! It's a great way to get  you back into the swing of art making after the craziness of the holidays.  

For a chance to win, please visit our Facebook page, "Like" us,  and leave a comment on the giveaway post. For an extra chance to win, share the post! A winner will be chosen at random on Monday 1/14! Good luck!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

PSG in the Daily News!

Check us out in today's Daily News!!

Come cast aluminum at the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym!
Interested in learning how to cast aluminum or weld steel? Check out our upcoming workshops, starting this weekend!!! We still have some space in the January 12th welding and aluminum casting workshops and in the January 13th welding workshops.

Winter Down at Crane Arts January 8th - February 10th


Monday, January 7, 2013

THIS WEEKEND: Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Aluminum Casting Workshops!

Oxy-Acetylene Welding at the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym
We still have some spaces in our January workshops, with the first batch coming up this weekend, so if you are interested please contact us ASAP!

The Aluminum Casting Workshop is a 7 hour workshop where you will learn how to make a simple 2 part Greensand mold of a pattern and then how to cast the piece in aluminum. Each participant does the entire process from start to finish and will have a finished piece to take home with them at the end of class. No prior experience is necessary.


Aluminum Casting Workshops


Saturday, January 12  *8 Spaces Left!*
10am - 5pm,  $50 per person 

Saturday, January 19  *1 Space Left!*

10am - 5pm,  $50 per person

Saturday, January 26  
10am - 5pm,  $75 per person


The Oxy-Acetylene Welding workshop is a 2 hour course that will teach the basics of gas welding. Each participant will have a chance to weld and because of the small class size, one on one time with the instructor. No prior experience necessary.

Oxy-Acetylene Welding
3 Person Workshops, $40/person


January 12              January 13

9am - 11am (FULL)  9am - 11am (2 Spots)
12pm - 2pm(2 Spots) 12pm - 2pm

4pm - 6pm                  4pm - 6pm    

January 19              January 20
9am - 11am              9am - 11am (1 Spot)

12pm - 2pm             12pm - 3pm (FULL)
4pm - 6pm               4pm - 6pm (2 Spots)


January 26              January 27

9am - 11am               9am - 11am
12pm - 2pm(2 Spots)12pm - 2pm

4pm - 6pm (2 Spots) 4pm - 6pm(2 Spots)

To sign up or if you have any questions, email Programs Manager Jenny Welsh at PSGJennyWelsh@gmail.com

Friday, January 4, 2013

First Friday at PSG Gallery: James Wheaton

Installation shot of Ultraheavy slabface partition wall, recto+ verso by James Wheaton

Headed out for First Friday in Fishtown? Stop by PSG Gallery to see our January exhibition, featuring a new work by James Wheaton. This is the first piece of artwork made from start to finish in the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym, which I am especially excited about. Hope to see you there!

Call for Artists: Inliquid Benefit v. 13


Want to help support a great Philadelphia arts organization? Inliquid is looking for artists to donate artwork for their annual silent auction benefit party. It's always an amazing event, with a huge crowd. (last year my piece had a bit of a bidding war over it...I was so exited to hear it!) SO if you made a New Year's resolution to give more, this would be a fabulous place to start, as Inliquid does an incredible job promoting artists and opportunities for artists and they definitely deserve all the help they can get! The deadline to submit is January 14th!

Here's a link to more info. Look for the Artist Donations info down at the bottom.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Happy New Year!

Mummers by Laura Graham
 Happy New Year to the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym friends, family and supporters! I hope everyone had a great time celebrating the beginning of 2013. I'm very much looking forward to all that this year has to bring (13 is my lucky number!) and cannot wait for all the exciting things coming up. Again, thank you all for your support and for taking the time to read about our progress here on the blog (Thanks to Jenny for writing yesterdays weekend recap!) I have met some incredible people through starting the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym and continue to be amazed by how this little business has brought together such a kick ass group. I am truly thankful to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for bringing the Arts Challenge Grant to Philadelphia and changing my life. I am truly thankful for everyone who has put time in to make the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym such an amazing place. And I am truly thankful for being given the chance to do what I love...Here's to an amazing 2013!

Olivia's 2013 has been pretty good so far!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Weekend Recap


We had a very exciting weekend at PSG & are feeling very grateful for all the opportunities coming our way & the massive support we have! 

This First Friday from 6-9pm we will have James Wheaton displaying the piece he just finished at PSG.   If you are in the area come check it out!!!!!! 

James Wheaton 
James Wheaton
James Wheaton


Gus, David, Jenny, & Brynn worked on the new bench going into the PSG Gallery.









Jenny checked out Go to 11 Studios which is another fantastic space being built and expanding in the Kensington/Fishtown area. It’s fantastic to see all the growth in the area and possibilities opening up for all creative folks! Henry Spector is the owner and a huge arts advocate  & supporter of the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym.

Go to 11 Studios is a 60,000 sq. ft. building with private recording studios, live stage/VIP room, and more visual arts & performance arts spaces on the way! In only a little over one year 37 recording studios are full!!! It’s now the largest recording space in Philadelphia.

For more information/questions contact Henry at H.SpectorStudios@gmail.com 
We are very happy to have the support from Go to 11 Studios & happy to Support them! Be on the look out for more exciting news!





PSG would like to give a BIG shout out & Thanks to Dan Fitzgerald & Cletus Cunningham from
2025 Trenton Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19125

We had a fantastic meeting this weekend. 
J.A. Cunningham’s is extremely supportive of Philadelphia Arts & especially the Fishtown/Kensington arts & Kinetic Sculpture Derby.   They gave us a fantastic tour of their facilities with in depth technical information.  It was amazing! 

They are extremely supportive of the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym.  We are very grateful and excited to continue learning from them and working with them. 

If you need any welding supplies/info they are the guys to go to! Contact Dan with any questions at dfitzgerald@weldingpro.com & Check them out on Facebook 

Because of J.A. Cunningham Our Welding Shop is in the final phases & Oxy-Acetylene workshops start soon!

Enjoy the pictures of Jenny & Gustavo putting in our first J.A. Cunningham Tanks! 

J.A. Cunningham

Jenny Welsh

Gustavo Actis

Gustavo Actis