Sunday, December 19, 2010

New Year, New Studio

Now that the whirlwind of the show has died down, I spent some time looking for a new studio during the rest of November.  IRS was a great starting point for me, but I realize I need a larger area to work in since I would like to start painting larger scale (four feet plus).  I am moving into a spot in Fishtown that shares a building with Liberty Vintage Motorcycles (coincidence?) near the Rocket Cat Cafe and a few other hip little businesses at Sepviva and Susquehanna.  It used to be used for a performance art space for Extra Extra (that's what you'll find if you google the address).  My good friend Delia King, who is on the Mural Arts program, is in the space above me and we are separated by a large set of stairs.  When I moved in a few weeks ago, the walls were unfinished so I haven't been around much (that and I've been uber busy with other things like wrapping presents and trying to get ready for my big party).  Anyway, it's in a cool part of town that I will easily be able to host open studios during Fishtown First Fridays, and I am looking forward to setting myself up, building some shelves and a desk, and getting organized.  I always feel I am better able to accomplish things when I have a good feng shui going on, so I don't end up wasting time looking for things (blue glitter, army men etc) or getting distracted (with gold leaf, glue, etc).

I've pretty much taken December off from any artmaking at this point, I have a hard time staying motivated in cold weather and I don't like working at night (going to and from my car in the dark gives me that creepy feeling!)

When the space looks good enough for pictures, I will post :-)

Sunday, November 14, 2010

VIOLENCE and GLITTER: Show Opening

The opening for Violence and Glitter was packed.  There were about 150 people who filtered in and out of the event over the course of a few hours. We received online publicity through  Out of Print Magazine , Philly Weekly Online, Temple University News , Phillyist , and McJawn.  Good news spreads!  We also sold a few pieces at the show which was an extra bonus. Word of mouth, Facebook event invitations, blog entry, flyering, and posters in windows of all the local businesses (which I am lucky to have the support of, especially The Foodery, Liberties Parcel, and Druid's Keep).  Liberties Parcel did all the printing--if anyone is interested, they're at 2nd and Brown and they use recyclable wax-based ink which is a new type of printing that is environmentally friendly. 

If anyone has additional questions or comments or would like to purchase any work from the event OR stop in to see the show (appointment only) please shoot me an email at sarah.rado@alumni.tufts.edu

Thanks to all the artists who participated and made the event a diverse and interesting collection of work!

Enjoy the pictures!


Root 222 adds the first layer to their live painting
Meghan VanAlstyne's "Department of Weights and Measures" in the foreground

Sean Johnson's "Pinata Contest" on the flat screen
My favorite co-workers (Myssimae's Delicious cupcakes!)
Watching EL Putnam's "Fauxmance"
Reading about the Artists
Brett Scott spins favorites on vinyl

Jack Reed's "Glitter War Blood"
Yours Truly, with my painting, surrounded by Jesse Beamesderfer's brush paintings ("People watch out, Jesus is COMING!)
work by Carol McDonough, Sarah Rado, Delia King (Pornaments are for sale for $100 each, please email me for details, won't they look stunning on your Festivus Pole?!

The masterpiece is complete!
Jessi Taylor "Get Sharp Saturday Night" (SOLD! but available in prints)
Skuds McKinley/Thomas Yurkovic
Deliah Poore, thank you for the delicious wine sampling!!


Friday, October 29, 2010

VIOLENCE and GLITTER: ART SHOW 11/11/2010

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=172066189476519
LocationIndoor Rooftop Studios
1712 n. 2nd st
Philadelphia, PA

Created By

More InfoVIOLENCE AND GLITTER:
an exploration of dichotomy in art
Curated by Sarah Rado

Where: Indoor Rooftop Studios
1712 n. 2nd st @ Cecil B. Moore, Philadelphia PA 19122
train stop: Berks on the EL
When: Thurs, Nov 11th 2010
Time: 8pm-11pm

Join us for an FREE evening of art, libations, and music by Brett Scott. The show includes work from artists from Boston to Philly, and will showcase a live drawing event from central PA’s own Root222.

Additionally, take a tour of the artist’s spaces located inside the Indoor Rooftop Studios!

EXHIBITING ARTISTS:
Root 222
Lauren Abshire
Rocco Agrippa
Jesse Beamesderfer
John Hicks
Gabrielle Heit
Sean Johnson
Delia King
Michelle Landry
Carol McDonough
Skuds McKinley
Carolyn O’Donnell
EL Putnam
Sarah Rado
Jack Reed
Alison Stigora
Jessi Taylor
Meghan Van Alstyne
Thomas Yurkovic



Can’t make the show? email missradio@gmail.com to set up a viewing appointment until November 23, 2010.












Sunday, September 12, 2010

Call for artists!!!

 CALL FOR ENTRIES:
"Violence and Glitter"
Curated by Sarah Rado
Indoor Rooftop Studios-
1712 N 2nd St, Philadelphia PA 19122
...SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Monday, October 18,2010
Artwork dropoff date: TBD
Event Opening Date:Thursday November 11, 2010, 8pm

Art can be the most powerful when it displays a strong degree of polar or seemingly contrary forces within the work. This show will place a strong emphasis on pieces that display anger or pain, coupled with a certain amount of beauty. The actual use of "Violence" and "Glitter" in the artwork submitted is highly recommended, but is also open to individual interpretation.

Submission Guidelines:
Show is open to all mediums, including performance/live art. Please submit quality digital images (less than 5mb per email, to ensure electronic delivery) to missradio@gmail.com along with a $10 submission fee for up to 4 pieces and $15 for 5 or more, via paypal, check, or money order. You may also mail work on a cd or dvd. Please include your paypal payment receipt #, or your check or money order info in the submission email. For paypal, send to missradio@gmail.com . For personal checks or money orders, or cd/dvd/other entries, submit or drop off in person to:
Sarah Rado
Liberties Parcel
800 N 2nd St, Philadelphia PA 19123

If your work is 3d please be prepared to provide a pedestal for your piece if necessary. For performance art submissions please submit a proposal (1 page or less) including the amount of space necessary. Please distinguish whether it is timed or durational, as well as any pertinent photos. All submissions must include an artists statement attached as a word document. Additionally, you may include a CV/artist resume.
All submission pieces must include: Name, medium, size, year
All 2d art must be ready to hang.
Please include your contact info: Name, phone, email, address.

Submission deadline is Monday, October 18,2010.

Everyone is encouraged to submit, and please pass along to anyone you think may be interested!

About the space:
Indoor Rooftop Studios, an alternative space, is a large artist's warehouse in Kensington, Philadelphia. We have several artist studio spaces for rent for around $200 a month, and we also have a very large main room to display artwork and host events. if you are interested in a studio rental or band rehearsal space, please email Lindsay Kovnat at
lindzzz56@gmail.com

Monday, July 26, 2010

Taking the Plunge and Curating my own SHOW!

After our successful 2nd Thursday event in May I got to thinking we can put on a legitimate show opening at the IRS studios so I have started planning an art opening for 2nd Thursday in October.  I wanted to do September but there is not enough time so October it is! Plus the warehouse should be nice and cool by then. The show will have an open call to artists (any artist anywhere can submit), it will have a theme that the work should follow. 

I don't really have anything else to say about art.  Actually, I do.  I just bought a dremel tool but so far have only used it to drill experimental designs into my studio wall.  I have a lot of work to do to get this show off the ground.  I also want to have live performance art.  I plan on promoting the show extensively so that all of Philadelphia comes by.  It should be really good.  Everyone will be home from vacation by October and people will be in the city looking for good art shows.  I'm pumped.  So anyone from my family or friends reading this, October might be a good time to come visit :-)

Sunday, July 18, 2010

HUBRIS @ Mobius, a successful 2 night performance venture

Tonight I am feeling very refreshed and rejuvenated, motivated and inspired from my trip up to Boston to partake in a performance art festival.  My good friend EL Putnam, whom I went to the Museum School with for undergrad, curated the show.  We started out as pals in a "Public Art/Public Action" class and then we started hanging out after school, and she introduced me to performance art.  She showed me a video of her slathering herself in toothpaste and it was called "Commodity Fetish."  I loved it and thought it was super weird at the same time.  Oh how far we've come!  (Or at least I'd like to think so...!)

The theme of the show was "HUBRIS" which is a form of narcissism.  My idea was to draw portraits and more or less elaborate on myself instead of the subject while drawing.  The first night went great and there was a lot of interest in my portraits.  I did not have a lamp for my easel so I had some difficulty seeing.  By the second night, I had gotten a booklight for my easel and set up a video camera at an angle where you can see my subject, my easel, and me.  I got to talk to my subjects the entire time I drew them.  Asking things about themselves and thinking about how those things related to me.  I got to draw a full head of hair and make some physical adjustments on some drawings of my male subjects, making for some creepy looking drawings, especially when I got a picture of my subject right next to my drawing.

EL's performance was beautiful.  It was almost messier than "commodity fetish."  I'm hoping to see some video footage of it up on her website (www.elputnam.com).


Wednesday, June 16, 2010

my proposal for HUBRIS Event

After a long day of brainstorming about narcissism, and finding myself nosing through academic online PDF's of Penis Envy and Castration Anxiety, I came up with my submission for the HUBRIS performance event in Boston.  (Hopefully I woo the curator with my glorious idea and get in).

I had done a performance in the past where I had drawn people's portraits where I imagined what their sexual organs looked like (whether that be a realistic idea or a thematically exaggerated idea). I was wearing nothing but a smocks and some old school sneakers.  I always wanted to elaborate on the idea of drawing people, putting them on the spot, having them wondering and waiting how I perceive them, and then seeing their reaction to the final product.  I also like the fair/festival-like connotations that short sittings have to them; cheap and quick; what does that person want others to see in them? A white toothy smile, flowing locks, vibrant eyes? What will they want you to leave out? A kinky nose, a mole?  So this performance submission is asking for a piece focusing on Narcissism.  What better topic for an artist...that's all we think about is ourselves.  It's a lifelong plague that we struggle with, yet we justify it, because we feel it makes us more aware of who we are and what we want.

Here is my proposal:


Proposal for durational performance piece at Mobius HUBRIS Event


In an area of approximately 5’x5’, I will be standing comfortably with an easel, paper, and art making supplies (including but not limited to pastels, acrylic paint, and glitter). In front of me will be an inviting chair for event goers to sit down and have their portrait drawn in about 15 minute increments. I will encourage light to moderate dialogue between myself and the subject; information derived from such conversation may be used to supplement the visual elements in the portrait. When the subject is shown their completed portrait, they will see a drawing that more or less resembles myself, with only hints of their personal appearance. This piece will go on for the duration of the HUBRIS event, with occasional breaks for rest.
Artist Statement and relation to theme of HUBRIS
Portraiture has been known to allow, at the very least, a slight resemblance of the artist herself to show through in any portrait they draw; this includes not only physical traits, but also the artist’s ideas of the world around them. I intend on taking that theme to the extreme, letting narcissism take over the drawing (almost) entirely. The portraits created from this performance will be an exploration and an exploitation of my deepest narcissistic thoughts.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The Artist Hubris

I've been reminded about this event, which I thought I missed the deadline for...lo and behold, I have one more day to submit:

"HUBRIS is a two-day event that celebrates performance work that embraces the notion of self-grandiosity, emphasizing the most narcissistic and self-indulgent aspects of the medium.  The event will take place at the Mobius Art Space (www.mobius.org) on July 16 and 17, 2010."

Mobius is a big deal to get into so if I submit and get in, I will feel a lot better about getting beat out by Black Pinto Horse at the gallery in Chelsea last month. HA!

I somewhat finished a bunch of beatiful/angry artwork I started this winter.  I could never figure out how to finish them.  I either figured out the violent part or the beautiful part but not all at once.  Some say a work of art is never truly completed.  You can't brood on perfecting your art for too long, it's best to make it, and get out when the vibe is gone. But supposing they're on your studio walls for 6 months staring you in the face, I needed to finish these for better or worse.   I need to move on thematically...God only knows what my new theme may be? I was thinking something between flowers and self portraits.  But truly I have no idea what direction to go in from here.  I just know I want to go in the right direction for me...


Is it bad when your own artwork makes even YOU feel uncomfortable?  I guess that's why people have journals that they don't let other people read. Because there is stuff in there that they don't want to admit to anyone, but you just gotta get it out of your system sometimes!  I'd post pics, but I actually think they're gonna sit out to dry and then go hide in a vault somewhere far away from the eyes of my friends and family.  It's so true, "artists have such pleasant things to say!"

Saturday, May 22, 2010

heartbreak is the strongest aphrodesiac; failure is the biggest motivator.

I went to NYC with my friend AntMan Wonder on Wednesday for a quick visit. He hasn't been out of Philly all year and I haven't been to New York in two months, everyone knows how antsy I am and I can't seem to get up there enough. We were seriously dragging ass and didn't get up there until 5pm, but it was enough time to sneak into a few galleries on 25th Street in Chelsea.

I stopped in Viridian Gallery to check out the drawing show by Carol Benisatto, and also asked about the submissions to the juried show.

The receptionist said, "There were over 300 applicants so they're still not finished looking through everything. Why, did you apply?" I told her yes..of course I did! I had been hitting refresh on their website every day waiting for the red letters that said "Check back Mid May for Winners" to bear good news. Today I hit refresh and it said "Click here to view winners." I went through the list...


and my name was not there. On another note, the feedback I received from my open studios is that people REALLY like my self portraits.   Information is power.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

our first 2nd Thursday event @ Indoor Rooftop Studios

The evening went fabulously well with about 60 people in attendance. DJ Brickhouse kept the people dancing until after midnight, everyone enjoyed the fancy keg of PBR and most importantly everyone enjoyed the artwork.