Well-known West Philly based photographer Lori Waselchuk has spent the last couple of years hanging out with block captains, attending block parties and photographing the people that hold streets and neighborhoods together.

You can get an intimate look at the results of that work at two exhibitions that open this Friday. Block Party is an exhibition of Waselchuk’s newest work connected with her multimedia project Them That Do.

West Philly block captain Lisa Barkley (Photo by Lori Waselchuk).

For Windowishes, Waselchuk teamed up with six block captains for an installation in the storefront display windows on the west side of South 40th Street between Chestnut and Ludlow. Waselchuk and her collaborators – block leaders and captains Lisa Barkely, Mary Campbell, Carol Dubie, Freda Egnal, Elizabeth Waring, and Renée McBride-Williams – installed “a small environment in each of the bay windows inspired by their community stewardship and neighborhood histories,” according to Waselchuk.

The result is seven stand-alone exhibits that invite us into the life of a single block. For example, the children of Dubie’s block on South 46^th Street made flags for her display, “Legends of the Block.” Teens from Waring’s block of Powelton Avenue helped design and construct a four-foot tree for her display, “Our Trees.”

A whole bunch of community organizations came together for this one. Local cabinet maker and carpenter Gordon Richardson of Oberholtzer Custom Cabinetry donated labor, materials and expertise. Community organizations such as the University City Arts League and the Spruce Hill Community Association also supported the project.

So come have a look and celebrate the launch of both exhibits on Friday, Oct. 16 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the AIRSpace Gallery (4007 Chestnut St.).

West Philly artists have an opportunity to exhibit their work at an upcoming Transformation exhibition presented by Flying Kite magazine. The exhibition, which will be on display from Oct. 2 through Oct. 30 at A Poet Art Gallery in the Parkside section of West Philadelphia, is being presented as part of Flying Kite’s On the Ground neighborhood engagement program. The program creates a temporary media hub in a vacant or under-utilized storefront or building and takes a deep dive on neighborhood transformation through coverage, events and social media. After 90 days it’s on to the next neighborhood.

Proposals are being excepted from artists who live or work in West Philadelphia. Works can be in any medium, but should be responsive to the theme of Transformation. The organizers hope to bring together artists in Parkside and West Philadelphia to celebrate the creativity and innovation that can serve as a catalyst for business and cultural development along the Girard Ave. corridor in Parkside. All artists will be highlighted in a preview article published in Flying Kite.  Continue Reading

Archived photo (Selah Lynch/West Philly Local)

We have some news from the 5000 block of Baltimore Avenue. After a year of operation, Gush Gallery has closed its doors. Local artists Stephanie Slate and Sarah Thielke opened the interactive art gallery in August 2014 after months of fundraising through Indiegogo, but in the end it turned out to be very difficult to keep the business sustainable at that location.

Their former space at 5015 Baltimore Ave will not stay empty for long though: Snapdragon Flowers (Facebook page), a flower shop run by Cedar Park-based florists, is slated for October 2015 opening. Once open the shop will offer fresh and preserved floral arrangements, as well as gifts and cards with a botanical theme. There will be a couple of chances to learn more about Snapdragon Flowers and meet the owners at the upcoming Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll and Go West! Craft Fest at The Woodlands.  Continue Reading

Local artists are invited to be a part of a new project on 52nd Street. The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation (TEC-CDC) is seeking experienced artists to paint 56 parking meters on the 52nd Street commercial corridor between Arch and Walnut streets.

The designs will be created with community input and according to a coordinated branding scheme for the corridor. Beginning in September, the selected artists will work with local schools, community groups and businesses on the initial design of the parking meter art. The painting project will begin in October, and is expected to be completed by mid-November.

The project, which will help fight blight in the form of aging parking meters, is part of the ongoing 52nd Street commercial corridor revitalization efforts spearheaded by TEC-CDC. The project is funded by Philadelphia LISC.

This is a paid opportunity for artists or creative groups (up to 10 artists can be selected to participate in the project), and TEC-CDC will cover all the supply costs. Application deadline is 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 10. More information about the project, application details and forms are available here. If you have questions, please contact Akeem J. Dixon at 215-895-4021 or ADixon@theenterprisecenter.com

The windows along 40th Street that will house “Windowwishes.” Photo from the ThemThatDo website.

Local photographer and artist Lori Waselchuk is looking for some block captains to help her create a window installation for vacant storefront windows along 40th Street.

Entitled “Windowishes,” the street exhibit will include everything from video and archival photographs to neighborhood objects and crafts and will coincide with the Center for Emerging and Visual Artists’ Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST) on Oct. 17 and 18. The installation will be in those seven storefront windows on the west side of 40th Street between Chestnut and Ludlow.

Waselchuk, who has shared block captain’s stories in the multimedia project ThemThatDo, said that the planning for the exhibition will begin in August. So if you are a block captain or know one who is interested in showing the community the vitality, history and distinctiveness of your block, go to the project website here and sign up.

The mural “Ethiopian Garden” at 44th and Ludlow. (Photo West Philly Local)

New construction underway on the corner of 44th and Ludlow will cover up a striking mural honoring the Ethiopian community.

Artist Shira Walisky painted the mural, entitled Ethiopian Garden, along with a University of Pennsylvania class in consultation with the Ethiopian Community Association of Greater Philadelphia in 2006. It includes stunning and intricate patterns and images of doves. The mural faces a vacant lot at 17 S. 44th Street, which was purchased in October 20014 by a Norristown-based firm, according to city records. The city issued a construction permit for the lot, which is zoned mixed commercial and residential, on April 24 and work has begun on a residential building that will conceal the mural.

“It’s my favorite mural in the city,” said neighbor Veronica Slaght, who lives nearby on the 4400 block of Chestnut. “It would be a shame to lose it.”

Cathy Harris, the director of community murals at the city’s Mural Arts Program, said the city loses about three murals a year to construction. Usually when one is about to be destroyed or covered, they photograph it, notify the artist and, sometimes for iconic works, ask the developer for money to reproduce the mural if the community is interested.

“I’m sad to see this one go,” Harris said. “It’s really beautiful.”

The mural also includes mosaic tiles from artist Joe Brenman. Penn students helped out as part of the Urban Studies course class “Big Picture: Mural Art.”

– Mike Lyons