40 artists in last exhibit before MAAG closes its doors

Posted 7/28/16

Artist Kathy Robinson (right) discusses her work with Ruth Joray, both of Mt. Airy, in MAAG’s last exhibit before leaving the Mt. Airy Avenue location, where they have been since 2009. (Photo …

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40 artists in last exhibit before MAAG closes its doors

Posted
Artist Kathy Robinson (right) discusses her work with Ruth Joray, both of Mt. Airy, in MAAG’s last exhibit before leaving the Mt. Airy Avenue location, where they have been since 2009. (Photo by Mary Ann Domanska) Artist Kathy Robinson (right) discusses her work with Ruth Joray, both of Mt. Airy, in MAAG’s last exhibit before leaving the Mt. Airy Avenue location, where they have been since 2009. (Photo by Mary Ann Domanska)[/caption]

by Stacia Friedman

It’s no secret that many professional artists were attracted to Northwest Philly long before other parts of the city (Northern Liberties, Fishtown, East Passyunk, etc.) became art havens. Going back to the 1960s, Germantown and Mt Airy offered affordable housing, cultural diversity and easy access to Center City. What the neighborhood didn’t provide until Mt. Airy Arts Garage (MAAG) opened in 2009 was a community art center in which to exhibit their work and transmit their passion to the next generation.

“We Are MAAG!,” an exhibition of over 40 Northwest artists at MAAG, celebrates the creative vitality of the community, including sculpture, pottery, fiber, painting, photography, jewelry, collage, etc. It is their last exhibition in MAAG’s space at 11 W. Mt. Airy Ave., which is running until Aug. 21, after which they will operate in a pop-up mode at 6622 Germantown Ave. until their new location is completed in 2018 at 6651 Germantown Ave. In addition to MAAG, the building that will be their home in two years will house other tenants.

Linda Slodki, co-founder of MAAG (with her wife, Arleen Olshan), explained last week why MAAG is moving to a new location. “The reason for our leaving,” she said, “was not of our own choice. We had a long-term lease, had paid our rent monthly and invested over $120,000 to build it out. (The building had been closed for almost 20 years.) When it was time to renegotiate, we were given one year to vacate, which is this Aug. 31.

“In addition, the owner added a 20% rent increase to our lease. He has already sold the building, and we are vacating next month. All of our exciting new future is being made possible by our current partnership with Mt. Airy USA as well as our growing list of supporters and partners in Northwest Philadelphia.”

“Germantown Avenue is a vibrant corridor, and arts and culture are vital to its future,” said Brad Copeland, executive director of Mt. Airy USA. “Working in partnership with Mt. Airy Art Garage, we want to create a space where the community can celebrate the arts in Mt. Airy.  It’s all about collaboration.”

At the current exhibit, I was drawn to “Lady in the Park,” a masterly figurative oil painting by Germantown resident, Robert Finch. The painting focuses on a seated female. Although the figure is clothed, it exudes eroticism and sensuality. Finch, who attended the recent exhibit opening, studied at UArts (when it was PCA) and taught drawing there for several years before becoming director of the art department at the Haverford School.

“During the years I was teaching, I’d get up at 3 o’clock in the morning and work for three or four hours in my home studio. I credit my work ethic to T.S. Eliot. Then, I took an early retirement in 1988 so I could be in my studio fulltime,” said Finch, who currently teaches drawing at Main Line Art Center.

Mt. Airy artist Kathy Robinson takes a less traditional approach with great success in her “Going to the Flower Show.” She portrays a colorful gathering of female figures in watercolor batik on rice paper mounted on canvas.

A highlight of the exhibition are the witty collages of Chestnut Hill resident Frank Sargent. (He is related to John Singer Sargent {1856-1925}, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury.) Mounted on wood, Sargent’s collages use photos, newspaper clippings and Scrabble tiles to tell stories to which only Sargent has the key. In “Martha’s Trip to Moscow,” he places Joseph Stalin in close proximity to a cartoon character, for example. This is the fifth year Sargent has exhibited at MAAG.

“Back in 2011, I had 22 collages in MAAG’s annual juried holiday exhibition, and to my surprise, I sold 17,” said Sargent, who never leaves his home without a large bag in which to collect “street treasure.” Many of the components of his collages come from discarded furniture and old library books.

There is something arresting about Frank Burd’s photography. Burd, who has had a camera in his hand since he was 11, is a former high school math teacher who also photographed the city for 20 years for his business, Phila. Postcard Company. (Burd featured prominently in the news in 2007 after he was attacked by two students at Germantown High and suffered a broken neck and brain injury. The students were angry that Burd had tried to confiscate an iPod.)

“The important thing is to learn to see,” said Burd, who enjoys shooting sports, nature and nudes. He used a Canon Revel SLR for “In the Window,” which juxtaposes an open, rough-hewn, wooden frame window with a sculptural nude female. Her back is to the viewer, her face hidden, adding to the voyeuristic view.

“I’m not big on equipment,” said Burd. “You can shoot good photos with any camera.” As for digital manipulation, he says, “It is fun, but it's not a large part of my work, unless by doing it, it says something remarkably different. I prefer to capture what I see.”

Other photographers worth catching: Ellie Seif’s black and white prints of Philadelphia; Michael Zaikowski’s “Silk Meadow” print on watercolor paper; Carlos A. Gil’s “Reflejos;” and Patricia Smith’s “Antelope Canyon,” which calls to mind the imagery of Georgia O’Keeffe.

More information at www.mtairyartgarage.org or 215-242-5074.

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