Last Dance at 333 South

Here are some photos to commemorate the last reception Sage will be having at 333 South Street. Heather Raquel Phillip's and Deborah Raven's shows brought out a large crowd and we were all entertained with rumba drum music by Little Afrika Rumba (see the video below). The show is up for the weekend so don't miss your last chance to see some great work. Scroll down for details.

This doesn't mean that Sage Projects is going to disappear, instead we will be reappearing in a new location. Visit this site for details as they unfold.

Thank you to the thousands of visitors and all of the artists who participated during the eight months on South Street!

NYT: Galleries have sprung up throughout the country...

A quote from a recent article in the New York Times says "Galleries have sprung up throughout the country, and particularly in London, in spots as varied as shopping mall outlets, a scooter showroom and a video store."

Another story just published again in the New York Times starts with the headline "Luring Artists to Lend Life to Empty Storefronts". Here is an excerpt from the same story.

As the recession drags on and storefronts across New York remain empty, commercial landlords are turning to an unlikely new class of tenants: artists, who in flusher times tend to get pushed out rather than lured in. And the price of entry is not deep pockets, but vivid imaginations and splashy exhibits — anything to lend the darkened buildings a sense of life.

On terms that are cut-rate and usually temporary — a few weeks or months — the artist gets a gallery or studio, and the landlord gets a vibrant attraction that may deter crime and draw the next wave of paying tenants.

“Any sort of activity is better than no activity,” said Jed Walentas, a Brooklyn developer whose company, Two Trees Management, routinely lends space in Dumbo and Downtown Brooklyn for art projects. “As long as it’s short enough and it’s flexible, then there’s no real cost. So the question is who can you find that’s going to make an investment in a space with that level of uncertainty, and often it’s the artist.”read on

The point is that even while the economy improves in some areas, other areas like commercial rental and leasing have yet to feel an upturn. Of course we hope the economy improves for everyone but until it does this is still a great time to bring life to shuttered spaces and give artists an opportunity to bring culture to neighborhoods.

Semblance and Mixed installation

The top two photographs are of work installed in the lower level project space by Deborah Raven.

Below those are some images of how the portraits shot by Heather Raquel Phillips look in the upper level space at Sage Projects. Scroll down for details on the show.

MIXED Bill of Rights - Heather Raquel Phillips

The Mixed Race Bill of Rights shown above (click on the image to enlarge) is displayed on a wall at appoximately 5 x 6 feet so that everyone can get a better sense of this issue. Small tags under each photograph describe the mixture of each subject, for example - 50% Hungarian, 50% Puerto Rican. There are also surveys asking pointed questions of the subjects.

The exhibition runs through Sunday, October 25th with the work of Heather Raquel Phillips on the Upper Level, and Deborah Raven in the Lower Level Project Space. Scroll down for more information on both artist's work.

Good Vibe Opening

Thanks to all the people who came out to enjoy an evening of extraordinary art and music. The video above gives you a taste of the good vibe provided by Little Afrika Rumba. Visit photographer, Heather Raquel Phillips' blog for more video.

As usual we lost count of the visitors to the reception after around 250 people. Besides many of our usual supporters, a lot people from South Street were drawn in by the music downstairs. Upstairs It was fun to see some of the faces of the folks portrayed in Heather's MIXED exhibition standing near their photos. Deborah Raven's images of exotic animals shot in natural history museums provided the perfect backdrop for the musicians.

The show runs through Sunday, October 25th. Come by and see the work Weds-Sun (see the sidebar for our hours).

Q&A: Deborah Raven on Technique

Q. Can you tell us about some of the techniques you're using in the
creation of your work?

A. The images for "Skeletal Remains" were first printed on archival fine art paper. I mounted the images onto board ( lauan) for stability. Then I applied thin layers of encaustic (heated wax) to the images, fusing the wax with a heat gun as I "painted" the layers, adding depth. The wax was slightly tinted with pigment to add rich tonality. The final pieces were put into frames.

All my images in this exhibition were photographed with a special lens, allowing me to have very selective focus. I can vary the amount of "blur" with this lens. When I photograph in the natural history museums, the dioramas are fairly well lit so "lighting" is not really a problem. I never use a flash. When I photograph the skeletons under glass, I get very close to the glass.

I love shooting with this lens because I never want everything in focus. It's how we see. I also like eliminating what I think are unnecessary details ( to the image) and creating a simple elegance instead...a suggestion. For example, I love how abstracted the fish become in the "Liquid Life" series. I mounted the color photographs in this series on Plexiglass which gives an extraordinary luminosity to the pieces.

Phillips/Raven Show Opens Sunday, October 4th

Heather Raquel Phillips: Mixed
Deborah Raven: Semblance
scroll down for more information

October 4 – October 25, 2009
Opening Reception: Sunday, October 11, 6-8pm
Sage Projects 333 South Street, Phila., PA