Happy 2010 from Sage Projects!

Photo is from the opening reception of Dragnet. Photographer Johnathan Zeller took all of the images and made the photo collage. Thank you to all of those who made 2009 such an interesting year!

Photographers Seek a Lift With a Pop-Up Gallery

The headline is from a New York Times article on another collective that is using a storefront as a pop-up gallery, this time in Chicago.

"Made up of 30 local shooters, the collective grew from an informal club whose five members met monthly in local diners to lament the state of their craft."

“Ours is a dying trade as digital and video take over,” says Paul Natkin, who spent nearly three decades photographing Chicago’s music scene. Mr. Natkin said he believed that the collective would help keep photography in the public eye through further exhibits, salons and lectures. –Lori Rotneberk

read on 

Art in Storefronts initiative in San Francisco

The New York Times has covered the idea of artists using storefronts throughout the year. Here is a recent article.

An excerpt from the piece,

"No one likes empty storefronts; they make streets look like gap-toothed smiles. Now that San Francisco’s business districts are feeling the economic pinch, city officials, like dentists, have been scouting for ways to fix the cavities. Whether business picks up next year remains to be seen, but in the meantime, civic leaders and neighborhood associations have turned to artists for a temporary solution." –Chloe Veltman

read on

In New Jersey, jobless put on a show to fight hunger

From allagesmovementproject.org

In Wayne, New Jersey, young artists discouraged by the crummy job market have kept their spirits up by returning to their hometown and reviving the Wayne Firehouse, an inspirational all-ages venue of their youth. Working in partnership with local high school bands, they're using their efforts this time to help feed the hungry, calling the initiative "The Pantry Party"

"Depending on the success of the show, they hope to continue the Pantry Party as an ongoing series at the firehouse. The motivation is, in part, nostalgia: to bring back a simpler time (the early 2000s), when they saw shows for the first time at local venues like the firehouse and the Knights of Columbus Hall. Bands that eventually exploded into the mainstream like Jimmy Eat World, Alkaline Trio and The Get Up Kids made pit stops at the firehouse. “It was a gateway for music in my life,” Lacherza said." read on

Art in Storefronts: San Francisco

A excerpt from a piece on the DailyServing blogsite.

Art in Storefronts is a pilot program initiated by the office of Mayor Gavin Newsom and implemented by the San Francisco Arts Commission and Triple Base Gallery to reclaim abandoned storefront spaces in the San Francisco neighborhoods of Mission, Bayview, Market and Tenderloin. Rounding up participating artists by sending out a call for proposals, those selected were then assigned an address where they were allowed to create large-scale installations implementing a variety of mediums. read on

Member Jon Manteau, Educator

This time of year is when students get to show the work they've been doing this semester. The image above is work from a class that Sage member, Jon Manteau teaches. He also designed and built the installation aspect of the show and hung the student's work.

Introduction to Visual Language/Drawing I
Art/Art Education Department/Tyler
Fall 2009
Prof. J Manteau

An excerpt from the course description:

The class is based upon a traditional, observation based approach to drawing. Our primary subject/source is the human figure (nude models). Still life and landscape are also considered. Development of gestalt (implied shape/closure), space, figure-ground and perspective are active components in this course. Materials are of a time honored nature. Mainly, monochromatic "dry mediums", charcoal, conte crayon, chalk, etc. This course is taught at an introductory level and is predominantly technique driven.

This presentation is meant to be seen as a cohabitation of sorts. These drawings, while based upon traditional approaches were made in a Post-Modern environment. We are part and parcel with the age that we live in, even if we attempt to "affect" the look and feel of the past.

What we gain from the lessons of antiquity, colliding with the pastiche of "the here and now".

Bob Barbera Virtual Show

Before we received notice that our lease us up on South Street, member Bob Barbera was working away painting and planning for his upcoming exhibition. We have other plans in the works but for now here are a few of Bob's new paintings. All works are made using spray paint and acrylic on canvas. Click on the images to enlarge the work.