Sandra Milner
If there’s one show to check out this month outside the city, then make it “Portraits,” by Sandra Milner. It’s at the Lawrence Gallery on the campus of Rosemont College. Now, don’t be fooled by the title. This isn’t some stodgy deal featuring pictures of old white guys who’ve escaped the boardroom. Instead these are exceedingly tactile paintings that boast a most haunting quality. Composed in a stark style that brings to mind silhouettes in various colors offered via layers upon layers of pigment, the total impact gets to the essence of what it means to be human. October 5 – October 30, 4:30pm – 7pm, Rosemont College, 1400 Montgomery Ave., Rosemont, PA, 610.536.2967.
Elena Lee, Stephen Ivanczuk and Gerd Maul
Well, the real estate upheaval ranging from Center City to Old City finds some galleries relocating. One such establishment is Highwire Gallery. I’m not sure when or where they’re going but when I know you’ll know. Until then their exhibition schedule is expanding. Whereas in the past two-member shows were offered, now three artists are featured. Such as this month’s offering, which, in Highwire tradition, is synergistic and wholly holistic in that taken in its entirety, the triad works as a unit. And the tremendous trio? Elena Lee, Stephen Ivanczuk and Gerd Maul. Besides First Friday, there is also a reception in conjunction with Center City Gallery Night on October 20, 5pm to 8pm. October 6 – 29, Highwire Gallery, 1315 Cherry Street, 4th floor, 215.829.1255.
Frank Mueller and Noel Neri
A pair of shows that interrelate in confident confluence starts the season at Pentimenti Gallery. And the common ground? It’s twofold, with the open endedness of the post-industrial future fleshed out by the present and also how site yields sight. Franco Mueller is featured with “Adjoining Lot,” which features paintings, photographs and video. The paintings feature imagery of decayed factories, which contrasts with camera work taken in Finland. Noel Neri is concerned with portals of all sorts and what they reveal, and his show, “Secret Window,” features work that opens to vistas of the mind. These two shows promise a dynamic season for one of Philly’s finest galleries. October 6 – November 11, Pentimenti Gallery, 145 N. Second St., Philadelphia, 215.625.9990.
Marcia Huff
Marcia Hafif inaugurates the 2006-2007 season at Larry Becker Contemporary Art. Her show, “New Paintings: TGGT,” runs October 7 through November 18. The artist’s reception is October 13 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. On view is work that expands on what she has exhibited at this gallery in the past. These paintings are composed in bilateral sections of color divided vertically, and the confluent flow of the work is downright delicious and wide-ranging. Intuitive and subliminal, these paintings build up a visual rhythm that goes beyond the aesthetic to how the mind responds to juxtapositions of color on the most basic optical level. October 7 – November 18, Larry Becker Contemporary Art, 43 N. Second St., Philadelphia, 215.925.5389.
George Shinn
One of the new kids on the block is The Saturn Club Hair Salon & Café. Their initial painting show is “Face to Face,” by University City artist George Shinn. The opening is October 7, with ivory tickler Rick Selvin laying out the tunes. Besides music there is also going to be reading of work by folks who entered a contest featuring paragraphs written to accompany and explicate Shinn’s manic work. Penn faculty member Tom Demany, who will announce the winner at a later date, judges the contest. As for the work, well, it’s portraiture unlike any you’ve ever seen. October 7, 4:30pm – 7pm, The Saturn Club Hair Salon & Café, 3426 Sansom St., Philadelphia, 215.387.8981.
Robert Ryman
One of the most important shows this season is also one of the most intimate, revelatory and personal. “Robert Ryman: Small Works” is on view at the Morris Gallery of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts’ Historic Landmark Building, at the corner of Broad and Cherry. On October 11 at 6pm, there will be a much anticipated artist’s talk (Ryman rarely makes appearances) at Hamilton Auditorium in the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building. The show’s general opening is on October 12, from 6pm to 8pm. Complementing the exhibit is Ryman’s “Philadelphia Prototype, 2002,” on view at the Hamilton Building, and a selection of PAFA’s permanent collection. October 13 – January 28, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Broad and Cherry sts., Philadelphia, 215.972.7600.
AroundPhilly Staff
