By: Colleen Hammond (Instructor, Pre-College)

In March of 2011 I received a Continuing Studies Faculty Enrichment Grant. With the support of this grant, I was able to attend a weeklong workshop at Snow Farm in Williamsburg, Mass., this past summer.  The class I took was entitled Collage: the Imaginative Use of Materials taught by Alexandra Sheldon.  Through guided experimentation, my experience with collage opened up a world without boundaries and enabled me to explore a new level of imagination I have not been able to find through my oil painting. My hope is to somehow apply and bring out this newly found fun and whimsical approach to creativity in my total oeuvre.

Information Systems, 2011, Oil & wax on panel, 30" x 24".

Join artist/teaching artist/CE faculty member, Tremain Smith, at Rosenfeld Gallery’s Annual Small Works Show opening this Sunday, December 4 from 12 – 5 pm.

Exhibition continues through December 31, 2011

Hours: Wed – Sat 10 am to 5 pm, Sun 12 – 5 pm

Rosenfeld Gallery
113 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-923-1376
www.therosenfeldgallery.com

Students are encouraged to register for the December 1^st Photoshop Philadelphia Event featuring the first public appearance of the new Adobe touch apps! Prizes, including up to $2,100 of Adobe software will be given away to participants at the event.

Join your user group this December 1^st to get the Adobe Photoshop Philadelphia User Group back on track just in time for 2012!

As the temperature cools off, Photoshop Philly is just getting heated up! Come out and join in the fun at the Paul J Gutman Library on the beautiful campus of Philadelphia University at 7:15 pm on Thursday, December 1 for some great Adobe Photoshop fun, networking and learning! This reboot session promises to bring you up to speed on all Philadelphia and Design community happenings!

The biggest one yet — over 300 tables of vendors selling old records, clothes, art, music, food, junk, bicycles, stereo equipment, instruments, automobiles, tools, posters, furniture, computers, skateboards and lots of other stuff that you and your loved ones need – only three bucks to get in (supporting R5 Productions).

THE PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET-DOME
Sunday, December 11, 2011
10 am – 5 pm
461 N. 9th St.
Philadelphia, PA

Ophelia Chong's work (left) looks a hell of a lot like that Starbucks illustration (right) (images via opheliaswims.com)

Last Friday, artist Ophelia Chong had the kind of day most artist’s dread. On that fateful day she was told by one of her students that Starbucks was using graphics that looked a great deal like hers… well, judge for yourself (see above).

Chong isn’t going to take this lying down and she’s retained a lawyer.

NORC at the University of Chicago has released a landmark report on a three-year study of teaching artists (TAs) – artists who make teaching a part of their professional practice. Teaching Artists and the Future of Education found that their work is critical to the future of arts education and to improving the quality of schools.

Celebrate the art of paper and the book — and get started on your holiday shopping — at the one-of-a-kind, annual  Book Paper Scissors book fair, taking place at the Parkway Central Library on Saturday, November 19 from 10 am – 4 pm.

Feel good by buying local and supporting artists: enjoy this fair filled with handmade paper and prints, origami, blank books, artists’ books, sculptures and jewelry, all of which are made from paper.  Plus, you can participate in workshops to create your own work – what could be better?

There are 2.1 million “artists” in the United States, according to the National Endowment for the Arts. The national arts organization has just released a study that examines the demographics of the country’s artists. I’ve included the word “artist” in quotation marks because their definition includes many shades of artistry to reach that number. I don’t think they were wrong to be so inclusive but I do think most people don’t normally associate floral designers, for instance, under the banner of “artist.”

Some notable facts:

The Philadelphia Museum of Art will be a one-stop shop for holiday gifts this season, with a wide range of locally crafted art, jewelry, food and more at the P. POD pop-up bazaar through December 31…with a special opening party tonight Friday, November 11!

Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC

Art lovers stumped to find gifts for everyone on their list can  find one-stop shopping at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Store with eclectic finds showcased at Philadelphia Produces Original Design (P.POD), a pop-up bazaar created by artist, designer, author/illustrator and proud Philadelphian Alex Stadler.

As the largest funding platform for creative projects, Kickstarter allows individuals with projects focused on the creative arts—Art, Dance, Film, Music, Photography, Publishing,and Theater—as well as projects from the diverse and creative fields of Food, Design, Fashion, Technology, Games, Comics and Journalism, to gain access to an audience that is more than half a million strong.

The UArts page will provide a unique way for members of our community to showcase their activities and projects in progress. If you have a project currently going on Kickstarter, please send your information to lvillanueva@uarts.edu for inclusion on our page. We will also be extending this opportunity to alumni, so please feel free to forward this information to graduates with whom you are in touch.