by Debra Miller
Following a long struggle with emphysema, my mother, Mary Elizabeth Miller, 86, of 2531 S. 8th St., Philadelphia, died in my arms on Sunday, March 29, at Methodist Hospital, surrounded by members of her family. Following her wishes, to allow her family time to grieve privately, there will be no viewing or funeral. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.
An avid lover of art, theater, education, fashion, dining out, and travel, donations in her name can be made to Da Vinci Art Alliance, 704 Catharine St., Philadelphia, PA 19147; to Lantern Theater Company, P.O. Box 53428, Philadelphia, PA 19105-3428; or to Hussian School of Art (via Debra Miller, 558 N. 18th St., Philadelphia, PA 19130), where a commencement award will be established in her honor.
Those of you who know me will recognize that my mother’s passions are also my own. She inspired in me a taste for the beautiful things in life, encouraged me to pursue them both personally and professionally, and to give generously to their support. She never failed to remind me how fortunate we were; as a child, whenever I complained about minor inconveniences, she quoted, “I complained that I had no shoes, till I met a man who had no feet.” In her later years, after the sudden death of my father, with her failing health and increasing loss of memory, she sometimes forgot that--but I never will. Eternal, loving thanks Mom, for everything you gave me and everything you made me.
Following a long struggle with emphysema, my mother, Mary Elizabeth Miller, 86, of 2531 S. 8th St., Philadelphia, died in my arms on Sunday, March 29, at Methodist Hospital, surrounded by members of her family. Following her wishes, to allow her family time to grieve privately, there will be no viewing or funeral. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.
An avid lover of art, theater, education, fashion, dining out, and travel, donations in her name can be made to Da Vinci Art Alliance, 704 Catharine St., Philadelphia, PA 19147; to Lantern Theater Company, P.O. Box 53428, Philadelphia, PA 19105-3428; or to Hussian School of Art (via Debra Miller, 558 N. 18th St., Philadelphia, PA 19130), where a commencement award will be established in her honor.
Those of you who know me will recognize that my mother’s passions are also my own. She inspired in me a taste for the beautiful things in life, encouraged me to pursue them both personally and professionally, and to give generously to their support. She never failed to remind me how fortunate we were; as a child, whenever I complained about minor inconveniences, she quoted, “I complained that I had no shoes, till I met a man who had no feet.” In her later years, after the sudden death of my father, with her failing health and increasing loss of memory, she sometimes forgot that--but I never will. Eternal, loving thanks Mom, for everything you gave me and everything you made me.
by Debra Miller
My study abroad group has been requesting a trip to Rome for about 15 years now, and I finally agreed to run one in March to Italy’s huge, exhausting, arts- and antiquities-filled capital. With letters of introduction from our good friend Renzo Oliva (Italian Consul General to Philadelphia) and from Hussian School of Art, and with the assistance of our friend and colleague in Rome, filmmaker Christina Clausen (her 2008 film, The Universe of Keith Haring, has just been released on DVD), the time seemed right for the long-awaited trip. The recent cleaning of Rome’s monuments and masterpieces for the Jubilee Year of 2000 restored its aged travertine structures to their original warm tones and its paintings to their true palettes. The springtime weather was mostly sunny and pleasant, in the high 60s, and the crowds were small, no doubt due to the world’s current economic crisis. Fortunately, the exchange rate unexpectedly improved for the week we were there, costing us only $1.28/Euro, rather than the $1.48 we paid at the time of booking our air and hotel package.
My study abroad group has been requesting a trip to Rome for about 15 years now, and I finally agreed to run one in March to Italy’s huge, exhausting, arts- and antiquities-filled capital. With letters of introduction from our good friend Renzo Oliva (Italian Consul General to Philadelphia) and from Hussian School of Art, and with the assistance of our friend and colleague in Rome, filmmaker Christina Clausen (her 2008 film, The Universe of Keith Haring, has just been released on DVD), the time seemed right for the long-awaited trip. The recent cleaning of Rome’s monuments and masterpieces for the Jubilee Year of 2000 restored its aged travertine structures to their original warm tones and its paintings to their true palettes. The springtime weather was mostly sunny and pleasant, in the high 60s, and the crowds were small, no doubt due to the world’s current economic crisis. Fortunately, the exchange rate unexpectedly improved for the week we were there, costing us only $1.28/Euro, rather than the $1.48 we paid at the time of booking our air and hotel package.
Walnut Street Theatre Celebrates its 200th Anniversary
by Debra Miller
In addition to reaching the impressive milestone of 57,000 sold subscriptions during this 2008-09 season, the Walnut Street Theatre, headquartered in its own historic building at 825 Walnut Street in Philadelphia (figure 1), celebrated its bicentennial with a powerful revival of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. The American classic debuted at Walnut Street in the fall of 1947, prior to its sensational run on Broadway (and its subsequent transformation into the legendary Hollywood film), launching the career of the young Marlon Brando and garnering a Tony Award for Jessica Tandy. As described by the theater, Streetcar “was an exotic, passionate and dramatic story, with performances so raw they changed the American approach to acting for generations to come.”
by Debra Miller
In addition to reaching the impressive milestone of 57,000 sold subscriptions during this 2008-09 season, the Walnut Street Theatre, headquartered in its own historic building at 825 Walnut Street in Philadelphia (figure 1), celebrated its bicentennial with a powerful revival of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. The American classic debuted at Walnut Street in the fall of 1947, prior to its sensational run on Broadway (and its subsequent transformation into the legendary Hollywood film), launching the career of the young Marlon Brando and garnering a Tony Award for Jessica Tandy. As described by the theater, Streetcar “was an exotic, passionate and dramatic story, with performances so raw they changed the American approach to acting for generations to come.”
DEAN AND BRITTA’S 13 MOST BEAUTIFUL . . .
SONGS FOR ANDY WARHOL’S SCREEN TESTS:
TOP PICK FOR THE 2009 PHILLY LIVE ARTS FESTIVAL
by Debra Miller
One of the most highly anticipated events in this year’s Philadelphia Live Arts and Fringe Festival is a multimedia performance combining the best of indie music and art film. 13 Most Beautiful…Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests features music by Dean and Britta (formerly of the downtown NYC rock band Luna), which they composed for a selection of thirteen of Andy Warhol’s silent four-minute film portraits; the Warhol Screen Tests will be seen in large-scale video projection above the musicians performing live on stage. Two shows are scheduled for Friday, September 18, beginning at 7:00 pm, at the Warehouse Festival Bar, 5th and Fairmount, in Northern Liberties. Get your tickets early, as the venue only holds 200 people per show, and the performances are likely to sell out quickly.
SONGS FOR ANDY WARHOL’S SCREEN TESTS:
TOP PICK FOR THE 2009 PHILLY LIVE ARTS FESTIVAL
by Debra Miller
One of the most highly anticipated events in this year’s Philadelphia Live Arts and Fringe Festival is a multimedia performance combining the best of indie music and art film. 13 Most Beautiful…Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests features music by Dean and Britta (formerly of the downtown NYC rock band Luna), which they composed for a selection of thirteen of Andy Warhol’s silent four-minute film portraits; the Warhol Screen Tests will be seen in large-scale video projection above the musicians performing live on stage. Two shows are scheduled for Friday, September 18, beginning at 7:00 pm, at the Warehouse Festival Bar, 5th and Fairmount, in Northern Liberties. Get your tickets early, as the venue only holds 200 people per show, and the performances are likely to sell out quickly.
02/07: Tim McKenna Wins Logo Design
Art Student Tim McKenna Wins Logo Design
for the American Cancer Society’s 2009 Bike-a-Thon
By Debra Miller
Good news out of Philadelphia! Da Vinci Art Alliance intern and Hussian School of Art junior Tim McKenna has been selected the winner of this year’s competition for a logo design for the American Cancer Society’s annual fundraising bike ride. Tim’s design will appear on 60,000 tee-shirts, and will be used as the branding logo for the event. The decision was made by a panel of art directors from the ACS, combined with votes submitted by the general public on the ACS website. Tim’s donation of his design is yet another example of the generosity of artists in our country and the important contributions they make to our society. We applaud Tim’s well-deserved victory, his outstanding design, and his gracious philanthropy.
for the American Cancer Society’s 2009 Bike-a-Thon
By Debra Miller
Good news out of Philadelphia! Da Vinci Art Alliance intern and Hussian School of Art junior Tim McKenna has been selected the winner of this year’s competition for a logo design for the American Cancer Society’s annual fundraising bike ride. Tim’s design will appear on 60,000 tee-shirts, and will be used as the branding logo for the event. The decision was made by a panel of art directors from the ACS, combined with votes submitted by the general public on the ACS website. Tim’s donation of his design is yet another example of the generosity of artists in our country and the important contributions they make to our society. We applaud Tim’s well-deserved victory, his outstanding design, and his gracious philanthropy.
Best of the Class of 2009:
Hussian School of Art’s Commencement Awards
by Debra Miller
Congratulations to all of this year’s Hussian graduates for making it through four years of intensive class schedules, training, and internships, which have truly prepared them for a career in graphic design and illustration.
As an Art Historian, and the instructor of the only academic course at Hussian, I sometimes think I might be at a disadvantage, because our students specifically chose to attend a four-year art school rather than a liberal arts college so that they wouldn’t have to take any academic courses! But what I’ve found is that our students have excelled in Art History, and several have gone beyond our school requirements and participated in many off-campus opportunities in Art History and the Fine Arts.
I know that all their lives our students have been told how talented they are, but it’s very rewarding for me to be able to tell them that they’re also extremely intelligent. So this year I had the pleasure to present three new awards in Art and Art History at Hussian’s commencement ceremony and luncheon in the Crystal Tea Room of the Wanamaker Building in Philadelphia. The recipients have not only been outstanding students in my class, but have also impressed me with the dedication they have to their field, and to a life in art—they are every teacher’s dream!
Hussian School of Art’s Commencement Awards
by Debra Miller
Congratulations to all of this year’s Hussian graduates for making it through four years of intensive class schedules, training, and internships, which have truly prepared them for a career in graphic design and illustration.
As an Art Historian, and the instructor of the only academic course at Hussian, I sometimes think I might be at a disadvantage, because our students specifically chose to attend a four-year art school rather than a liberal arts college so that they wouldn’t have to take any academic courses! But what I’ve found is that our students have excelled in Art History, and several have gone beyond our school requirements and participated in many off-campus opportunities in Art History and the Fine Arts.
I know that all their lives our students have been told how talented they are, but it’s very rewarding for me to be able to tell them that they’re also extremely intelligent. So this year I had the pleasure to present three new awards in Art and Art History at Hussian’s commencement ceremony and luncheon in the Crystal Tea Room of the Wanamaker Building in Philadelphia. The recipients have not only been outstanding students in my class, but have also impressed me with the dedication they have to their field, and to a life in art—they are every teacher’s dream!
Envisioning Hamlet
Da Vinci @ Lantern, 22 April-3 May 2009
Awards Judges: Charles McMahon, Dirk Durossette, & Janet Embree
BEST IN SHOW: CHINOROS ROONGSAKUL, Sin, acrylic on canvas
Powerfully expressive, tenebrous and moody, filled with gestural brushstrokes and obscure evanescent shapes, it is a dark and disturbing work that elicits a sense of tragedy as well as mystery through the abstraction of form and a layered monochromatic palette.
2nd PLACE: BUD BOEHRINGER, Hamlet’s Madness, acrylic & oil pastel on paper
Haunting forms of phantom imagery are silhouetted against an ambiguous space of pale color that disregards perspective, but evokes the feigned irrational state of Hamlet’s mind. The consummately balanced composition and warm harmonious palette prove that “though this be madness, there is method in it.”
3rd PLACE: DEBRA MILLER, May Violets Spring!, mixed-media assemblage
Done in the format of a book, the work combines the exquisite beauty of Shakespeare’s language, the youth and fragility of Ophelia’s character, and the funereal mood of the tragedy of Hamlet through the 16th-century symbolism of flowers and colors.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
DON BREWER, Denmark, digital photograph
The non-objective composition is an abstract evocation of the Scandinavian setting of Hamlet, using black and silver to represent the cold dark climate of Elsinore. Three scratches in the icy silver recall the final duel with poisoned sword, whose slashes claim the lives of Hamlet, Laertes, and Claudius.
MARIA KEANE, Take these again for to the noble mind, digital print
An arbitrary palette of violet, green, and blue foretells of the gathered flowers and watery death of Ophelia, as she, with gentleness of spirit, returns the gifts of love that Hamlet gave her, but then denied. Waves of Shakespeare’s text flow through the abstract floating space and around the delicate ethereal figures.
TED WARCHAL, Premonition of Hamlet, the Child, mixed-media assemblage
This memento mori piece employs historic images from Elizabethan and Jacobean England, the black Virgin and Child of Montserrat, and a mound of skulls in “nightly color,” to remind us of the vanitas themes of time and death that propel the young Hamlet to his own untimely demise.
Da Vinci @ Lantern, 22 April-3 May 2009
Awards Judges: Charles McMahon, Dirk Durossette, & Janet Embree
BEST IN SHOW: CHINOROS ROONGSAKUL, Sin, acrylic on canvas
Powerfully expressive, tenebrous and moody, filled with gestural brushstrokes and obscure evanescent shapes, it is a dark and disturbing work that elicits a sense of tragedy as well as mystery through the abstraction of form and a layered monochromatic palette.
2nd PLACE: BUD BOEHRINGER, Hamlet’s Madness, acrylic & oil pastel on paper
Haunting forms of phantom imagery are silhouetted against an ambiguous space of pale color that disregards perspective, but evokes the feigned irrational state of Hamlet’s mind. The consummately balanced composition and warm harmonious palette prove that “though this be madness, there is method in it.”
3rd PLACE: DEBRA MILLER, May Violets Spring!, mixed-media assemblage
Done in the format of a book, the work combines the exquisite beauty of Shakespeare’s language, the youth and fragility of Ophelia’s character, and the funereal mood of the tragedy of Hamlet through the 16th-century symbolism of flowers and colors.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
DON BREWER, Denmark, digital photograph
The non-objective composition is an abstract evocation of the Scandinavian setting of Hamlet, using black and silver to represent the cold dark climate of Elsinore. Three scratches in the icy silver recall the final duel with poisoned sword, whose slashes claim the lives of Hamlet, Laertes, and Claudius.
MARIA KEANE, Take these again for to the noble mind, digital print
An arbitrary palette of violet, green, and blue foretells of the gathered flowers and watery death of Ophelia, as she, with gentleness of spirit, returns the gifts of love that Hamlet gave her, but then denied. Waves of Shakespeare’s text flow through the abstract floating space and around the delicate ethereal figures.
TED WARCHAL, Premonition of Hamlet, the Child, mixed-media assemblage
This memento mori piece employs historic images from Elizabethan and Jacobean England, the black Virgin and Child of Montserrat, and a mound of skulls in “nightly color,” to remind us of the vanitas themes of time and death that propel the young Hamlet to his own untimely demise.
by Debra Miller
Liz Nicklus’s Phantom Gallery struck again on 3rd Friday in September, with an impressive exhibition in the RRCA’s atrium, of works by faculty, alumni, and students from Philadelphia’s Hussian School of Art, where I teach Art History. The highly esteemed four-year graphic design and illustration program just moved to a new location on the third floor of the historic Bourse Building at 5th and Market, and we celebrated the beginning of our new era with a themed show of self-expressive work called It’s All about Me. As co-curator of the show, I called upon my students and colleagues to submit self-portraits, their own favorite works, or compositions that they felt were most indicative of their unique artistic styles. Upon seeing the installation, RRCA Board President Marie Hahn graciously invited us to extend the show to an entire month, well beyond the usual one-night 3rd Friday shows for which Phantom Gallery is known. When Hahn asked for my opinion of Hussian, I tried not to brag, but stated that I’m very proud of the quality of the program and the students, and that I think it’s a truly outstanding art school. She responded, “That’s not what I heard; I heard it’s THE BEST!” She heard correctly.
Liz Nicklus’s Phantom Gallery struck again on 3rd Friday in September, with an impressive exhibition in the RRCA’s atrium, of works by faculty, alumni, and students from Philadelphia’s Hussian School of Art, where I teach Art History. The highly esteemed four-year graphic design and illustration program just moved to a new location on the third floor of the historic Bourse Building at 5th and Market, and we celebrated the beginning of our new era with a themed show of self-expressive work called It’s All about Me. As co-curator of the show, I called upon my students and colleagues to submit self-portraits, their own favorite works, or compositions that they felt were most indicative of their unique artistic styles. Upon seeing the installation, RRCA Board President Marie Hahn graciously invited us to extend the show to an entire month, well beyond the usual one-night 3rd Friday shows for which Phantom Gallery is known. When Hahn asked for my opinion of Hussian, I tried not to brag, but stated that I’m very proud of the quality of the program and the students, and that I think it’s a truly outstanding art school. She responded, “That’s not what I heard; I heard it’s THE BEST!” She heard correctly.
by Debra Miller
The Live Arts and Fringe Festivals kicked off this season of theater in Philadelphia with a bang. As anticipated, Karen Getz’s Disco Descending, a sequel to her hilarious Suburban Love Songs, was another smash hit for the choreographer/dancer/actress and her cast. The versatile and ever brilliant Pete Pryor joined Jennifer Childs, Dave Jadico, Fred Siegel, Mary Carpenter, and other original SLS cast members in a magical ‘70s version of the ancient tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. Who better than these outstanding comedic talents to bring such humor to the themes of death, love lost, and human foibles? The disco era, with its bad clothes, bad hair, and bad music, clearly ranks at the top of humankind’s long list of questionable aesthetic judgments, but Getz’s humorous vision made lemonade out of those lemons by creating a successful production sans dialogue, with the characters’ personalities, thoughts, and emotions expressed visually through dance, combined with outrageously choreographed postures, gestures, and facial expressions, all set to disco music. Attendees of the sold-out opening night performance and festivities included the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Michael Sheridan, MANNA’s Rob Saxon, Theatre Exile’s Joe Canuso, Pig Iron’s Sarah Sanford, and arts aficionado Donald Carter, all of whom confirmed to Inferno that they enjoyed the show. The cast, too, was elated to be back together and to include the talents of Pryor, as a modern-day god of the underworld. As Jadico, a stand-out in the consistently excellent cast, noted, “Most of us have worked with Pete at 1812 Productions, so we were thrilled to have him featured; he was an easy and welcome addition.” The camaraderie and trust among the cast members was evident, and contributed to the thoroughly entertaining evening of theater. We look forward to Getz’s collaboration with 1812 on Cherry Bomb: The Worst of Vaudeville, with book and lyrics by Jen Childs, which runs from December 11, 2008 to January 4, 2009, at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Street in Philadelphia. For more information and tickets, see www.1812productions.org.
The Live Arts and Fringe Festivals kicked off this season of theater in Philadelphia with a bang. As anticipated, Karen Getz’s Disco Descending, a sequel to her hilarious Suburban Love Songs, was another smash hit for the choreographer/dancer/actress and her cast. The versatile and ever brilliant Pete Pryor joined Jennifer Childs, Dave Jadico, Fred Siegel, Mary Carpenter, and other original SLS cast members in a magical ‘70s version of the ancient tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. Who better than these outstanding comedic talents to bring such humor to the themes of death, love lost, and human foibles? The disco era, with its bad clothes, bad hair, and bad music, clearly ranks at the top of humankind’s long list of questionable aesthetic judgments, but Getz’s humorous vision made lemonade out of those lemons by creating a successful production sans dialogue, with the characters’ personalities, thoughts, and emotions expressed visually through dance, combined with outrageously choreographed postures, gestures, and facial expressions, all set to disco music. Attendees of the sold-out opening night performance and festivities included the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Michael Sheridan, MANNA’s Rob Saxon, Theatre Exile’s Joe Canuso, Pig Iron’s Sarah Sanford, and arts aficionado Donald Carter, all of whom confirmed to Inferno that they enjoyed the show. The cast, too, was elated to be back together and to include the talents of Pryor, as a modern-day god of the underworld. As Jadico, a stand-out in the consistently excellent cast, noted, “Most of us have worked with Pete at 1812 Productions, so we were thrilled to have him featured; he was an easy and welcome addition.” The camaraderie and trust among the cast members was evident, and contributed to the thoroughly entertaining evening of theater. We look forward to Getz’s collaboration with 1812 on Cherry Bomb: The Worst of Vaudeville, with book and lyrics by Jen Childs, which runs from December 11, 2008 to January 4, 2009, at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Street in Philadelphia. For more information and tickets, see www.1812productions.org.
At all three fully packed opening receptions, artists and guests alike agreed that the quantity and quality of works in the themed in-house shows of Da Vinci Art Alliance, 704 Catharine Street, Philadelphia, reached an all-time high this summer. Honorary Board member Ray Costello noted:
The artists have really responded to the themed shows by generating new, original, and thought-provoking work. The public has also responded, with increased attendance, standing-room-only participation in special events like the Othello symposium and fundraiser, and art purchases. In these bad economic times, it’s great to have a place like Da Vinci, with free programming, affordable art, and appreciative audiences.
Beginning with the Alliance’s collaborative exhibition and symposium, Envisioning Othello, with Lantern Theater Company in June, followed by the 77th annual members show, Found Objects/New Contexts in July, and concluding with its annual open juried exhibition, Photo Synthesis, in August, the variety and number of outstanding entries made the awards difficult to judge; many artists received well-deserved votes, but only the top five works in each show could be awarded prizes. As local artist and Superblogger Don Brewer wrote in his DoNArTNeWs entry of 7/13/08, “Found Art is one of the best shows DoN has seen in recent memory.” According to internationally acclaimed photographer Jon Naar, who served as juror and awards judge for Photo Synthesis, “The process was extremely selective, and what we have here is the very best work in the field of photography; I am very pleased with the show and all of the entries.”
The artists have really responded to the themed shows by generating new, original, and thought-provoking work. The public has also responded, with increased attendance, standing-room-only participation in special events like the Othello symposium and fundraiser, and art purchases. In these bad economic times, it’s great to have a place like Da Vinci, with free programming, affordable art, and appreciative audiences.
Beginning with the Alliance’s collaborative exhibition and symposium, Envisioning Othello, with Lantern Theater Company in June, followed by the 77th annual members show, Found Objects/New Contexts in July, and concluding with its annual open juried exhibition, Photo Synthesis, in August, the variety and number of outstanding entries made the awards difficult to judge; many artists received well-deserved votes, but only the top five works in each show could be awarded prizes. As local artist and Superblogger Don Brewer wrote in his DoNArTNeWs entry of 7/13/08, “Found Art is one of the best shows DoN has seen in recent memory.” According to internationally acclaimed photographer Jon Naar, who served as juror and awards judge for Photo Synthesis, “The process was extremely selective, and what we have here is the very best work in the field of photography; I am very pleased with the show and all of the entries.”
