At the first event, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5, Sculptress Mei-Ling Hom will discuss China Wedge, an intriguing 40-foot long sculpture comprised of 22,000 Chinese cups, bowls and spoons wedged into a space under an escalator. The sculpture, which was commissioned for the Center's Arch Street Concourse, pays homage to Philadelphia Chinatown, which is adjacent to the Convention Center.
On November 12, Painter Sidney Goodman will speak about his body of work, including Transitions, the arresting oil on canvas that hangs on the 12th Street concourse, west side in the Convention Center.
On Wednesday, December 3, Painter Joyce Mansfield will discuss her work, including Bahamas Mama and In His Name, which also hang on the 12th Street concourse.
Each event will include a slide show and guided tour of the collection by Dr. Judith Stein, consulting curator for the Convention Center. "No other convention center is the U.S. has such a vibrant permanent art collection," said Al A. Mezzaroba, president and CEO, Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority. "People attending conventions and public shows have marveled at our striking art collection for years. Now we're encouraging people from the region to enjoy this treasure."
Hom's sculptures often focus on the experiences of Asian Americans and examine the complexities of her life as a woman, an artist and an American of Chinese descent. Hom has participated in the NEA U.S./Japan Creative Artists Exchange, received an NEA Visual Artist Fellowship, two Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowships and a Lila Wallace/Readers Digest Fellowship. Her work is exhibited in museums around the world. The event will be held in room 108.
Goodman has been called "one of the preeminent contemporary American painters and draftsmen exploring the still fertile ground of art based on the human form. "He earned national recognition early in his career with a solo show in New York City in 1961 followed by shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the inclusion in several shows at the Whitney Museum and more recently in a retrospective show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Philadelphia native, who currently teaches at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, received a Pew Fellowship from the Pew Fellowships in the Arts and a Guggenheim Fellowship. The event will be held in room 113.
Mansfield's painted paper collages are based on her faith in God. The native Philadelphian studied at The Barnes Foundation, the Tyler School of Art and University of Pennsylvania. She teaches at Tilden Middle School and Fleisher Art Memorial. Three of her paintings are part of the "Art in Embassies" program and she has won the Charles Adams Memorial Prize. She's been in numerous group exhibitions including shows at the Moore College of Design, Fleisher Art Memorial, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University Abroad, Gutman Center, Art at the Armory, Tyler School of Art and the Minority Arts Resource Council.
"The Convention Center's art collection is strong, varied and challenging. These qualities keep it looking as fresh today as it did when it was first installed 10 years ago," said Dr. Stein, a former curator at the PA Academy of the Fine Arts, a regular contributor to Art in America, an essayist and lecturer on contemporary art. The event will be held in Room 114.
The PA Convention Center will provide free drinks and cookies at the events. The events are free, but registration is necessary. To register, call 215/418-4835 or email pspaniak@paconvention.com. To arrange a private tour of the art collection for your group, call 215/418-4754.
The New York Times and Art in America have lauded the Convention Center's $2 million collection, reflective of the rich ethnic and cultural diversity in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Works hang throughout the 1.3 million square foot Center enriching the light-filled concourses and even the majestic arched ceiling of the Grand Hall, which is built into the historic Victorian building that was once the Reading Railroad Train Shed. The collection was established by the city's ordinance stating that 1% of building costs be devoted to public art.
The collection includes 73 purchased art works and 18 site-specific installations including paintings, sculptures, works in wood and jewelry. Fifty-seven artists are represented, including 21 women and 36 men, of whom three are Asian American, eight are African American and two are Latino. Most are from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
For more information about the Art Collection, visit http://www.paconvention.com/bi/art.asp.