The Farmhaus & Friends Exhibition is now on view in our gallery through October 20th and is part of DesignPhiladelphia! We will be having a closing reception + DesignPhiladelphia Celebration on Friday, October 11th from 6-9pm. Julie Lange of On3Designs will also be at the event to debut her new Screen Printing on Fabric kits. Customers will be able to try them out for free! More details on this will be in my next blog post. In the meantime, check out Farmhaus & Friends online. I am slowly adding pieces from the show, so check back often!
About Farmhaus + Friends:
Ben McBrien of Farmhaus has brought his signature rustic modern style into Art Star where he has installed a version of his dream home, starting with a handmade bed and dining room table made from reclaimed and responsibly sourced wood. The pro-surfer turned wood worker has also included carefully chosen pieces handmade by Philly friends, which complete the look of the urban beach loft that McBrien has created
The friends of Farmhaus include: Project Runway Season 1 winner Jay McCarroll, ceramicist Audrey Cooper, graphic design/ tattoo artist Mike Ski, sculptor/designer Bill Curran, photographers Trevor Moran and Dominic Episcopo, woodworker Rachel Fuld, and master knitter Jane Likens who have lent their skills and work to help realize McBrien’s vision. Together they have created a home truly made by hand from quality materials and expert craftsmanship, reflecting Ben’s love and respect for his friends and the work that they create within his community.
I hope to feature each of the participating artists on the blog – look out for that this week and next!
The installation for our upcoming Farmhaus + Friends exhibition is in the works and we couldn’t be happier with how it is turning out. There is so much detail to each piece in the show, so I thought I’d take some quick shots of my favorite details so far. Come out to experience Ben McBrien’s “Urban Beach Loft” in its entirety this Saturday from 5-8 and meet all the talented artist “friends” who contributed work to this fantastic show!
And let us know if you can make it to the opening via our Facebook Invite!
September 21st – October 20th
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 21st, 5-8pm
DesignPhiladelphia Reception: Friday, October 11th, 6-9pm
Art Star is pleased to be hosting Farmhaus & Friends, a group exhibition which is presented as part of the 2013 DesignPhiladelphia Festival, a program of the Center for Architecture. The 9th annual citywide celebration of all things design will run for nine days from October 10-18 in unique venues and spaces throughout the city.
Ben McBrien of Farmhaus will bring his signature rustic modern style into Art Star where he will install a version of his dream home, starting with a handmade bed and dining room table made from reclaimed and responsibly sourced wood. The pro-surfer turned wood worker will also include carefully chosen pieces handmade by Philly friends, which will finish off the look of the urban beach loft that McBrien will create.
The friends of Farmhaus include: Project Runway Season 1 winner Jay McCarroll, ceramicist Audrey Cooper, graphic design/ tattoo artist Mike Ski, sculptor/designer Bill Curran, photographer Trevor Moran, woodworker Rachel Fuld, photographer Dominic Episcopo and master knitter Jane Likens who will lend their skills and work to help realize McBrien’s vision. Together they will create a home truly made by hand from quality materials and expert craftsmanship, reflecting Ben’s love and respect for his friends and the work that they create within his community.
I’m so excited that 3rd Ward Philadelphia is finally open! For those of you that don’t know, 3rd Ward is a 27,000 Square foot space for creating really anything you could think of. They have so many cool classes you really won’t find anywhere else, like LED Millinery, Urban Farming, Digital Textile Design, and um the History of the Cocktail? Sign me up! I have not actually visited the space yet, but I hope to take a tour soon to check it out. They run tours every half hour between 1 and 5pm all week.
After perusing the site I am most excited about the Drink & Draw evenings. There is one tonight from 8-10:30 and for $10 at the door you can kick back, drink some beers and draw. What better way to unwind? Just bring your drawing materials and they will provide the beer and model. I have been looking for a space in Philly that offers this with not much luck. I really need to brush up on my drawing skills and drawing from a live model is the best way to do it! I can’t make it tonight, but I am hoping this will be a regular thing for them.
Also, I am a novice when it comes to design and it would really help us at the shop if I could gain a few more skills. Intro to Illustrator or Photoshop 2 might be a good place to start! It would be a dream to learn Photo Etching on Copper, Upholstery, Enameling……..I want to learn how to make everything! To me there is nothing more satisfying then making something entirely from scratch. I can’t wait to see what other classes will be added to their roster.
I also wanted to share that they recently asked Erin and I to be judges for a contest they are running called Learn.Make.Inspire. They are asking people to share what they are learning, making, or what they are inspired by. Learn more here for your chance to win some cash, class credit or for your submission to be included in a culminating exhibition at 3rd Ward. We are so excited to see all the submissions and honored that we were asked to be a part of it!
And to all you local makers, they are looking for teachers. Sounds like a great opportunity to make some extra cash and become a part of an organization that may just become a creative epicenter in Philadelphia.
Free Fare
A Collection of Landscape Inspired Prints by Shawn Hileman April 13th – May 26th, 2013
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 13th, 6-8pm
Free & Open to the public
Art Star is pleased to announce Free Fare, a collection of landscape inspired prints by Philadelphia printer & graphic designer, Shawn Hileman. The exhibition will be on display from April 13th – May 26th, 2013. An opening reception with the artist will be held on Saturday, May 13th from 6-8pm. Light refreshments will be provided.
Shawn Hileman’s first solo exhibition at Art Star will include a series of screenprinted abstract landscapes based on the desire to explore the world. The work will take the viewer on a journey that spans from desolate desert to mystical mountain side castles. An illustrated collection of ephemera will accompany the expansive fields of color and texture. With a keen graphic eye and a lust for playful illustration, the prints will feature a symbiotic relationship between paper and ink
Shawn received his BFA in Graphic Design from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and has since worked as an Art Director and Freelance Graphic Designer / Printer. He started Masthead Print Studio in 2010, which serves as a hub for local Philly printmakers to create & show their work. The Studio features monthly exhibitions, curated by Hileman & other Masthead members, as well as special events & lectures. His freelance clients include Urban Outfitters, Academy of Music, World Café Live, and Electric Factory, amongst many others. He also creates his own line of silkscreened posters & prints, which you can find at Masthead, Art Star, Etsy & Little Paper Planes in CA.
Running a shop, art space, and crafty business can be overwhelming with just two people. So we tend to get stuck in our little Art Star bubble sometimes. Erin & I have recently vowed to check out at least one art exhibition outside of Art Star at LEAST once a month. Tomorrow night we will be attending “Divided – An Election Party and Exhibition“, which will be held at the Ice Box within the Crane Arts Building on Tuesday (election night!) beginning at 7pm.
The exhibition/event is by artist + frequent Art Star collaborator (she made our latest line of mugs illustrated by Susie Ghahremani + we have some other special projects planned with her) and just all around awesome lady – Hope Rovelto & (I’m sure equally as awesome though we haven’t met yet) local artist Amanda Benton. The exhibition will feature art made by the pair.
Here are the details from the press release: “The main event will occur Tuesday, November 6, the evening of one of the most highly anticipated Presidential elections of our time. Beginning at 7:00pm, the artists will project live feeds of the election results from multiple news sources alongside an exhibition including politically themed broadsides, newspapers, ceramics, t-shirts, an interactive map of the United States, and more.
With the support of several local businesses including Barry’s Home Brew, who will be providing beer, and The Dapper Dog Food Truck, who will be serving up some special “Obama and Romney Dogs,” the goal of the collaborators is to capture and critique the spectacle of political discourse in our media landscape. The division of the gallery into blue and red spaces will mimic and call attention to the passionately divided supporters of Republican candidate Mitt Romney and Democratic incumbent Barack Obama.
From the artists: ‘The tension between the divided space is meant to mimic that of our two party system. We are a divided country. Our political debate reflects that and this show is meant to reflect that as well.’
An admission price of $20 gets you your choice of a handmade ceramic cup, all the beer you can drink, games, art, music, and a chance to watch history being made with artists and citizens from the Philadelphia area. A $5 discount applies to all students with ID and anyone who shows up with an “I voted” sticker. A portion of the proceeds from the evening will go to the American Red Cross to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy.”
We hope to see you there – after you vote of course!
We had so much fun hanging out with Jordan & her boyfriend Chris! They drove up late from Cleveland early last week & stayed with my husband and I for a few days. We had a fantastic turn out at the opening & many of the pieces found new homes. We have a good amount still available though. Go here to view all the work
The show is up now through November 18th. If you are unable to stop by, check out our set of installation/opening photos on Flickr
Jordan had a fun idea to hide one of her little creatures in the neighborhood. We handed out clues to everyone that came to the opening. We decided to hide him in a wall of ivy in the back yard at Soy Cafe. Jordan made him specifically for the spot, so he was hard to find b/c his scales matched the foliage. Dominic Mambu found him towards the end of the evening. I was impressed b/c it was dark out and you could just see his little face peering out. Congrats Dominic!
Thanks to all of our friends & customers that came out for the opening! Here are some photos. Go to our Flickr page to see more.
BenMarisha & Zay
Rheaand the lady of the hour….Jordan!
Extra special thanks to Jordan & Chris for making the long journey to Philly!! We had a blast!
Enchanted Exchanges: Chirps and Chatter a solo exhibition by Jordan Elise Perme of Horrible Adorables October 10th – November 18th, 2012 VIEW THE EXHIBITION HERE
Opening Reception: Wednesday, October 10th, 6-9pm
Free & Open to the public
Art Star is pleased to announce a solo exhibition with Jordan Elise Perme of Horrible Adorables titled “Enchanted Exchanges: Chirps and Chatter”. The exhibition will be on display from October 10th – November 18th, 2012. An opening reception with the artist will be held in conjunction with Design Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties Kick Off event on October 10th from 6-9pm. Light refreshments will be provided.
Ohio based artist Jordan Elise Perme creates faux-taxidermy sculptures under the moniker Horrible Adorables. Jordan sculpts fantastical creatures from Styrofoam, adds eerily realistic glass eyes & then completely covers the form with cut pieces of colorful felt. The finished piece is then mounted on a painted wood plaque, much like taxidermy. The artist states, “I visualize existing animals and wonder what they would look like if they had strange features such as horns, a long snout or gangly teeth. These new additions further distance the creatures from being a specific, recognizable animal and also give them an other worldly appearance.” Each mounted beast is given its own sometimes pseudo-scientific name, such as “Perissadactylcom”, “Grufflebadger”, the humorous “Glitter Pony of Gemstone Cavern” or just simply “Gerald”. Each piece is 100% handmade & one-of-a-kind.
Jordan Elise Perme received her BFA in fiber & material studies from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2009. Since then she has been creating her “strange creatures & wonderful wonders” & selling them to collectors at craft shows across the country. She also works as a freelance soft toy & repeat pattern designer for major toy companies. You can purchase her pattern designs on Spoonflower & her line of Horrible Adorables are available for sale at Art Star, on her Etsy page, or at a craft fair near you!
Learn more about Jordan from my interview with her in 2011
Peacock by Horrible Adorables / felt & mixed media
We are thrilled to announce that we will be hosting a solo exhibition by Jordan Elise Perme of Horrible Adorables! The exhibition will take place on October 10th – November 18th, 2012. An opening reception will be held in conjunction with Design Philadelphia’s Kick Off Event on October 10th from 5-9pm. Jordan will be at the opening, so come by to meet the artist & get a first look at the show. We will provide light refreshments & live music.
Detail of “Sherbet Fox” by Horrible Adorables (SOLD)
We don’t know what Jordan has planned for the show yet, but we are sure it will be nothing short of amazing!
To learn more about Jordan & her strangely wonderful faux-taxidermy creatures, check out our interview with her from 2011.
"Rooted" / Spray Paint, Gouache, Cotton Floss, Flour Sack Fabric, Last Year's Morning Glory String on Feed Sack from Artist's Family Farm / 59" x 54" We are pleased to announce Amy Rice’s 3rd solo exhibition at Art Star, Rooted, which will be on display from October 7th through November 20th of this year. We don’t host too many exhibitions these days but we are huge fans of Amy’s work, so when she came to us w/ her exhibition proposal, we accepted immediately. We love working w/ Amy – she is so professional & immensly talented. Her work is always evolving, so I am excited to see what new directions she will be exploring in Rooted. We will have an opening reception on First Friday, October 7th, from 5-8pm. The artist plans to be in attendence, so mark your calendars!
Artist Statement for Rooted “Rooted” was inspired by a scrapbook I discovered at an antique store. It documents the activities of a rural American 4-H club in the 1940’s. I belonged to 4-H as a child, the same club as my Mom and my Grandpa Ed (Go Hubbleton Hustlers!).
Each winter 4-H kids choose their projects for the year from a catalogue listing all the things you can enter at the County fair. Of course there are the farm animal projects but also all sorts of arts and crafts, small engine repair, gardening and crops, baking, sciences, sewing, music, butterfly collecting and more (my Mom would never let me do the butterfly project). Then, kids meet with adult mentors and kids from other clubs throughout the county working on the same project. My parents wanted us to be excited and fully committed to our projects and so we were limited to 3 per year. I settled into sheep, rabbits, and art.
For a contemporary urban woman, I know a lot about small animal husbandry. I don’t think the art part of 4-H really shaped me much as an artist. What was formative for me was the year long commitment to a specific area of study and a corresponding project with an end goal.
The antique scrapbook was aesthetically and nostalgically compelling to me, certainly. But the reason I choose to make art inspired by the scrapbook came from comparing photos of individuals posing proudly with their ongoing projects and the fall group photo, which is labeled in handwritten ink “100% Completion, 20 members, 28 projects”.
In this body of work, I have used artifacts; found items and uncommon mediums: prints on antique handwritten letters of love and loss, feed sack bags from my family farm, antique atlas pages, and the string from last year’s morning glories among other things. Rooted celebrates 100% completion, hard work paying off, fall festivals, and earnest endeavors.-Amy Rice 2011
"Butterflies for Ella" / Gocco prints on antique handwritten letters of eloquent condolence, antique maps, paint brush bristles. Biography
Beginning with not-so-traditional print making methods (hand cut stencils and a Japanese Gocco printmaking toy) Minneapolis based mixed-media artist Amy Rice makes original, one-of-kind pieces by additionally employing acrylic, gouache, ink and collage. Her “canvases” range from weathered wood panels and discarded objects to antique envelopes, age-worn love letters, and found journal pages yellowed with time.
Amy’s imagery, nostalgic and wistful, is largely biographical and reflective of her pensive nature. She draws inspiration from childhood memories growing up on a Midwestern farm, the urban community in which she live now, bicycles, street art, gardening, collective endeavors that challenge hierarchy, acts of compassion, downright silliness and things with wings.
Amy has exhibited her work in galleries throughout the United States, Canada and the U.K.
About Farmhaus + Friends:
September 21st – October 20th
The show is up now through November 18th. If you are unable to stop by, check out our set of installation/opening photos on 
