The Artist as Curator: Expanding Your Creative Practice + New Opportunities

As part of the PNC Arts Alive 2025 Artist Workshop Series

Wednesday, March 12 at 12:00 PM on Zoom. Please register below for the Zoom link.

The Artist as Curator: Expanding Your Creative Practice + New Opportunities workshop offers artists an exciting opportunity to explore their curatorial practice as artists. Presented by CFEVA and Allens Lane Art Center, this workshop details the Rebeccah Milena Maia Blum Curatorial Fellowship, an opportunity with Allens Lane Art Center. Participants will gain insight into the opportunity and the intersection of artistic and curatorial practices. This workshop is ideal for artists looking to broaden their professional opportunities by curating exhibitions and engaging with new audiences. This session will provide valuable guidance on crafting compelling exhibition proposals and navigating the curatorial landscape.

The RMMB Curatorial Fellowship

The RMMB Curatorial Fellowship was created to celebrate the life and memory of Rebeccah Milena Maia Blum, a celebrated curator of Berlin-based gallery Aurel Scheiblerin and European liaison of David Nolan Gallery in New York. Rebeccah spent the years of 1969-1979 in Mount Airy, a place of origin for her family. She attended Henry H. Houston School until Fifth Grade when she began to commute to the Julia R Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School in Center City Philadelphia. Her summers were spent joyfully at the Allens Lane Art Center Camp.

About Allens Lane Art Center

In 1953, Allens Lane Art Center (ALAC) was founded to bring together a diverse community of Mount Airy residents through engagement in the arts. The center has been a cornerstone of the neighborhood for 70 years and continues to thrive today with a rich variety of programs. The four core programs at ALAC are Theater, Art Education, Summer Art Camp, and Exhibitions. The Art Education program serves both young and adult artists and includes visual arts, ceramics, and performing arts classes. About the Curatorial Fellowship The fellowship will provide funds, mentorship, and a chance to curate an exhibition at Allens Lane Art Center for an up-and-coming local curator. Artist and aspiring curators are invited to submit exhibition proposals that may range from group, two-person, or solo exhibitions. The curatorial proposal must reflect artworks of artists other than the applicant's.

We are accepting proposals for all media and conceptual frameworks. The proposals will be judged on the strength of the artwork and concept, viability, and connection to the Center's mission and values. The fellow will be selected through a juried process by an established curator. The 2025 Jurors are Kaitlin Pomerantz and Michael Clemmons. We will select two fellows in this cycle of applications for the exhibitions in 2026 and 2027. The exhibition will take place in January at the Allens Lane Art Center Alber Gallery. The selected fellow will receive $1,500 stipend to help support the curatorial research and work of preparing an exhibition. An extra $500 will be available to cover installation costs, framing and shipping. The fellow will be selected through a juried process. Please contact Genevieve@cfeva.org with questions.

Deadline: April 30, 2025

Apply now here.

Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Crafting Competitive Applications + More on the CFEVA Visual Artist Fellowship

Join us for the first artist workshop of the year! All artists are welcome to join us for a free, virtual webinar and Q&A: Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Crafting Competitive Applications + More on the CFEVA Visual Artist Fellowship – at 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 7.

CFEVA staff will share tips and tricks for creating competitive applications that will catch the eye of jurors and grantors. Whether you're applying for an artist residency, fellowship, grant, or exhibition opportunity, join in this free online session.

Join in to learn more about the CFEVA Visual Artist Fellowship.
Deadline: January 31, 2025.

A two-year hatchery of innovation, the Visual Artist Fellowship underscores CFEVA's commitment to fostering artistic excellence and furthers its mission to help visual artists build sustainable careers. In providing funding and mentorship during this critical incubation period, CFEVA helps artists explore new ideas and pathways to influence their work, and to develop the skills and techniques that can move them forward.

Artists are selected by an independent Board of Artistic Advisors based on the merit of their artwork, demonstrated ability to reach stated goals, and a clear vision for the next level in their professional practice.

In conversation

Theodore A. Harris in conversation catalog contributor Stan Mir 

Thursday December 12th

5:30pm to 7pm

CFEVA, 237 S 18th St., #3a Philadelphia PA 19103

RSVP Here.

Hearing Justice: A Sonic Response in Solidarity with a Colonial Critique

Walter S. Gershon and Taji Ra’oof Nahl in performance

Friday December 6th 

5:30pm to 7pm

CFEVA, 237 S 18th St. #3a Philadelphia PA 19103

RSVP Here.

Hearing Justice: A Sonic Response in Solidarity with a Colonial Critique. Space Activators: Walter S. Gershon, Saxophones Percussion; Taji Nahl, Sound Production and Manipulation

In solidarity with Theodore Harris’ exhibition, Thesentür/The Thinker Nina Simone and the Politics of Music, Taji Nahl and Walter S. Gershon will serve as sonic activators, responding to the exhibition. Working at the intersection of free improvisation, sound art, and groove based musics, Gershon and Nahl will be in sonic dialog with their perceptions of the exhibition's sensations and sensibilities. This particular combination of analog (saxophones/Afro-Caribbean percussion) and digital (rhythm generators/synthesizers) instruments also echoes Harris’ work, a digital production of a rather analog artform (collage). In addition, the duo of Nahl and Gershon are well suited for this particular context as they are both artists and scholars. The duo has had the pleasure of working together over the past year and are looking forward to interacting with Harris’ exhibition as well as with all who come to be with us in community for this event.

POST Closing Party at Box Spring Gallery

Crane Arts, 1400 N American St., 100C,

Philadelphia, PA 19122

For more info: BoxSpringGallery.com

CELEBRATE WITH CFEVA!

POST Kickoff Party + 25th Birthday CelebrationTuesday, October 1st, 2024 from 5–7pm at CFEVA

237 South 18th Street, #3A, Philadelphia PA 19103

Kick off the anniversary celebration with a POST Party! Raise a glass and toast to 25 years of POST with birthday cake and goody bags!

Kindly RSVP below:

Join us for the Opening Reception of CFEVA’s Fall 2024 exhibitions:

Ziui Chen, Asian Girls Are Everywhere!

Kirk Maynard, Introspections: Societal Margins and Dreams of Diaspora

Opening Reception: September 26, 5:00-7:00 PM at CFEVA (237 South 18th Street, Suite 3a, Philadelphia 19103)

Kindly RSVP below.

Join us for an opening reception on June 13 from 5-7pm at CFEVA (237 South 18th Street, Suite 3A, Philadelphia PA 19103).

CLICK HERE TO RSVP.

On View in the CFEVA Galleries

Visit during CFEVA’s Summer 2024 Public Hours:
June 4-29, Tuesday-Saturday 12:00-6:00 PM
Please note that CFEVA will be closed for the following holidays and events: June 6, June 19, July 4.

In CFEVA’s Felicity R. “Bebe” Benoliel Gallery:
Adam X Eve: Past, Present, & Future
A Series by Diaja

On a daily basis, we are bombarded with imagery and information that influence and shape the way we think, feel, and ultimately, the way we live. Ever since the emancipation of slaves, historically the media (Specifically focusing on the news), has been used as a tool to vilify Black Americans and create fear in its white viewers. Though present-day its racist roots are not as overt, there are plenty of signs of covert racism, biases, and stereotypes that fill what we consume from our reputable sources. Harsh headlines for certain people groups, yet headlines of empathy for their white counterparts, which often leads to sentences/treatment that suit these said headlines. Because the skin of Black/African people is often seen as a weapon, I wanted to change the narrative highlighting the Black and African diaspora as works of art to be admired and celebrated, countering the media's status quo, negative narratives, and stereotypes. I welcome you to see, feel, and experience Blackness differently.

Ceres (Diaja) is a fine art portraiture and conceptual photographer. pursued her passion at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Ceres had an equal love for photography, in which she took a course to sharpen her natural skills and educate herself on various photographic techniques.

After graduating, and working close to 7 years in the fashion industry, Ceres decided to fully dedicate herself to photography. She merged her love for fashion, painting, and photography to create a brand that would be impossible to ignore. Within 2 years of transitioning her work was recognized by Vogue Italia, Huffington Post, and numerous Fashion publications. Ceres' photography is known for storytelling through photographic series. These series’ are often inspired by current events, Black and African culture, and social disparities. Her goal as an artist is to impact others, give back to her community, and give a voice to those unheard and overlooked.

To view more of Diaja, follow @omg_diaja__ on Instagram or visit Diaja.com

On View in the CFEVA Galleries

In CFEVA’s Side Gallery: Rondo: Anesu Nyamupingidza

Rondo, the shona term for clay, a word taught to me upon inquiring about the term for ochre in my native language. Rondo is the colours of the people- all people-, the colours of their lands, the colours of their pasts and their futures. Rondo is an indicator of environmental change, from early stages of succession to the creek sides of fully grown forests in the stabilisation stage, and of constant human presence extracting and exposing elements that contribute to its richness.  

This research delves into the significance of soil, ivhu, and the project is a visual representation of my field notes. Rondo is the type of soil, in all its different colours, that I managed to grind up and turn into a watercolour paint from foraged rocks. The lichens represent one of the many different ways rocky surfaces start to get broken down, as they are among early succession plants, into the soils we see today. These lichens are Lichens of the West Indies from the New York Botanical Garden’s online herbarium collection. 

Visit during CFEVA’s Summer 2024 Public Hours:
June 4-29, Tuesday-Saturday 12:00-6:00 PM
Please note that CFEVA will be closed for the following holidays and events: June 6, June 19, July 4.

Open by appointment July 1-31, Tuesday-Friday. Call 215-546-7775 x13 to schedule your visit. Please allow 48 hours to confirm your appointment.

Now in its third year, the CFEVA Secret Postcard Fundraiser is a celebration of small but powerful artwork created by Philadelphia-area artists. This year we want to highlight the contributions of our artist community over the last 40 years as we celebrate our 40th anniversary! The event will occur on December 6th at Gross McCleaf Gallery at 127 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA. All artworks are accepted as donations to CFEVA. Click on the link below to secure your ticket today. We look forward to seeing you there!

Ticket Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cfeva-secret-postcard-fundraiser-2023-tickets-753939231537?aff=oddtdtcreator

The registration deadline for the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours is August 1! Attend this event/open studio preview to sign up in person. RSVP HERE.

During this POST Community Event, connect with POST artists in your neighborhood, ask questions, and strategize with your neighborhood art network for a successful open studios event this fall.

A very special thank you to Douglas Witmer & Green Line Workspace for hosting!

About the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours:

Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST), a program of The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, is the largest tour of artist studios and creative workspaces in the region, a true celebration of the contribution of artists to the vibrancy of Philadelphia, and one of the premier open studio tour events in the country. Artists, creative spaces and neighborhood partners are all vital to the rebuilding of our communities post-pandemic, and are all illuminated through POST. Join us this October, as you discover why across two weekends, POST is a beacon of local creative & business practice and highlights the best results of a booming artist culture.

POST 2023 will return to its original format, with studios and creative spaces organized based upon their location relative to Broad Street. Studios open East of Broad on October 14 & 15, Studios open West of Broad on October 21 & 22, 12-6pm all four days.

Register for POST at www.cfeva.org/register