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CHECK IT OUT: Self-Guided Tour of Local Art Galleries This Weekend


  Have you ever wished you could look into an artist’s studio and see where that person turns visions into reality? The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) is putting together a self-guided gallery tour where guests will have an intimate look at the inner workings of over 200 galleries and artist studios across neighborhoods east of Broad Street.

  On October 22-23, galleries across the Riverwards and beyond will be participating in the Philadelphia Open Studios Tour (POST), East of Broad Street. Galleries participating in the event hail from Center City East, Kensington, Fishtown, North Philadelphia, Northern Liberties, Old City, Port Richmond, The Northeast, Queen Village, Bella Vista and South Philadelphia. You can in the full gallery listing online at www.philaopenstudios.org/post/neighborhood/east

Tim McFarlane Studio_Photo Courtesy of Bernadette Dye

Tim McFarlane Studio/Photo Courtesy of Bernadette Dye

  POST began in 1999 with 13 artists. For four years, it was a small event serving mostly to give a chance for the blossoming artist community to see what was going on in their neighborhood.

  “It started out as an organized thing among artists,” Julia Fox, Community Programming Coordinator for CFEVA, said. “It was sort of just a way for artists to allow some people to come inside their studios and engage them in a totally different way from the traditional gallery way.”

  In 2005, CFEVA took over the tour and has since grown the number of participants, expanding into two tours for east and west of Broad Street. The goal is still to give artists and the public a chance to interact in an intimate manner with the artist.IMG_7812

  According to Fox, this event isn’t around just so people can have a chance to look at artwork in a gallery setting. She hopes this will be a deeper experience that allows people to see the inner workings of a real artist living in today’s Philadelphia. “It’s a personal experience. The boundaries of a gallery and the presence of an artist in a formal setting is very different than when you see them behind the scenes… Have a conversation in person with the creator of the work,” Fox said.

  Fox says that some of the artists are even opening up their personal residences. “Anyone can wander into a space that’s pretty personal,” Fox said. “It’s very much like opening up your bedroom. Some people actually do. You get to see the variety of how people treat their studios. They get a direct outlet in that setting.”

  Fox believes both tours highlight the rich artistic community throughout Philadelphia. She points to a slight advantage for the East Tour and the post industrial neighborhoods like Kensington.

Studio of Marguerita Hagan/Genevieve Coutroubis

Studio of Marguerita Hagan/Genevieve Coutroubis

  “The East Tour is a little more compact. A lot of artists are drawn to the east side of Philadelphia,” Fox said. “The warehouses are more abundant in East Philly. All three loom buildings… The Crane. It’s amazing to see 20 artists that all work in the same building. And they can all feed off each other, and work side by side, and become a community. It’s something you see both east and west, but the east side definitely has a few more more buildings.”

  Fox believes the artist community, and non-artist residents from these neighborhoods will benefit from this experience.

  “It’s a totally different experience in the community than artists normally have, so it’s a huge advantage to them and the community,” Fox said. “It’s really important that the community engages in the arts. The community understanding the work, time and effort an passion the arts community has is something that is understood but actually seeing it is a totally different experience.”

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