Parking is not a Problem for the Closing Reception of Resonance at Studio B

There's plenty of free parking on the side streets and lots near the studio.

If you find a spot on Philadelphia Ave.--in front of the gallery--you can enjoy parking for only twenty-five cents an hour.

Yes, one quarter per hour.

Those who live or work in Philadelphia should make the trip out just to enjoy that novelty.

Studio B is at 39A E. Philadelphia Ave., Boyertown, PA 19512.

Some Images from the Exhibit

Closing Reception this Friday, September 9th

There's still time to participate in the Resonance: Speaking for the Arts exhibit. Studio B is open this coming Thursday from 11-3, Friday from 11-10, and Saturday from 11-3.

The closing reception on Friday night is the Contributor’s Reception. This reception will celebrate the completed panels and all of the visitors who wrote messages for the panels. Everyone is invited back to see the completed panels and share stories about their responses. Angela and I will use a few minutes that evening to share stories about the prompts, the show’s origins, and our process. We’ll auction off the panels and enjoy light refreshments.

I'm very excited about the exhibit. I feel that the work Angela and I did is worth repeating in other towns, and for other exigencies. I also feel that the exhibit has been a kind of experiment, producing for me as many new questions about the arts and public discourse--as it answered.

Will Dexter, of the brilliant Taylor Backes studio, wrote a short review on his facebook wall. "Refreshing, provocative, aesthetically sound, engaging installation. If you are near Boyertown you should check it out."

The exhibit is at 39A East Philadelphia Ave., Boyertown PA 19512. The Studio B website is studiobbb.org

As Promised: Some Photos of Opening Night

Visitors write and mingle. Some of the panels on the right wall contain a fair number in responses.

The exhibit's writing tables provide just enough space!








Thanks go to Angela for finding the time to take some photos during the opening--and to email them here.


Studio B in Boyertown is open Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and by appointment. The next big event is the reception on September 9th, 5pm to 10pm. Angela and Marshall will be teaching a class on September 10th at Studio B. Go to studiobbb.org for more information.

Some Reactions to Last Night's Opening

There will be some more photos soon, but here are some of my initial reactions.

Wow! Resonance: Speaking for the Arts seemed to be a big hit last night. At 5PM when the exhibit opened, the panels were empty, but by 10PM when we closed the gallery, there were more ideas written on those panels than we had time to read.

A few are full. Many are half full. There were messages from kids and adults, artists and non-artists. It was wonderful.

Visitors seemed to enjoy finishing the sentences on the following panels--these were full by the end of the night:
There is a quote that I love; It goes. . .(Panel 3)
Blank is an art, Few people realize this but it is (10.
When I dance. . .(Panel 9)
Asked what my favorite piece of visual art is and why, I would say. . .(Panel 14)

I haven't had a chance to read all of the responses. The ones I did read ranged from heavy to light--with a good mix of other tones as well. I'll be stopping at the gallery on Monday to read them all.

Another exciting observation? Many visitors took liberties with how they wove their responses into the panels. The panel that talks about visual arts is full of different lengths of paper using different colors. It's not at all what we expected visually, but it's a beautiful accident.

Congratulations to Angela for making art out of a public conversation about the arts. Thanks to our sponsors, A.D. Moyer Lumber, Citadel Credit Union, Penn Valley Construction Co. Inc., Everything Postal and Printing, E.G. Landis Jewelers, and Studio B.

And, a great big thank you to everyone who visited the gallery last night and contributed to the panels.

I would have to say that I was most pleased by the fun everyone seemed to be having responding the prompts on the panels. To be frank, discussing the arts can sometimes be a dull activity. It wasn't last night. I spent most of the evening catching up with old friends and family and talking to local artists. When we locked the doors and closed the gallery last night, I finally realized how much work the prompts were doing to facilitate the conversation. Angela and I didn't need to explain things. That's what the exhibit aimed for. Last night it hit the target.

What next? Well, there's still room on several of the panels for people who want to participate in this exhibit.

If you were there, what was it like for you? Feel free to reply to this entry and let others know your reactions to the exhibit.

Angela's Interview on BCTV

In recent interview on BCTV, Angela Colasanti spoke eloquently about her project Resonance: Speaking for the Arts. You can watch the clip here--no log-in required. The show was interesting and informative thanks to our host, Nick Lawrence. Guests also included, Angela's partner on the exhibit, Marshall Warfield, Jane Stahl, Director of Community Relations at Studio B where the exhibit is on display, and Jenny Hershour, Managing Director of Citizens for the Arts in PA.

The actual url is http://www.bctv.org/special_reports/community/vmix_670dc7b8-c2bb-11e0-a5e7-001cc4c03286.html

The Sponsors of Resonance: Speaking for the Arts

The past three weeks have vanished in a storm of preparation for Resonance: Speaking for the Arts. There was the interview on BCTV, purchasing the last of the materials, putting the finishing touches on all of the written material, and securing the final sponsors. This post is about those sponsor organizations that have allowed Angela's vision to take form.

The sponsors are all locally owned businesses that reflect the values that Angela and I hope to celebrate with this exhibit. I'm talking abut the values of civic engagement, generosity, and communication.

For example, Citadel is a credit union—as a customer with as little as five dollars in a savings account, you are a member of this financial institution, and you have a say in important decisions. Can a financial institution reflect democracy? It can if it’s a credit union. citadelbanking.com

E.G. Landis Jewelers has been a part of our area’s economy for sixty years, and their financial support was generous and helpful. eglandisjewelers.com

Everything Postal and Printing supported us by printing a few critical banners and posters. everythingpostal.com

Penn Valley Construction provided us with a donation, and they have provided the region with highly respected masonry work for over thirty years. They can be reached at 610-896-7910.

A.D. Moyer Lumber, a pillar of a community business for decades, donated some critical materials for our panels. And, I recently learned from a trusted source that their Gilbertsville location helped out a neighbor who was building a wheelchair ramp. admoyer.com

And of course, the marvelous Studio B donated their space so that the entire region could express their feelings about art in their lives. studiobbb.org

The Manatawny Creek Winery is even helping us! Every community needs to relax now and then, no? manatawnycreekwinery.com

I guess what I'm trying to do here, is to say the following:

Making art is a tough business, and supporting it doesn’t make you any money. These organizations were generous, but they can’t afford to be Santa Claus all the time. Please take the time to consider using one of these great organizations for one of your future endeavors.