Author: NIAD Art Center

Untitled (D1339) Halisi Noel-Johnson

From NIAD’s Director: Learning with Humility

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From our elders, youth, neighbors, sisters, brothers, and respected community members we hear: the verdict in the George Floyd murder trial is a step forward, but this verdict is accountability, not true justice. We continue to mourn lives lost. This week, we say the names of Ma’Khia Bryant, Daunte Wright, and Adam Toledo in rage and sorrow knowing there are too many more. We must shape the present and the future to be more just. At NIAD, we are continually learning what we are called to do. As an organization, we are:   Holding space for weekly conversations at the intersection Read More …

Untitled (D0443) Yuka Kobayashi

Online exhibition: Warming, selected by Good Buy Supply

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About the exhibition Warming A selection of works that embrace imperfect elements and subtle beauty found in nature. We can envision the artists admiring the natural world and what they love about it. Each work is met with a delicate thoughtful touch that can transcend beyond the page. The same mindset can be found in making sustainable choices that better people and the planet.  About the selector Good Buy Supply is Philadelphia’s first retail store dedicated to plastic-free alternatives for everyday life. Located in the grand, independent business community of East Passyunk Avenue, Good Buy Supply boasts a large selection Read More …

Terri Moore and Karen May

We’re Hiring!

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NIAD is an organization that aims to be artistically relevant and culturally inclusive. As an organization we deliver these aims through activities in our main galleries, our Artist of the Month installation run by studio artists and staff, and our off-site partnership collaborations. NIAD’s Art Marketing and Partnerships Program drives audience reach, reputation and revenue: developing and diversifying audiences; building brand visibility, and creating an outstanding audience experience; and generating income for NIAD. Our very active team aims to deliver outstanding art marketing to our audiences that is both highly creative and effective and can connect us to the widest Read More …

Untitled (F0407) Susan Wise

Online Exhibition: Other Side Of The Rainbow, selected by Stephanie Hanor

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About the exhibition After a year of shared, global trauma, in the multiple forms of a pandemic, systemic racism, economic and environmental disaster, and political turmoil, there is a small light at the end of the tunnel. While the future remains precarious and unknown, the works in this exhibition embrace the colors of the rainbow, conveying a sense of hope and optimism. Bright and expressive, these pieces are an antidote to the losses we have endured both individually and together. Their sunniness and cheerfulness raise one’s spirits and anticipates the promise of a better tomorrow. About the selector Stephanie Hanor is Read More …

Sara Malpass Untitled (D0696)

Online Exhibition: Words And Feeling, selected by Nicole Shaffer

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About the exhibition When going through the NIAD archives, I was struck by a number of works that pair text with image in ways that shift language and illustration from a familiar, functional use to something more expansive. I access a similar experience of forming unexpected and generative correlations when I observe my sensations through movement. For this online series, I selected works that opened up my thinking about language and sensory experience. About the selector Nicole is a current MFA candidate at San Francisco State University and has exhibited in Bay Area spaces such as Southern Exposure, Wolfman Books, Read More …

Saul Alegria Untitled (S2530)

NIAD Windows Exhibition: To Make Home, selected by Simon Tran and Kari Simonsen

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To Make Home is about how each of us holds a different idea of home—the city we grew up in, the people we love, a pet, the place we do laundry, or the space in which we make art. Home can mean a comforting place, a far away place, or a confusing place. Each of us carries a bit of home with us. For example, Simon Tran is influenced by the spices used in his mom’s Vietnamese cooking. Others view home as something to leave behind, such as jen stract whose art practice involves carrying mini clay washing machines with Read More …

Jean McElvane’s Playlist: Walls, Windows, and Mirrors

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NIAD artist, Jean McElvane, has created a playlist of songs about walls, windows, and mirrors for us! “The idea for this set list came from the thought of looking beyond four walls, through the window, and a good look in the mirror looking back at what’s there,” says Jean. You can view Jean’s available artwork in the NIAD Gallery Store by clicking here. Enjoy her Walls, Windows, and Mirrors playlist! #1 Off the Wall” by Michael Jackson Link to “Off the Wall” lyrics #2 “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” by Pink Floyd Link to “Another Brick in the Wall Read More …

Online Exhibition: Artist of the Month Series: Peter Harris

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About the exhibition “I made all of these. Pink, green, blue: it’s art.” Over the past few years, NIAD artists have been delving deeper into the curatorial aspects of their practices by participating in our Artist of the Month program, which converts a portion of the communal studio into an installation and exhibition space. Working individually or in teams, artists elect to display completed work, experiment with wall murals and site-specific installations, or perform art, poetry, and music. We are thrilled to present the following collection based on an AOM installation directed by Peter Harris. Peter selected a number of his ceramics, prints, and paintings, and continued to add new work to the space for the duration Read More …

NIAD Art Centers front windows display a series of artworks by African American artists including ceramics, prints, and drawings.

Online Event: Thirsty Thursday with Raven Harper and Shawna Kinard //

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Join us online at 6PM, Thursday, February 11! We’ll welcome NIAD Studio Artists Raven Harper and Shawna Kinard in conversation about their NIAD Windows Exhibition, “History in the Making.” In addition to curating this month’s NIAD Windows Show, Raven and Shawna join seven NIAD Studio Artists exhibiting in Richmond Art Center’s Art of the African Diaspora. At Thirsty Thursday, they will reflect on both exhibitions and their perspectives on African American History Month. Admission is free, but you must register to receive the join-in link. See you there!

A ceramic vase with cover featuring a glazed pattern of overlapping semi-circles in red, black, green, yellow, and purple

NIAD Windows Exhibition: History in the Making organized by Raven Harper and Shawna Kinard //

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About the exhibition In this exhibition, Shawna Kinard and Raven Harper are exploring their relationship to Black history through the lens of NIAD Studio Artists whose work they identify with. “Black women deserve to be heard. Often Black people don’t get to be heard and I wanted to show Black women because I know a lot about Black history. Black history is important to know about because it’s something you can teach your children about.” For Raven Harper, her curatorial direction followed the pathway of remembering. “People these days should recognize that our ancestors did it for us. Rosa Parks Read More …

Snakelike animals in colored pencil and black sharpie marker move diagonally right to left amidst a gold-leafed field in this collage by NIAD studio artist Alice Sampson.

Online Exhibition: The Absence of Evidence Is Not the Evidence of Absence, selected by Christina Hughmanick //

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About the exhibition This exhibition strings together graphic images developed by each artist to reconsider written language in relation to early human mark making. From a talk given by paleoanthropologist Genevieve von Petzinger in 2015 entitled Why are these 32 symbols found in ancient caves all over Europe?: “As you pass through the portal between light and dark, you enter a subterranean world — a place of perpetual gloom, of earthy smells, of hushed silence. Long ago in Europe, ancient people also entered these underground worlds. As witness to their passage they left behind mysterious engravings and paintings…triangles and zigzags from Read More …

Blocks of jewel-toned rectangles alternate with blocks of confetti-shaped marks in a landscape-oriented geometric abstraction in colored pencil and pen by NIAD Studio Artist Elena Rossi.

Online Exhibition: Carlota Rodriguez + Elena Rossi, selected by Samantha Bittman

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About the exhibition For this exhibition, I decided to focus on a selection of paintings and fiber-based artworks by Carlota Rodriguez and Elena Rossi. In each artist’s work, I was immediately compelled by their use of vibrant color, pattern, and materiality, as well as their loose approach to geometric composition, which strikes me as playfully balanced between symmetry and asymmetry, pattern and disarrangement. About the selector Samantha Bittman is an artist and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work exists between painting, weaving, and installation, and within it she explores ideas around pattern, perception, and abstraction. She received her B.F.A. Read More …

Installation View of an exhibition including ceramics, prints, paintings, and mixed media works in NIAD Windows, My Rising Special Place selected by Mary Mortimer and Dorrie Reid

At NIAD: My Rising Special Place, Curated by Mary Mortimer and Dorrie Reid on view through January 29 //

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This is the the seventh show in our new exhibition space NIAD Windows. NIAD Windows is four white walls in the front window bays of the Art Center. The shows can easily be seen from the sidewalk or from a passing automobile. From Dorrie Reid:“I’ve been thinking about when I retire. I’ve been thinking about my long-term goals, finding a place to settle down and work on my art. Somewhere I can have quiet time, and no hostility. I’m thinking about finding a place that’s quiet, and moving on to what I want to do in the future. Searching for Read More …

A vinyl record by Pat Benatar, Crimes of Passion, is overlaid with white acrylic paint by NIAD Studio Artist Christian Vassell.

Online Exhibition: SPEED, Selected by Patrick Reed

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View the show. About the exhibition Pedal to the Metal Our music is fast.           Our food is fast.                      Our sports are fast.                              Our bite is faster.                                     Night shift, night rider, Catch us if you can                                    (you can’t) kiss kiss            meow About the selector Patrick J. Reed is an artist and art writer. He is a regular contributor to art-agenda and a staff writer for THE SEEN, where he is the author of “Sonic Avenues,” a monthly column that explores sound as it arises in, emanates from, and occurs around art. His criticism is also featured in Read More …

Installation photo of two untitled portrait paintings by NIAD studio artist Billy White

Exciting News: Billy White at Adams and Ollman January 9-February 6, 2021 //

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⁣Adams and Ollman is pleased to present a solo exhibition of paintings by Billy White (b. 1962, lives in Hercules, California, and works in Richmond, California). Marking the artist’s first solo exhibition on the West Coast, the show will feature a selection of his expressive portraits made between 2016 and 2019. The exhibition is open by appointment only. ⁣⁣With graphic marks and emphatic colors, White conjures portraits that are celebratory and personal. Muscular and energetic brushstrokes coalesce to form complex images that are more emotional than representational. White’s subjects include his family and himself, as well as iconic figures from Read More …

Online Exhibition: Road to Nowhere, Selected by Eric Shiner

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View the show. About the exhibition One of my favorite songs is “Road to Nowhere” by the band Talking Heads. As our nation is currently on a strange road to an ever darker place, I try to remain optimistic knowing that many good people are fighting against the ills of society to put us on a brighter path to an equitable and just future. Artists, like those working at NIAD, are helping to lead the charge, and the works that I selected all reference roads that I hope lead us to a safe space. Art, in kind, should always take Read More …