Although this isn't a technically question, I thought it might be of interest to the subscribers of the Q&A forum.

NEW LAND MARKS: PUBLIC ART, COMMUNITY, AND THE MEANING OF PLACE EXHIBITION AT THE PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF THE FINE ARTS FEBRUARY 9 THROUGH APRIL 14, 2001

PHILADELPHIA (1/26/2001)-- New Land Marks: public art, community, and the meaning of place opens February 10 and runs through April 14, 2001 at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The Fairmount Park Art Association (FPAA) has organized the exhibition as part of its ongoing New Land Marks program, a nationally recognized model that brings together artists and community organizations to plan new works of public art in conjunction with ongoing community development, urban greening, public amenities, and other revitalization initiatives. These efforts celebrate community identity, commemorate “untold“ histories, and offer visionary, yet reasonable, ways to invigorate public spaces.

The exhibition will document sixteen “works in process“ through photographs, plans, drawings, computer renderings, maps, maquettes, and models and will feature proposals developed by the following artists and community organizations:

- Lorene Cary, Lonnie Graham, and John Stone with Project H.O.M.E. - Malcolm Cochran with Baltimore Avenue in Bloom - Ap. Gorny with the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community in association with the William Way Community Center - Mei-ling Hom with the Friends of the Japanese House and Garden - Martha Jackson-Jarvis and JoAnna Viudez with the Friends of Malcolm X Memorial Park - Zevilla Jackson Preston with The Allegheny West Foundation - John Kindness with the Friends of Elmwood Park - Ed Levine with the Pennypack Environmental Center Advisory Council - Rick Lowe and Deborah Grotfeldt with the Mill Creek Artists' Collaborative - Darlene Nguyen-Ely with the Vietnamese United National Association - Todd Noe with the Communities of Kensington and Fishtown - Pepon Osorio with Congreso de Latinos Unidos - Diane Pieri and Vicki Scuri with the Manayunk Development Corporation - Jaime Suarez with the Neighbors of Fairhill - George Trakas with the Friends of the Wissahickon - Janet Zweig with the South of South Neighborhood Association

PUBLICATION--

A fully illustrated publication by the same title includes: essays by Penny Balkin Bach, Ellen Dissanayake, Thomas Hine, and Lucy Lippard; detailed proposal descriptions; and a comprehensive bibliography. The publication was produced by Grayson Publishing/Ariel Editions.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION DESIGN--

FPAA Executive Director Penny Balkin Bach has led the curatorial team, with assistance from Sarah R. Katz, Exhibitions and Program Coordinator, and Charles Moleski, New Land Marks Program Manager. The unique exhibition design, by Joel Katz Design Associates (JKDA) with Stuart G. Rosenberg architects, evokes a series of encounters with the city through sixteen different installations. Through the deliberate use of architectural gestures, the New Land Marks exhibition design allows viewers to encounter each proposal installation in much the same as way a pedestrian would come upon works of public art in the city. Each of the sixteen proposal installations features site photography by Philadelphia-based artist James B. Abbott. Large-scale black and white photographs of aspects of each proposed site suggests the evolving and collage-like nature of the proposal development process.

The exhibition and catalogue are made possible by generous grants from the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, a grant program of The Pew Charitable Trusts, and administered by The University of the Arts, Philadelphia; the William Penn Foundation; Dagit Saylor Architects; and the Fairmount Park Art Association.

ABOUT THE FAIRMOUNT PARK ART ASSOCIATION --

Chartered in 1872, the Fairmount Park Art Association is the nation’s first private non-profit organization integrating public art and urban planning. The Art Association works to promote the appreciation of public art through advocacy efforts and programs that commission, interpret, and preserve art in Philadelphia. For more information about New Land Marks, please call (215) 546-7550.

ABOUT THE PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF THE FINE ARTS --

Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is America's oldest art museum and school of fine arts. The Museum collects and exhibits the work of distinguished American artists. The School is renowned for its reputation in training artists from the United States and, increasingly, from around the world. Notable alumni include Thomas Eakins, Mary Cassatt, Cecilia Beaux, Maxfield Parrish, Robert Henri, John Sloan, Charles Sheeler, John Marin, and David Lynch. The Museum is located at Broad and Cherry Streets in Philadelphia. For general exhibition information, call 215-972-7600 or visit www.pafa.org.

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-- Charles Moleski (cm@fpaa.org), January 31, 2001