Hello there! It's Jocelyn Mathewes from my studio in Appalachia. And a few weeks ago I had a bestie hang / art pilgrimage / workation in Philadelphia!
It was a marvelous experience made possible by my flexible results-oriented workplace, my amazing husband and partner, and my dear friend and host Sonja*.
Something art-related was on my to-do list every day, so here's the play by play—
One afternoon we wandered into Arader Galleries, which is full to the brim of antique collectible maps, illustrations, and rare prints. Incredible skil and execution, as well as a great dive into history. An excellent way to get myself thinking on an entirely different timescale.
Gross McLeaf Gallery was where I met up with fellow artist Morgan Hobbs (a lovely connection made by #CarveOutTimeForArt's Marissa Huber). She took me on a tour of the gallery, and my highlight was their (re)FOCUS exhibit, commemorating 50 years of women artists in the Philadelphia area.
Later in the week, a visit to The Fabric Workshop and Museum was an utter stunner. Most evocative exhibit: Eiko Otake: I Invited Myself, vol. 111: Duets. I also couldn't resist purchasing two art books (hard to come by in rural East Tennessee!).
After touring through Philadelphia's Magic Gardens on a cloudy day, I found myself really longing for daily art practice, like Isaiah Zagar's. On exhibit were drawings from the daily self-portrait routine that he undertook for years. It's clear he worked out ways to play creatively with his mediums through that practice.
(Sidebar: It's not the first time I've felt jealous of an artist's daily practice. Even after recurring fits of envy and attempts to execute it myself, I'm still unsure if I am simply not the type of artist to have a daily practice, or if I am not disciplined enough to have a daily practice. The question is: am I shoehorning myself into something that doesn’t fit, or am I too scared, or reluctant to believe in my practice so I can show up in that way.)
The Barnes Museum reminded me of a childhood favorite of mine growing up outside Boston, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Barnes was a voracious collector with a particularly interesting way of displaying his works in his own home, salon-style. At times it felt very similar to the way I put together dining room exhibits. It made me wonder if the domestic space shapes or pushes those kinds of connections.
The tour de force of my Bestie-Art-Cation was First Friday. Some of the highlights: Arch Enemy Arts, Museum for Art in Wood's permanent collection, and Paradigm. It was such a whirlwind, and ended in hand-drawn noodles from Chinatown, so I couldn't have imagined a more perfect Friday night.
My takeaways from this whole trip:
Unabashedly collect things you love.
Show up every day, and you’ll see results.
Believing so hard in your work that you show up fully and vulnerably as yourself.
Every community within a niche is small and intimate – you are only a few connections away from the person who might be able to help you or answer a question.
I’m going to do this again!
xo,
jocelyn
P.S. I even got to go to Dick Blick (the largest one in the United States, I was told by an employee) — a huge treat for someone who lives 1-2 hours from the nearest fine art supplier!
P.P.S. Sonja has a lovely singing voice, so check out her album here—
P.P.P.S. I got interviewed for the Knoxville Voyager the other day. How nice!
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I unexpectedly visited PHL a few years ago as a tag-a-long when my husband had a conference and LOVED it. I honestly can't wait to go back. There was SO much art to see and we were surprised to find really great vegan food. I'm adding a few of your stops to my wishlist for next time. Thanks for sharing!