The city’s newest art gallery, Commonweal is hosting a series of seminars beginning with this weekend’s Rittenhouse walkthrough and workshop for younger artists with Warith Taha.
Alex Conner, Arts Educator, Marketing Consultant, Entrepreneur, and now Gallerist, has opened Commonweal Gallery, a commercial space for emerging artists, giving them the opportunity to showcase their work in the heart of the city. Conner will host two-artist exhibitions throughout the first year, seeking to engage artists and audiences of all ages. The artists that Conner hosts are representatives of the Philadelphia community and actively engaging with national and global conversations.
Currently, Commonweal is showcasing the works of artists G. Farrell Kellum, and Warith Taha. Their art “investigates blackness, the body, memory, and materially explores how identity is regularly constructed and reassembled in order to navigate the precariousness of everyday life.”
Commonweal Gallery also offers a series of intimate evening programs throughout the year for anyone who is interested in joining. This month, the most recent workshops include both artists who are currently showcasing, intended to broaden the understanding of how and why featured artists engage with the world. October 8th, Warith Taha will be hosting a walk-through around the Rittenhouse area as he explains a bit about how his work engages with the concepts of “Growth,” while the group examines and collects native vegetation. On October 9th, Taha will be teaching a workshop, “Pressed Nature” for young artists and their parents, to collaborate on a work of art that will try to answer “how do you capture a memory?” using mixed-media materials such as paint, plexiglass, and plants gathered from the night before during his workshop.
Additionally, Commonweal Gallery has a capsule collection really worth checking out. It consists of a collective of home decor works by ten Philadelphia artists and designers in collaboration with the gallery itself. The objects created were intended to be unique and functional whose thoughtfulness enriches the daily experience through their use. They are available exclusively at Commonweal.
With many great things the city has to offer, this is merely the beginning for Commonweal and one of many ways it’s able to bring more people together. We are very excited to see the growth and all they have in store in the coming months.
For more information, scheduling, and workshops you can visit their website and be a part of the journey.
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