Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank’sOff the Wall Gallery at Dirty Frank’sfacebook.com/OTWDirtyFranks @OTWDirtyFranks NE Corner, 13th & Pine

2013 Winter E

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ition January 6

2013 Winter E

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ition January 6

– March

– March

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SchorskeSchorskeStromquistStromquistRenziRenziROADS LESSROADS LESSTRAVELEDTRAVELED

Our 2013 CalendarJanuary 6 – March 1 2013 Winter Exhibition Opens Thursday, January 10, 7–10 pm

March 3 – April 12 Mary Liz Memorial Masters Exhibition 9 Opens Thursday, March 7, 7–10 pm

April 14 – May 31 2013 Spring Show Opens Thursday, April 18, 7–10 pm

Thursday, May 9 Submission Deadline for Eighth Annual Community Juried Show

June 2 – August 2 Eighth Annual Community Juried Show Opens Thursday, June 6, 7–10 pm

August 4 – 2013 Midsummer Show September 27 Opens Thursday, August 8, 7–10 pm

September 29 – 2013 Autumn Invitational November 29 Opens Thursday, October 3, 7–10 pm

October 20 Sunday with the Masters Interactive Workshops, 12–3 pm

Thursday, November 7 Submission Deadline for Ninth Annual Juried Exhibition

December 1 – 28 Ninth Annual Juried Exhibition Opens Thursday, December 5, 7–10 pm

Up Next...The Ninth Annual Mary Liz MemorialMasters Exhibition

March 3 – April 12

On the cover, clockwise from top: stills from Susan Stromquist’s “Climb,” Gene Renzi’s “Canoes @ Tyler,” Bonnie J. Schorske’s “Sometimes a Cigar Is Just a Cigar” and “Novice, Inle Lake,” Gene Renzi’s “Hay Harvest @ Newtown #2.”

Off the Wall Gallery’s fi rst show of 2013 is as eclectic and well-traveled as its distinguished artists.

The revealing street photography of Bonnie J. Schorske transports us to India, Myanmar and Vietnam. More than simply exposing us to cultures, Bonnie immerses us in captivating slices of life.

The experimental art of Susan Stromquist examines the physical act of creation and redraws its boundaries. Even as she transforms every part of her body into an art-making apparatus, Susan produces work that touches on the metaphysical. Finally, she documents herself at work—a process that yields mesmerizing multimedia output that stands on its own, a distinct new layer of art.

The lyrical black-and-white photography of Gene Renzi treasures point of view and cherishes technique but puts emotion fi rst. And Gene evokes our feelings, and communicates his own, most often without people in the frame—no mean feat.

In choosing a title for our Winter Exhibition, we latched onto ROADS LESS TRAVELED right away. The metaphor suits this prolifi c trio particularly well. It wraps snugly around their divergent bodies of work. And it captures the iconoclast in each, the way they stretch their chosen media and their risk-taking pursuit of singular artistic visions.

But for Bonnie, Susan and Gene, creation is about more than experimentation and geographic and creative journeys. It’s also about times when experiments fail and journeys are not fruitful. Artists fi nd their true measure in how they respond to shortfalls. Gifted artists have the special capacity to turn them into assets and fodder for new work.

So when you look up and see some four dozen works that speak in polished sentences and stanzas, remember, too, that you’re looking at thousands of rolls of fi lm, feet of negatives, travel maps frayed by constant reference, gallons of developer and fi xer, yards of canvas, scrolls of paper, hours of video, discarded tools, abandoned ideas, half-forgotten vistas.

It’s all there. And it all fi ts on our modest wall.

We can only add: What a way to start a new year! And thank you for being part of this special show. While we are honored to share these indelible moments from the unique roads our artists have chosen, we surely want to invite you always to follow the well-beaten path back to Off the Wall Gallery and Dirty Frank’s. See you again soon!

Jody Sweitzer Togo TravaliaCurator Manager

GPS Unplugged

Gene RenziGene RenziDo you know Gene Renzi?

I do and I’d like to take a moment to tell you a little bit about him. Gene was born and raised in South Philly, a place that would become one of his much loved subjects. He is a Renaissance Man who indulges in many different media, ranging from traditional fi ne art to contemporary photography.

Gene has an eye for the sublime details in everyday life that so many of us take for granted. His take on the world around him is beautifully captured in his black-and-white portfolio—a cornucopia of haunting landscapes, tranquil still lifes and candid portraits.

Whether Gene is portraying a stack of lonely canoes by the river in the middle of a Pennsylvania winter or a Victorian cottage by the sea, he

stays true to his roots. He often shoots what he holds close to his heart—and Gene’s work wears that heart on its sleeve. Not only is his hometown a major backdrop throughout his creations, but Gene’s family and friends are always well represented in the story he is more than willing to share with you. This man’s journey has been a

lifelong pursuit of self-expression covering a range of emotions that most artists rarely get to demonstrate.

I know what you’re probably thinking: How did I come to know so much about Gene Renzi, and who am I to speak about the man in such grandiose terms?!? Well, not only am I his biggest fan—I am his son.

–Jason Renzi

“He often shoots what he holds close to his heart—and Gene’s work wears that heart on its sleeve.”

“A Piano Solo”

Multiple framed prints are available for all of Gene’s work.

“By Way of the Rider”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“Canoes @ Tyler”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“Empty Spaces in the Usual Places”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“Hay Harvest @ Newtown #2”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“Jessica Grandeur”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“Lexington Rises”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“A Piano Solo”35mm photographysilver gelatin print200.

“A Queen in the Courtyard”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“Seaside Arena: Atlantic City”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“Seaside Arena: Gillian’s Wonderland”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“Tale of the Urban Archer”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“That Old Chestnut”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“That We May Never Forget”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“Tyler Near the Falls”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“With Room to Spare”medium-format photographysilver gelatin print200.

“Lexington Rises”

“Hay Harvest @ Newtown #2”

Bonnie J. SchorskeBonnie J. SchorskeMy love affair with Southeast Asia began in 1989, and I have been returning there regularly to photograph ever since. Most of the images in this exhibit are from recent trips to India and Myanmar. The greatest challenge in doing photography while travelling has been straddling the line between street photography and travel photography―the objective being to convey a sense of spiritual and physical space in a fresh, emotionally accessible and respectful manner.

Southeast Asia teems with people, animals and religious life. Life is in the temples; shrines are on every street. Monks are in the markets. Horns insistently beep as you walk on dusty roads and narrow paths full of people, bikes, cars, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, dogs, goats, cows. The smells of spices and incense mix with fetid water and rotting

garbage. Golden spires, wall paintings and rainbow hues of cotton and silk are everywhere. It is sensory overload. Magnifi cent cities, both ancient and modern, coexist with timeless villages built from cow paddies and straw―where children crawl on their mothers’ laps while

rice is ground manually by stone into powder and cooked over open fl ames into crackers to take to market.

If a photograph is the moment of grace where subject, light and intention all come together, then fi nding that moment among this cacophony and crush of people is the street photographer’s challenge. And because the people of Southeast Asia are so warm and beautiful and are such a huge part of the story, learning to move respectfully amongst them has been, perhaps, their greatest gift to me.

“If a photograph is the moment of grace where subject, light and intention all come together, then finding that moment among this cacophony and crush of people is the street photographer’s challenge.”

“Monastic Order”

From India:

“Bundelkhand Express”35mm photographytriptych archival pigment print325.limited edition, 2/10

“Man, Boy, Minaret”35mm photographyduotone archival pigment print325.limited edition, 2/10

“Saffron Turban”35mm photographyduotone archival pigment print215.limited edition, 1/10

“Taj Mahal Minaret”35mm photographyarchival pigment print275.limited edition, 1/10

“Varanasi Afternoon”35mm photographyarchival pigment print275.limited edition, 1/10

“Varanasi Steps”35mm photographyarchival pigment print275.limited edition, 1/10

Please note that all of Bonnie’sprices are specifi c to the numberin the edition. Later prints in thesame edition will be priced higher.

“Child’s Play”

“Novices”

From Vietnam:

“The Waffl e Vendor”35mm photographymetallic print350.limited edition, 2/4

From Myanmar*:

“Child’s Play”35mm photographyarchival pigment print215.limited edition, 1/10

“Guardian Angels”35mm photographyarchival pigment print250.limited edition, 1/10

“Laughing Monks”35mm photographyarchival pigment print250.limited edition, 1/10

“Novice, Inle Lake”

“Monastic Entry”35mm photographyarchival pigment print215.limited edition, 1/10

“Monastic Order”35mm photographyarchival pigment print275.limited edition, 1/10

“Novice, Inle Lake”35mm photographyarchival pigment print215.limited edition, 1/10

“Novices”35mm photographyarchival pigment print275.limited edition, 2/10

“Sometimes a Cigar Is Just a Cigar”35mm photographyarchival pigment print215.limited edition, 2/10

*Please note that all of the imagesin this program are of Bonnie’sMyanmar photographs.

“Laughing Monks”

Susan StromquistSusan StromquistDuring my Post-Baccalaureate year at PAFA in 2011, I did “travel a road” I hadn’t taken before. I began working from a conceptual perspective and let form follow.

“Oil Spill Self” is the fi rst of a series about an emotional invader that is diffi cult to contain. I strapped wet, leaking pouches of gouache to my wrist, which dripped and dragged as I drew, creating an unnamed element beside the fi gure.

I went on to invent more tools—creating extensions to my body that simultaneously lengthened my reach and limited my control, using the environment around me and recording video. The footage became raw material to manipulate beyond pure document.

In “Climb,” the paper-lined staircase represents a timeline. With each step I acquired a new tool or supply to add to those I’d gathered previously. I continued to work and rework as far as I could reach. As I made marks on the work, it also made marks on me.

“Give and Keep” is about the ambivalence of wanting to give your entire self to something or someone, but knowing you must not.

In “Drawn,” I was drawing with my eyes but could not see. There’s a moment of transformation—release of control—when the tool begins to move on its own. This push and pull is present in everyday life and all its endeavors. “Drawn” is also about the contrast between what you envision and what you realize in a conscious way. In this case, I was simply writing the alphabet.

“There is a moment of transformation—release of control—when the tool

begins to move on its own. This push and pull is present in everyday life

and all its endeavors.”

Susan’s installation in our 3-D space

“Climb,” “Give and Keep” & “Drawn”looped DVD of three videos20. eachMultiple copies are available.

“Climb”digital print of video stills100.limited edition of 25Multiple framed prints are available.

“Climb” Accordion Bookgraphite powder and gesso on paper,with cardboard and tape500.

“Climb” Scrollcharcoal, conté crayon, gouche, ink, paint, pastel, graphite and mixed media on paper430. “Consequential Gesture” (#1-6)

digital prints80. eachlimited edition of 25Multiple framed prints are available.

“Drawn” Toolsafety glasses, duct tape, tape and charcoalNFS

“Oil Spill Self”charcoal and gouache on paper500.

“Oil Spill” Tools (#1-7)wood, tape, paper towel and gouache75. each

“Oil Spill” Tools (above); stills from “Drawn” (right and below)

Support Our CommunitySupport Our CommunityOff the Wall Gallery is a true nonprofi t enterprise. Our commissions cover only a fraction of the resources needed to put the seven shows we will produce in 2013. Without our community’s support, this work simply wouldn’t be possible. There are two ways you can help us continue to grow, open more doors of opportunity for emerging artists and connect our audiences to more outstanding art.

1) Become a ‘Friend of Off the Wall’ with a gift of $30 or more. We will proudly acknowledge your support in future programs. Please drop this form with a cash donation to your bartender.

2) Become an Off the Wall volunteer. We always need expert volunteer support, such as professional design services, and outreach specialists for tasks ranging from dropping postcards around town to emailing art listings and press releases and following up by phone.

Thank you in advance for your support!

I’d like to make a gift of $____________________.

I’d like to volunteer for Off the Wall Gallery.

Name(s) ______________________________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

E-Mail ________________________________________________________________________________

I’d like to offer my expertise in ______________________________________________________

*If you are considering making a gift, please know that Off the Wall Gallery does not have 501(c)(3) status, so you gift is not tax-deductible. Please direct any questions you may have to offthewallgallery@gmail.com.

From the artists & volunteers of Off the Wall Gallery,

HAPPY NEW YEARHAPPY NEW YEARand THANK YOU for helpingmake 2012 so very special...

7 shows7 shows76 artists76 artists479 works479 works

countless new fanscountless new fans&& 155 sales155 sales

We’re excited to start filling 2013 with great new art, inspiration, discovery and our growing community!