Upcoming Chen Meetings -- Mark Your Calendars

Date: Saturday, February 25, 2012

Time: 6 pm – 8 pm

Place: The House of Chen,732 W Hamilton St Allentown, PA

Details: Georgine Miller was kind enough to secure the Allentown Museum Community Space for a May 27 to June 2 show. This meeting will be used to discuss the upcoming show.

From 6pm – 7 pm we will eat and socialize, the meeting will begin at 7 pm. Come and enjoy the food and/or just come for the meeting, either way we hope you’ll join us.

Please let us know if you're coming so we can have Jenny prepare the right space for us.

Date: Saturday, March 10, 2012

Time: 2pm – 5 pm

Place: The Antonio Salemme Foundation, 542 Hamilton Street, Suite 203, Allentown, PA

Details: This meeting is to discuss the future of the Chen Group.

Artists+Mo​dels Valentines Day Benefit for Pat Sonne

Artists and Models Valentines Day Party

and Benefit

 Tuesday, February 14, 7 to 10pm

(Snow date Friday, February 17)

Live music, food and drink, beautiful models, paint-smeared artists!

and

A silent auction of figure drawings and other art

to benefit our favorite model, Pat Sonne

Suggested donation: $10

Antonio Salemme Foundation

542 W.Hamilton Street, #203

Allentown, PA 18101

For more info: josephskrapits@yahoo.com 610-433-4150

Free parking in the APA S.6th Street lot behind our building.

Figure Drawings needed for Benefit for Pat Sonne

Joe Skrapits has been kind enough to organize this benefit, we encourage you to donate sketches, and/or attend ...

A call to donate a figure drawing (or two) to a silent auction benefit for Pat Sonne. As you know, Pat has been an artists’ model in the Lehigh Valley for nearly two decades. Pat’s contributions to the arts community have touched many of us , whether as artists seeking to understand and draw the human figure, as models seeking a mentor, or as schools and galleries needing to hire her or the creative, dependable life models she trained.

Since last fall Pat has been unable to work as a model due to serious illness, and is now facing financial hardship. The benefit auction, with 100% of the proceeds going to Pat, will take place on Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14th from 7 to 10 pm at the Antonio Salemme Foundation in Allentown.

In honor of Pat‘s work as a model and mentor, Joe is specifically asking for donations of figure drawings, though not necessarily drawings of Pat. The drawings need not be framed or matted; however, please do sign or initial your drawings. Every effort to return unsold drawings (as long as contact information is provided with the artwork) will be made.

Artwork may be dropped off at the Salemme Foundation, 542 W. Hamilton St, Suite 203, Allentown, PA 18101, during life drawing sessions on Sundays, 2 to 5pm. You can also arrange to have your drawings picked up at your school or other convenient location. Contact Elizabeth at 610-990-6032 or e-mail her at eas330@gmail.com . Donations will be accepted through Sunday, February 12.

Monetary or gift-card donations should be made out to Pat Sonne, and mailed directly to her at 543 West 3rd Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015.

We’re relying Pat’s friends in the arts community to spread the word and contribute whatever they can to help someone who has given so much of her talent and soul to the community. Feel free to distribute this e-mail to the art students and staff in your school, as well as to share it by word of mouth.

Please consider making a donation and joining us for a fun-filled evening of great art, live music, food and drinks as we celebrate Pat and help speed her recovery.

Jared Swart and Olivia Hall: Opening Reception/gathering next Saturday January 28th!

Soft Machine Gallery presents: Olivia Hall 'Interiors of the Hudson Valley, 'Ten Pairs' and Jared Swart  January 28th through February 25th, 2012 Please join them for the Opening Reception! Saturday January 28th, 6 to 10 pm

Olivia Hall, New York, NY:    'Interiors of the Hudson Valley', a body of work by Olivia Hall, of NYC, was inspired by supernatural photography of the 1800's. Hall studied photographers of the time who captured seances and mediums in photographic form. These photographs were often debunked as hoaxes, however despite their inauthenticity she remained intrigued by how frightening, organic the images were. She created her own series of photographs which have in a way become the original images' supernatural counterparts.  She places ordinary, commonplace objects suspended within carefully composed backgrounds of domestic interiors. Leaving out any reference to anything fantastical she instead focuses on the motion of the objects and how they exist within and disrupt an interior landscape, allowing our imaginations to wonder how, why. 'Ten Pairs' is a series of photographs of underwear in which Hall places along side the image, a background story which surrounds the article of clothing and/or a statement about the artist's emotional state.

Jared Swart, Allentown PA:   Jared Swart, of Allentown, PA, has been painting since he was 16 years old. Swart explains that "somewhere along the way" he began "selfishly" using art for its' therapeutic properties. Using stream of consciousness, Jared would paint the first 20 or so uncalculated random brush strokes that occurred to him. Today, his process remains mostly unchanged. Often using found materials as a surface, he considers his work to be an outpouring of what are probably his most difficult emotions to process: anxiety, fears of death, oppression, social abandonment, failure, unbridled consumerism, subtle totalitarianism, and the lack of meaning in today's civilization/culture as well as dreams of escape from this paradigm. Despite the subject matter, his paintings are quite bright and colorful.

Soft Machine Gallery 725 North 15th Street, #7 Allentown, PA 18102 484 838 4252 info@softmachinegallery.com www.softmachinegallery.com

THE "ALL THAT SALON" 2012 EVENT

COME OUT AND ENJOY THE FIRST "OFFICIAL" EVENT of The "ALL THAT SALON" in 2012 on Sunday, January 29th, from 3pm - 6pm at 580 Furnace Street, Emmaus, PA! There will be food, refreshments, vendors, and networking! 

The VIBE is always enjoyable and the conversation always interesting. You don't want to miss THIS event and a chance to meet the delightful Ms. Sidoione! www.allthatsalon.com .  

Vendor opportunities still available. Contact 484.619.6541

LV Mirror Promo for Chen Show

The Allentown Chen Arts Group presents Metamorphosis at the Antonio Salemme Foundation in downtown Allentown. Show opens Saturday and runs through Feb. 4. Check out some of the artwork on this week's LV Mirror, just click here.

Chen Opening of METAMORPHOSIS onJanuary 21, 2012. Join Us!

Saturday, January 21st at the

Antonio Salemme Foundation
542 Hamilton Street, Suite 203
Allentown, PA 18101 

Featuring the artwork of 23 local artists (including Janet Barna, 

Alison Bessesdotter, Veronica Budihas, Steven Condra, 

Eilleen Cressman-Reeder, Janet-Dean Cantalini. Zehra Follweiler, 

Heather Haas, Ana Hamilton, Kate Hughes, Kevin James, Chris P. Jones, 

EA Kafkalas, Tracey Lopez, Rafael Lopez Jr., Georgine Miller, Elly Moloy, 

Delano H. Morgan, Monica Santos-Narvaez, Tara Shuey, Michele Neifert, 

Ted Odossey, Susan Weaver, and Rob Williams). Works range from photography, 

art quilting, paintings, ceramics, and more.

Master guitarist Frank DiBussolo, an eight-time Grammy nominee, 

and some of his students from the charter school 

will be providing the music for the evening.

The event is from 7pm - 10 pm, 

There is free parking behind the Salemme Foundation, 

and a backdoor entrance with elevator 

for those of you who can't take the stairs.

If you can't join us on the 21st. There will be a closing reception
Saturday, February 4th from 2 pm - 5 pm.
Featuring readings by local poets.

Gallery hours are Mon - Fri, from 11 am to 2 pm from Jan 23-Feb 3.

Fundraiser for PA Coalition Against Rape

Sexual Abuse Poetry Night is scheduled for this year. It’s a night for survivors of sexual abuse to come together as a community and break the silence for one night. We read poetry, we hear music, we drink coffee and eat snacks, and this year we will be hearing from artists and enjoying some abuse and healing-related art. It’s open to teens and adults, and no pressure just come and listen or get up and read a poem or two.

This event is a fundraiser for PA Coalition Against Rape. Please pass it along to family, friends or clients, whoever is drawn to poetry and needs a little community.

Jazz Performance

THE DAVE LIEBMAN GROUP performs on Friday, January 20, 2012, at 7:30 PM, in the Rodale Community Room of the Allentown Symphony Hall.

Dave, who will be playing the music of Miles Davis and John Coltrane that evening, has had numerous awards, an honorary doctorate, GRAMMYS, and the nation's highest honor in Jazz: The Jazz Master Award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Joining him will be Marko Marcinko on drums, Tony Marino on bass, and Phil Markowitz on piano.

Call today to reserve your ticket, 610. 432. 6715 : $20 Advance/$25 At Door for 2 sets, hors d'oeuvres, cash bar.

January Exhibit Opening at Allentown Art Works

Allentown Art Works January Exhibit Opening Featuring Curator and Local Artist Anthony Donnelly on Friday, January 13th from 5:30-7:30 pm

2012 is going to be THE year for arts in the Lehigh Valley and the Art Works has become the gallery for local artists! Each month a different local artist will be given the "keys" to the shop to create their own show. As Art Works has been organically evolving, Anthony Donnelly has graciously accepted the last minute challenge for January and will be joined by the following artists Katy Molinaro, Wendy Smale, Robert Riegel, Jess Echevarria, Nicole Bogac and Victor Fritch!

We will be offering a sampling of Burrito and Coffee Works fare during this event (courtesy of the Fegley Family).

The opening of this show coincides with Allentown's Restaurant Week which is also now incorporating local art too! Be sure to stop in the Allentown Brew Works (Chris P. Jones), Sangria (Bobby Zeik) and Made in Brazil (Brandon Wunder) to see 3 local artists who were part of our December show on display from 5 - 7 pm in these venues.

Art Works is at 818 W. Hamilton Street, inside Fegley's Burrito Works. Be sure to friend us on Facebook to keep up to date on local art happenings!

Minutes from the Sunday, January 8th Chen Meeting

The meeting took place at Hava Java - 526 N 19th Street, Allentown, 12pm-2pm.

Attendees: Heather Haas, Tracey Lopez, Rafael Lopez, Alison Bessesdotter, Zehra Follweiler, Ana Hamilton, Kate Hughes, Delano Morgan, Monica Santos-Narvaez, Janet Dean-Cantalini, EA Kafkalas.

A brief discussion of the pros and cons of becoming a non-profit was discussed prior to the start of the actual meeting but tabled for a future meeting after the upcoming show.

The meeting was then turned to talk of the upcoming Metamorphosis show.
Deadline for entry was January 7, 2012. At that point in time, we had collected enough to pay Joseph Skrapits $150 for the rental of the space, and have a $20 balance. It is anticipated that if other artists who have shown an interest in participating submit their work and payment, we could net an additional $150. The need to set and stick to deadlines was discussed for future shows to help with effective budget planning.

Drop off times were set for Saturday, January 14th 11am – 3pm and Sunday, January 15th 2pm – 5pm. Sunday the 15th coincides with Salemme’s Figure Drawing Class. Anyone is also welcome to participate in the class.

Artwork may be picked up after 5pm when the show ends. No artwork will be released until the Closing Reception ends on Saturday, February 4th at 5pm. For those unable to attend the closing or pick-up that day, an alternate pick up date was set for Sunday, Feb 5th 2-5 pm (again to coincide with the Salemme Figure Drawing Class).

Ana Hamilton needs volunteers to help man the gallery during lunchtime, Mon thru Friday, 11 am - 2 pm, Jan 23rd - Feb 3rd. If you have time and can volunteer, contact Ana directly at anahamiltonart@gmail.com.

Kate Hughes discussed postering so far. She has done Main Street in Bethlehem and Dick Blick, and is looking for volunteers to help cover other areas. She has both postcards and posters available. The idea of keeping a master list of which businesses take posters / postcards and which do not for future shows was discussed. Coordinate that information with Kate. Alison Bessesdotter offered to maintain the list. If you need posters/ postcards, please also contact Kate directly at intoxikatephotos@gmail.com.

Tracey Lopez discussed the Opening Reception. She currently has 5 volunteers for the opening. She will be sending out an email to the entire group to outline the needs for both the opening and closing. Georgine (via email) is donating disposables, Zehra is donating deviled eggs and crudite, Janet is donating punch and ice (with a punch bowl), Heather is donating a box of wine, others mentioned contacting her to donate additional food items. Alison B. offered to setup a food list spreadsheet for Tracey.

House of Chen will not be able to contribute any food for the opening since it conflicts with Chinese New year weekend. Tracey will ask Jenny about contributing for the closing.

Tracey also needs volunteers for the closing night reception. If you can provide food, and/or volunteer to serve, please contact Tracey directly at traceymlopez@gmail.com.

Options for raising funds for the receptions were discussed. Alison suggested selling roses at the door as a way to raise some funds. Kate suggested contacting supermarkets to ask if they would contribute something to the receptions.

The procedure for sales from the show was discussed so those sitting for gallery hours will know what needs to be done. There will be a book with a list of works with artist name and contact information. Should a buyer wish to make a purchase, their name, phone number and email will be taken down and then the artist will be contacted. It will be up to the artist to contact the buyer to finalize the sale after January 4th.

Neither Salemme nor Chen Arts require a commission from sales. Del suggested we take commission for future shows to help offset costs. At this time Chen is not setup administratively for that. This was tabled for future discussion.

Other publicity was discussed. Kate Hughes will be on 90.3 WXLV from 6am - 9am on Fri, January 20th. So tune in to listen: www.wxlvradio.com. Discussion was made about using WDIY to post an ad about the show in their art community listing.

The Lehigh Valley Mirror wishes to do an interview and photograph some of the artwork. Ellen will set that up with them, hopefully for the weekend of the artwork drop off.

Alison offered to send information to the East Penn Press and Morning Call.

Ellen will make Alison a Facebook administrator, so that she can create a Facebook event and a group invite.

The meeting lasted an hour, and no future meeting was scheduled as we need to focus on the Metamorphosis show.

Drop Off Dates for Chen Metamorphosis Show

Artwork for the Chen Metamorphosis show should be dropped off

Saturday, Jan 14th ... 11am - 3 pm,

or

Sunday, Jan 15 .... 2pm - 5 pm


at

The Antonio Salemme Foundation,

542 Hamilton St., suite 203, Allentown, PA.

enter through the back door, where the parking lot is.

REMEMBER ARTWORK THAT IS NOT DRY & READY TO BE GALLERY HUNG WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.