Blog
Upcoming Exhibition at Art in the Age: PHILADELPHIA AND ITS MANUFACTURES
Philadelphia and its Manufactures
1859 and 2009
Photographs and Objects From Factories Here and Gone
August 7-30, 2009
Today, in Philadelphia, converted condominiums take names such as, “The Candy Factory” or “Sewing Factory Lofts,” empty invocations of the buildings’ original use. In August, Art in the Age will mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of a little-known book titled Philadelphia and its Manufactures, a lyrical survey of a phase of the city’s livelihood which is now almost – but not entirely - gone. Artist and activist Jacob Hellman displays photographs of factories abandoned and operational, alongside artifacts of industry and facsimiles of the book. By aestheticizing the industry in our midst but largely unnoticed, we hope to renew wonder in manufacturing, and spark a critical awareness of materialism.
Art in the Age firmly believes in empowering artists who produce work of fine craft and intellectual rigor, and this same spirit lives in the pages of Philadelphia and its Manufactures. Inspired by the pride its author exudes, we will market a limited selection of the finest objects still made in Philadelphia – including ornamental garden hardware and the last cast iron baker’s scales – alongside images of the dusty factories and greasy machines that make them. On August 20th, 6-8pm, Hellman will speak about the book and his photographs, and retired commercial printer Phillip Taylor will make a guest presentation on his dying craft.
This exhibit was supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Below are examples of photographic documentation by Jacob Hellman to be on display beginning next Friday, August 7th:
Penn Scale, the last manufacturer of cast-iron baker’s scales in the country, 2008
Abandoned brewery, 2008
Hog hair brush made 20 years ago & still used by Silber Mfg., 1241 N. Front St.
Contemporary crafters re-inhabiting former factories, Berks St., 2008
Add New Comment
Viewing 2 Comments
Thanks. Your comment is awaiting approval by a moderator.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Add New Comment