WOMEN IN THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE: KIKI GAFFNEY, JUDY GELLES, LAUREN MABRY

RECEPTION & DIALOGUE: Friday, March 8, 6 - 8 PM.

IN DIALOGUE | 6 - 6:30 PM.

Diane Burke, artist & co-organizer of the 50th celebration of FOCUS, Kiki Gaffney, and Lauren Mabry.

This Spring we celebrate local female artists at Pentimenti Gallery with a group exhibition titled Women in the City of Brotherly Love. This exhibition is included in (re)FOCUS 2024, a Philadelphia citywide program that celebrates women artists. The festival celebrates the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia Focuses on Women in the Visual Arts/1974.  

Women in the City of Brotherly Love is a compelling exhibition featuring the work of three remarkable women who have chosen Philadelphia as their home. This show delves into the complexities of urban socio-economic dynamics, explores the inherent natural beauty of the city, and unravels the diverse tapestry of its neighborhoods. Philadelphia, acting as a vibrant muse, has bestowed upon these artists a lush and varied palette of inspiration. Their commitment to live and work in Philadelphia weaves a collective narrative that serves as a reminder of the city's creative gravitas. 

Kiki Gaffney explores the natural world through both representational figures and abstract systems. Within her work, she combines motifs of nature, such as mushrooms and snowy mountainsides, with diagrammatic tools like visualized mapping and inverted images to create spaces of contemplation. Her vibrant array of materials and colors mimic the rich diversity found within nature. 

Kiki Gaffney received her BA from Loyola College, Baltimore, and her MFA from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. She has exhibited with Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA; Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; Christys Art Center, Sag Harbor, NY; Krasdale Gallery, New York, NY; Susan Maasch Fine Art, Portland, ME. She is a five-time recipient of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts grants and recent past residencies: Land Line Artist Residency, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO, and Montello Foundation Artist in Residence, Montello, NV. Her work is in the collection of Denver Botanic Gardens, Microsoft, Canon USA Inc., Sonoma State University, and Capital One.

Judy Gelles - For over a decade, Judy Gelles embarked on a compelling project, conducting interviews and capturing portraits of over 300 fourth-grade students across diverse economic and cultural landscapes. Her unique journey spanned China, UAE, England, India, Israel, Italy, Nicaragua, St. Lucia, South Africa, South Korea, and the United States. Gelles posed the same three questions to each student: Who do you live with? What do you wish for? What do you worry about? The Fourth Grade Project serves as a powerful conduit, connecting children both locally and globally, fostering understanding, and breaking down barriers. The exhibition features fine art photographs taken at a South African Public School, offering a poignant glimpse into this global exploration.

Judy Gelles received her MFA in Photography from the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI. Gelles has exhibited her work most notably at the National Portrait Gallery, London, UK; Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, Sunderland, UK; Arts Club of Washington, Washington, DC; Coreana Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea; Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles, CA; Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, Trenton, NJ; Santa Fe University of Art and Design, Santa Fe, NM; Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA; Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia, PA; Granary Arts Center, Ephraim, UT; Berlin Foto Biennale, Berlin, Germany; Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, Miami, FL; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE; Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Ireland; Photo Center NW, Seattle, WA; Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA; and more. She has been awarded the CENTER Award, Second Prize “Curator’s Choice” (2016); CFEVA Alumni Travel Grant (2016); First Prize, Prix de la Photographie Paris (2013); Lomax Family Foundation Grant (2012); among others. Her work is in the collection of RISD Museum, Providence, RI; The Museum of Modern Art in New York and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA; Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, NY; Harvard University Fine Arts Library, Cambridge, MA; Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Ireland; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; among many others.

Lauren Mabry’s ceramic sculptures skillfully encapsulate moments of transformation that lie beyond her control. The ceramic works appear to be suspended in time, expertly capturing the fluidity of materials and the dynamic interplay of colors. Through the use of glaze, Mabry’s compositions visually oscillate between liquid and solid aesthetics. The underlying meaning of her work reflects her pursuit to comprehend the intricate interplay between control, chance, and forces of nature. 

Lauren Mabry received her BFA from Kansas City Art Institute and her MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her work has exhibited at such museums and institutions as The Delaware Contemporary, Wilmington, DE; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO; Jingdezhen International Studio, Jingdezhen, China; GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Reading, PA; Gaya Ceramic Design Center, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia; Zanesville Prize Exhibition, International Juried Exhibition, Seiler’s Gallery, Zanesville, OH; Kimball Art Center, Salt Lake City, UT; Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO; Strohl Art Center, Chautauqua, NY; National Council on Education for Ceramic Arts, Kansas City, MO; Grand Arts Building curated for Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO; The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA; Lux Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE; New Art Center, Newtown, MA; Raphael Prize Exhibition, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI; NCECA Biennial, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX; The Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS; The Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT; among others. Her work is in the permanent collections: The Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.; Fuller Craft Museum, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sheldon Museum of Art, The Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts, and Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. She is the recipient of individual grants from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, The Independence Foundation Grant, and the NCECA Emerging Artist Award.