March 2018 - Tony Ward Studio

News: Artwork by 68 Pennsylvania Artists Now on Permanent Display

Tony_Ward_Studio_House_of_Prayer_portrait_preacher — Preacher. House of Prayer. Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2018

PHILADELPHIA – The Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority is pleased to announce the completion of its $1.5 million Juried Art Competition which resulted in the installation of 127 works of art including paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and other mixed media projects by a range of talented Pennsylvania artists.

“The artwork that grace the Pennsylvania Convention Center’s Expansion give a true appreciation for the multi-faceted talents of artists from every corner of the Commonwealth,” said Gregory J. Fox., Esq., Chairman of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA). “These works express great respect and love for the creative talents of the Keystone State. They encourage a connection between the artists and more than 1 million visitors who come to our Center each year.”

PCCA formed an all-volunteer Expansion Art Committee comprised of prominent members of the Pennsylvania arts community in late 2014 to oversee the selection and installation of fine art. The Committee included representatives of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA); Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy with the City of Philadelphia; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA); Lafayette College; Office of Public Art: a Public Private Partnership between the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council and the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning; Demuth Museum; and the Erie Art Museum.

The “Open Call” resulted in 1,550 submissions from Pennsylvania-based artists. A blind jury then reviewed the artists’ submissions and made selections based on quality, scale and durability for public viewing. Among the works by acclaimed artists in the collection are commissioned pieces Amazing Grace by Moe Brooker and That Music Always Round Me by Astrid Bowlby.

Some pieces are decades old. Photographer Tony Ward submitted five portraits, taken between 1976 and 1980, of congregants at the United House of Prayer for All People, a nondenominational church at 16th and Fitzwater Sts. It’s where Ward’s grandmother worshipped at the time.

The project was financed by allocations made when the building was expanded in 2011. The final installations were completed this fall and already are winning praise. “We receive calls and emails from around the globe about our art collection. Photo opportunities with our expansion art pieces become part of social media memories for convention attendees,” said John J. McNichol, President & CEO of PCCA. “We look forward to our year-long 25th Anniversary celebration throughout 2018 when we will showcase the collection and offer opportunities for public art tours.”

The 68 artists who were selected to display their work are eager to share their creations with the Center’s many visitors and are thrilled to be part of such an extensive collection. “I was humbled that my artwork was selected for the Center’s one-of-a-kind art collection,” said artist Bradley Schmehl who resides in York County. “When I read the ‘Open Call for Art’ from the Center, I determined to take the risk to create and offer a piece specifically for the Center, one that hopefully would speak to the heart of Pennsylvania. I am honored my work will be displayed for generations to come and am highly impressed with the Center’s dedication and support for our Pennsylvania art community.”

The names of the Blind Jury had not been previously released. Now that the process is complete, we are pleased to share the names of the jury and thank them for their service: Bruce Katsiff, former Director & CEO, James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown (Bucks County); Jacque Liu, Percent for Art Project Manager, Office of Arts, Culture, & Creative Economy with the City of Philadelphia; Judith O’Toole, Director & CEO, Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg (Westmoreland County); M. Cecile Shellman, independent Art Consultant & Curator, Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Ann Shields, Gallery Director, HUB-Robeson Galleries at Pennsylvania State University at University Park (Centre County); Jodi Throckmorton, Curator of Contemporary Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia; John Vanco, Director, Erie Art Museum, Erie (Erie County); and Ricardo Viera, Professor of Art and Director/Curator, Lehigh University Art Galleries (LUAG) – Museum Operation, Bethlehem (Northampton County).

To access additional pictures from Tony Ward’s House of Prayer portfolio, click here: http://tonyward.com/early-work/house-prayer-1976-1980/

Anisha Arora: A Whiff of History

A Whiff of History

The Wharton/Penn bubble is real. My looming graduation in May made me realize that I have spent all my time at Wharton in the small bubble extending from Huntsman Hall in Center City to Rittenhouse Square. So, for this assignment, I decided to break the bubble and explore other parts of Philly.

Amid the beautiful cobblestone streets of Old City, lies the Betty Ross house where the first American flag was made. Betsy, originally called Elizabeth Griscom, was one of 17 children in the Quaker Griscom family in the 18^th century. She was a trained upholsterer and had moved to the Betsy Ross house after eloping with her first husband. She faced one tragedy after another, from death of her first two husbands to deaths of most of her children, and later deaths of her parents and sister from yellow fever. She continued to run her fledgling upholstery business, while bearing all the tragedies, and was approached by George Washington in 1777 to make the first American national flag.

It was humbling and inspiring to hear Betsy’s story. Often, in the Wharton bubble, our small troubles seem so big and we often forget how fortunate we are for all the resources and opportunities we have been bestowed upon us. Betsy’s story reminded me to be more grateful for what I have.

One of the stories that spoke directly to Betsy’s character full of courage and love was her determination to work on the American flag, in spite of all the danger it placed her in. She considered this a dedication to her first husband, John Ross, who was a patriot and had died while fighting in the Revolution.

Through my photography, I tried to capture the essence of the Betty Ross house and the ordinary items that gave me a sneak-peek into what Betsy’s life looked like, including a view of her candle-lit room, where she would sit on her chair while working on the national flag.

History is everywhere in the nation’s first capital. One only needs to be willing to break the bubble every once-a-while.

About The Author: Anisha Arora is enrolled in the Graduate program, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. To access additional articles by Anisha Arora, click here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/anisha-arora-shoes/

Fangyi “Frank” Fan: Colors of Bottles

Colors of Bottles

In college, alcohol has a big presence in many students’ life. Just as the variety of alcohol, liquor bottles usually are made available in different colors, shapes and styles, which do not get equal recognition compared to the liquid inside. For me, they seem like the perfect still objects for this series of still lifes.

I found these bottles in my friend’s apartment. They were put on the top of a shelf , covered by dust. My friend told me that they have been there for quite a long time and if I wanted I could just take them with me. He apparently felt that those bottles became useless once the drinking is done. However, after I stared at the bottles, the different forms of liquor bottles fascinated me. The transparent nature of the colorful glass as well as the creative labels all make these bottles like art pieces. All eight pictures could be broken down into two categories: full bottles and details on a bottle. For the category of full bottles, I tried different lighting techniques to display the full beauty of the objects. In four of them, I put an Iphone underneath the bottle and used the flashlight app to light up the bottle from underneath. This extra addition of light source, though inducing some noise at some parts, added some flavor to the picture. In the second category of the shooting, I focused on the labels of the liquor bottles. By adjusting f stops, I achieved the desired depth of field in shooting those micro details with excellent clarity.

The more I worked with those empty bottles, the more I pondered what alcohol brought to students at Penn. A way to alleviate stress? A tool to escape reality? Or is it just a social norm that most people tend to conform to? The answer lies in the emptiness of those bottles.

About The Author: Fangyi “Frank” Fan is a Senior enrolled in the School of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2018. To access additional articles by Fangyi “Frank” Fan, click here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/fangyi-frank-fan-meaning-of-makeup/

Rongrong Liu: A Macro View of Utensils

A Macro View of Utensils

As a foodie for years, my approach to this still life assignment started with the thought of taking pictures of food settings. However, an insufficiency of tableware at home, I shifted my focus to emphasize the auxiliary but inseparable tools, utensils.

Sometimes under the lightsource, the highlight on the edges of spoons can cast a shiny half-eclipse reflection on the table so beautifully that I decided to utilize the reflective property of metals. I began with a single spoon and fork with a black background, but the lonely shadow turned out to be dull, hence I added more and more of them until they overlapped. Under the macro lense, with an f-stop at 2.8, the utensils have an abstract look. It is my first attempt at macro lens photography, and it is the first time I realized the life philosophy “how things look depend on how you look at it” can apply to this series, literally. The abstraction attracted me so much, that I made use of this look to shoot knives and a kitchen strainer. At first glance, it might be hard to see what they are, but once I added a title to the series, the riddle was solved.

I hardly ever took any still life pictures before because I used to think still life is still, everyone at the same spot I am standing can take exactly the same photo, but the one thing I missed is composition. It is true that you can frame a photo with the same still objects, but these ordinary objects that we take for granted can be more than interesting if you actually look “into” them. How things look depend on how you look at it. It’s all about a point of view.

About The Author: Rongrong Liu is a Junior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2019. To access additional articles by Rongrong Liu, click here: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/rongrong-liu-looking-at-photographs/

Picture of the Day: Matera, Italy

Tony_Ward_Studio_Picture_of_the_Day_Luca_Pioltelli_Italy_old_town — Photo: Luca Pioltelli, Copyright 2018

MATERA, ITALY

Known as “la Citta Sotterranea” (the Subterranean City), Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, having been inhabited since the 10th millennium BC. Its historical center “Sassi”, is considered a World Heritage Site UNESCO since 1993.

On September 21, 1943, the Materani rose against the German occupation, the first Italian city to fight against the Nazis.

Tony_Ward_Studio_Picture_of_the_Day_Luca_Pioltelli_Italy_old_town_self_portrait — Self Portrait by Luca Pioltelli, Copyright 2018

About The Photographer:

Born and raised in Milan , Italy, where, in the mythical eighties, he decided to give his body and soul to one of his favorite hobbies : ….. soccer.
Unfortunately , legs and talent, not as powerful as his unbridled passion, force him to look into other directions: …Luca pretty soon lands on another love , photography.

He moves to New York in 1991 where he starts working with some of the great names in the business : Fabrizio Ferri, Steven Klein and Paolo Roversi.
He considers himself a very lucky man:
Luca lives in a city he loves, he loves his wife ( two kids ) who live with him in Brooklyn, New York. He makes a living out of a job he loves …

His hobbies: movies, interior design, history books, art , museum visits… while sometimes , inevitably , he still puts on his soccer shoes…

He has been published in several International Magazines such as : AD Germany, German Vogue , l’Uomo Vogue , Casa Vogue, Italian Marie Claire,
The New York Times while collaborating with prestigious
Architectural Firms and gifted Designers.

You can follow his work on his instagram account : @lucapioltelli
or check his website here: http://lucapioltelli.com