Art on 38: Promoting Art & Culture
Art on 38, a simple and seemingly logical choice for a name of an art gallery on, well, 38th on Lancaster. Yet those simple words embody a lot more than first impressions.
So why 3800 block of Lancaster Avenue? "The area was suitable because of what's going on in the neighborhood; its proximity to college campuses and the revitalization of the area," says Adrian Moody, a lawyer, and co-owner of the gallery. There also is a lot of traffic passing through the area, so it really was an ideal place for them, says Moody.
The area is in fact growing fast and becoming revitalized, especially with the initiation of "2nd Fridays." Following after the fashion of First Fridays in Olde City, which draws thousands of people to that area, the galleries including Art on 38, restaurants, theaters, museums and boutiques in the blocks between 34th and 38th are participating in 2nd Fridays to draw crowds to this area of the city. No competitions, everyone is open till eleven, and it creates a nightlife entertainment scene to bring in flocks of people. Such a scene is key to increase business and develop the neighborhood, says David Lawrence, co-owner and artist. As part of the 2nd Fridays events Art on 38 had jazz night with live jazz performance in the gallery.
These efforts are made because they realize that it's not only about selling the artwork in a gallery, but it is about promoting culture. Having a show, with live music and wine, creates that environment where people can lose inhibition and buy the paintings that really speak to them, says Lawrence. They are promoting that whole cultural scene where people are brought together, by organizing 2nd Fridays and revitalizing the neighborhood.
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The gallery's offerings reveal the owners' interests in diverse cultures - they offer primarily African, but also contemporary art from the Diaspora, as well as Carribbean and Latin American art. The goal is to have one show a month, and to introduce artists that are new and out there to Philadelphia. The gallery's recent show featured Vitus Shell, who had never had a show in Philadelphia before. The response was so tremendous that Vitus has been booked to have another group show on April 2005. Both Moody and Lawrence collect art and many of the shows and features at the gallery are possible through the supportive relationships that formed through the years of collecting art.
Old African sculptures and jazz-themed contemporary pieces, European landscape scenes and Egyptian desert scene blend together harmoniously in Art on 38. "Art is about bringing different cultures together, and finding something in common, instead of differences," says Lawrence. Lawrence's own artworks reflect such deep fascination with diverse cultures, in which he tries to study and understand the different ways of lives in different cultures.
By bringing different cultures together through art, Art on 38 is promoting another new cultural scene in the area. Thus the name is important, as an important anchor point for the growth of arts & culture scene, in this area of Philadelphia. |
