Art along the River in East Falls

Increasingly art is becoming a part of the fabric of our communities. Whether in the form of permanent art installations or temporary eco-art that ebbs and flows with the seasons, art creates lively public spaces, inspires discussion and enriches our lives. This past fall, eco-arts festivals in both East Falls and Manayunk incorporated public art components into their celebrations through support from the Schuylkill Project. As part of the East Falls event, the East Falls Development Corporation (EFDC) commissioned six local artists to create fish-themed installations along Ridge Avenue in East Falls (due to be installed over the next few months). EFDC also utilized a vacant commercial building in the heart of the neighborhood riverfront business district, to organize a successful weekend art gallery of local artists’ work.

Inspired by this weekend art gallery concept, Infinite Inch Gallery was formed to carry on and expand the possibilities of presenting art to the public through creative collaborations in underutilized spaces. This exciting new gallery is currently located in the Mason's Building at 4200 Ridge Ave at the corner of Midvale Avenue in East Falls, a space generously provided by Sherman Properties.

This month a group show highlighting the work of the six accomplished local artists who will be installing public art along Ridge Avenue, is on display. “We wanted to bring the artists together at the Infinite Inch gallery to showcase the wider scope of their talents and celebrate the influx of art to the neighbourhood,” stated Noemi Armstrong, one of the gallery’s principals. The featured artists are: Frank Hyder, Lynn Blackwell Denton, Ben and Kate Gatski, Sandra Webberking, Mike Smash and Marguerita Hagan.

Gallery hours are Saturdays from noon to 6pm and Sundays from noon to 4pm. The gallery will be closed for the holidays on December 24,25, January 1 and 2. Openings are usually held the first Saturday of every month from 5-8 with the exception of this coming month, which will be held on January 8.

January's exhibit will feature the life size female figure sculptures by artist David Miles; paintings by abstract expressionist Mike Daigeaun; works by Athena Petra Tasiopoulos, a mixed media artist and photographer; digitally manipulated photography and drawings by Jill Galloway Sherman, currently a professor at the Art Institute of Philadelphia; as well as works by artist Eric Kennedy.

Other events throughout the month of January:

January 15th - Plan to join in an interactive workshop at 1:00 pm: A Food Fight as Art - Painting with Mike Daigeaun. Following a brief history of his painting influences, participants will be invited to create their own work of art.

January 22nd - Come out from 7:00 – 9:30pm for light refreshments and listen to or participate in a Storytellers Series on ”The Language of Love”. This storytelling event will feature a clip of filmmaker Lorna Johnson's new film "About Love", a featured story and an open mic. Brought to us by Art Speaks Volumes Creative Group asvcreativegroup.com.

January 29th - An open portrait painting event with a live model is tentatively planned – details to come.

Get more information on the gallery and upcoming exhibitions and events HERE.