August 7-13, 2003

artpicks

Urban Cartography

by Dana Procaccino

Art

In 1931 a group of Italian-American artists in South Philadelphia founded an alliance intended to foster artists of Italian origin in the community. Today, in an innocuous brick rowhouse in Bella Vista, the Da Vinci Art Alliance is a nonprofit, 75-member cooperative and gallery showing artists of all ethnic origins working in all media. The Alliance hosts member exhibitions and guest shows, and sponsors other art-related community programs, such as a new children's program and the monthly Port and Slide series, which showcases slides from a different artist each month while viewers sip port. While the Alliance has changed since its beginnings, one aspect that remains the same is the annual juried competition and exhibition, in which submissions are chosen by one or two qualified jurors based on a specific theme. In this August's exhibit, "Urban Cartography," juried by independent curator and art consultant Mary Salvante, artists use an array of media, including photography, painting and other narrative work, to deal with the complexity of life in an urban setting. This year, Salvante and director David Foss chose a more specific theme than in past years, developing the idea of cartography beyond the mapping of urban regions and into the city's inhabitants and its culture to create an in-depth representation of city life. The exhibit consists of several works from seven different artists, and is described by Salvante as "diverse in that we have both representational work and abstractions, but they all communicate the same story, more than just a point on a map." Exhibitors include Tony Anthony, Virginia Batson, Melvin Chappell, Linette Messina (whose photograph, North Second Street, is pictured), Libby Saylor, Rene Smith and David Winston. Buona visione!

"Urban Cartography,"; through Aug. 31, reception Sat., Aug. 9, 6-9 p.m., Da Vinci Art Alliance, 704 Catharine St., 215-829-0466.

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