Creative Philadelphians | Creativeoriginalsjoe

Creative Philadelphians and Suburbanites

Please scroll down for the most recent interview (excerpt and link)

and the introduction

The articles with a * are from 10 years ago. Some of the interviewees have updates at the end of their articles. New articles are in the works.

Topics

Curating and Community

Lynn Clouser Waddell *

Director, Drexel Art Collection

Paintings and Philly Scenes

Mosaics

The Literary Arts

Elaine Lisle - Plein Air Artist *
Perry Milou - Pop Artist *

Jonathan Mandell - Mosaic Artist *

Beth Kephart - Youth Fiction & Memoir *

Nathaniel Popkin - Urban Narratives *

The Broad Street Arts

Theater

Dan Rottenberg - Cities & Individuals *

Tina Brock - Theater Director *

Upcoming Topics

Hoping to include:

The Philadelphia Flower Show

Bristol Riverside Theater

An independent bookstore

A Philadelphia architect

A restaurant

The Philadelphia Sketch Club

Prior Interviews - not included

Dr. Norman Badler - Computer Graphics. Sadly, Dr. Badler passed away.

Ruth Feldman - Artist

Michael Penn - Photographer

Dick Perez - Hall of Fame and Phillies Sports Artist

Paintings and Color

Bill Scott - Painter *

Doumentary Film

Sam Katz - Historical Filmmaker *

An Excerpt from my interview with Lynn Clouser Wadell
Click here to see the full interview

Can you talk about the Violet Oakley works – and maybe about women in the Drexel Art Collection?

We have a large collection of study drawings by Violet Oakley. A large portion of the pieces came from Edith Emerson, who was Violet’s partner. They came in the 1980s. Other Oakley art was donated to us afterwards.

We also have three portraits by Cecilia Beaux. She was a leading female portrait artist here in Philadelphia and one of the first full-time female faculty members at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Drexel itself, as an institute, was co-ed from the beginning, with a large proportion of the students being women. I think about a third of the illustration classes taught by Howard Pyle were female - an unheard-of proportion back in the 1890s.

Howard Pyle, who was the father of American illustration, taught illustration at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry (now Drexel University) and was very supportive of his female students. He helped women get the big commissions and encouraged them in their fields.

Definitely, some pretty successful female artists came out of Drexel, including Violet Oakley, Elizabeth Shippen Green, Jessie Willcox Smith, Alice Barber Stephens, Anna and Ethel Betts, and Sarah Stilwell Weber.

TITLE: Catharine Drinker Bowen

ARTIST: Oakley, Violet 1874 - 1961

DATE: 1935

PLACE OF ORIGIN: United States

MEDIUM: Charcoal, paper DIMENSIONS: 10 1/2x8 in

DONOR: Bequest of Edith Emerson, 1982

ACCESSION NUMBER: 5324

Introduction. My hopes for this project.

Did you know that William Penn said - "Where wisdom has wit to express it, now there's the best orator." Did you know that Benjamin Franklin said, "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."

In the spirit of Philadelphia's founding, I hope to use some wit, to show the joy of reading, and to write something worthwhile. And I hope you'll join me on the journey.

I have many dreams for this publication that I hope will inspire creativity across the Philadelphia region. Like most creative works, the goals will hopefully expand, grow, and mature as the project develops.

I don't pretend to be an expert in any field. I like to think that my talent is that I'm a generalist. I like to think having interests in a broad array of interests helps me see connections and ask questions that the experts miss. I like to think I'm good at asking questions and being a good listener.

While many of the interviewees will work in the arts, I do want to talk to people who work in medicine and other sciences.

Some of the initial aims for this publication are to:

Profile some of the best and some of the newest creative people in the Philadelphia region. I want to interview knowns and unknowns.

Explore how Philadelphia organizations and businesses can help individual artists and the various Philadelphia communities.

Determine the common threads for creativity.

Create a publication that will inspire Philadelphia artists and supporters of the arts to examine their art from many different perspectives.

Some of the possible perspectives, in addition to the ones I’ve started, could include the following. I have some areas of strength. Where I have weaknesses, I hope to work with people who know those creative categories.

Writers
People who work in theater, dance, music, food, and humor
People who work in theater, dance, music, food, and humor
Scientists
People and organizations that teach the arts
Arts societies such as the Philadelphia Sketch Club
You