Child's Play

Ah, childhood, a time fraught with intense and conflicting emotions and sweet and often terrifying memories. It is also a time of playful freedom and the frustrations of grown-up rules.

Image details clockwise from top left: Layzer, Bonfani, Brossy, Hyder, Treadwell, Bisbing, Weintraub, Steinke

Assembling a variety of national and international artists, Projects Gallery presents Child’s Play as an opportunity to re-examine the perceptions and artifacts of youth. Utilizing various techniques and materials, these artists investigate the duality of childhood.

Jaime Treadwell, Hunter, 14"H x 20", oil on panel

Meticulous photographs depict scenes that intersect naïve, youthful games and more serious adult activities. In visually disparate Technicolor paintings, sights of cavorting kids and childlike imagery depict the results of a society where rules and boundaries no longer exist.They present a place where childhood either dwells in bleak, desolate playgrounds or retreats into the fantasy of a more natural, primitive state.

Ross Bonfanti, Teddy C134, 11"H x 10"W x 8"D,concrete and toyparts

Deconstructed children’s toys form sculptures. Mixed media assemblages capture and highlight iconic moments of youth. Delicate paper dolls and intricate embroideries are quaint and reminiscent of an innocent era, while hinting at the underlying vulnerability of the age. Whatever the means or materials, Child’s Play examines the lives of children, their impact on the adult world and demonstrates just how personal one’s interpretation of this formative time can be. Exploring the coalescence of the innocent and the mature, this exhibit invites you to enter into and take another look at child’s play.

Darrel Morris, Homemade Hair Cut, 14.5"H x 9"W, embroidery and appliqué.

Artists include: Andrea Beizer, Elizabeth Bisbing, Ross Bonfanti, Jim Brossy, Elaine Erne, Tom Judd, Frank Hyder, Jennifer Layzer, Darrel Morris, Krista Steinke, Jaime Treadwell, Caleb Weintraub, and others. Child’s Play opens First Friday, March 7 with a reception from 5-8 p.m. and continues through March 29, 2008. The reception is free and open to the public. A Philadelphia chapter of Amnesty International will be hosting a bake sale during the reception.

Elizabeth Bisbing, Who am I Blue Dress, 6"H x 4"W, gouache on paper.

Artists include: Andrea Beizer, Elizabeth Bisbing, Ross Bonfanti, Jim Brossy, Elaine Erne, Tom Judd, Frank Hyder, Jennifer Layzer, Darrel Morris, Krista Steinke, Jaime Treadwell, Caleb Weintraub, and others.


Krista Steinke, this little one had none, artists digital print

Projects Gallery is located at 629 N. 2nd St. in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties section. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday noon to 5 p.m. and Friday and Saturday noon to 7 p.m. A preview of works may be viewed on the gallery’s website at www.projectsgallery.com. For more information, please contact Projects Gallery at 267-303-9652 or info@projectsgallery.com.

Elaine Erne, Bear Hug, 40"H x 34"W, graphite on paper.