Billy Dufala, RAIR’s resident artist, co-teaches a course called found materials at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Through RAIR, the class was able to explore Revolution Recovery’s facility and create temporary sculptures. This boar was made from the wood pile by students Kari Ackerson, Kristen Gibbs, Margaret Harris, Kevin McCullough, Matteson Pino and Leah Meyers.
Lead Pencil Studio artists Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo have made a few trips to the yard to source some materials for their upcoming show at the Temple Gallery. Surface Deposit will be open from December 1, 2010 – February 26, 2011. Follow the links for more information.
Artist Aurora Robson creates sculptures out of discarded plastics, in part, to create awareness about the lasting, negative effects of plastics in the environment. Philly locals should try to stop by 2424 Studios before November 7th to be inspired by her latest exhibition: be like water.
Come visit RAIR at the Community Arts Festival on October 17th! This arts and environmental festival will have activities for kids (young and old). Our booth will have examples of what can be made with discarded materials and will have an art project for kids. Visit InLiquid’s site for more details. We hope to see you there!
RAIR attended our first booth event at the Manayunk Eco Arts Festival this past weekend. The Dufala Brothers’ Toilet Trike made people smile, and we talked to a lot of people about their ideas for creative ways to use waste materials. We met some great new people and had visits from supportive friends. Thanks to everyone who came by to learn about art and the waste stream. The RAIR team is looking forward to our next event!
Come visit RAIR at the Manayunk Eco-Arts Festival on September 25th and 26th. We will have art on display made by pilot artists Billy Blaise Dufala and Machele Nettles, information on RAIR and the materials found at Revolution Recovery’s facility, and a hands-on activity for kids – young and old! For more information on the event, follow this link.
Curious to see some of the art that has been made through RAIR? Come see the Dufala Brothers upcoming show “Problemy” at Haverford College’s Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery:
“Incorporating the drawings, paintings, digital prints, and sculpture of Dufala Brothers Steven and Billy Blaise, Problemy plays with the humble yet hugely important artifacts of daily life. In their work, the Dufala Brothers amplify the excesses of a manufactured world; at Haverford, they will provide a gorgeous angle on trash––both in the gallery and through site-specific installations on the Haverford campus.”
Billy Blaise Dufala is a co-founder of RAIR and the pilot artist for our residency program. Several pieces in this show are made from recycled materials that were sourced through our facility. Follow this link for more information on the Opening Reception on September 3, the Gallery Talk on September 16, and the dates of the show.
RAIR is in the running for a Pepsi Refresh grant! Please show your support by voting for us once a day for the entire month of August. Follow this link to vote.
Click on the image below to watch a short video showing examples of art the Dufala Brothers have made with recycled materials.
We’ve had an exciting, busy few months and we’re gearing up for an even busier summer! The plans for the studio renovation are coming along nicely and will finally give artists a comfortable, functional space at Revolution Recovery. Billy’s been working on a few different pieces and hopes to have something ready for showing by early fall. We also have a lot of meetings built into our summer plans. The art and sustainability communities in Philadelphia have already been extremely generous with their time and advice, and we look forward to making new connections. With all of the community support pushing us forward, we will be working hard to raise more funds to sustain our mission: to create awareness about sustainability issues through art. Check back for more updates soon…
Photo Credit: Tony Webb / Office of City Representative
On March 31st, the RAIR team attended an awards ceremony at City Hall to accept our grant for $40,000. This grant is through the City’s Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy and the Commerce Department. It will fund the renovation of artist workspace and office space for the program. We are grateful to have received this award and are looking forward to starting the renovations in the next few months! Here’s a link to an article highlighting all of the grant recipients.
