I AM HERE

A group exhibition of Philadelphia artists that exhibit both on and off white walls.

It is our choice to express ourselves. We truly have the power to make a difference, to brighten up an area that needs some love, to break down the sometimes intimidating gallery and museum walls, to express a common voice to the community, to simply say, "I am feeling inspired. All viewers are welcome. Here it is!" without any reservations.

-Sara McCorriston, Curator of "I Am Here" 

If a city can be defined by its art then Philadelphia is revolutionary with its artistic trail blazers who’ve set the tone with their unleashed self-expression. They bond our communities with shared visceral moments –constantly shaping a culture that defies the trappings of being boxed into idioms that try to define creativity in terms of subversive elements of expression. These artists follow a history of groundbreakers whose actions resulted from a need to be heard.

-Ginger Rudolph, Content Specialist & Educator of “I Am Here” 

Media Inquiries: 
Ginger Rudolph 
Tel: + 1 215 498 9127 
pr@hahamag.com

For further information on screening dates, artist’s talks, and catalog information please contact: 
Sara McCorriston 
Tel: + 1 267 303 7185 
sara@paradigm-gallery.com

James Oliver Gallery
Gallery hours: Wed – Fri 5-8pm, Sat 12 -8 pm 
Tel: +1 267 918 7432 
www.jamesolivergallery.com

Featuring work by:

DARRYL "CORNBREAD" McCRAY
Darryl McCray, known by his tagging name, “Cornbread,” is a graffiti artist from Philadelphia, credited with being the first modern graffiti artist. Darryl McCray was born in North Philadelphia in 1953 and raised in Brewerytown, a neighborhood of North Philadelphia. During the late 1960's, he and a group of friends started "tagging" Philadelphia, by writing their nicknames on walls across the city. The movement spread to New York and blossomed into the modern graffiti movement, which reached its peak in the U.S. in the 1980’s and then spread to Europe. Since his tagging days, McCray has developed a close relationship with The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. He is a public speaker and a youth advocate.

ISAIAH ZAGAR
Through 40+ years of creating artwork on a grand, public scale, Zagar has helped shape Philadelphia into a thriving creative community. When he was 19 years old, Zagar discovered the folk art installations of Clarence Schmidt in Woodstock, New York. Influenced by Schmidt, Picasso, Jean Debuffet, Curt Schwitters, Antonio Gaudi, Simon Rodia and Joseph Ferdinand Cheval, he was inspired to include the concepts of untrained artists as manifestations of fine art.
My work is marked by events and is a mirror of the mind that is building and falling apart, having a logic but close to chaos, refusing to stay still for the camera, and giving one a sense of heaven and hell simultaneously.
It is an impossible place, but strangely you can visit it and smile at that which you knew existed somewhere. Now you know that place is in Philadelphia, and you knew it all along, didn’t you? 

JOE BORUCHOW
My black and white cutouts are an evolution from when I used stencils to make posters for my band, The Nite Lights. About ten years ago, as my technique improved, the stencils became too fragile to work with. I started to simply photocopy black paper cutouts and found that I was able to get much more coverage pasting and stapling these around town than I had with the stencils, all the while, retaining a fine art object.
The longer I have been doing uncommissioned public art the more I try to find architectural spaces to frame and add context to my work, ultimately, integrating it into the environment. In a gallery, however, one can to see the original cutouts from which the larger installations are made. Their intricacy and smaller scale often surprise people, giving them a new perspective on the public / private aspects of my work and emphasizing the blend of craft and concept that I attempt to achieve.

JESSIE HEMMONS, AKA ISHKNITS
Ishknits, or Jessie Hemmons, is a yarnbomber from Philadelphia, PA. Her work concentrates on facilitating a shift in the perception of street art, by using a typically feminine craft to initiate a dialogue on the relationship between gender and non-commissioned public art. Through her use of vibrant colors and a historically empathic medium, she encourages people to understand and utilize the ability they possess to be assertive as well as positive in their community. Her work exemplifies that the loudest public voice does not have to be the most hostile and threatening, but can be used to encourage and elevate. 

KID HAZO
Kid Hazo is a Philadelphia based street artist out to catch a few smirks and smiles by creating pieces that parody the heart of Philly culture and venues around the city. His lighthearted props and sculptures are interjected into the urban environment in attempts to brighten up someone's day and add a layer of comic relief on the streets.

And Photography by CONRAD BENNER, AKA STREETS DEPT
Fishtown-born photographer and creator of StreetsDept.com, a photo blog dedicated to highlighting local street art, graffiti and urban exploration.