So I’ve been participating in CITYWIDE for most of this year, like a good 100-odd other Philadelphia artists. If you’re in Philadelphia you’ve likely heard about it. Andi and I curated North by Northwest for Marginal Utility, we hosted Practice: Picture Day at our own space, Mount Airy Contemporary, and I’ve been helping with the publication study group, the trolley tours, a Kickstarted private tour, and so on. That sounds like a lot but the fact is pretty much everyone involved is putting in similar effort.

This is more or less a placeholder for some things I plan to say on the experience, which has been an ongoing thing for 10 months now, I think. I’m working on finding the right words. For now I’ll just say I’m very proud to be a Philadelphia artist.

I’m pleased to be showing with SILWA (Sculpture in Love with Architecture, AKA Fabio Fernandez and Tom Lauerman) at Grizzly Grizzly this September 2013.

‘Urban Environments’: Colin Keefe, Fabio J. Fernández, Tom Lauerman September 6 - 28, 2013

This September, Grizzly Grizzly is pleased to present ‘Urban Environments’, featuring the work of Philadelphia based artist Colin Keefe and the collaborative work of Fabio Fernández and Tom Lauerman. The exhibition, consisting of drawings and sculpture, explores systems of architecture, the built environment, and abstraction.

Colin Keefe will exhibit meticulously crafted drawings of fictitious environments that examine urban terrain through organic models. Using ink on paper, Keefe begins with design principles gathered from diverse sources such as the reproductive processes of plants, the propulsion methods of microorganisms and architectural theory. Keefe states “the resulting images depict cities grown organically, without an “urban planner” as protagonist, based on environmental conditions.” Fabio J. Fernández and Tom Lauerman will present a collaborative body of work, Sculptures in Love with Architecture (SiLwA). The works in this exhibition explore architecture from the perspective of two artists interested in “the reductive forms of early modernist constructions.” They employ an array of techniques ranging from inked lines drawn on a moving train to laser cut wooden parts assembled atop folded paper geometry. The artists state that “the works illustrate the development of ideas through conversation, repetition, experimentation and practice.”

The artists will be in attendance during the September 6^th opening reception from 6–10pm. For further inquiries or to arrange an interview with the artists at another time, please contact jacquejliu@yahoo.com.

Grizzly Grizzly is a project space in Philadelphia, PA. Since 2009, Grizzly Grizzly has programmed monthly exhibitions, screenings and performances. The gallery is currently under the direction of artists Michael Konrad, Jacque Liu, Ruth Scott, Mary Smull, Cindy Stockton-Moore and Josh Weiss.

BRIEF ARTIST BIOS Fabio J. Fernández (born Montevideo, Uruguay) received an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a B.S. in Business from Seton Hall University. He has exhibited in the United States and abroad, at such venues as the Susanne Hilberry Gallery, Ferndale, MI, the Poleeni Cultural Center, Pieksämäki, Finland, and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York, NY. Fabio’s studio practice is based in Boston, MA, where he is also curator at The Society of Arts and Crafts.

Colin Keefe (born Boston, MA) received an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA from Washington University. Recent solo exhibitions include Robert Henry Contemporary, New York, NY, Abington Arts Center, Jenkintown, PA, and RHV Fine Art, Brooklyn, NY. His work has been reviewed in the New York Times, Village Voice, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia City Paper, Toronto Globe and News, LA Times, Sculpture Magazine, and theartblog. In addition to his studio practice, Keefe has been curating since 1995 – first, as co-director of 57 Hope in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY (1995-2001), and currently as co-director of Mount Airy Contemporary Artists Space (2009-present).

Tom Lauerman (born Chicago, IL) received an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA from SMU Meadows School of Art. His work has been recently exhibited in Berlin, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Chicago. He has taken part in a number of artist residencies including the ClayArch Gimhae Museum in South Korea, the Kohler Arts/Industry residency, and Pilchuck Glass School. He is a recipient of the Horizon Award from the American Craft Museum (now Museum of Arts and Design) and an Illinois Arts Council Individual Artist Grant. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Penn State University.

‘Urban Environments’: Colin Keefe, Fabio Fernández, Tom Lauerman Curated by Jacque Liu Exhibition Dates: September 6–28, 2013 Opening Reception: First Friday, September 6, 6–10PM Press contact: Jacque Liu, jacquejliu@yahoo.com

Grizzly Grizzly, 319 North 11^th Street, 2^nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA Hours: Saturday and Sundays, 2-6PM www.grizzlygrizzly.com