Celebrating Tim McFarlane: Mural Dedication of Bound Together and Artist Reception of Walk Sign is On
Celebrating Tim McFarlane: Mural Dedication of Bound Together and Artist Reception of Walk Sign is On
September 8, 2021 – Philadelphia, PA. Bridgette Mayer Gallery is thrilled to invite you to TWO special events this Friday, September 10th, celebrating gallery artist Tim McFarlane's mural dedication of Bound Together and an artist reception of his solo exhibition of Walk Sign is On at the Bridgette Mayer Gallery!
Mural Dedication:
10th Street & Callowhill Street
4:00 - 5:00pm
Extended Hours and Artist Reception:
Bridgette Mayer Gallery, 709 Walnut Street
5:00 - 7:00pm
Starting at 4:00pm, please join the Bridgette Mayer Gallery in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia for a dedication ceremony for Tim’s new mural Bound Together at 10th and Callowhill Streets. Speakers will include Mural Arts Founder Jane Golden, a City Council Representative, and Tim McFarlane.
In creating Bound Together, Tim McFarlane drew on the rich natural and cultural history of the Callowhill neighborhood. The mural combines the visual language from its immediate surroundings into elaborate abstractions, creating dialogue at the intersection of history, identity, and contemporary painting practices.
Following the mural dedication, festivities will continue celebrating Tim's solo exhibition Walk Sign is On with an artist reception and extended hours at the Bridgette Mayer Gallery from 5 - 7pm!
Walk Sign is On is Tim's fifth solo exhibition at the Bridgette Mayer Gallery and features all new paintings by McFarlane, including two special installations: one in the gallery’s Vault Space, and one on the North wall of the gallery.
These works are the latest in an evolving body of paintings that McFarlane has developed throughout 2020 and 2021, which are inspired by his observations of and responses to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, concurrent political and social crises, and the ways that life has changed in recent years, in both large and small ways. His work is also informed by recent observations on “what it means to be a human being and an artist” in the current world, particularly “being a Black man making non-objective work today.” McFarlane states:
Futures: unknown, uncertain but formable, are where the title of this exhibition comes in. Walk Sign Is On was etched in my mind this summer as I worked on a mural on the northern edge of Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood at the intersection of 10th and Callowhill Streets. The phrase was repeated every few seconds as the robotic voice of the traffic signal urged pedestrians to cross the street. At first, I did my most to pay it no mind, but was ever present, stubbornly insistent on barging in. However, in working on the mural, preparing for this show and making my way through the vagaries of the new “normal”, the phrase took on more complex meanings. While the future is unknown, we always have the choice to affect what that future can look like. The walk sign is on, there is permission to move forward. How we choose to do so is what we must reckon with.
Tim McFarlane is a visual artist based in Philadelphia, PA, whose works examine the fluid and contradictory nature of memory and place, with an emphasis on color, multi-layered systems and process. Much of his work is informed by everyday observations of the visual impact of human activity on the built environments of his native Philadelphia and elsewhere. While most of his output focuses on painting, McFarlane’s practice also includes printmaking, photography, digital art and site-specific installations.
Tim is a 1994 Temple University/Tyler School of Art graduate who has exhibited his work extensively in the U.S. and has been featured in major art fairs in New York, Miami, Dallas and San Francisco. His academic life has included being a visiting artist/lecturer and artist in residence at the elementary school through college levels, as well as teaching briefly at the Tyler School of Art & Architecture. Tim McFarlane’s paintings and works on paper reside in numerous private and public collections such as Bucknell University, Fox School of Business (Temple University) and West Virginia University. His work is represented by the Bridgette Mayer Gallery in Philadelphia, PA and ParisTexas LA in Los Angeles, CA.
Artist Reception and Extended Hours:
When: 5 - 7 pm
Where: Bridgette Mayer Gallery, 709 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Exhibition information: Walk Sign is On is on view from August 31 – October 23, 2021 at Bridgette Mayer Gallery.
Gallery information: Bridgette Mayer Gallery free and open to the public. We are located at 709 Walnut Street, 1st Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00am – 5:00pm.
COVID policies: In accordance with City Guidelines, please wear a face mask while in the gallery. The health and safety of our community is our highest priority, and we are expanding our cleaning and safety protocols to abide by city guidelines. Gallery staff will continue to monitor and match our policies according to Philadelphia guidelines.
For further information, please contact Bridgette Mayer at: bmayer@bmayerart.com.
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