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Member Portfolio

Paula Mandel

Philadelphia, PA

Résumé

Artist Statement

For at least 5000 years people of all cultures have felt compelled to create and play with toys. Archeologists' findings have confirmed our collective need to produce miniature representations of ourselves and other objects, and manipulate them manually and in our imaginations.
As a child, my few toys provided me with an entrée into my imagination. I used these characters and objects to help me reenact, understand and integrate my experiences and fantasies. They also served as vehicles to assist me in understanding explorations of new ideas. In my next life as a practicing Play Therapist I continued to explore the mystical, magical power imbued in toys, utilizing their inherent characteristics to help me understand the subconscious.
My interest in glass andfound objects has allowed me to once again immerse myself in toys, this time with a more mature twist. As I refer to my most sacred toys, I try to evoke universal images. There is a compelling irony as I create symbolic toys, whichask to be touched and manipulated, from glass, an extremely fragile material. I manipulate glass, recycle and integrate it with well-worn artifacts from the past whichare often perceived as useless in today's culture. This gives discarded items renewed purpose. As we interact tentatively with these objects they take us back to our most early memories while connecting us to other societies and eras.

Artist Biography

Paula Mandel received degrees in Fine Arts and Psychology from Temple University. She worked in oils/mixed media for 25 years, creating psychological portraits, never imagining her future involved glass sculpture. Once hooked on the medium, however, she determined to learn every glass technique offered. She embarked on a four year journey, first taking her to Lucartha Kohler at University of the Arts. She studied flameworking, kiln-casting, fusing, stained glass and coldworking at Corning and Urban Glass with Judith Schaechter followed by 2 years in the Fine Arts Degree program at Salem Community College with Anna Boothe, Paul De Marco and Paul Stankard.
Mandel often melds glass with other materials such as fabric, hardware, and natural materials, addingcolor, texture and pattern to her sculptures. Her work was included in volume 1 of Best in America: Glass Artists and Artisans as well as the Best of Philadelphia Glass Artists exhibit at the National Liberty Museum , Women Working in Glass at Rosemont College, and the Temple Judea Museum. Her interactive toy sculptures which utilize glass have been exhibited in museums, colleges and galleries in and around Philadelphia, Princeton and Pittsburgh. She is a prize winner in the International Flameworking Conference and was a featured artist for the International Glass Art Society.

Education

2004 - 2006
Salem Community College, NJ
Glass Art Degree Student
AFA Program
1970 - 1974
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
B.A. Art, Psychology
Summa Cum Laude
1973
Tyler School of Art, Rome, Italy
Semester Abroad

Awards & Honors

2014
First Inspirational Award, American Glass Guild, Bryn Athyn, PA
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_yJRBn9Sxs[/embed]
2009
International Flameworking Conference
Prize Winner

Collection

Select Collections and Commissions
Franz Rabauer and Brian Daggett
Philadelphia, PA
Douglas and Gail Tozour
Berwyn, PA
Edward Satell
Newtown Square, PA
Faye and Donald Samuels
Tenafly, NJ
Philip and Halina Hoffman
Chicago, IL
Ivor and Hilda Las
London, England
Michael and Laura Mittelman
London, England
Linda Fernbach and Angel Aranda
Madrid, Spain

Affiliation

Professional Organizations
Present
InLiquid Art + Design
Member
1994 - 2004
Founding Member, ArtForms Gallery Manayunk, an artist’s cooperative, Philadelphia, PA
2003 - Present
(International) Glass Art Society
Member
2004 - Present
Philadelphia Sculptors
Member
2009 - 2014
International Society of Glass Beadmakers
Member

Professional Experience

2006 - Present
The Stained Glass Project: Windows That Open Doors
Co-Founder/Director
Kendrick Recreation Center, Philadelphia, PA
2001 - 2012
National Liberty Museum (NLM)
Docent
2010
Invited Guest Artist for Glass Weekend ,NLM
2009
“History of Glass Beads” lecture and demo, Elder Hostel, NLM, Philadelphia, PA
2008
“American Studio Glass Movement”, lecture, Turning Point Gallery, Media, PA
2007
“American Studio Glass Movement” lecture/demo: Elder HostelNLM, Philadelphia, PA
Additional Professional Training
2004
Corning Museum, Corning NY
Alex Hamilton, Flameworking
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Anna Boothe, Kiln-casting
Urban Glass, Brooklyn, NY
Judith Schaechter, Stained Glass
2002 - 2004
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Lucartha Kohler, Kiln-casting

Exhibitions

Solo
2012
Hand/Eye Collaboration, Drexel University, Marks Intercultural Center, Philadelphia, PA
2006
Educational Testing Services Corporate Headquarters, Princeton, NJ
2005
Artforms Gallery Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA
2004
Foulkeways at Gwynedd, Gwynedd, PA
QBix Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Moletta, Philadelphia, PA
2003
Artforms Gallery Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA
La Colombe, Philadelphia, PA
2002
Foundation Surgical Center, Ft. Washington, PA
2001
Artforms Gallery Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA
Morninglory, Conshohocken, PA
1999
ETS Corporate Headquarters, Brodsky Gallery, Princeton, NJ
1998
Artforms Gallery Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA
1997
Josephine Muller Gallery, Abington Friends School, Abington, PA
1996
Temple Beth Or Gallery, Springhouse, PA
Germantown Academy Art Center, Ft. Washington, PA

Group
2019
ArtForms, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA
2018
Recycling +Creativity = What?, Temple Judea Museum, Elkins Park, PA
Souls Shot, PA Statehouse and yearlong PA traveling exhibition
The Needle’s Trail, Temple Judea Museum, Elkins Park, PA
Raise the Chair, Temple Judea Museum, Elkins Park, PA
2015
Step Into My Studio, Temple Judea Museum, Elkins Park, PA
2014
Paula Mandel, Bryn Athyn College, Bryn Athyn, PA
2013
Art as Tikkun Olam, Temple Judea Museum
Windows That Open Doors, Graver’s Lane Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
HerStory, National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Invitational
2012
Uncommon Threads, Temple JudeaMuseum, Elkins Park, PA
2011
Women Working in Glass, Rosemont College, Rosemont, PA
Invitational
2010
Faculty Exhibition, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
2009
Reflections in Glass, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
Invitational
Found Objects 2, Snyderman/Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2008
Toying with Art, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
The Green Exhibit, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
2006
AbZOOlutely Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA
Outdoor installation
Best of Philly Glass Artists, National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Invtiational
International Flameworking Conference, Salem Community College, NJ
2005
International Flameworking Conference, Salem Community College, NJ
2004
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Invitational

Exhibitions Co-Curated
2019
The Stained Glass Project: Windows that Open Doors, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
2017
The Stained Glass Project: Windows that Open Doors, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
As You Teach You Learn, Temple Judea Museum, Elkins Park, PA
2014
The Stained Glass Project: Windows that Open Doors, Bryn Athyn College, PA
2013
Art as Tikkun Olam, Temple Judea Museum, Elkins Park, PA
2012
Hand-Eye Collaboration, Marks Intercultural Center, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
2011
The Stained Glass Project: Windows that Open Doors, Visitors' Center, Philadelphia, PA
The Stained Glass Project: Windows that Open Doors, Independence Hall Visitors' Center, Philadelphia, PA
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