When I first moved into my old, South Philadelphia house, everything that was falling down was buttressed with scrap wood, tied up with nude-colored, nylon stockings, and slathered with concrete. The supported structures were a mysterious and curious landscape that served as a record of the architectural history of my home. My neighbors Quintina and Mario were alchemists who could build or fix anything with a piece of string. Memories are delicate constructions. They are a labyrinth, a vast and intricate novel that at once documents, interrupts and obfuscates, creating floating entry points and a universe of emotions in every corner. In the "Shaker" spirit, I imagine a tiny wasp-worker making imaginary homes for important collections of most special memories.
Artist Biography
Terri received her MFA from the University of the Arts and her BFA from Moore College of Art and Design. She currently teaches a variety of Studio Arts courses at The Agnes Irwin School, in Rosemont, PA. The school was founded in 1869 by Agnes Irwin, the first Dean of Radcliffe College and the great-great granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin. The legacy of excellence in all-girls' education has been evident for over a century and continues to enable girls and young women to achieve their best.
Terri has been a member and Press Coordinator of Tiger Strikes Asteroid Gallery in Philadelphia since 2010. Tiger Strikes Asteroid is a network of artist-run spaces with locations in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Each space is independently operated and focuses on presenting a varied program of emerging and mid-career artists. The gallery's goal is to collectively bring people together, expand connections and build community through artist-initiated exhibitions, projects, and curatorial opportunities. They seek to further empower the artist's role beyond that of studio practitioner to include the roles of curator, critic, and community developer; and to act as an alternate model to the conventions of the current commercial art market.
Tiger Strikes Asteroid's exhibitions and projects have been featured in numerous print and online publications including The New York Times, Art F City, Hyperallergic, The Huffington Post, L Magazine, Whitehot Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Two Coats of Paint, Artinfo, Artnet News, Beautiful Decay, and the artblog.
Terri's "mice en place" of interests in biology, botany, classical music, geology, and gastronomy guide her construction. She builds delicate, alternating smooth and densely textured, porcelain sculptures. They are physical explorations of philosophical ideas. Without beginning or end, the sculptures suggest forms from nature but, just as easily, they mimic the branching, burrowing, nonhierarchical structure of the internet. She photographs the forms in various stages of production. The forms and photos become her still life. The system of distilled information provides an elastic and infinitely expandable language that fuel future drawings, prints and sculpture.
Education
2006 The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA MFA
1991 Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, PA BFA & Teaching Certification
Continuing Education
2017 Digital Media for Print + Web / Certificate, Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, PA
Awards & Honors
2017, 2018 EE Ford Legacy Through Leadership Fellow, The Agnes Irwin School
2017 Professional Growth Grant, The Agnes Irwin School 2013 Knight Arts Challenge Grant for Citiwide
2010-2013 Faculty Development Grant, Moore College of Art & Design
2004-2006 MFA Merit Scholarship, The University of the Arts
1986 BFA Merit Scholarship, Moore College of Art & Design
Larry Becker and Heidi Nivling, Larry Becker Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, PA Shirley Luber, Luber Gallery Heather Bryson, B2 Gallery Brian and Juliet Englander: The Women's Imaging Center, Pennsylvania Hospital The Van Pelt Collection, Finlandia University, MI
2010-present Member / Press Coordinator, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Philadelphia, PA
2014-present Middle and Upper School Studio & Media Arts Instructor/Press and Social Media Coordinator for the Visual and Performing Arts Department, The Agnes Irwin School, Rosemont, PA
1987-2014 BFA Adjunct Professor, Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, PA
2000- 2014 Pre-School Teacher, Society Hill Synagogue, Philadelphia, PA
2009 Visiting Artist Lecturer, Finlandia University, Hancock, MI
1995-2005 Freelance Sculptor/Technical Drawings, Geronimo Co., Philadelphia, PA & Los Angeles, CA
Exhibitions
Solo
2018 That which requires no battle, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Philadelphia, PA
