Exhibits & Events

For thousands of years, artists and craftspeople have created objects that invoke protection—especially in times of uncertainty. For the upcoming exhibition “Precious Protection,” proudly presented by Da Vinci Art Alliance, Lisa Hendrickson and Lia Huntington have invited artists to imbue objects with this reverential protective quality through both their appearance and the act of crafting them—and in so doing, offer material comfort.

Amulets, ex-votos, icons, armor, chainmail, masks—all of these objects are precious in some way. Some are precious for their rarity, or for cultural significance; some for inherent qualities like shininess, strength, or medicinal effect. Featuring a thoughtfully curated group of juried artworks, the exhibition is an immersive, poetic mixture of textures, themes, words, and sounds to inspire protective and collective protections.

Lisa Hendrickson said of the exhibition: “Current political and societal issues were a catalyst for envisioning this exhibition. Recent events are challenging all of us to re-evaluate how we protect ourselves and those we hold dear from physical, emotional, financial, and cultural harm. We hope that the exhibition’s artworks celebrate and illustrate the many ways we build our safety net of precious protections.”

“I hope this project will be an invitation or seed for contemplating how we gather our strength. The themes explore how art and craft have longstanding roles in fortifying people to face the varied dangers and threats in life. It reminds us that life is inherently full of many risks. It explores how people call in protection, call up their strength, and connect with their power to face challenges,” said Lia Huntington.

Precious Protection will be on view in Gallery 1 at Da Vinci Art Alliance from July 28th to August 23rd. To pair with the group show, there will be two workshops: Bead Weaving: Create Protective Charms with Başak Kılıçbeyli on August 6th at 6:30 pm and a Mask Making Workshop on August 16th at 12 pm.

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Featured Artists:

Abbey Lakey, Bernadette Calnun-Buote, Catia Colagioia, Colleen Hammond, Eleanor Levie, George Lorio, Isaiah Schwartz, Kara Hetz, Karyn Healey,  Konstantin Maloy, Lia Huntington, Lisa Hendrickson, Miden Wood,  Race Kuhn, Seher Erdogan, Terence Thompson, and Veronica Cianfrano

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Featured Poet:

Grace Phillips is a writer and poet from Montana. She is a graduate of the Temple poetry MFA (Philadelphia) and the Centre for Research Architecture (Goldsmiths, University of London). She's taught English and Creative Writing courses at Temple University and Rutgers University and currently works as a labor organizer with UAW at Princeton University. She has frequently collaborated with visual artists, architects, and filmmakers in her writing practice. She was an artist-in-residence at DVAA in May 2024.

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About the Curators:

Lisa Hendrickson is a figurative artist based in the Philadelphia area. She combines traditional oil painting techniques with textural mixed media materials to tell her subjects’ stories. Her works frequently incorporate unconventional materials, revealing the beauty in ordinary, often discarded objects. Hendrickson’s community volunteer work informs her artwork, resulting in pieces that raise awareness about the societal issues of homelessness, gun violence, and gender equality. Hendrickson was the 2025 Kathryn Pannepacker fellow at Da Vinci Art Alliance.

Lia Huntington is an interdisciplinary artist and occupational therapist, amphibiously moving between these roles to support healing and inspiration through observing and finding connections.  She is interested in the dynamics of interconnectedness, reexaminations of value, the accumulation of traces, and the power of attention.  Her work is grounded in metalsmithing and documentation processes; it includes photography, jewelry, papermaking, video, and installation. She is a member of Da Vinci Art Alliance and the Philadelphia makerspace NextFab, where she also teaches enameling. Exhibition spaces have included Da Vinci Art Alliance, the Baltimore Jewelry Center, Peters Valley School of Craft, and Schuylkill Nature Center.

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About the Jurors:

Basak Kilicbeyli is a Philadelphia-based textile and printmaking artist from Turkey. With a BFA in Graphic Design from Yeditepe University, she ventured into the world of printmaking. Pursuing an MFA at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts further honed her craft in textiles and provided Basak with opportunities to be featured later in exhibitions at FRIEDA, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and Usagi NY with Sounds About Riso. The Woodmere Art Museum proudly houses one of her pieces in the permanent collection, making her the collection’s first Turkish queer woman artist.

Caroline Gore’s studio practice is deeply rooted in jewelry and metalsmithing processes. Jewelry is primarily made with 18k gold, platinum, natural gemstones and other material investigations. Her studio is located in northeast Philadelphia at the Crane Arts Building. Over decades of making, the outcomes of Caroline’s work have varied in media, scale and implementation ranging from jewelry to sculptural installations, photography and large-scale drawing. She is represented by Gallery Loupe in Montclair, New Jersey. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of The Museum of Fine Arts – Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts – Boston, Racine Art Museum, and in numerous private holdings.

Tanya L. (she/her) is an operations professional and emerging independent cultural producer. Her practice investigates how various socio-political infrastructures can impact core physiology and humanistic psychology within the Black body. Latortue holds a Master of Public Health in Sociomedical Science from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Penn State University.

Opening Reception Saturday, August 1st from 5 - 7 PM

‍Bead Weaving: Create Protective Charms with Başak Kılıçbeyli Thursday, August 6th at 6:30PM

‍Mask Making Workshop Sunday, August 16th at 12PM

‍Closing Reception &Artist Talk Sunday, August 23rd from 12 - 2 PM