Morgan Craig

What is your background?
I was born in a suburb of Philadelphia. As a child, my family moved around, only to end up back in the Philadelphia area. My parents instilled a strong work ethic in me, which began with a paper route at 11, and led to my working full time throughout my high school and college years. I believe this has helped both with my development as a painter, and the formation of a cohesive body of work.

How would you describe your work?
The relationship between the interiors of buildings and the psychological makeup of the soul of man continue to be the fulcrum of my concept. For me, the interior of each edifice represents a multitude of semiotic messages written by the inexorable hand of time. In reality, buildings are as ephemeral as the ever-changing landscape, and the human form, prey to the vicissitudes of existence.

You’ve been to Chernobyl in Ukraine. Tell us a little about this trip. What series of events lead to you taking this trip?
The Ukraine was a welcome sojourn from my daily existence in the occident. The trip provided me with an abundance of subject matter, as well as an experience I will never forget. Standing atop a high rise in the middle of an abandoned city, can be a truly overwhelming experience. It was very hard to remain focused on the task at hand-gathering source material-and not become engulfed by all of what had happened in the Zone of Exclusion. My heart goes out to all of those who perished, suffered, and continue to suffer because of man, his avarice, and his insatiable thirst for power.

Tell us about a memorable experience you’ve had…
When evaluating a building, always make sure that it is unoccupied. Early one Thanksgiving morning, many moons ago, I received quite a surprise, when two men with cell phones came barreling out of a building.
I had been considering the structure’s potential for quite some time. Because of its close proximity to a thriving-well, I don’t know if thriving would be the best word to describe it, but let us remain positive-neighborhood, I felt it was best to attempt to gain access at an early hour, on a holiday. I surmised that most would still be fast asleep. My girlfriend was filming a documentary of my process, and thus decided to tag along. I brought along my mastiff, Tolstoy, as well.

We were out of the car for no more than 5 minutes, when the men appeared. Lucid, I remained. Any sense of panic would have caused more of a mess. Calmly, I explained to the apparent “man in charge” my intent. After allaying any fears he had of my vandalizing the building, he proceeded to tell me a tale of schizophrenia, drug addiction, and living in an amalgam of buses. I was denied access, but the tale he wove was worth the foiled attempt.

Do you have any other trips planned? I have a few trips in development, but nothing is indelible.
What about industrial decay appeals to you? The amount of abstraction within a subject deemed representational; the relationship between something manmade, and the elements that Mother Nature has at her disposal; the ability to toy with fact and fiction weft together by the irrefragable hands of time. Structure is metaphor.

What advice would you give to anyone considering going to school vs. independent study?

School provides a framework which forces one to produce, or fail. Unless you have incredible drive, independent study can lead to indolence.

Tell us a little about your experiences as an art teacher.

I could write a book, no, make it a several volume set. I think we will leave it at that.

Have you had any other careers, related (or not related) to art?

I briefly worked for a now defunct magazine.

How do you stay involved with Philadelphia’s art community? Are you a member of any local arts organizations?

I’m a bit of a recluse, and, at times, rather socially inept, therefore, I find myself to be somewhat removed from the Philadelphia art community. I have rather incendiary opinions about some of those individuals involved in Philadelphia’s “art” community that, for the sake of singing your reader’s ears, I will keep to myself.

How have you handled the business side of being an artist?
At the nascent point in my career, I had a fortuitous bit of good fortune: I was able to sell several paintings on my own. I was grateful, but had the prescience to know that I needed to find gallery representation. I have received a tremendous amount of support from the two galleries that currently represent me: Wexler and Lawrence Asher.

I have also had some experiences with galleries and individuals who were duplicitous, and engage in a variety of subterfuge. Fortunately, I was privy to their game, either through friends, people who had already fallen prey to their deceptive ways, or my own intuition. Needless to say, I cannot name the aforementioned parties, as I would risk legal action. Suffice it to say, when journeying through the bowels of the art world, one must tread carefully.

What are your goals? What are your plans for the future?

One of my goals has been, and continues to be to remain relevant to the discourse of contemporary art. I would also like to see my work continue to evolve, be it in size, scope, direction, or concept. The future is so unpredictable…

There are some inherent risks involved with exploring abandoned buildings and structures. Do you have a list of items you bring with you when visiting a new site (rope, rappelling hooks, flares, etc)?
(laughter) Some things are better left unsaid…

What are you currently reading? The Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn.

Books that have strongly influenced you?

Celine’s Journey to the Edge of the Night, Proust’s 7 volumes of Remembrance of Things Past, Cioran’s A Short History Of Decay, various works by Russian writers including Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, and Gogol, the existentialists, Lefebvre, Bulgakov, and countless others. Literature has always been a significant part of my life and work.

Is there anything that you would like to share with our readers?

The George T. Stagg and the Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year are some of the best bourbons I have ever tasted. I recommend that you seek them out, and have a taste for yourself.

Do you have any upcoming exhibits? I am involved in a group show in Reading, PA. There are a few more in the works, but nothing definite.

Website: http://www.morgancraig.org/

Check out Morgan's current exhibit at the Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia. Show runs from March 6 – April 25, 2009.

Sonya Berlovitz

What is your background? How did you get involved with theatrical costume creation? I grew up in the theatre. My dad was an amateur actor and my mom was a professional seamstress. They both encouraged my involvement in Community Theater as a child actor. Throughout junior high and high school I sewed most of my own clothes. As a young adult I was able to start sewing for a theatre company run by my sister and three other artists – they gave me my start in costume designing professionally.

How would you describe your work? Do you have an area of expertise/ specialty?
Many of my costumes have been constructed from several fabrics of the same color pieced together. For me this represents a kind of painting with fabric. Seams are sometimes left on the outside with raw edges showing, sometimes cutting across a costume at an odd angle so as to make the inner workings of a design visible to the eye, as if turning the process to the outside. I try to keep my designs fresh; unexpected; with details that sometimes surprise. I’d like the viewer to think of my costumes as a part of a theatre architecture that is revolving and evolving, never static. If I had to pick an area of expertise it would be in original works with a lot of movement.

Have you studied fashion design in school? What did you like best about the school you attended? What advice would you give to anyone considering going to school vs. doing it on their own? BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Certificate from La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. I loved La Chambre for the discipline it taught me and that is where I learned to drape. I loved the Art Institute for encouraging my individual artistic voice. Well, since I have done both (I went to the SAIC when I was 30) - If you’re going to go to school choose one that is in a city and has a program that you feel passionate about – then figure out a way to afford it. There is great value in doing it on your own, but having the luxury of time you get in a school to research and develop your skills is invaluable. It’s a gift everyone should have.

How have you been influenced by the theater/ fashion/ costume community? Film community? Who/ what inspires you? My background in fashion and painting has contributed strongly to my process. I often draw on both contemporary fashion and historical references as inspirations. By using this eclectic approach I believe I can speak more directly to the audience by giving them something with which to identify. I am constantly researching designers’ new collections; in particular the Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo. I am strongly influenced by the poetry in their work. For any given production I will look at film and other theatres’ versions to see what kinds of interpretations have been made of a story. It’s a way for me to have an inner dialogue about the work.

Do you intend/ plan to continue to work in theatre? Do you see yourself working in film? Some other entertainment industry? Yes, I will always be working in theatre in some capacity. I have actually designed a few independent, lower budget films. I would like the chance to design another film, but since they usually require an overwhelming time commitment during a shoot, it’s often difficult to combine the two fields.

Have you had any careers not related to art? I have many times throughout my life taken on secondary jobs to supplement my income. Everything from waitressing to daycare.

How have you handled the business side of being an artist? It’s difficult. I am not naturally an aggressive person and I think you have to have a bit of that to make a good business out of your art. Although, I’ve been a costume designer for 29 years so in some regard I’ve succeeded.

What are your goals? What are your plans for the future? I am hoping to branch out into designing for more regional theaters outside of Minnesota. I would like to incorporate more travel into my work as I find it very regenerating and inspirational.

Do you have side projects you work on? Have you collaborated w/ other artists in the past? I am almost always working on commissions for clothing I’ve designed. More specifically, I am currently working on two wedding dresses, one for a woman who has written a script and will be presenting her ceremony in a theatre complete with extras.
As a costume designer I am always collaborating with other designers, the director, actors and technicians. My longest collaboration was with Theatre de la Jeune Lune of Minneapolis where I had designed over 50 productions – most of them directed by Dominique Serrand, one of the five founding members of the company.

What was one of the most memorable projects you’ve worked on? 1929 for Theatre de la Jeune Lune in Minneapolis and Paris. It was the first production I designed and had a bigger cast than any project I’ve worked on since. More recently The Miser which was a co-production between American Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Theatre de la Jeune Lune. It toured around the country for two years with largely the same cast. All of the elements, design, direction and actors were in complete harmony on that project.

What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in the costume industry since you got involved? Where do you see the industry going in 5 years? 10 years? I’m probably aging myself by saying this, but younger designers today don’t seem as willing to work for little just to gain experience. There doesn’t seem to be as much value placed on the process.

Favorite painter/ artist: Some of my favorites: Sonia Delauney, Picasso, Matisse, Egon Schiele, Anselm Kiefer, Maira Kalman, David Coggins

What are you currently reading? Azar Nafisi’s “Things I’ve Been Silent About”

Is there a book that has strongly influenced you? “New Fashion Japan”

Sonya's Website: www.flickr.com/photos/sberlovitz/sets

Joe Duffey & Whatevers Clever

Tell us a little about each member of the band.

Joe: I’m 27 and from the Olney section of Philly. I sing and play acoustic guitar, mandolin, harmonica, jaw harp and kick drum. My wife Aria Mascaro (26) also sings and is now six months pregnant with our second baby. My brother Brendan Duffey (23) plays keys for the band. He plays bass lines with his left hand while filling out our overall sound with his right. Drew Saracco (21) is our drummer, bassist, and electric guitar player from Cheltenham. Each of our songs require a different set of Drew’s skills. He’s also the drummer in a band called Sports. Dan Gallagher (27) is from Bucks County and pretty much takes care of everything else that makes up our sound. He sings and plays guitar, mandolin, and banjo, depending on the song. Dan is also the lead singer and songwriter for the band Crow vs Lion. We’ve all known each other for many years but grew separately as musicians, only to come together in the end for the cause of making music.

How would you categorize the type of music you perform? What genre would you say it fits into?

Joe: Jack Firneno of Crow vs Lion once described our music as darkadelic chamber folk. Even though I’m not sure what that means, I think it pretty much explains it in a nutshell.

Dan: I'd say there are a couple of things that make our sound unique to a point where we don't necessarily fit into one genre. As a band I believe each of us feels that every song should be approached differently, meaning that there is no real formula to the way a song is put together.

Aria: I always say it’s a folky, rocky, alternativy, kinda jamboree…

Describe the music you write, record, and perform.

Joe: My lyrics are definitely dark, but our chord progressions and arrangements range anywhere from angry to jubilating. Our music is very sarcastic in a lot of ways. I write about wanting to escape reality, my contempt for conformity, my disappointment with humanity, and about being an atheist in a religious world. But our music still tends to make people happy because of the style and delivery. My words are very poetic and metaphoric, but I don’t write songs about love or sunsets. Overall we’re strict when it comes to writing for the sake of simplicity in terms of chord progressions and melodies, but due to the complexity of some of our recordings, we’re not really minimalists.

We record our music in Whatevers Clever Studio, which is actually my basement in Jenkintown. Most of the recordings were finished between 2006 and 2008 before the band was even formed. I write and record the majority of the music and then collaborate with my brother Brendan on piano parts and bass lines. Drew and Dan came in later to add some accents of their own. We record onto my laptop using Protools plugged in through the Mbox, simple as that. My basement is filled with different instruments and we try to get lost in the midst of them while we’re recording. The sound of our recordings could definitely be described as lo-fi. Recording with crappy mics and low quality equipment is what gave it that effect in the beginning, but as we’ve upgraded our studio we’ve tried to hold onto that basement sound and will continue to do so. I’ve always appreciated bands with a more rugged homemade sound.

Aria: If you listen closely, our son Grayson makes a few guest appearances cooing or crying in the background of the recordings. He would cry or shriek and we just thought, “Well he can be a part of all this too” and the recordings stuck.

Joe: Our live performances are more energetic than our recordings, and obviously more collaborative. Drew wrote all new drum parts for the live shows and plays with much more ferocity than what you hear on the album. And Dan brings a whole new style with his banjo, mandolin, and guitar than what I had originally recorded. I sit upfront with either my guitar or mandolin and play the kick drum while playing and singing. The heavy kick drum is prominent in both our recordings and our live shows, and me playing it enables Drew to be free to play bass lines or guitar solos when need be. It’s an unconventional set up, but we want it to feel like we’re just hanging out with the audience as if we were in their living room.

Who designs the art for your CDs and flyers for your shows?

Joe: I’ve been painting and writing poetry for as long as I can remember. So I put those skills to use in Photoshop when creating our ads and promos. I’m a do-it-yourself kind of person and having the band has given me all sorts of excuses to spend my free time writing and creating art. It’s a large part of why I love having the band; it’s like an endless art project.

What type of music did you grow up listening to?

Joe: I actually grew up on nothing but underground hip-hop. I was into groups like Dilated Peoples, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu Tang, Jurassic 5, Mos Def, Talib Kwali, People under the Stairs, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Gang Star, Cool Keith, etc. It wasn’t until I discovered Modest Mouse, Interpol, The Shins, Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, Okkervil River, Kings of Leon, The White Stripes, and My Morning Jacket that I forgot about rap and dove into discovering new bands to the point of obsession. I now listen to an endless array of musical groups including Dr Dog, Man Man, The Avett Brothers, Langhorne Slim, Bright Eyes, Beirut, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Devendra Banhart, DeVotchKa, The Decemberists, The Cave Singers, Ugly Casanovas, and many, many more.

Aria: And Joe opened my eyes to all new musicians starting the day we met, it was like someone showed me a world I didn’t know existed, I had pretty much always listened to classic rock: Led Zepplin, The Doors, Janis Joplin, etc.

Drew: I was kind of the opposite of Joe in this respect. Nirvana was my favorite band since I can remember and I grew up listening to all of the early 90’s grunge/indie rock (which is still probably my favorite music) like Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, Pavement, Modest Mouse, etc. My father also raised me on your typical 60’s acts like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Pink Floyd. My two favorite time periods are definitely the 60’s and the 90’s but now I listen to a wide variety of music. At the moment I’ve been listening to: My Bloody Valentine, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, The Beach Boys, Grizzly Bear, Daniel Johnston, R. Stevie Moore, Mudhoney, Joy Division, The Rolling Stones, Atlas Sound, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Scratch Acid, The Vaselines, The Flaming Lips, and the list goes on. My favorite album of all time is “Loveless” by My Bloody Valentine.

Bee: Growing up, I was down with a lot of the stuff Joe would play on the boombox like Tribe, Common, and J5. Sublime, Cake, Gorillaz, Nas, The Flaming Lips, Allman Brothers and Gang Starr were early staples of my music diet. Saves the Day awkwardly got me through my awkward years. I love Radiohead. To this day, I always preferred instrumental music and listen to a few classical pianists like Beethoven and Rachmaninoff. Being introduced to Modest Mouse (specifically, Lonesome Crowded West) marked the beginning of an enlightenment period for me in which I got to know a lot of my favorite music today, including The Beta Band, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Interpol, Man Man… Lately, I can’t get enough of Sound Tribe Sector 9.

Dan: When I was real young I heard a lot of Irish Folk, the only music my Dad ever listened to. Later I listened to Nirvana, Wu Tang, Tribe Called Quest, Lost Boyz, The Roots, White Stripes, Pearl Jam, Ben Harper, Beastie Boys, Sublime, The Avett Brothers, Bob Dylan, Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, The Sweetheart Parade, Hezekiah Jones, Bright Eyes, Langhorne Slim, and countless other artists and songs.

Any plans to create a music video?

Joe: We’d definitely like to create a video for The Short Necked Giraffe. The lyrics are so vivid and obviously comical that we feel almost obligated to do so. Drew is in his senior year at Temple’s film school and he’s majoring in Cinematography so we’d be fools not to take advantage of his skills. Once he graduates in May we’ll start putting something together. But, once again, it’ll most likely be a do-it-yourself type of operation… I’m messing around with Flash now.

Aria: It’s gonna be awesome, I’ve already gotten a taste of what’s to come.

Have you had any careers not related to music?

Joe: As of now, I’m a dad and a marketer for a wholesale ribbon company. Before I decided to go to college when I was 23, I was an HVAC tech from the age of 19 until I graduated. Aria is a mom and a bookkeeper for a construction company. Aria: I have also worked for a small finance company, worked in food prep, and bartended. Joe: Drew is a clerk at a local video store and a film student at Tyler Art School. Brendan is a student at Catholic University in DC. Dan: Dan has a day job.

How have you handled the business side of being a musician? What are your goals, musically?

Joe: We know enough people in the city to fill up the venues that we play, and that family is growing every show. As long as people keep showing up to our gigs, we’ll continue to be able to book great venues. We’ve found that people are more than willing to help us find great places to play as long as we can bring out people to drink the beer. It’s pretty much all networking and if you’re polite and courteous to booking agents, owners, and sound guys, one gig will lead into the next pretty smoothly. Considering we’re an unsigned band that puts together CDs in my basement, there’s not much business involved. We’re really just trying to have fun with the music. I would say that my highest hopes for the band would be to one day share the stage with the likes of Man Man, Dr Dog, or Okkervil River. I can’t really think about anything cooler than that.

Dan: Yeah, that would be killer, another one of my goals for the band would be to play at some outdoor festivals; Philly Folk Fest would be a great time.

Do you have side projects you work on? Have you collaborated w/ other musicians/ artists in the past?

Joe: I’ve produced and recorded music for a few friends: Louis Elliott and Bill Khoury of The Marments, Brian Givnish, Greg Bernt aka John Dillinger, Jared Costa, Adam 12 with The Small Businessmen, and of course Dan’s band Crow vs Lion. You can find all these guys on Myspace. I also put the ads together for The Philadelphia Independent Craft Market, which is run by my friend Julie Roboczi.

Drew: I am always involving myself in more projects than I can handle. I used to play guitar in a band called Ugh God and now play drums for a band called Sports. Before that I used to just make lots of noise on my own and call it “art.”

Dan - I write songs and play guitar and banjo in the band Crow vs Lion. Joe and I are thinking about doing some shows in between now and the summer while the band is on hiatus. I also collaborate with one of my band members, Jared Costa, who is a solo acoustic artist.

Brendan: I am a side project.

Have you studied music in school?

Joe: Nope. I did take a couple guitar lessons with a friend of a friend and studied piano theory growing up. Never really took it seriously until I was at least 22.

Drew: I tried. Well, I auditioned to get into Ithaca College’s music school but was rejected and I am actually happy that I was. Music is something that I enjoy playing with other people for fun and if it became part of my academic curriculum I would have lost my mind and probably my love of playing it. Since then I’ve been trying to forget all of the theory and technical stuff I’ve learned over the years.

Brendan: No, I took piano lessons from a young age, and made pretty slow progress until I was 14 and a friend of mine hooked me up with his teacher, who began training me in the Suzuki Method. My development as a musician progressed much faster during that time. Now I take tips and notes from a jazz piano teacher my sister and dad get lessons from, Tim McKinstry.

Dan: No, I started when I was around 21, although I wish I had started earlier. Years of writing beforehand made the transition pretty natural.

Aria: I was raised around music; it was always being played in my home. I always sang, as long as I can remember. I took piano for about 5 years and I had some voice direction for about a year from an incredible teacher, Anthony Newett (the man’s a genius). I am sure I would have continued, but a fire destroyed our piano, and it was irreplaceable, and so I continued without direction.

What do you like best about performing live?

Joe: Playing music is just a satisfying experience. It’s just that much better when people are there to appreciate it. I like the shows where the crowd becomes just as important to the energy of the experience as the musicians.

Drew: Hitting the drums as hard as I can.

Brendan: Performing live as a group shows people who hear our recordings the separate entities within our band as they come together to create good music. I love intensity.

Dan - Watching Drew hit the drums as hard as he can, and watching Brendan play the melodica in pajamas with feet.

Aria: I love our families getting together and I love to see my dad at the front of the crowd, rockin’ out with the best of them. He makes it for me.

Favorite lyrics to a song?

Joe: This answer completely depends on my mood, but for right now it’s Neutral Milk Hotel’s Oh Comely.

Drew: The lyrics to the song “Drain You” by Nirvana.

Dan : Bob Dylan - When The Ship Comes In

Bee: “Styrofoam Boots/ It’s All Nice on Ice, Alright” by Modest Mouse

Aria: Okkervil River- Dead Faces

Play list of five favorite songs:

Joe: It would be a really frustrating experience to even sort out my top 100 let alone top 5. I could say that the bands that I mentioned above are among my favorites.

Drew: Yeah, same as Joe. See above.

Bee: I agree with them., but here’s five…Styrofoam Boots, One Big Holiday by My Morning Jacket, Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C, Hidden Hand, Hidden Fist by STS9, Sit Down, Stand Up by Radiohead,

Dan: Alright, I'll bite. I'll even give you six. Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues, White Stripes - I'm Bound To Pack It Up, Johnny Cash/ Shel Silverstein - A Boy Named Sue, Beatles - Long, Long, Long, The Rolling Stones - Sway, John Lennon - I Found Out

A book that influenced how I live my life:

Joe: Although I’ve been an atheist since 5th grade, God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens was pretty compelling. It made me feel like I wasn’t alone.
Bee: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Dan - Anything by Shel Silverstein

Aria: This is hard; I have read so many amazing books. Barbara Kingsolver- Animal Vegetable Miracle

What are you currently reading?

Joe: “Guns, Germs, and Steel” by Jared Diamond

Drew: Jesus’ Son by Dennis Johnson and Our Band Could be Your Life by Michael Azzerrad

Brendan: Coincidentally, “The Buddhist Tradition in India, China and Japan” by William Theodore de Bary

Aria: Dress your family in corduroy and denim, David Sedaris. Love everything he writes.

Favorite painter/ artist:

Joe: Salvador Dali, Ralph Steadman, Marcel Duchamp, Picasso… along those lines. I also like a good many Renaissance painters and sculptors, and also Scott Avett and Adam 12.

Drew: Francis Bacon is my favorite painter. As far as artists are concerned, I admire a great deal of filmmakers, writers, and photographers.

Dan - M C Escher and Shel Silverstein

Brendan: Norman Rockwell, Dalí, Picasso, Alex Grey

Aria: Salvador Dali, Frida Khalo, Monet, Andrew Wyeth

Is there anything that you would like to share with our readers?

We just finished a long period of playing out, and our (Aria’s and my) baby girl is due on June 6th. Once she’s all settled in we’ll be back to playing for the summer. In the meantime we’ll be writing and recording in Whatevers Clever Studio, so stop by if you’re in the neighborhood. You can find us on Myspace, You Tube, and Facebook, so keep your eyes and ears open. Thanks to everyone who has been with us so far; the journey has just begun.

Joe Duffey & Whatevers Clever Myspace

Joe Duffey & Whatevers Clever Facebook