Exhibitions
The Carolyn and Howard Alber Gallery at Allens Lane Art Center shows work by local artists and community partners.
The gallery is closed for the summer session and will reopen on September 9th.
Keeping Her Name Alive
September 29 – October 29
Opening Reception: Friday, September 29, 5 – 7 pm
Allens Lane Art Center announces the group exhibition KEEPING HER NAME ALIVE to inaugurate the RMMB Emerging Curatorial Fellowship, a program of the Art Center.
The RMMB Curatorial Fellowship celebrates the life and memory of Rebeccah Milena Maia Blum, a passionate fine arts curator, gallerist, writer and publicist in the international art scene. Even though the location of her life and work was Berlin, Germany, her family is based in the U.S. Rebeccah spent the years of 1969-1979 in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, a place of origin for her family, joyfully spending the summers at the Allens Lane Art Center Day Camp.
Rebeccah Blum was a notable inspiration in the international art scene, and died suddenly in 2020, leaving a gap and prompting many to commemorate her. Building this fellowship and launching it with this fundraising exhibition is a major effort in this commemoration.
The exhibition is curated by Kit Schulte, art project manager and curator, content developer and explorer of culinary arts, and a former partner of Rebeccah’s. Together they founded and directed the art and science platform and exhibition space Satellite Berlin – art in collaboration.
Participating in this group show are renowned artists: Angelika Arendt, Tom Chamberlain, Steve DiBenedetto, Nico Glaenzel, Bjørn Hegardt, Michael Kutschbach, Barry Le Va, Alexander Ross, Jorinde Voigt, Joanne Gruene Yanoff, Christopher Winter, and Michael Wutz all of whom knew Rebeccah and donated a work on paper to help launch this fellowship. New York gallerist, David Nolan, supports this initiative kindly by donating two works by deceased California artist Barry Le Va.
“Her generosity and conviction have been immeasurably supportive, and her friendship thrilling.”
Tom Chamberlain
“She was absolutely unprejudiced, had an enormous knowledge and a real desire to engage in new thought processes.”
Jorinde Voigt
About the RMMB fellowship
The annual fellowship will support emerging local curators by providing a platform to showcase or exercise their research and curatorial work. Besides funds and mentorship, the selected fellow has a chance to organize a group, two-person or solo exhibition, which then will be showcased at the Allens Lane Art Center Alber Gallery. The fellows have the opportunity to explore all aspects of curatorial work, from exercising fundamental curatorial skills, including writing effective proposals, developing comprehensive exhibition plans, and examining the increasingly diverse approaches to exhibition-making. Fellows receive a $1,500 stipend to help support the curatorial research and work of preparing an exhibition and mentorship from an established curator.
We are thrilled to announce the 2024 and 2025 RMMB Fellows, Sabriaya Shipley and Martha Knox , who were selected amongst dozens of excellent applicants. The very first RMMB Fellowship Exhibition is planned to open on January 12th, 5:00 – 7:00 pm at Allens Lane Art Center, Alber Gallery.
History
In 2007, the gallery at Allens Lane Art Center was named after the late Carolyn Fiedler-Alber by her loving husband, Howard Alber. Mrs. Alber was a graduate of the Tyler School of Art and had taught in both the Philadelphia and New Jersey public school systems. She was chair of Volunteers at the Quadrangle and a member of Friends of Artists Equity. She also devoted much of her time helping shut-ins and handicapped persons and was involved in several AIDS organizations.
In 2012, Howard Alber passed away at the age of 101. Understanding just how important Howard was to the center, the name of the gallery was changed to honor them both. Howard was an accomplished artist and when he passed, the center put on a memorial retrospective of his works.
Both Carolyn and Howard both had an affinity for Allens Lane Art Center and were very supportive of the Center’s mission of making the arts as accessible as possible to the community. Their passion for art and life spoke volumes about the type of people they were.
Call for Artists and Curators
ALAC is looking for exhibition proposals for satellite gallery at Settlement Music School in Germantown.
Would you like to exhibit with us, or do you have an exhibition idea? Please email us at info@allenslane.org with details and some images of key works, or link to your website.
