Renegade art invades West Chester
Kate A. Iezzoni
Issue date: 11/16/04 Section: Entertainment
Interested in contemporary art, film, music, poetry or any other form of self-expression? Tired of the typical weekend hangouts, parties and bar crowds? Feeling the need for a cultural awakening? If the answer is "yes" to any of these questions, then the Renegade Art Project: Installment Number Four is the place to be on Saturday, Nov. 20. The project was put together by a West Chester-based underground art movementcalled the Renegade Art Coalition. With the desire to promote artistic creativity in its purest form, the Coalition has hosted a series of projects, none quite like the one that came before it. Founders Stewart Dean Ebersole and Andrew Dutilh Gray sat down with The Quad last week to give some insight on the Coalition and their latest Project. They explained that they started with the idea of inding forms of artistic expression that galleries wouldn't think twice about.
"Gallery-type of art didn't impress me and artists that were aiming for that market weren't impressing me either. I like the idea that if you're not shooting for something like that, you're much more free to express yourself. So when we started to do the project, it was always about freedom of expression. We're looking for people who are doing what they want to do" said Ebersole. Likewise, Gray said the Renegade Art Coalition "gives the community a chance to see something new and something different. It's a slice of the underground that isn't really paid attention to and it needs to be celebrated."
It starts with finding artists who are limitless in their ideas of expression. "If you can drop your guard for one second and pretend that art is just anything that comes from a person's brain is creativity - then graffiti is art, someone who crochets is art and someone who makes furniture is art, bartending is art, music is art, short films are art," Ebersole said. The Coalition seeks out individuals who are not afraid to infuse their own personality into their creations and then puts them together to form a unique celebration of art in its simplest form. The latest project will be held at the Holland Art House on Market St., and will run from 8 p.m. until midnight. The work of 11 artists will be featured, representing West Chester, Philadelphia and beyond.
"Gallery-type of art didn't impress me and artists that were aiming for that market weren't impressing me either. I like the idea that if you're not shooting for something like that, you're much more free to express yourself. So when we started to do the project, it was always about freedom of expression. We're looking for people who are doing what they want to do" said Ebersole. Likewise, Gray said the Renegade Art Coalition "gives the community a chance to see something new and something different. It's a slice of the underground that isn't really paid attention to and it needs to be celebrated."
It starts with finding artists who are limitless in their ideas of expression. "If you can drop your guard for one second and pretend that art is just anything that comes from a person's brain is creativity - then graffiti is art, someone who crochets is art and someone who makes furniture is art, bartending is art, music is art, short films are art," Ebersole said. The Coalition seeks out individuals who are not afraid to infuse their own personality into their creations and then puts them together to form a unique celebration of art in its simplest form. The latest project will be held at the Holland Art House on Market St., and will run from 8 p.m. until midnight. The work of 11 artists will be featured, representing West Chester, Philadelphia and beyond.