Uwishunu.com

We asked seven Philly artists to create visual interpretations of some of our blog posts from the past few months. Scroll down to see what they created. You can click the images to see the uwishunu blog posts that inspired the art!

Artist: Emily Magnuson
www.emilymagnuson.com
Favorite gallery: “I heart Space 1026.”

What inspires you about Philadelphia? “It’s a five-syllable word. That’s a lot for one city. The urban grit, two parallel rivers, one first capital, and the fact that I can’t tell whether the random groups of congregating people are protesting or celebrating something.”

Artist: Joe Reinhart
www.josephjayreinhart.com

How would you describe your work? “Beautiful to look at, but disturbing if you look long enough.”
What inspires you about Philadelphia? “All the crazy peeps.”

Artist: Mike Ball
www.mikeball.org
Nieghborhood: West Philly
Upcoming show: “September, Nonesuch, Richmond, VA”
Is there a place outside of your studio where you like to work? “Satellite Coffee, 50th and Baltimore”

Artist: John Freeborn
www.johnfreeborn.com
http://milkcratedigest.com
Favorite Galleries: Space1026 and 222gallery
Upcoming shows: Curating “The Exquisite Corpse” at the Painted Bride Art Center in September.

What’s the most surreal place in Philly? “I think Washington and 9th, on a chilly weekend morning is still out of this world. Trash can fires, mass amounts of people, workers pushing veggies to and fro, cars double parked and in gridlock; it still boggles my mind that this can exist and not be a bad thing–instead it’s embraced and an attraction.”

Artist: Dan Shepelavy
www.shepelavy.com

How would you describe your work? “Gouache paintings, collages, and 35mm photography. Lots of it lately seems inspired by Hedy Lamarr.”

What inspires you about Philadelphia? “It was the home base of the rebellion against the Empire.”

First place you take out-of-towners? “Daytime in town: a meandering stroll in and about Queen Village, a place so magical you could put a cone hat on it and call it a wizard. Daytrip: The Chris Sanderson Museum in the Brandywine. Nighttime: Dirty Franks.”

Artist: Giacomo
www.mynameisgiacomo.com

What does it mean to be an artist in Philly? “You’ll probably be poor, but you got mad global respect. More than in any other city I’ve been in actually. Except maybe LA. Or Detroit.”

Favorite gallery? “Galleries are so last winter. Summer’s here, the best art is right on the sidewalk every First Friday.”

Most photogenic spot in Philly? “The deck off of 718 S. 18th street. Totally boss skyline shots. Actually the view off any deck in the city is pretty bonk.”

Artist: Jeff Wiesner
www.jeffwiesner.com

Favorite bar/restaurant? “Royal Tavern”

What inspires you about Philadelphia? “It’s very affordable, very manageable. Whatever you can imagine, you can do here.”

What does it mean to be an artist in Philly? “To be an artist in Philly you need to be part of a community. Everyone is interconnected here. It’s very social and supportive.”