city of brotherly love

If you are in Philadelphia in the next 10 days head over to the Clay Studio to see my good friend Joanie Turbek's show, Minor Malfunction. (I wish I was going to be in Philadelphia in the next 10 days so I could see the show, and so I could see Joanie.)

For Clay vs Cupcakes Joanie cast a basket full of porcelain cupcakes, and went to a few bakeries to see if people would rather buy a real cupcake or one of the porcelain ones for the same price. Most people opted for the real cupcake. Joanie said to the City Paper, "Sometimes art is not the answer. All artists have a very strong belief in what they're doing, but it's important to play around with that belief a little bit. Sometimes people just want to eat a cupcake."


For The Good Friend Project Joanie attempted to solve the problem of how to keep in touch and be a good friend while maintaining a studio practice, holding down a job etc. She cast porcelain birthday cakes and sent them out to friends with "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL" followed by their birthday printed on the boxes. This way she made sure that she didn't forget any of her friends birthdays that year.

(I've got mine in on the coffee table in the living room, and I love it.)

For Duck Under: People that Play Hard to Get, Always Get the Most Attention, Joanie created a place for the viewer to escape from the hubbub of a crowded room. "Ironically, the act of trying to avoid interaction by using this sculpture will often cause the participant to be the center of attention."

The show is up until the 29th.