Artship Olympia
June 25 - October 2, 2016
Spruce Street Harbor Boat Basin, Philadelphia, PA
In collaboration with the Independence Seaport Museum
Philadelphia Sculptors embarked on a new voyage during summer 2016. In collaboration with the Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia Sculptors launched Artship Olympia, an exhibition of site specific installations on the historic Cruiser Olympia, moored in the boat basin at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia. Artists creatively reinterpreted Olympia, giving voice and vision to its history, stories, and culture. The results were bold, subtle, loud, calming, invigorating, and disruptive.
The artists selected for inclusion in Artship Olympia were chosen based on the consistency of their vision with the goals of the exhibition. Five artists/artist teams were invited to participate based on their prior bodies of work. Ten additional artists were selected by a jury consisting of: Craig Bruns (Chief Curator, Independence Seaport Museum), Jesse Lebovics (formerly the Director of Historic Ships, Independence Seaport Museum), Pepón Osorio (Community and Installation Artist and Professor, Tyler School of Art), and Sara Reisman (Curator and Artistic Director, The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation).
Artists
Click the portraits below for more information about each artist’s project and bio.
Press
Philadelphia Inquirer
“Vessel of Art” by Samantha Melamed. June 24, 2016
Philadelphia Inquirer
"'Artship Olympia' makes a battleship into an artwork" by Edith Newhall. July 17, 2016
The College of New Jersey
“MUSE Project Opens at Artship Olympia Exhibit in Philadelphia” by Emily Vogel and Kristina Robold. June 30, 2016
Artblog
“Sculpture at Sea – Artship Olympia at the Independence Seaport Museum” by Flora Ward. July 5, 2016
Staff
Leslie Kaufman, Director
Watsuki Harrington, Assistant Director
Samuel Thuman, Student Intern
Nicole Parker, Student Intern
Sponsors
The Philadelphia Cultural Fund
Individual Donors
$1000 - $4999
Bruce Russell
Keystone Trading Partners
$500 - $999
Matt Pappajohn
$250 - $499
David Matthews
$25 - $249
Elizabeth Miller McCue
Robert Bevilacqua
Barbara Clark
Marlene Cochran
Michael Grothusen
David Janiec
Melissa Kantesaria
Gregory Martino
Nikki Marx
Bob Menapace
Marsha Moss
Thomas Noonan
Kyong Parker
Mary Salvante
Robert Suskin
Robert Wallner
Bethany Wiggin