Artist's Statement:
For me, art is not about making “pretty” or acceptable imagery. Moved by the paradox of a world that offers incredible beauty, juxtaposed by horrors wrought by mankind, I am compelled to put forth my vision of man’s inhumanity to man.
I am tempted to wisecrack: “It’s a nasty job, but someone’s got to do it!”
In truth, I do have to do it. As in the tradition of Goya, Picasso,
Kollwitz and Grosz, socially abhorrent acts can be safely examined through aesthetic means. The artist gives the audience an opportunity to think, feel, and evaluate without turning away.
We live in a society that tolerates annhilation and destruction, be it
through indifference or with purposeful intention such as the Shoah: the deliberate attempt to destroy an entire people, its history, its religion, its culture.
The content of my work focuses on those who suffer the powerless and the
disenfranchised (women, the elderly, the homeless, victims of antisemitism,
racism, AIDS, war).
The content of my vision is not pretty nor is it without hope. If my imagery
disturbs, forcing people to look, then there is the possibility of questions.
With questions, answers might come. In choosing the idiom of social
commentary to express my vision, I mean my work to document, mirror, and reflect social events. I intend to disturb, to provoke thought, to challenge.
Images hinting at truth appear in bytes on the six o’clock news. We dine with
Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather, looking up from our food to lower the sound.
I want my vision to turn up the volume.
Selected Collections:
- James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown PA
- Erica Luitweiler Collection, Bucks County,PA
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia PA
- Patricia Schroeder, former Congresswoman
- Augusta Clark, Esq. Councilwoman, Philadelphia PA
- Robin Morgan, Editor, Ms. Magazine
- Bruce Katsiff, Director, The James A. Michener Art Museum
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
- Philadelphia Bicentennial Women's Center, Philadelphia PA
- University of Massachusetts - Herter Gallery, Amherst MA
- LaSalle University, Philadelphia PA
- Tyler School of Fine Arts, Temple University, Philadelphia PA
- Haverford College - Comfort Gallery, Haverford PA
Selected Group Exhibitions:
- Invitational: "Witness and Legacy: Contemporary Art about the Holocaust" traveled to 18 museums across the United States from 1995 to 2002
- "A Celebration of Women" Michener Art Museum, Doylestown PA
- Women's Caucus for Art, Owen Patrick Gallery, Philadelphia PA
- "and the Women Danced," Borowsky Gallery, Philadelphia PA
- Cheltenham Art Center, Cheltenham PA
- Eastern Regional Pennsylvania Drawing Exhibition, Beaver College,
Glenside
- "Heroines," Third Street Gallery, Philadelphia PA
- Philadelphia Art Alliance
- The Philadelphia Museum of Art
- The Philadelphia Print Club, Philadelphia PA
- The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Selected Teaching Experience:
- Bucks County Community College, Newtown PA: Professor Emeritus
- Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia PA: Saturday Classes
- Studio School of Art and design, Philadelphia PA: Instructor in
Painting, Drawing, and Illustration
Education:
- Stella ElkinsTyler School of Fine Arts, Elkins Park PA: MFA in
printmaking
- Philadelphia Museum College of Art (University of the Arts), Philadelphia PA: BFA in Illustration.
Contact Information:
2425 Diamond Street
Sellersville PA 18960
215-822-9208
e-mail: tantieem@aol.com
