Fit to Print

With anyone and everyone's willingness and ability to update the world on what is happening right now, wherever that may be (as the recent horrific events in Haiti have shown us), there's no doubt that journalism has changed for good, forever. Newsprint might not be the relic that some would proclaim (fingers crossed), but it certainly has a different role in current-events reporting in this digital age. Examining how people receive the news as well as how artists incorporate current events in their art are the driving forces behind Old Media/Old News, a new exhibit at the Luminary Center for the Arts (4900 Reber Place; 314-807-5984 or www.theluminaryarts.com). The show, opening with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, January 30, features work by both local and international artists, six in all, and showcases gouache drawings, poetry and even a sculptural film reel. For Newsreel, Xiang-Yang, a Chinese artist working in Philadelphia, captured images from newsprint on Scotch tape and incorporated them into the reel, creating a piece that demonstrates how much news is out there and the empty anonymity of it all. Martin Brief, Jihoon Park, Lisa Bulawsky, Michelle Forsyth and Austin Kleon also contributed works to the exhibition. Old Media/Old News remains on view after the reception through Saturday, March 27. The gallery is open from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
Wednesdays-Saturdays. Starts: Jan. 30. Continues through March 27, 2010