City Hall displays art

In an effort to encourage and promote the work of local Philadelphia artists, Mayor Ed Rendell hosted the opening reception yesterday for the Art in City Hall program's newest exhibition, "Philadelphia Views." The exhibit concentrates on alternative views of the city's landscape and neighborhoods. "With this exhibition, the work of 41 Philadelphia artists is introduced to new audiences," Rendell said in a statement. "And, as always, we continue to support the Philadelphia artistic community and challenge the public to view the work of contemporary Philadelphia artists." More than 160 artists submitted slides for the exhibition, and the 41 featured artists were selected by a jury panel including Rendell and the director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The pieces, which are on the second and fourth floors of City Hall, were created out of various media ranging from neon to oil paint. Edythe Krieger, one of the featured artists, focused on what she considered the most salient aspects of Philadelphia's landscape and history with her "Ben," "Liberty Bell" and "Boathouse Row." When asked about the split 'P' in front of the boathouse in her third piece, Krieger admitted to her Penn loyalty with "three children and a husband on crew [teams]." Since its revival in 1993, the Art in City Hall program has sponsored exhibitions for more than 400 Philadelphia artists. Allowing the public to view diverse artistic perspectives of the city's landscape and history, the program supports the importance of art in the city's culture. "Philadelphia Views" will be on exhibit at the northeast corner of City Hall through January 12. The exhibit was privately funded by the City Hall Board of Directors and various community businesses.