Opening August 12: Shelley Spector

The Mildred Complex(ity) Project Space

Mildred's Lane

Aug 7, 2023

Shelley Spector: before the hill

Opening Saturday, August 12 from 2-5pm

before the hill is a gathering of works by Shelley Spector, a multidisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia and Dingmans Ferry, PA. In this show, her first in six years, she presents a selection of sculptures and installations made between 2007 and 2016 exploring themes common in her work that include time, systems of measurement, the environment, and human connection. In the years since she made these works, Spector has been deeply engaged in the deconstruction and reconstruction of a cabin property in the Pennsylvania mountains, working it into a sculpture, a future studio, and a site for interdisciplinary, creative and environment-focused practice. The cabin, it’s outbuildings (a shed and outhouse) and surrounding property are The Nowadays—a developing sculptural ecosystem made from underutilized and discarded resources. The project is inspired by excess, need, and the effects of human impact on our natural world.

Included in before the hill are works made with fabric and wood acquired through the deconstruction of clothing, furniture, and other discarded and collected objects that employ sewing, woodwork, and home-making techniques. In varied forms such as wallpaper, embroideries, and a motorized sculpture, this presentation of work is a reflective launch point for new work to be made in the soon-to-be-completed cabin studio.

Spector’s work is part of many public and private collections including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which presented her solo exhibition Keep The Home Fires Burning, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C. Spector has received grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and Leeway Foundation. Spector joined Mildred’s Lane as a fellow in 2017 and has since remained involved, currently committed to the restoration, renewal, and repair of the property.

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The costs are never-for-profit. Mildred’s Lane functions as a generosity project working towards a conservation land trust and site for collective art-making. All proceeds support our ongoing efforts as we become an official 501(c)3 organization that will allow Mildred’s Lane to thrive for generations to come.

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Thank you to The Silbert Foundation / The Goldman Foundation / and all supportive individuals who prefer not to be mentioned.

First image: Shelley Spector, Peas, 2016, canned peas with reclaimed fabric, metal, and wood, 5 x 5 x 8”. Photo credit: Ken Yanoviak. Second image: Shelley Spector, Common, 2011, reclaimed fabric and metal w/thread, 18 x 12 x 1”. Photo credit: Ken Yanoviak.