Press Release #31 November 2007 NEW HOPE SIDETRACKS ART GALLERY 2A STOCKTON AVENUE NEW HOPE, PA 18938 215 862 4586 newhopesidetrackscomcast.net nhsidetracks.com New Hope Sidetracks Art Gallery Presents: A STITCH IN TUNE: Soft Sculpture by Diane Koss; Music Cubes by Ben Mittleman November 10, 2007 through January 6, 2008 Artist Reception Saturday, November 10, 2007, 6-9 PM New Hope Sidetracks Art Gallery kicks off its third year as part of the local art scene on Saturday, November 10, 2007, with the opening of A Stitch in Tune: Soft Sculpture by Diane Koss; Music Cubes by Ben Mittleman. An Artist Reception will take place on the evening of November 10, Celebrating Second Saturdays in New Hope, from 5 until 9 PM. Diane Koss, (bio) who provides the show with its "Stitch," is originally from Philadelphia and now resides in Westmont, New Jersey. Her playful soft sculpture ornaments first came to the attention of Sidetracks in 2006, while she was working at Paper Plate Café nearby. Several conversations later, a somewhat larger sculpture, Perseverance, debuted at the Gallery's recent Naked in New Hope exhibit. For the present show, Diane presents her stitchery in a variety of sizes and subjects, all of them showing her nimble fingers hard at work and her sense of humor in soft play. The artworks range from a detailed cuckoo clock to a gumball machine slightly skewed (The 25-cent Dream Machine), and from flights of fancy such as Gravity (What's Up, Galileo?) to Beef with Broccoli and Small Wiener Big World. Ms. Koss is a recent graduate of The College of New Jersey with concentrations in photography, wearable sculpture and video/installation, and is presently studying graphic and web design at University Arts in Philadelphia. She states: Stuffed animals have always had a strong presence in my life-comfort as a child, company in adolescence, memory as a young adult-I began designing my own plush toys in the hopes that some day the characters I created could live on in and grow with someone else just as mine had grown with me…Although the soft sculptures can not necessarily be picked up and held like other plush toys, I believe that they still convey the same ideas. Another Philadelphia native, Ben Mittleman, (bio) adds to the exhibit the "Tune without the words" through his hand-assembled jewel-tone music cubes. Each cube is one-of-a-kind, taking its design inspiration first from an original photograph, with visual commentary then added from other source material. Each matte-varnished work is crowned with a specifically chosen musical "diadem," giving voice to the entire creation. Ben, together with his wife Tania Vasallo, originated music cubes as personal thank-you gifts to their friends and to clients of their business, SkyBat Studio. After a successful 10- year career as art directors for advertising agencies in Miami and New York, they have re-located SkyBat's photography, art direction and design to Tania's native Galicia in north-west Spain. Trips to visit family in Bucks County led them to the thresh-hold of Sidetracks, and to the present exhibition. Mr. Mittleman studied at George Washington University, Towson State University (B.A. in Visual Communication), the Miami Ad School (where he met Tania) and with Tania at Maine Photographic Workshops. His work has been displayed at Artist Space in New York, Art from the Heart NYC and Here is New York; Archive Magazine published photography and illustration by Ben four times from 2002 to 2005. The artist has noticed that new creative energy flows between each music cube and its next owner, for people tend to find that their new cube has something personal to say just to them. New Hope Sidetracks Art Gallery also represents and shows artwork by Jane Henry, M. P. Landis, Rachel Friedberg, Norma Holt, Jack Rosen (estate), Selina Trieff, Yvonne Love, Marc Deasy, Betty Jacobsen, Leah Tomaino, Elizabeth Miller McCue, Charles Devigne, Jefferson Hayman, Janet Bishop and McWillie Chambers. New Hope Sidetracks Art Gallery is located in the New Hope Arts Center, 2A Stockton Avenue, where Bridge Street and the New Hope-Ivyland Railroad intersect, neighboring El Taco Loco Restaurant. Fall Gallery Hours: Sunday, Monday & Thursday 11AM - 6PM, Friday 11AM - 7PM. Saturday 11AM - 9PM Celebrating Second Saturdays in New Hope 5PM - 9PM. Closed Tuesday & Wednesday. 215 862 4586 www.nhsidetracks.com newhopesidetrackscomcast.net ARTWORK CAPTIONS: A) Cogitation, stoneware on wood base, by Janet Bishop. B) Sculptor Janet Bishop, of Quakertown. C) Back View, monotype on paper, by McWillie Chambers. D) Birdman, Looking West, wire drawing by Eric Rhein.