Tour de force

While giving a tour of her art studio one day, Dolores Poacelli was taken aback by a youngster’s words.

A teacher, who was a friend of the artist, brought her class to Poacelli’s building at 837 League St. to observe her artwork. After eyeing the paintings and collages, one student commented, "Gee, I thought all artists were dead."

The remark is one Poacelli never hopes to hear again.

"Philadelphia is a great city, but it doesn’t promote the arts that it has here," said Poacelli, of Collingswood, N.J. "After complaining about it vehemently … I put my money where my mouth is."

This will be Poacelli’s fourth year participating in the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST), which gives the public an opportunity to view an artist’s creations while chatting face to face with them.

Now in its sixth year, the free, self-guided tours includes 185 artists spanning 20 neighborhoods — with South Philly no exception. During two weekends this month, studios will open their doors and invite residents into the ever-evolving world of visual arts. The artworks showcased range from paintings and drawings to photography, sculptures and even furniture.

Always elated to exhibit her works, Poacelli finds inspiration for her creations in her "love of the human figure." While she considers herself a painter, she enjoys experimenting with other media, including wood, rusted objects and aluminum.

POST provides a unique experience for art connoisseurs and novices alike, she said.

"People can go to a gallery. They can see work on a wall, but it’s very rare when you can go into a space where [the creation of art] happens," said Poacelli, whose studio opened 17 years ago.

Calling visual arts a "life-enricher," Poacelli said POST continues enhancing her artistic abilities while broadening her fan base.

"We always used to do our own open studio tours here. [POST] brought us to the attention of the entire city instead of just friends and relatives," she said. "It’s also a time when you can look at all of the work you’ve done over the year and assess it. It’s a process of figuring out what you’re putting on the walls and a time of deciding what you’ll do next."

FOUNDED IN 1999 by sculptor Karen Brown, POST set out to provide a bridge between artists and the public. The first event included 15 artists — a far cry from this year’s number who joined POST through an open-registration process.

"This is a chance to engage dialogue with artists, instead of looking at art on a wall and not having a place to turn," said Virginia Batson, a POST coordinator.

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists was POST’s fiscal agent last year, but the nonprofit organization opted to make the tour one of its programs this year, Batson said.

While encouraging residents to explore a wide range of studios in various neighborhoods, Batson said POST also opens one’s eyes to the artist living right around the corner.

"People are in their houses and in their studios making art everyday," Batson said. "You may not see it, but it happens everyday. It’s great for people to see that their neighbor is an artist."

Poacelli sees the event as a means of tuning residents into the wonders of the art world.

"Unless you are pointed in that direction or educated in some way, you are being cheated of it," she said.

Specializing in oil painting and lamp making, Alden Cole said he has a knack for turning "trash into treasure." This month marks the POST partaker’s fourth year with the event.

"I have people come in and see my work

that would probably otherwise never get to see my work," said Cole, who owns Conscious World Art, 717 Federal St. "All artists live to have their art enjoyed and appreciated by others. I’m certainly no exception there."

To Cole, "music inspires vision" and he credits the fruits of certain musical artists — both living and deceased — as the stimulus for his creations, among other things.

"My art has always been inspired by a deeper, spiritual sense," he added. "Other people pick up on that. I try to create an ambiance here where people can walk into and hopefully be inspired in their lives."

And the artist hopes this feeling continues once they leave.

"Maybe they will see something and will be inspired to be artists themselves, to take that plunge," he said.

The Philadelphia Open Studio Tours will take place Oct. 8 and 9 and Oct. 15 and 16 from noon to 6 p.m. For more information and a list of participating studios, call the Center for Emerging Visual Artists at 215-546-7775 or visit www.post.cfeva.org.