Up to Us

Up to Us: An Earth Day Celebration is a group exhibition featuring the artists Birdie Busch, Jake Dombroski, Paper & Ax by Paul Grodziak and Andrea Lewandowski, West Oak Design by Christie Sommers, Christine Walinski, and Juicebox Workshop by Julie Woodard.

This exhibition presents a collection of local artists and makers whose work is inspired by the nature surrounding us. Their work is sustainably handcrafted, using a zero waste method approach to designing one-of-a-kind pieces of art. They are repurposing with purpose while illuminating the healing and transformative power of the beauty in Northwest Philly.

Poppy & Bean (5543 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19128) is a curated vintage and thrift shop that also features goods from many local makers.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Birdie Busch

Birdie Busch is a Philadelphia based working sonic and visual artist. She strives to reveal things in a way that doesn’t seem like a dissertation but rather a keyhole and places a lot of intention on distilling the complexities of our stories down to core truths via the paths of folk art and song. She values joining other impassioned collaborators and seeks to make inspired creative work for the greater good. 

[Artist Statement] I come from a lineage of Polish immigrants that settled in Camden, NJ in the latter half of the 19th century. I am drawn to pajakis, a craft begun by women of the countryside of rural Poland, as a creative connection to my ancestral past whilst also delighting in how futuristic, otherworldly, and modern the form can feel. A medium of bounty. Ephemeral. A symbol of fertility. Sometimes as centerpiece, sometimes as quiet shrine. A resistance to things lost. Bearers of luck and happiness. Amulets of protection. Chandeliers of celebration. These are some of the original meanings and intentions of pajaki.  As an artist I love the reuse of materials that pajakis allow for, thrifting and salvage are deeply part of my being, and the materials consist of secondhand findings that find a new life via the art.

emilybirdiebusch.com | @birdiebusch

Jake Dombroski

Jake Dombroski is an artist and designer working tirelessly in Philadelphia. Jake is currently working on a series called Legacy, consisting of 50 found object landscapes. Legacy will be exhibited at The Look Listen from May 4-21, 2023.

jacobdombroski.com | @jakesociety

Paper and Ax (Paul Grodziak and Andrea Lewandowski)

Together, Andrea and Paul create functional wooden pieces using salvaged materials. The pair collects and combines abandoned offcuts, reassembling many times over to create a wooden patchwork. When turned on the lathe, this reveals surprising patterns and designs unique to each and every piece. Their work has spanned jewelry, hand turned bowls and kitchen tools, decorative pieces such as candlesticks and vases, reclaimed wax candles, letterpress and more. Partners in life and in the shop, Andrea and Paul celebrate the potential in even the smallest pieces of wood and hope their work is enjoyed and used for generations to come.

paperandax.com | @paperandax

West Oak Design (Christie Sommers)

West Oak Design offers small batch and one of a kind goods sustainably handcrafted by Christie Sommers in her Wyndmoor, PA home studio. In attempt to lessen environmental impact, a zero landfill waste approach is taken to all designs. Material remaining after the construction of one item will inform the design of another. This season I will be offering garments made with vintage, post-consumer, and deadstock textiles. The shape of each garment will be dictated by the textile with which I'm working so that I create the least amount of waste possible after cutting. Any scrap fabric that remains (mostly neck holes and selvedge edge) are sewn into my unique line of fiber jewelry.

westoakdesign.com | @westoakdesign

Christine Walinski

Christine Walinski is a local artist and educator who lives in Manayunk with her super creative family.  She is in awe of and inspired by the natural world, its beauty and changing rhythms and our connection to it. Working mostly in acrylic and mixed media she explores color, line, shape and form to give order to her interpretations.  Her work is exploratory and organic and seeks to draw the viewer in and have them stay awhile.  

christinewalinski.com | @christinewalinski

juicebox workshop (Julie Woodard)

Artist Julie "juicebox" Woodard splits her time between mountain trails and the streets of Philadelphia. Using salvaged textiles, Julie creates wearable pieces and impressionistic landscapes that convey her passion for nature, memory, and creative reuse. What began as a way to honor her late mom and repurpose family heirlooms, her collections now also feature vintage goods, damaged textiles donated by community members, cutting room remnants, and street debris. Julie’s artistic practice is rooted in the tension between holding on and letting go, of memorialization and detachment. A self-proclaimed 'doula of discarded things,' she transforms both trash and sentimental scraps into landscapes of texture and light. Her process incorporates elements of collage, applique, embroidery, quilting, painting, and soft sculpture. The "juice" is the joy Julie seeks to create and the "box" is her platform for storytelling and advocacy. Every piece has a story. Every textile is repurposed with purpose. Julie is also a writer and musician. In addition to stories, many of her visual works have a song. 

juiceboxworkshop.com| @juiceboxworkshop