Amie Potsic: Forest Light & Twilight

New Site-Specific Installation at the Cherry Street Pier
Featured installation of the 20/20 Photo Festival

Amie Potsic presents a new site-specific installation that suspends 25 feet overhead in the main atrium of the Cherry Street Pier extending over 160 feet in length. Forest Light & Twilight is an interactive installation that conjures the enchanted feeling of walking through the woods under the forest canopy – from the lush green of daylight to the deep indigos of twilight. Forest imagery on semi-translucent material feels suspended in motion as if a gentle breeze rustles through the tree branches. Encouraging an experiential appreciation for our forests, audiences are inspired to remember and protect our natural spaces.

September 1 - October 1, 2023

Opening First Friday Reception
Friday, September 1st, 4:00 - 9:00 pm
*Artist Present: 4:00 – 6:00 pm

Festival Day and Closing Reception
Saturday, September 30th, 12:00 - 7:00 pm
Book Fair and Workshops, 12:00 - 5:00 pm
Closing Reception: 5:00 - 7:00 pm
* Amie Potsic’s Artist Talk: 6:00 – 6:30 pm

Location:
Cherry Street Pier
121 N. Columbus Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Pier Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 12 pm – 9 pm
Friday: 12 pm – 11 pm
Saturday: 11 am – 11 pm
Sunday: 11 am – 9 pm

Cherry Street Pier is a 65,000 square foot warehouse and former shipping pier which was a vibrant part of Philadelphia’s shipping industry. Originally built in 1919 as Shipping Pier 9, it has been carefully repurposed to preserve and celebrate its historic value including the original railroad tracks, steel trussed roof, and masonry headhouses. It was designed for the Philadelphia community, by the Philadelphia community. Here, you’ll watch artists at work, shop ever-changing markets, and find one-of-a-kind programming, exhibitions, and spaces for reflection along the river. For more information about Cherry Street Pier: https://www.cherrystreetpier.com/space/

The 20/20 Photo Festival in Philadelphia is an annual city-wide celebration of photography during the month of September. The process of capturing a photograph reconnects one to the intricate web of the surrounding natural world. Slowing down to think about how objects, light, people, and nature interact, allows us to delve into our planet's beauty and inherent fragility. This year's 20/20 Photo Festival programming explores how The Natural World influences a photographer's vision through exhibitions, artist talks, a photo book fair, workshops, and more. A full day of events will take place at Cherry Street Pier in the historic Old City neighborhood on Saturday, September 30th, 2023, along with many photography exhibitions throughout the fall in the Philadelphia region.

Artist Statement
My work references the sensory experience of being within the forest while encouraging us to appreciate and preserve its future. Incarnate environmental explorations, my photographs and installations invite you to connect with your own perception of nature in a manner that is both intimate and enchanting. I focus on the allure and dynamism of the forest to share my sense of wonder, develop our connection to trees, and support environmental protections. Personal experience underscoring the urgency of climate change, I draw attention to deforestation by creating visceral and cerebral connections to trees and the natural world.

Biography
Amie Potsic is photographer and installation artist whose work addresses cultural, personal, and natural phenomena through the lens of social responsibility and climate change. Potsic has exhibited her work internationally at the Art Park in Rhodes, Greece; Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá, Colombia; Medfoundart di Cagliari, Italy; the Royal College of London; the Museum of New Art in Detroit; The Woodmere Art Museum, The National Constitution Center Museum, The Painted Bride, and James Oliver Gallery in Philadelphia; The Delaware Contemporary in Wilmington, DE; Mission 17 in San Francisco; and 626 Gallery in Los Angeles. She won Best in Show for her work in Experimental Photography Today at The Delaware Contemporary in 2015 and was featured in Keystone 1, the inaugural Pennsylvania Photography Biennial, at Silver Eye Center for Photography in Pittsburgh the same year. Potsic received her MFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and BA’s in Photojournalism and English Literature from Indiana University, graduating with Distinguished Honors and a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. She has held faculty appointments at the University of California at Berkeley, Ohlone College, and the San Francisco Art Institute and published her work in The San Francisco Chronicle and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Potsic has been a guest lecturer at The International Center of Photography and is the Host of Art Watch Radio and Podcast on WCHE 1520 & 95.3 in Greater Philadelphia.

“Some artists devote entire careers to a single obsession. Amie Potsic manages to divert a series of obsessions into clear and direct narratives that nonetheless build seamlessly into her own artistic portfolio.... The full scope of her oeuvre interacts and builds a distinct artistic voice.”

- Nicholas Shonberger, Independent Scholar

Amie Potsic, Forest Light & Twilight, Cherry Street Pier, Installation view, 25’H x 20’W x 160’L, 2023, © Amie Potsic 2023

Banner Image: Amie Potsic, Forest Light & Twilight, Cherry Street Pier, Installation view, 25’H x 20’W x 160’L, 2023, © Amie Potsic 2023

Amie Potsic: Forest Light & Twilight - Installation at Cherry Street Pier

Amie Potsic: Forest Light & Twilight