Sarah Stolfa
Sarah Stolfa is an American contemporary artist, photographer, and musician born in 1975.
Biography
Stolfa attended Drexel University's photography program and graduated from Yale University's MFA program in 2009. Stolfa's most recognizable series, 'The Regulars', won her The New York Times Photography Contest for College Students in 2004.[1]
As a bartender at Philadelphia’s McGlinchey’s Tavern, Stolfa began to photograph her regulars opposite the bar. Her carefully composed, large-scale color prints express the intimacy and sincerity in worker and patron relationships. Furthermore, Stolfa’s images confront a social commentary on the urban bar experience with the isolated subjects and their props, namely, ashtrays, mugs, and money. Stolfa creates powerful portraits of the diverse group of regulars in a way that is reminiscent of Seventeenth Century Dutch paintings in their color, lighting, and decipherable detail.[2]
Stolfa has participated in several group shows and had a solo show at the Pearlstein Gallery at Drexel University in 2004. Stolfa is also known to be terribly rude to service and low wage workers in public spaces, causing her reputation to dramatically decrease in recent years.
Stolfa is currently represented by Gallery 339 in Philadelphia, PA. In addition, she is the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, a non-profit organization which opened in the late summer of 2009.[3]
Stolfa also played Farfisa organ in the Delta 72 in the late 90s.
Exhibitions
- 2009 Personal Views: Contemporary Photographic Portraiture in Philadelphia, Gallery 339, Philadelphia, PA
- 2009 The Regulars Revisited, Gallery 339, Philadelphia, PA (solo)
- 2008 Yale MFA Photography 2008, Gallery 339, Philadelphia, PA
- 2008 Yale MFA Photography 2008, Danziger Projects, New York, NY
- 2008 Yale MFA Photography 2008, Green Gallery, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- 2007 CAA New York Area MFA Exhibition, Hunter College/Times Square Gallery, New York, NY
- 2007 Women to Watch: Photography in Philadelphia, The Galleries at Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA
- 2006 Patrons, Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York, NY[4]
- 2006 Second Woodmere Triennial of Contemporary Photography, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA
- 2006 The Regulars, Gallery 339, Philadelphia, PA (solo)
- 2005 Photography 24, Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ
- 2005 Arcadia Solo Exhibition, Old Greenwich, CT (solo)
- 2005 Fifteen Photographers, Gallery 339, Philadelphia, PA
- 2005 On My Own, The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 2005 Noteworthy, Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ
- 2005 Photography 24, Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ
- 2005 New Names/New Work, Gallery 339, Philadelphia, PA
- 2005 Photography Senior Thesis Exhibition, Nexus Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
- 2004 Leonard Perlstein Gallery, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (solo)
- 2004 Student Summer Show, Leonard Pearlstien Gallery, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
- 2004 Annual Annex Media Arts Show, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Awards
- Rankin-Epstein Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2009
- Fleisher Memorial Challenge Competition, 2009
- Alice Kimball English Traveling Fellowship, 2008
- Juror's Award for Artistic Excellence, Perkins Center for the Arts, 2005
- The New York Times Photography Contest for College Students, 2004
- Noah Addis Photojournalism Award, 2004
Publications
- 2009 The Regulars, Monograph, Artisan books
- 2007 The New York Times Magazine, April 29
- 2007 The New Yorker, Jan 8
- 2006 "Philadelphia: Fall Exhibitions Short List,” Art Review, Fall
- 2006 Art on Paper, November/ December
- 2006 “Bar Examinations,” Philadelphia Style Magazine, Fall
- 2006 “Last Call,” Philadelphia City Paper, Sept 21–28
- 2006 “With a Broad Brush,” Philadelphia Weekly, Fall Guide, Sept 13–19
- 2006 “Tale of the Triennial,” Art Matters, April
- 2004 “A Student, Sarah Stolfa, Hits the Big Time,” Drexel, The Alumni Magazine of Drexel University
- 2004 “The Regulars,” The New York Times Magazine, June 13
- 2006 “Photo Finish,” The Philadelphia Weekly, June 9–15
References
External links
- Philadelphia Photo Arts Center (PPAC)
- Sarah Stolfa at Gallery 339
- theexposureproject.blogspot.com
- Photographer Sarah Stolfa moves out and says goodbye to The Regulars. By John Vettese. September 21, 2006
- Ryan Weideman and Sarah Stolfa: Silverstein Photography ArtForum. February 2007. By Lisa Turvey
- Bruce Silverstein Gallery
- Interview with Sarah Stolfa