David R. Harper

Philadelphia-based artist David R. Harper transforms the Villa Terrace into an illusory world of historic fiction as he activates the entire house with sculpture, transformed objects, and installations. Harper references the museum’s history as a decorative arts museum by using images and objects influenced by various eras, such as Greco-Roman figures, plant and animal studies from the 19th century, handmade wood vitrines, and stained glass. Suggesting that traditional ways of categorizing art genres and movements are permeable and changing, Harper composes his installations in imaginative ways that combine contemporary sensibilities with a reverence for the past.

Opening Reception and Catalogue Release:
Thursday, July 11, 2019 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Members’ preview 5:30 to 6:00 p.m.
Artist talk with David R. Harper 7:00 p.m.
Catalogues available for purchase. $30 / $25 Members

Artist bio:
David R. Harper (b. Toronto, Canada), received his BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Fiber and Material Studies.
Harper's work employs both traditional and non-traditional materials such as embroidery, ceramic, and casting materials such as salt and charcoal in a cross-disciplinary manner to create objects installations that grapple with notions of loss, love, feelings of belonging and how we use objects to inform our notions of self.
Harper has been included in group shows at museums in the US and Canada, including MASS MoCA, National Gallery of Canada and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and has participated in numerous solo exhibitions including My Own Personal Ghost (The John Michael Kohler Art Center), Plateau (South Bend Museum of Art) Skin and Bone (Textile Museum of Canada), A solo touring exhibition of Harper's work titled Entre Le Chien et Le Loup was organized by the University of Toronto in 2013
He has participated in several residencies including the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Residency (2016) Bemis Center for Contemporary Art (2014), and the Kohler Arts Industry (2012/2014)
His work can be found in a number of notable collections including The Museum of Arts and Design (NYC), The John Michael Kohler Art Center, The Museum of Wisconsin Art, The National Gallery of Canada, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation (Los Angeles), and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.