Artists’ House Gallery

This review is more for the Artists’ House Gallery as a show space, not for the quality of art displayed there.
Saw a friend’s first public showing here in early September. I can’t complain one bit about the artists, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the space. The lighting was overly bright, creating unwelcome glare on some canvasses. Given the bright lighting and a burst of Indian Summer, the rooms heat up pretty quickly and I felt like I was in a sardine can after 15 minutes. Also, some of the paintings ended up in a rather cluttered back room that seemed to say «well, we ran out of room and this was the best we could do». It took away from my ability to appreciate the work they had hung there. Getting to this back room also necessitated that you step through a door whose sensor/​alarm bell went off before you even crossed the threshold. Multiply this by 100 or so people and it was pretty damn annoying. I could have done without the tiny pretzels and seltzer. Who enjoys flat seltzer water?
I do commend them for showing new artists and allowing the public to get the first glimpses of new talent in our city. This also means being able to purchase art at a fairly affordable price. I also appreciate that they don’t cram more than 3 or so artists into the space at one time so that each artist can really show their breadth and range of work.

I am giving Artists House Gallery a solid 4 stars. The gallery does a few things very nicely — exhibits realistic paintings and has an unlimited supply of tiny pretzels and seltzer water (if nothing, I love consistency). I knocked one star off because I was not as impressed with the artwork this past First Friday as I have been in the past. Previous showings have features artwork that was so realistic, I could have sworn it they were photographs. I strongly recommend stopping by when you are in the area.

Artists House has become a well-​established gallery in Old City over the years. They have developed a reputation for showing many rising artists before they hit it big … allowing the gallery to offer very reasonable prices and beautiful, often museum-​quality art. They typically change their shows every month, so it is worth coming back on a regular basis.
The gallery space is relatively large for that neighborhood, and the gallery is often the most crowded spot in the neighborhood on First Fridays, but I view this as a sign of the quality of their artists. Definitely worth a visit if in the city or out on First Friday.

Artists House is a revered gallery for up and coming Philly artists. The artwork on display is always of the highest quality and the gallery staff is very welcoming and knowledgeable about each artist. Inside is very quaint and warm with an air of dignity. There is a narrow hallway that leads to a small back gallery, along the hallway walls I always seem to find small treasures of paintings. Oh and by the way, I will be displaying a couple of my Paintings at Artists’ House Gallery in Olde City during the Emerging Artists Exhibition 2008 ³⁄₇ — 3/26.Come check it out or Check out my blog at

to see some of my paintings that will be on display at Artists’ House Gallery

Another good Old City gallery that is worth checking out during your First Friday visit. Every two months Artists House unveils a new exhibition that features 4 – 8 artists, many who have roots to Philadelphia. It’s artists predominately specialize in modern art, portraits, and sculpture. It has one huge room and a smaller room in the back that can often be hard to pass through due to the volume of people inside and the limited space (it can be worth it though). sometimes the gallery curators open it’s office area, which gives patrons the chance to see art from previous displays.
During First Friday Artists’ House also has the perks of free pretzels, and two open bathrooms that are open to the public.