The Northwest Artists' Collective includes Colleen Brand, George Bustard, Jeanne Bustard, Linda Carner, Collette Katz, Ellen Marcus, Julie Rosen, and Susan Shipley. The opening reception will be held on October 11, 2015, 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. in the gallery at MRAC.

“Art Travels with the Northwest Artists' Collective” will highlight a collective artistic world view, through the lenses of local artists’ works in oil, acrylic, and mixed media. The NAC is comprised of artists from the Northwestern neighborhoods of Philadelphia, including Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy, Roxborough, Germantown, and beyond.

Among the exhibiting artists, Shipley, a member of the NAC and also a new member of the Manayunk-Roxborough Artists’ Co-Op, will offer some of her recent works, including her oil on canvas painting, “Ascension.” At first glance, the swirling movement of the abstract work, in tandem with the title, suggests that the “Art Travel,” of “Ascension” is less a journey of a physical nature than one on a moral or metaphysical level. Shipley’s use of color creates an upward thrust in the painting, with a mixture of yellow hues crowning a central, loosely triangular figure. The artist, who began painting as a child, has continued this communion, between brush and canvas, and various other media throughout her life and career. As a practicing counselor and psychologist, Shipley has used art therapy with students, in-patients, and the criminally insane. For her, art and therapy are intertwined, and she notes that, “Not only does art heal, it also reveals.”

Shipley joined the NAC after meeting two members, George and Jeanne Bustard, while taking a class at the Fleisher Art Memorial. The NAC, according to Shipley, “is a means of supporting, encouraging, and promoting one another,” and this support is evident throughout all works featured in the exhibit. The support of the collective combats the self doubt inherent in creative pursuits, and fosters inspiration and creativity. The organization’s website, http://nacollective.blogspot.com/, offers more information on the NAC and its members.

“Art Travels with the Northwest Artists' Collective” will run through October 24, 2015 and will then move to the RoxArt Gallery at the Roxborough Development Corporation’s headquarters, located at 6111 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19128, on October 25th.

Gallery hours at MRAC are Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Admission is free (donations encouraged).