Betsy Casanas is planting seeds in North Philadelphia. Using art as a catalyst for social change, Casanas has opened
A Seed On Diamond Gallery on Norris Square. This past weekend, Casanas opened the gallery to the public with a show featuring two Philadelphia artists: Spot Lights Strobe Lights Street Lights is a multimedia work by
Daniel Petraitiis, and H.O.O.F., Horse Owners of Fairmount, photography from
Amanda Stevenson.
Norris Square is not your typical Philly arts destination, yet if you look on a
map, Casanas' gallery is in an area surrounded by urban renewal, with Kensington to the east, Temple University to the west, and Fishtown to the south. Casanas, a muralist, teacher and community gardener, also co-founded
Semilla Arts Initiative. "We've been taking over areas that have been neglected and abandoned," says Casanas, who along with fellow artist Pedro Ospina creates cultural celebrations, urban clean up projects, after school programs and student run community gardens. "I've lived in North Philly all my life," says Casanas, who was born at 4th and Somerset, an area unaffectionately dubbed the Badlands, with some of the highest crime rates in the city. Casanas got her degree from Moore College of Art and was the first in her family to graduate college.
A Seed on Diamond is housed in a formerly grand home overlooking Norris Square. Casanas and her two home schooled children live upstairs. "I was able to convert the first floor into gallery space," explains Casanas. Casanas neighborhood experience forms the basis for all her work. "I was painting when I was 14 and no longer allowed outside," explains Casanas, whose paintings are on a massive scale, sometimes stretching 13 feet in height.
Casanas is planning live events at A Seed on Diamond, and along with gallery shows, is bringing a new crowd to a formerly forgotten neighborhood.
Source: Betsy Casanas, A Seed on Diamond Gallery
Writer: Sue Spolan