Make-it-Pop! highlights and celebrates everything Pop Art. From the use of pop culture, bold colors, and mass-produced artwork to graphic styles and ironic subjects, we dive into what “makes it Pop” in our artist members' portfolios. 

Drawing on nostalgia and the use of timeless iconography, artists bring in the fun and playfulness to the gallery. Beginning with the 1920s, Jasmine Allegar’s Ring Magazine Series is inspired by Muhammad Ali’s iconic quote, “Float like a butterfly sting like a bee”. Mathew Borgen’s mid-twentieth-century comic book-inspired print, Lupien LaMountain’s found media from personal archives, Alex Spalding’s 1990s cartoons and comics references, and Pete Sparber’s drawings portraying renowned artists, all evoke memories and prompt reflection on diverse perspectives of contemporary society. 

Pop Art was known for challenging themes of consumerism, power, and privilege. Ernesto Beckford creates dynamic and provocative collages that blend elements of advertising and art. At the same time, Lori Evensen and Zach Mellman Carsey create commentary on wealth and class through jewelry and sculptural work. Deanna McLaughlin presents us with a literal shopping cart reinterpreted into a child seat from her series ”Cartregeous”.

Finally, reminding us that “the personal is political,” John Y. Wind's message pins call to action through gems, buttons, and other findings from John Wind Jewelry. Wendee Yudis explores gender power dynamics by superimposing “pop culture icons across shifting contexts” and vivid colors. Carlotta Schiavo, also known as YaYaTii Talisman, creates large-scale, colorful paintings that convey a message of peace and climate awareness.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Ernesto Beckford
Ernesto Raúl Beckford is a Hispanic American collage artist, born in Buenos Aires and now based in Pennsylvania. Beckford creates mixed-media collages with paper, watercolor, and pastels. His practice layers cultural memory with references to art history, drawing on spirituality, immigrant experience, and queer identity while engaging with contemporary visual culture.

Matthew Borgen
Matthew Borgen is a native of Akron, Ohio. He holds a BFA in drawing from the University of Akron and a MFA in painting from the University of Minnesota. Borgen currently serves as the Director of Exhibitions at Arcadia University.

Lori Evensen
Born and raised in central Pennsylvania, Lori Evensen has been creating art since she was under the age of two.  While studying at Tyler School of Art at Temple University, Lori spent a semester studying abroad in Rome and Tunisia, an experience which significantly refined her artistic vision. She graduated with a BFA in painting in 2011 and has gone on to sell and exhibit in numerous galleries, cafe's, nightspots, science centers and other venues in Philadelphia, Rome, and State College.

Lupien LaMountain
Jeremy “Lupien” LaMountain is a self-taught artist based in Philadelphia, PA. Born in 1997 in New Haven, CT, he discovered his passion for art early in life, inspired by his grandmothers who pushed him to explore art through multiple mediums. His work primarily incorporates acrylic paint, collage, and mixed media, exploring themes of contrast and popular culture, particularly through the lens of cartoons, advertisements, and urban life.

Deanna McLaughlin
Deanna began exhibiting her work in 1985. An east coast transplant from the Midwest, Deanna has a BS in Art Therapy from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, and an MA and MAT from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She has the highest level of certification from the National Yoga Alliance for whom she is also a continuing education provider. Deanna worked several years as an art therapist in state mental hospitals and for over two decades as a public school art educator.

Edward Savaria
I am a photographer blending nostalgia with surrealism, transforming vintage tin toys and other objets d'art with unique AI-generated backgrounds. By day, I work as a corporate photographer, but my artistic work is where storytelling meets innovation. My photographs evoke whimsy, contrast, and a touch of urban surrealism, reimagining childhood artifacts in dynamic, digital environments. I’ve exhibited photography in various settings and continue exploring this fusion of retro aesthetics with modern technology.

Carlotta Schiavio aka YaTii Talisman
Carlotta Schiavio aka YaTii Talisman, is an artist with a diverse heritage. Born in Italy and raised in Africa, her cultural background has deeply influenced her artistic journey. Carlotta began her creative path in jewelry design before transitioning to painting in 1998. Carlotta has now entered the literary world - The first book, Bugibatuki Watershed Awareness, is now available online.

Alex Spalding
Alex Spalding (b. 1985, Springfield, MO) is a self-taught figurative painter specializing in vibrant, stylized work. Before dedicating himself to painting in 2023, Alex was immersed in a diverse range of other creative pursuits, including dance music, music journalism, screenwriting, and caricature. This multidisciplinary background continues to inform the eclectic style of his work today. Alex lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.

Peter Sparbar
Pete lives, paints, draws, and writes about art in Philadelphia.  He’s led an eclectic life, living in cities across the U.S., as well as Tokyo and Shanghai.  He holds an MFA from Cornell, is a martial arts black belt, and has recently concluded a career as a senior business executive.  He and his wife, Karen, live in Center City. Pete has written extensively for Artblog, publishing interviews with artists, gallerists, and collectors.

John Wind
John Y. Wind is a mixed media artist, creating narrative portraits, assemblages, and installations. His art explores the intersection of art, commerce, portraiture, and history. It is fabricated with ephemera and objects collected from his own life and inspired by his obsessions. Wind is also the co-founder of Maximal Art Inc., known for 'Modern Vintage' fashion jewelry and gifts, and sold internationally under the John Wind brand. Symbiotically, the language and materials of jewelry often find their way into his fine art.

Wendee Yudis
Wendee Yudis is a Painter/Printmaker whose mixed media paintings/silkscreens have been exhibited in solo and group shows in galleries in NYC, Chicago, and Philadelphia since the mid-1990s. Wendee received an MFA in Printmaking and Painting from Pratt Institute and a BFA in Printmaking and Photography from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She also studied archaeology at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and photography at Richmond College in London.