PHILADELPHIA, PA - On November 5th, the brand new Philadelphia art gallery, Commonweal, will open its second exhibition. Each month the gallery focuses on two artists and one designer. This month, Marian Bailey and Dora Cuenca will be exhibiting their work, and Isabella Akhtarshenas will be the featured designer.

Commonweal Gallery Features Female Artists Celebrating Belonging

Bailey and Cuenca have created fourteen new prints, focusing on embracing the authenticity of oneself and your surroundings. Opening Night will be on the first Friday of the month from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at 1607 Latimer Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. The two artists will be exhibiting throughout November, with events and workshops to accompany their time at Commonweal.

“I had the privilege of being raised in a family of strong women whose characters were defined by an unshakable belief in their individual dignity as well as an abiding love for the communities of which they were apart. In both Marian and Dora’s imagery, I saw a similar recognition of the importance of belonging - to oneself, to one’s community and the environment - and am excited to exhibit and share their affirming works at Commonweal.”- Alex Conner, Owner, Commonweal Gallery

Artist Marian Bailey will display her work at Commonweal starting November 5th.

Marian Bailey (b. 1991) is a self-taught visual artist located in Philadelphia, PA. Although her background is in acrylic portraiture, her current medium of choice is digital art. She creates bold, colorful illustrations. She primarily focuses on “highlighting the beauty of blackness with a hyper-focus on dark skin black women.” Marian aims to “offset the anti-blackness that permeates society” and provide the representation that she so desperately wanted to see growing up. Her work has been publicly installed in the People’s Fridge in West Philly, in four banners adorning East Market, and a 30’ mural at the Philadelphia International Airport.

Dora Cuenca (b. 1984) is a Costa Rican multidisciplinary artist guided by curiosity, a love for nature, and the everyday motherhood experience. While living in Costa Rica, Dora fell in love with a man from New Jersey. She eloped in Philadelphia and started a family here. She works mainly as a muralist, fine digital artist, and surface designer. Dora has brought color to the city through the walls of Mission Taqueria, Freedom Apothecary, The Fashion District, Allen Street Grill, The Heid, and Mural Arts, to name a few. In her art, she blends the abstract and figurative to paint the way things feel rather than look. Her process and final pieces cultivate, transform and transfer energy through color and shape.

Dora Cuenca will display this piece and more starting November 5th.

Both Marian Bailey and Dora Cuenca will host two in-person events this month - one Artist Event and one Family Workshop. This month, Marian’s Artist Event is “The Joy of Movement,” and her Family Workshop is titled “Connected by Shapes” for the young artists of Philadelphia. Dora will also be hosting two in-person events, “Continuous Line Explorations” for all and “Get Curious with Shapes” for children and their families.