Grand Opening Party March 3rd Featuring Premiere Exhibition “Crystal Days”
12 West Willow Grove Ave. Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia 19118
By Marcy Clark
SUGAR, a guaranteed sweet spot for lovers of art, music, culture and design, is hosting a Grand Opening Event this Saturday March 3rd from 5-7pm. Featuring monthly exhibitions showcasing internationally recognized artists, Sugar embraces a relaxed “come and stay awhile” aesthetic, with a “fine” art collection, books, vintage clothing, Vynl Bar, a couple pinball machines, modern, vintage and mid-century finds from EAC and regular events showcasing extraordinary musicians and delicious local edibles.
Sugar is the dreamings of Elie-Anne Chevrier, formerly of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where she managed logistics for exhibitions for nearly 20 years. She is a collector, mid-century connoisseur and all-around treasure hunter highly regarded for her huntress ability, her Modern, Vintage, Mid-Century dealership, and her recent pop-up home store NOMAD. Her first exhibit “Crystal Days,” curated with Timothy Buckwalter, features work by Timothy Buckwalter, Douglas Witmer, Michael MacFeat and Tami Seymour.
Elie-Anne shares about her vision for Sugar: “Folks really had fun at Nomad. They tended to stick around for a while and chat and seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves. Visitors were saying how they felt instantly at home and had the best conversations here and Sugar is expanding that conversation with Art and Music. I want guests to experience the art and be inspired by the current show, play our vynl music collection, live with our home designs and curios and then be able to choose some of these inspirations to take home. Our goal is to create a timeless ‘John Cage’ type experience.”
Sugar’s Grand Opening event will feature four artists on display for the “Crystal Days” exhibit during the month of March as well as music and refreshments:
Timothy Buckwalter – Featured artist and “Crystal Days” Curator Timothy Buckwalter graduated with 
honors from Philadelphia’s Tyler School of Art in 1988 and now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. His work has been included in the Linz Biennale and exhibited nationally at De/Chiara Stewart Gallery in New York; Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland, Oregon; Rebecca Ibel Gallery in Columbus, Ohio; Pharmaka in Los Angeles; Lizabeth Olivera, Pro Arts, Oakland Art Gallery in Oakland; and Four Walls, Southern Exposure and Braunstein/Quay in San Francisco. Buckwalter has written extensively about fine art, penning features and reviews for San Francisco Chronicle, The East Bay Monthly and KQED. He has also guest curated for SFMOMA’s OpenSpace.
Doug Witmer – Philadelphia local Douglas Witmer’s work has been the subject of over 10 solo exhibitions in the US, as well as curated group shows internationally. In 2011 the artist’s debut solo museum exhibition was mounted at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. Other recent venues include: MoMA PS1, Blank Space Gallery, and The Painting Center (all NYC), AxD Gallery (Philadelphia), Some Walls (Oakland, CA), The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, The Philadelphia Cathedral, Pharmaka (Los Angeles), The University of Maryland, The University of Dayton (OH), Sydney Non-Objective (Australia), and Bus-Dori Project Space, Tokyo, Japan. His work is in public and private collections in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He is also known locally as the owner of the popular Green Line Coffee chain.
"Indian Summer" by Douglas Witmer
Michael MacFeat – Philadelphia’s own contemporary artist Michael MacFeat is a self-described “artist, writer and independent curator.” Recently he has been in exhibitions at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia http://www.inliquid.com/gallery/uaarts/archives/0108uaarts.php and Private Galleries in Paris, France. 
He will be showcasing his Urban Survival Kit (romantic) a collaborative work with Timothy Buckwalter.
Tami Seymour – Tami, co-founder of NOMAD, will be showcasing her photography during “Crystal Days.” She is a designer turned stylist and photographer as well as the author behind the popular blogs: Singerseymour and Middle Diner and partner of the design studio Singer Design Company. She has a never-ending obsession for creating and absorbing beautiful design in all its forms.
Photography by Tami Seymour
Jewelry by J. Rudy Lewis – Philadelphia fine Jewelry Designer J. Rudy Lewis is innovative in his style, always observing and incorporating fragments of art and nature into his designs. His collections explore the concept of art as jewelry throughout time. Lewis is catching the eyes and being acquired by top stylists, celebrities, Royalty and even made it to the Grammy’s.
Saturday evenings will will have music by Brandon Morsberger – Exciting local musician Brandon Morsberger returns to this space to perform his original music and live slide-guitar. http://www.myspace.com/morsberger Also Jorgan Perry will perform. http://www.myspace.com/jordanpageperry
Cupcakes: Fresh baked by Darlene Longstreth
Sugar is a flash Art and Design gallery located in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia dedicated to showcasing museum quality artists, the best collections of modern, vintage and mid-century furnishings, accessories & jewelry. Open daily March 3rd – April 1st, W-F 10am – 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 11-5pm, with the possibility of continuing in April and May. Follow Sugar’s journey on Twitter (@followsugar) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/followsugar) for updates and events, and visit www.hello-sugar.com for more details.