Galleries: Inspirational past, abstract present

Every gallery season reflects the economy and the state of the world in general, and this one is no different.

Philadelphia's galleries, commercial and nonprofit, are keeping things noticeably cool and controlled. That translates to exhibitions that look to a more inspirational past and, by association, art tinged with a nostalgic or subdued mood, as well as work taking its cues from instructions, whether artist- or curator-generated.

And, after years of being under the radar here, abstract, hard-edged geometric sculpture and painting are role models once again.

After "Snow." Swiss artist Dieter Roth (1930-1998) had his first U.S. exhibition 50 years ago at the Philadelphia College of Art, now the University of the Arts, while working here with master printer Eugene Feldman and graphic designer Jim McWilliams on the thousands of printed, photographic, and hand-drawn pages that would form the basis of his book Snow. Uarts' Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery honors the anniversary of Roth's local sojourn with a group show of works by like-minded artists, among them McWilliams, Alison Knowles, Terry Riley, Matt Neff, Karyn Olivier, and Chris Martin. Through Oct. 8 (215-717-6480 or www.uarts.edu/about/rosenwald-wolf-gallery)

do it. The concept for this exhibition began percolating in Paris in 1993, when curator Hans Ulrich and artists Christian Boltanski and Bertrand Lavier came up with the idea for a show that would regularly reinvent itself by inviting artists to propose works based on written instructions that could be interpreted in any manner they chose. Twenty-one years later, the ever-changing "do it" has arrived at Moore College of Art & Design, in an iteration populated by the interpretations of Philadelphia-area artists to instructions given by Mel Bochner, Tracey Emin, Bruce Nauman, Yoko Ono, and others. Through Dec. 6 (215-965-4027 or www.moore.edu/the-galleries-at-moore)

Mel Chin: Disparate Acts. Chin, an internationally known activist artist who has devoted his work to art that questions the objectivity and reliability of information divulged through possibly corrupt sources, is getting a very timely survey at Rowan University Art Gallery. Through Nov. 1 (856-256-4521 or www.rowan.edu/artgallery)

Drawing Now Philadelphia. A gathering of 14 Philadelphia artists - among them Ruth Scott Blackson, Astrid Bowlby, Alexis Granwell, Daniel Heyman, Colin Keefe, and Samantha Simpson - who take pencil and pen to a new level. Organized by Sabina Tichindeleanu and Emilie Keim Viss for ArtSpace Liberti. Through Oct. 26. (www.artgrind.wordpress.com)

Markus Baenziger: Wayside. Sculptures that combine the Swiss artist's love of nature with an incompatibly urban, industrialized world, at Swarthmore College's List Gallery. Through Oct. 26. (610-328-7811 or www.swarthmore.edu/list-gallery.xml)

Robinson Fredenthal. Philadelphia sculptor Fredenthal is remembered for the public sculptures he was commissioned to make for various sites in Philadelphia, among them Black Forest, near the intersection of 34th and Walnut Streets, and White Water, between Fourth and Fifth Streets just north of Market. Larry Becker Contemporary Art will show 24 unique small cast-bronze sculptures that have been housed at the Louis Kahn Archives at the University of Pennsylvania since Fredenthal's death in 1999. Oct. 28-Nov. 29. (215-925-5389 or www.artnet.com/lbecker.html)

Three Themes: Contemporary Connections with Paul Strand. Photographs by Tanyth Berkeley, Doug Rickard, and Paul Salveson that strike a chord with Paul Strand's photographs, coinciding with the Strand retrospective at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Through Nov. 8 (215-232-5678 or www.philaphotoarts.org)

Stephanie Syjuco: Market Forces. This 2014 Guggenheim fellow has launched a three-month project at Temple Contemporary exploring underground markets and alternative economies in collaboration with Temple's Fox School of Business and the printmaking department of Temple's Tyler School of Art. Through Nov. 29 (215-777-9139 or www.templecontemporary@temple.edu)

Day Job. The Print Center's major fall show features works by six photographers - Steven Ahlgren, Justin Audet, Larry Fink, Chelsea Griffith, Bill McCullough, and Benjamin Pierce - whose practices are informed by other vocational pursuits. Through Nov. 22 (215-735-6090 or www.printcenter.org)

New Sight Painter Sarah McEneaney and photographer Zoe Strauss have curated Threenineteen Studio's debut exhibition of nine local artists - among them Joan Wadleigh Curran and Daniel Petraitis - whose works address decay and rebirth in the post-industrial world. A portion of the sales will benefit Friends of the Rail Park. Through Oct. 18 (267-687-7769 or www.319north11thstreet.com)

Mark Mahosky: Paper View/Anthony Campuzano: Slow Movies. Fleisher/Ollman's first show pairs Mahosky's abstract paintings on newspaper pages and small sculptures that resemble monuments with recent drawings by Campuzano that play on the artist's fascination with feature films and fandom. Sept. 26-Nov. 15 (215-545-7562 or www.fleisher-ollmangallery.com)

Liz Rideal: Freefall. Theatrical, mysterious photographs of cloth, at Gallery 339. Sept. 26-Nov. 22 (215-731-1530 or www.gallery339.com)

Charles Burwell and Odili Donald Odita: New Works. Two abstract painters known for their colorful geometric compositions should make an excellent pairing at Bridgette Mayer Gallery. Oct. 16-Nov. 21 (215-413-8893 or www.bridgettemayergallery.com)

Donna Usher: Contemplation/Miriam Singer: Endless Day. Usher's gentle abstract paintings inspired by the natural universe; Singer's densely composed drawings based on the artist's travels in Philadelphia. Through Oct. 11. (215-923-3110 or www.lgtrippgallery.com)

Virgil Marti: Forest Park. In his first solo show with Locks Gallery, the Philadelphia artist will be presenting new "looking glasses" inspired by late-18th-century Chippendale mirrors, sculptural furniture works, and textile prints. Through Oct. 18 (215-629-1000 or www.locksgallery.com)

Heather Ujiie: Erotic Alchemy. An installation of a fantastical landscape inspired by early botanical and anatomical illustrations, at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. Through Nov. 30 (215-545-4302 or www.philartalliance.org)

Bill Richards: Streamed Space. Large-scale, vibrantly colored poured abstract paintings, at Seraphin Gallery. Through Oct. 19 (215-923-7000 or www.seraphingallery.com)

Rob Matthews: Janus. Matthews' fourth solo show at Gallery Joe should reveal some of the changes in his life since moving from Philadelphia, his home of 14 years, to Nashville, in 2013. Oct. 11-Nov. 22. (215-592-7752 or www.galleryjoe.com)

Complementary Colors. Works by Clint Jukkala, Peter Comber, Alexis Granwell, and Don Martiny, at Pentimenti Gallery. Oct. 1 through Nov. 1 (215-625-9990 or www.pentimenti.com)

Ted Larsen. New geometric wall sculptures assembled from scrap metal parts, at Schmidt Dean Gallery. Oct. 25 through Nov. 2 (215-569-9433 or www.schmidtdean.com)