February 3, 2009. Curio connoisseur, hardware hobbyist—it doesn’t matter how you define Candy Depew. When it comes down to it, she just really, really likes decorative art. The Philadelphia-based artist takes pride in beautifying living spaces with her playful and provocative collection of objects, currently on display at Philadelphia University’s Design Center in an installation called Housing Project. Depew sprinkled the former living spaces of The Design Center with self-made objects: porcelain trinkets in the bedroom, custom-printed fabrics swathing pillows in the den, handmade ball gowns dressing mannequins in a speakeasy salon. The former Pew fellow was inspired by the five years she spent as an artist-in-residence at various programs and by her subsequent housesitting for more than 50 residences during that time. Through April 3. www.philau.edu