Big Ups

BIG UPS: 2012 Knight Foundation Arts Challenge winners

POSTED: Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 10:00 AM

Filed Under: Arts | Big Ups

Left to right: Georgia Guthrie (The Hacktory), Lucas Rivera (AMLA), Sarah Stolfa (Philadelphia Photo Arts Center), John Jarboe (The Bearded Ladies Cabaret)

A lot of artists made a lot of money at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Monday night and they didn’t have to hang things on the wall. The Knight Foundation Arts Challenge, which has already bestowed some $5.4 million in grants, dropped another $2.76 million on local arts organizations on Monday. Thirty-five local winners selected from some 1,200-plus submissions got cash from Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Knight Philadelphia program director.

Some were individual artists with singular goals. Yellow Rage poet/performance artist Catzie Vilayphonh got $25K for “Laos in the House,” a Lao-American writing/performance/filmmaking workshop. Installation artist/videographer Sean Stoops got $20K for creating video events and projections on buildings and random stages.

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 10:00 AM Permalink | Post a comment

BIG UPS: City Paper's Philebrity Award nominees!

POSTED: Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: Big Ups

Congrats to the three City Paper writers nominated for 2011 Philebrity Awards! CP staff writer Dan Denvir and Critical Mass blog columnist Ryan Carey were recognized in the General Excellence in Writing for a City Publication category. And food critic Adam Erace is in the running for Phoodie of the Year, which was won last year by our very own Drew Lazor.

- Since he started in July, Dan has been working overtime to report on everything from Occupy Philly and the city's lack of sex ed courses to the Department of Human Services' crackdown on pot-toking parents.

- Ryan contributes two weekly columns to Critical Mass: Man Cave, a dude-centric analysis on pop culture and local haps, and LOL With It, a discussion about everything Philly comedy.

- Adam, who was nominated with his brother Andrew for his work at South Philly's Green Aisle Grocery, helps us dine smarter with restaurant reviews and writeups about the local food scene. Some of his recent contributions include critiques of Tashan and Farmers' Cabinet and a review of Marc Vetri's latest cookbook, Rustic Italian Food.

We're proud of all of them and would love it if you'd pop over to show them a little love on the Philebrity Awards voting page.

Go team!

(editorial@citypaper.net) (@citypaper)

Posted by CP Staff @ 2:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

BIG UPS: Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement takes home festival gold

POSTED: Friday, July 29, 2011, 1:00 PM

Filed Under: Big Ups

Fifty teams of spoken-word youth poets assembled in San Francisco last week to take part in the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival. Amid stiff competition — many of the participants are internationally renowned — the Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement (PYPM) took home the gold.

“We were confident but still surprised. There are so many talented poets in the competition so when the final scores were announced we were pretty shocked,” said Perry DiVirgilio, one of the team’s coaches.

This is the second time a team from PYPM has won at Brave New Voices, the largest event of its kind. The first time was in 2007, one year after Greg Corbin, a poet, activist and community leader, founded the organization as a non-profit dedicated to helping Philadelphia youth find their voice through slam poetry. Since then, PYPM has grown by leaps and bounds — drawing crowds of more than 200 at its monthly poetry slams and attracting the attention of major funders like the Knight Foundation and city officials like Mayor Nutter, who called the team on Monday to offer his congratulations. All this adds up to make last Saturday’s victory that much sweeter.

But success didn’t come easily. After PYPM organizers put together the team by tallying point totals earned by youth poets at poetry slams held throughout the year, team members Sinnea Douglas, Jamar Hall, Chamira Nelson, Kai David and Safiya Washington proved their dedication by practicing together for up to six hours a day, five to six days a week. Despite this effort, the Philadelphia teenagers struggled to stay afloat during the competition. “This team is a bunch of come back kids. Every single round we participated in [at Brave New Voices] we were down and we came back to win. They earned everything they had. They never wavered or got nervous, they just pushed forward,” DiVirgilio commented. In the end, their hard work paid off: the PYPM team took the top prize in a nail-biting finish — winning by just a third of a point.

Posted by Clare Foran @ 1:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

FUTURE PHILLY: Knight Arts Challenge winners rake in a collective $2.7 mil for new projects

POSTED: Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 9:00 AM

Filed Under: Big Ups Arts News

Local choreographer Nichole Canuso won one of 36 Knight Arts Challenge prizes, awarded last night at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation — y'know, those names you hear every morning on WHYY along with John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur, et. al — made a majorly anticipated announcement last night, one that has the potential to change the landscape of Philadelphia arts well into the future.

The organization's Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia, a contest open to anyone willing to answer the question "What's your best idea for the arts in Philadelphia?" with a project proposal, has dedicated $9 million over three years to any number of cultural organizations with a passion and a plan. Last night, 36 entrants — of more than 1,700 — were announced as first-year winners, and are collectively raking in $2.7 million to fund their projects. (Which, if you're doing your math, means Philly's set to receive more than $6 million more over the next two years.)

The winners are a diverse crowd — from big guns like the Barnes Foundation (introducing a new museum app) and the Mann Center (pairing up cultural icons with famous orchestras) to little guys like Mighty Writers (implementing a project on black Philadelphia radio) and the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby. Their winnings are similarly varied: For this first round of projects, entrants have taken in anywhere from $7,000 (The Art Blog, for a First Friday "art safari") to $250,000 (Fairmount Park Art Association, for a public art event that uses roving searchlights).

So what's the catch? of the challenge's three rules (the other two being: the idea has to be about art, and must "take place in or benefit Philadelphia") is that winners must match their grants within a year. Which means that all of a sudden, folks like Nichole Canuso and Kathleen Bonanno (who've won $50,000 each) have got to get on the fundraising stick, STAT. (Lucky, then, that Canuso's annual benefit cabaret's happening on Friday, huh?)

What this all means is that you should expect to see big things happening in Philadelphia (and you thought PIFA was huge). After the jump, check out the complete list of winners, courtesy the Knight Foundation.

Posted by Carolyn Huckabay @ 9:00 AM Permalink | Post a comment

EARLY WORD: Girls Can Tell to open "work | shop" on East Passyunk

POSTED: Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 12:45 PM

Filed Under: Big Ups

From the department of "eeee!": Sara Selepouchin, proprietress of Girls Can Tell, announced via Twitter over the past couple days that she's secured a lease on a South Philly spot to open up what she's calling a "work | shop," mainly functioning as a studio for her lovingly diagrammed coasters, potholders, tea towels and other household treats. We're practically — and actually — squealing with excitement.

We caught up with Sara this morning to get more deets on the new space, located just off Passyunk at 12th and Pierce: "It's just south of Morris — across 12th street from the ever-classy 'Man's Image' shop," she says. "It'll be what I'm calling a 'work | shop,' as it will primarily be a working studio space, but locals can stop by to pick up a purchase (essentially by appointment)."

Additionally, she'll occasionally open up the shop to the public, so you can shop kitchen goodies to your DIY heart's content. "During events on the Avenue we'll be open for browsing and shopping, probably with some printing demonstrations, etc."

Sara hopes to be ready to roll by early June, and she tells us she's planning a big official opening event at the end of that month (more details to come, as we learn more).

Till then, visit Girls Can Tell's Etsy shop, or come find her April 30 at Crafty Balboa: April Showers at Tasker Fountain, or the Art Star Craft Bazaar in mid-May.

Posted by Carolyn Huckabay @ 12:45 PM Permalink | 1 comment

BIG UPS: Penn alum Jennifer Egan wins Pulitzer for fiction

POSTED: Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 10:10 AM

Filed Under: Big Ups

Yesterday it was announced that University of Pennsylvania Class of 1985 alumna Jennifer Egan has won a 2011 Pulitzer Prize in fiction for her 2010 novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad. (For a full list of Pulitzer winners, click here.) She won $10,000, beating out Jonathan Dee (The Privileges) and Chang-rae Lee (The Surrendered).

Egan will read from her award-winning novel next month as part of the Kelly Writers House Alumni Weekend (Sat., May 14, 4 p.m., free, RSVP at whalumniweekend@writing.upenn.edu or call 215-746-POEM, 3805 Locust Walk, writing.upenn.edu/wh); till then, read what Dead Milkmen frontman/City Paper scribe Rodney Anonymous had to say about her work in our June 2010 Book Quarterly, and feel free to argue with him in the comments.

Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad would have worked quite nicely as a collection of short stories (which is really what the world really needs right about now). Sure, it wouldn't have exactly been on par with Flannery O'Connor's Everything That Rises Must Converge, but with Egan's considerable gifts for constructing interesting, quirky characters and her skill at capturing the feel of a given time and place, this could have been a tremendously satisfying read.

Instead, the author gives in to the temptation to employ the gimmick of creating fragile links between the characters and moving them about in time and space — allowing a teenager to attend a concert in San Francisco and then, a few chapters later, to be on safari in Africa with his children and new, younger wife. Someone should have told Egan that what worked for Billy Pilgrim, the protagonist of Slaughter House Five, is not necessarily applicable to a 35-year-old kleptomaniac living in Tribeca. And as for the entire chapter made of Power Point presentations, well, Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel hit the nail on the head when he said, "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever."

Posted by Carolyn Huckabay @ 10:10 AM Permalink | Post a comment

BIG UPS: "Nose to Tail" @ the Green Line

POSTED: Thursday, March 3, 2011, 6:30 PM

Filed Under: Arts | Big Ups | Critical Mass | Arts Events | Arts News Arts Preview

While everyone else is drawing adorable fawns and ubiquitous owls, City Paper designer Alyssa Grenning is tackling the mystique of the coyote in her first solo show. Each piece tells two stories (hence the show's title, "Nose to Tail"). Sure, that phrase can mean a rigid measuring from one end to the other yet it also implies a softer image of a curled-up animal, asleep and vulnerable. Grenning's is a world of paradoxes, right down to the sheer fact that the drawings of coyotes typically countryside dwellers are hanging out at a coffee shop in West Philadelphia.

Through meticulous detail, Grenning brings to life expressive mammal faces. She uses minimal color and faint lines that never get lost against bold punches of red. Bone structure is something she clearly understands and respects, made evident in perfectly drawn paws and muscles in movement. The dogs are at times playful tricksters yet alternately pensive or nervous. Individually the drawings are strong, solid depictions, but as a unit they murmur back and forth. "It's a conversation between coyotes," says our talented co-worker "and the viewer can weave their own tale."

Opening reception Fri., March 4, 7-10 p.m., free, Green Line Café, 4239 Baltimore Ave., 215-222-3431, greenlinecafe.com.

Posted by Julia West @ 6:30 PM Permalink | Post a comment

BIG UPS: Knight Arts Challenge finalists are diverse, progressive and generally awesome

POSTED: Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 6:24 PM

Filed Under: Big Ups

Photo: Mark Garvin

Lantern Theater Co.'s Uncle Vanya (don't worry, they're more excited about this than they look)

Last night the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (you know, the one that sponsors, like, everything on WHYY?) announced its 63 finalists in the Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia, which gives a total of $9 million over three years to those with progressive ideas in the Philly arts world. Oh, and 1,752 folks applied, so this is a pretty prestigious step. (Winners of the year-one grants will be announced this spring.) The list is pretty overwhelming (check it out in full, courtesy the foundation's press release, after the jump), but here are a few of our artsy friends we're particularly proud of:

Photo: Alexander Iziliaev

BalletX's Fall 2010 Series

BalletX: The modern ballet stalwarts of this town, who've always fought to make a traditionally classical (read: boring) genre more accessible to more people, are thinking outside the box: They propose to include mini-shows during BalletX intermissions to get audiences more involved. Darla Jackson: This anthropomorphic darling of the sculpture world wants to create a "sculpture gym," a shared space for artists to use heavy machinery and workshop their ideas — it'd also likely double as a gallery space. Hidden City Philadelphia: This 2009 festival's proposal is essentially to keep itself going — it "commissions temporary, site-specific art projects at historic landmarks" that are often forgotten or ignored even by those who walk past them every day. Indy Hall: This creative community space wants to expand to a city block of co-workers who can't afford traditional office spaces or would rather work in a more collaborative setting. Lantern Theater Company: The company that brought us Uncle Vanya this fall wants to produce a new work by a local artist and then take it on tour. theartblog.org: The ladies of theartblog.org want to take their already-extensive coverage of Philly visual arts a step further, generating a smart-phone app of the gallery scene. Check out the full list, with summaries of the entities' grant proposals, after the jump, and let us know in the comments who you think should win! African American Museum in Philadelphia: to share the unifying power of the arts by showcasing commissioned dance and gospel performances through free weekly concerts at the museum's Seventh Street Plaza. Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture: to highlight Arab classical music by creating a unique Arab music concert series with a resident ensemble. American Urban Collective: to engage talented, at-risk youth in the musical arts by establishing a self-sustaining recording studio and selecting 30 young people to write, record and promote original music under expert guidance. Art-Reach: to engage underserved audiences in the arts by celebrating Art-Reach's 25th anniversary with 25 free community concerts in different neighborhoods to reach nursing homes, after-school programs and disabled adults. Art Sanctuary: to attract youth to opera by developing a program where students collaborate with professionals to write culturally relevant storylines for a unique hip hop opera. Arts in Schools Collaborative: to help instill confidence and grace in Philadelphia's children by offering a chance for fifth graders to take low-cost ballroom dancing lessons and then perform for the public. Asian Arts Initiative: to encourage artistic development in Philadelphia's Chinatown by creating a multidisciplinary office, performance and gallery space for a diverse group of arts organizations. Astral Artists: to spotlight distinctive voices in classical music and engage new audiences by celebrating composers who are exploring their African, Asian and Latin-American cultures through their music. The Barnes Foundation: to expand the reach of the foundation's art collection by creating an app for download and a printed guide that highlight and contextualize works. BalletX: to expand the cultural experience of ballet audiences by adding mini-performances of dance, comedy, music and the spoken word during the intermission of BalletX's 18 seasonal performances. Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra: to promote classical music by creating a free summer series where participants take part in fun, mini conducting lessons in front of professional musicians and a live audience. City of Philadelphia, Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy: to strengthen City Hall's role as a cultural center by bringing free music, dance and spoken word performances to the building. Community Education Center: to celebrate the African arts by bringing the renowned festival Dance Africa to Philadelphia. Crane Old School: to strengthen the city's art scene by completing the renovation of a historic school designed as a center for cultivating the visual and performing arts. Create In Situ: to increase interaction with the riverfront neighborhood near I-95 by creating a solar-powered, sensor-driven lighted gateway along an underpass. Dance/USA Philadelphia: to bring live dance performances to public places and broader audiences by making available a portable sprung dance floor that can be used by dance companies throughout the region at festivals and other events. Darla Jackson: to facilitate the safe creation and public exhibition of the artwork of Philadelphia's sculptors by starting a "sculpture gym," where artists can access heavy-duty tools and storage space and get one-on-one help with projects. Delaware River Waterfront Corporation: to help transform the Delaware Waterfront by presenting music, theater and dance performances in the area's new parks and trails. Fairmount Park Art Association: to bring together a diverse, on-the-street audience by creating a public art event of roving searchlights that will transform the night sky in wintertime. The Franklin Institute: to engage children and families in the celebration of science through art by providing interactive, theatrical performances with scientific themes at the two-week-long Philadelphia Science Festival. Fresh Artists: to engage inner city youth in nurturing artistic talent and marketable job skills by creating a print shop with teen apprentices printing their own art and presenting it in an annual exhibition. Gershman Y: to broaden Philadelphia's music scene and expand cultural audiences by producing the first Jewish Music Festival, sharing the rich heritage of Jewish music in venues around the city. Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance: to inspire a life-long engagement with the arts by presenting Philadelphia 10th graders with free admission to participating cultural institutions for one year. Hidden City Philadelphia: to reconnect residents and visitors to Philadelphia's urban landscape with an interactive festival that commissions temporary, site-specific art projects at historic landmarks. Indy Hall: to strengthen the city's creative community by turning an entire city block into a creative co-working community center. Intercultural Journeys: to encourage interaction and dialogue among Philadelphia's African American, Arab and Jewish communities by producing workshops and public multimedia events hosted by the different communities and featuring their local artists. Isaiah Zagar: to generate interest in art education and mosaic design by completing a project to turn a 10,000-square-foot South Philadelphia warehouse into a Mosaic Museum and teaching center. Jason LaMonaca: to inspire the athletic art form of skateboarding and draw the community to an outdoor conversation piece by creating a series of skateable art pieces. Kathleen Bonanno: to promote the creation and appreciation of poetry, plays and performance works by opening Musehouse: A Center for the Literary Arts in Philadelphia's Mount Airy neighborhood. Kimmel Center: to use the arts to revitalize neighborhoods by transforming a vacant lot into a community center for performance art. Lantern Theater Company: to promote Philadelphia as a cultural center by producing a new performance piece by a celebrated local artist and taking it on tour following its local debut. Library Company of Philadelphia/History Making Productions: to create a greater civic awareness of and appreciation for the city by producing a multiformat series of documentaries that tell the story of Philadelphia. LiveConnections.org: to show an expanded and diverse audience how music connects cultures by commissioning innovative concerts for Philadelphia's World Café Live that will be simulcast to new audiences. Mann Center for the Performing Arts: to attract new audiences to classical music by bridging genres and generations with a Cross-Over Classical summer series in a relaxed outdoor setting. Mighty Writers: to inspire community pride by creating Sound and Fury, an audio documentary, interactive website and public panel discussions about the role of black Philadelphia radio from the 1950-80s. Nato Thompson: To inspire dialogue between local and international artists by creating a foreign artist residency program. New Kensington Community Development Corporation: to strengthen the cultural and economic fabric of the Kensington community by celebrating the talents of local artists at the annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby. Nichole Canuso Dance Company: to broaden people's understanding and experience of art and dance by turning the audience into a participant in an aural and visual performance journey called The Garden. Opera Company of Philadelphia: to unite Philadelphia in a celebration of arts and culture by displaying â on a giant video screen at Independence Mall â the Opera Company of Philadelphia's opening night performance of Bizet's Carmen. Pennsylvania Ballet: to bring world-class ballet to Philadelphia residents young and old through a series of family-friendly, outdoor summer performances. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: to remind residents of the power of the arts by creating "Take Your Chamber Musician to Work!" days where performers play unannounced at offices, schools and hospitals. Philadelphia Cinema Alliance: to spotlight African-American filmmakers by creating what will be the city's only African-American film festival. The Philadelphia Education Fund: to engage youth in the arts by creating Myartsrising.org, a comprehensive, interactive online platform for arts education. Philadelphia Film Society: to promote the growth of Philadelphia's film industry by organizing a contest where filmmakers incorporate one of 20 iconic local symbols in a short film. Philadelphia Folksong Society: to bring more cultural opportunities to underserved communities by expanding the seminal Philadelphia Folk Festival into the city's urban core. Philadelphia History Museum: to celebrate and give cultural context to Philadelphia's craft tradition through weekly live demonstrations by contemporary craft artists. Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe: to nurture emerging artists by creating a salon night in the festival's new headquarters where artists will present short excerpts of their work. Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates: to help transform the urban landscape by hiring a world-renowned street artist team to develop a major project in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Museum of Art: to engage young writers by allowing public high school students to take guided tours of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and have their reactions published. The Philadelphia Orchestra: to expand concert content and accessibility by creating smart phone apps that supply real-time history and context about live performances. Philadelphia Theatre Company: to enhance Philadelphia's reputation as a leading home for new play development by producing an annual festival of new works. Philadelphia Youth Orchestra: to make orchestral music more available and to offer high-quality teaching programs by expanding Tune Up Philly, an intensive after-school music program for elementary school students in Southwest Philadelphia. Philly Youth Poetry Movement: to influence and nurture young residents through poetry by establishing a gathering space offering cultural workshops, as well as homework tutoring and life-skills mentoring. Pig Iron Theatre Company: to strengthen the contemporary performing arts scene by launching a two-year training program for actors and directors. Please Touch Museum: to strengthen Philadelphia's reputation as an arts destination by producing a weeklong multicultural, multidisciplinary arts festival featuring family-friendly, live entertainment and interactive experiences. Taller Puertorriqueno: to create personal cultural experiences that connect audiences across cultures and disciplines by producing a series of monthly outdoor performances in the heart of Latino Philadelphia with live feeds to YouTube and Facebook. Temple Performing Arts Center: to involve and educate public school children in the arts by exposing them to performances and establishing an after-school program where they interact with artists. theartblog.org: to broaden participation and excitement in the visual-art scene by creating a smart phone app that gives a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of Philadelphia art galleries. Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia: to expand participation in Philly's theatrical arts by launching a new audience engagement initiative that includes helping actors interact with residents in their everyday lives. Tiny Dynamite Productions: to broaden theater audiences by producing A Play, A Pie and A Pint, a U.K. performance phenomenon where residents can stop by after work to enjoy a one-act play, a pie and a beverage for $15. University of the Arts: to transform Philadelphia's underutilized South Concourse and inspire citizens to get involved in its redevelopment by sponsoring an international design competition for the walkable area beneath South Broad Street. Vox Populi: to inspire the community by offering an innovative arts series, Spectrum, that crosses the traditional boundaries of visual art, performance, music, film, video, dance and theater. WXPN Radio, University of Pennsylvania: to build audiences and appreciation for Philadelphia's vibrant music scene by creating a permanent virtual space for the local music community and producing a concert series and a collection of Web-based musical recordings and videos.

Judy

Posted 2011-01-19 13:56:40

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture!  How else can Philadelphians experience the richness, diversity and beauty of Arabic culture?

ambiguator

Posted 2011-01-19 14:18:26

This is a ridiculous list -- 63 Finalists, seriously?
Narrow it down some, willya Knight!

Posted by Carolyn Huckabay @ 6:24 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Critical Mass

POSTED: Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 12:00 PM

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Posted by Nadya Harvey @ 12:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

BIG UPS: 2010 Pew Arts Fellows collectively rake in $720,000

POSTED: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 5:30 PM

Filed Under: Big Ups

pigiron.org

E.T., PHONE HOME: James Sugg won a Pew Fellowship!

We just got official word from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage that the organization's 2010 Pew Fellowships in the Arts recipients have been announced, and we're pleased as punch to see such names as Kara Crombie, James Sugg and Chuck Treece on the list. (Pew fellows each receive $60,000 — a "no strings attached" award based on merit, dedication and potential impact — over one to two years. Pretty sweet, if you ask us.) It feels like just yesterday (OK, it was Friday) that I was re-gushing over Crombie's out-there animation series, Aloof Hills, which follows an effed-up Civil War-era family and their soap opera-caliber drama. (Here's where I gushed about her the first time around.) And we all know Pig Iron's Sugg, who won an OBIE award last May for his performance in Chekhov Lizardbrain (news we broke here). As for Treece, we can't say enough about the guy. Hop to the jump to check out the full list of winners, plus descriptions of their work, courtesy of the Pew. Big ups! Max Apple Fiction writer Max Apple has been described as a "writer's writer," a dedicated author of short fiction who writes with precision and control, conveying great meaning with few words. Apple has been writing since the mid-'70s, when he penned his first book, The Oranging of America (1976), a collection of short stories that satirizes social norms and often places historical figures, such as motor-lodge entrepreneur Howard Johnson and novelist Normal Mailer, in farcical situations. His oeuvre includes Zip: A Novel of the Left and the Right (1978), The Jew of Home Depot and Other Stories (2007), and the screenplays for 1994's The Air Up There, starring Kevin Bacon, and 1995's Roommates, based on Apple's 1994 memoir about being a graduate student while living with his grandfather. Apple, who teaches part time at the University of Pennsylvania, says of his work, "When I write, my primary concern is for my characters. They count on me for everything and my obligation is to let them live in language as fully as I can." Melanie Bilenker Jewelry maker Melanie Bilenker translates the historic art of Victorian hair jewelry into work that reflects upon the contemporary era. Her delicate pendants and brooches are wearable art objects, depicting ordinary moments of everyday life—making lunch, bathing, washing dishes—with "drawings" made from resin, gold, silver, and the artist's own hair. "I am looking for ways to conjure a sense of home for the viewer," Bilenker states, referring to both her subject matter and the medium of human hair. "I see hair as proof of existence, a souvenir." Often cited as a leader in the movement to return to craftsmanship in jewelry making, Bilenker has received commissions from the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the National Museum of Scotland, among others. John Blake, Jr. Jazz violinist/composer/arranger John Blake, Jr. has taken his inspiration as a contemporary jazz violinist and composer from some of the genre's greats, having served as a band member for two legendary jazz masters: saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. and pianist McCoy Tyner. Born in Philadelphia, Blake is a faculty member at both The University of the Arts and the Manhattan School of Music. He was commissioned in 2005 by Chamber Music America to create a compilation, "A Celebration of Fiddle Music from Africa to America," that traced the violin's history in African and African-American music. His latest work, Motherless Child, features jazz arrangements of traditional Negro spirituals. Blake hopes to raise awareness of Philadelphia's storied history of jazz and thereby perpetuate the art form. "I'm constantly developing a younger audience," Blake says. "It is a must to keep jazz alive." Kara Crombie Video artist "I see my work as representation of the first generation to grow up entirely under the umbrella of a 'read-write' culture," Kara Crombie states. A video artist and photographer working with animation, Crombie refers to the current digital age, in which we interpret, reformulate, and share information as opposed to merely consuming it. She is interested in exploring the ways in which our environments inform our identities and vice versa. Her new animated series, Aloof Hills, addresses contemporary American "taboos" such as interracial relationships and drug and alcohol use, and does so in a historic setting; Crombie's characters are Civil War-era paper dolls, and her landscapes include paintings and YouTube video clips. These seemingly absurd juxtapositions draw parallels between so-called outdated racial and gender politics and contemporary attitudes, and leave the interpretation open to the viewer's personal experiences, as well as his or her anxieties and opinions. Crombie has had solo exhibitions at Vox Populi Gallery and Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia, and has participated in group exhibitions at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, and elsewhere. William Daley Clay artist Self-proclaimed "mud man" William Daley has been a leading figure in the field of ceramics for close to 60 years. At age 85, he is creating some of the strongest work of his career. Through his large-scale vessels, which he refers to as "Vesicas," Daley explores geometry, symbols and cultural icons, as well as the relationship of interior and exterior. Daley's exhibition history dates back to the 1950s and his works have been included in numerous collections at venues such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the National Museum of Art of the Smithsonian Institution. A former prisoner of war in World War II, Daley received his art education through the G.I. Bill and has spent decades teaching others, both inside the classroom and at lectures, workshops, and symposia around the world. Daley says his desire is to continue honing his craft and exploring further, "being a joyous maker of possibilities, a maker for joy's sake." Orrin Evans Jazz pianist/composer/arranger Orrin Evans never stops thinking about the traditions and evolution of jazz music, as well as renewing jazz's legacy in the African-American community. "My goal is to utilize my relationships to create memorable musical experiences and document our history," Evans says. A gifted improviser, noted composer, and seasoned bandleader, Evans has worked alongside jazz veterans such as saxophonist Bobby Watson and drummer Ralph Peterson. He is invested in continuing the apprenticeâmentor relationship in jazz music, hiring up-and-comers to work with him on his projects, including his recently formed Captain Black Big Band. In addition to collaborations with artists ranging from hip-hop stars Common and Mos Def to noted poet and 1993 Pew Fellow Sonia Sanchez, Evans is the founder of Imani Records and 88 Keys Productions. He has gained notoriety as a cultural advocate for Philadelphia, working as a 2010 Philly 360 Creative Ambassador for the Greater Philadelphia Marketing and Tourism Board. Germaine Ingram Tap performer/choreographer At age 33, Germaine Ingram took up dance under the tutelage and mentorship of a Philadelphia tap legend, the late LaVaughn Robinson (a 1992 Pew Fellow in the Arts). Since then, she has become a major figure in contemporary jazz tap, following in the tradition of her forebears while breaking new ground in the art form through oral history, filmmaking, and stage production, in addition to performance and choreography. Ingram's work addresses social justice and historical narratives, as well as various aspects of the African-American experience, through projects such as "Parallel Destinies." This work in progress ruminates on the recent discovery of George Washington's slave quarters near the site of the Liberty Bell, where nine enslaved African-Americans were held. "I aim to exploit tap's capacity to tell stories and illuminate cultural roots and connections," Ingram says. "I aspire to stimulate meaningful discussion about the work itself." An internationally known solo performer, Ingram has received fellowships and awards from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Independence Foundation, and the Leeway Foundation. Hanna Khoury Violinist/classical Arab musician A 29-year-old violinist, Hanna Khoury was trained in Western classical music. He is a member of the Lancaster Symphony and has played with the Harrisburg Symphony. His passion, however, lies in Arab classical music. "I want to dedicate more time to working with and learning from the few remaining masters in this field," Khoury says, noting the scarcity of musicians and venues dedicated to the genre, "to become an authority in classical Arab music." A Palestinian who grew up in northern Israel, Khoury is a budding master of his craft who plays with superb technique. He hopes to use his talent to bring Arab classical music to audiences in the United States and throughout the world. Khoury is currently the Music Director of the Arabesque Music Ensemble, a group of musicians based in various cities that has gone on several nationwide tours. In 2010, Khoury established the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble at Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, a Philadelphia nonprofit organization for youth education in Arabic language, arts, and culture. Tina Morton Documentary filmmaker Tina Morton left a career as an X-ray technician to pursue documentary filmmaking after she researched the tale of Corrine Sykes, the first African-American woman to be legally executed in Philadelphia. With an established interest in oral history and film, Morton discussed Sykes' tale with her senior patients and discovered discrepancies between their stories and the documented history of the execution. She eventually completed a film about Sykes in 1997, Severed Souls, and she since continued to develop her role as a "video oral historian," documenting narratives of community life and speaking to her African-American heritage. Morton's film Belly of the Basin, a documentary on Hurricane Katrina, focuses on marginalized groups affected by the disaster: people from the Ninth Ward, the Black Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans and the Native American Houma Tribe. Belly of the Basin won Best Documentary at the 2008 Black Hollywood Film Festival and has received praise for its authentic representation of the community's voice. "Many people feel comfortable sharing their stories with someone whose purpose is centered with mutual respect in allowing them to tell their story their own way," Morton says. Jenny Sabin Architect/designer "Looking to nature for design inspiration is not a new idea," says architect and designer Jenny Sabin. Sabin's work, however, is at the forefront of a new direction for 21st-century architectural practice—one that investigates the intersections of architecture and science, and applies insights and theories from biology and mathematics to the design of material structures. Sabin is the co-founder and co-director of Sabin+Jones LabStudio, a hybrid research and design unit at the University of Pennsylvania, where architects, mathematicians, scientists, and cell biologists collaborate to analyze living biological systems and develop new insights into ecological design in architecture. Her design work, already on a radically different scale from others in the field, is extremely relevant during a time of environmental crisis, when energy conservation and optimization are major global concerns. James Sugg Solo theater artist/sound designer/composer James Sugg describes himself as a bridge—a bridge between music and theater, composer and performer, and traditional and ensemble-generated theater. Well-known for his collaborative work with Philadelphia's celebrated interdisciplinary ensemble, Pig Iron Theatre Company—with whom he won an OBIE (Off-Broadway Theater) Award in 2009 for his role in Chekhov Lizardbrain—Sugg finds himself on the precipice of a new stage in his career, in which he hopes to create new work beyond the collaborative experience. "Finding inspiration in solitude is one of my greatest insecurities," Sugg admits. "Yet I believe it is my unavoidable next step as I strive to make great compositional work." One of the region's most lauded theater artists, Sugg has received four Barrymore Awards for his work as a sound designer and composer, and won the F. Otto Haas Emerging Theater Artist Award in 2005. Sugg has made 17 original works with Pig Iron and worked with several local companies and theaters; he now stands poised to make an enduring contribution to the field. "I want to wake up the audience," Sugg says, "make them wonder where they have ended up." Charles "Chuck" Treece Multi-instrumentalist/producer/songwriter Chuck Treece is known as a seasoned guitarist, bassist, drummer, vocalist, and, in many circles, a skateboarding legend. The first African-American youth in Philadelphia to become a sponsored skateboarder in 1982, Treece started his band McRad in the same year, and the group is still going strong 28 years later. Treece's music has evolved from its original punk-rock influence to a blend of contemporary genres, including punk, ska (a bass-heavy genre with roots in Caribbean music and rhythm and blues), dub (originally a subgenre of reggae music), and soul. His history of collaboration with other musicians and songwriters ranges from punk pioneers Bad Brains and contemporary R&B artist D'Angelo to Sting and Billy Joel. Treece is interested in culminating his past works with a career-spanning album, "Never Ending Dominant Force," and he wants to open a local school for youths to learn music. At the same time, he'll continue to write and play his own music: "I want to continue to write and play music, to stretch my abilities and create consistently, no matter what is going in the world around me."

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ICE CUBE: In Memoriam: Joe Tartaglia
PHILLY LOVE NOTES: An ode to Spruce Street
Q&A with SHARI SOLANIS: "The goal isn't pornography"
CONCERT REVIEW & PHOTOS: James Blake @ TLA 5/11
SEXY TIME Q&A: I've never had an orgasm during sex with a man — and I'm 30!
Coming soon to Philly: Two cockamamie movie promotion schemes
Q&A with Tony Goldwyn: "Life is gray, and relationships are, too"
CONCERT REVIEW: Primus (3D & quadraphonic sound) @ The Tower 10/17
What we're trying to do this weekend
CONCERT PHOTOS: Marnie Stern @ Johnny Brenda's 5/10

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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