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Arts
Finally that leftover PIFA cube outside the Kimmel Center will stop seeming so random:
Join us March 28 – April 27, 2013 as PIFA, a Kimmel Center production, returns to Philadelphia asking, “If you had a time machine…”
...A theme nearly as vague and all-encompassing as "Paris!" in 2011. PIFA burned through their $10 million Annenberg grant the last time around; when we talked with the directors at the time, they said their plan was to spend big on ferris wheels, aerialists, Sharon Jones and funding just about everyone in town who could remotely hook whatever they were doing to "Paris" in hopes of attracting new funding for the next one — a business plan that had us wondering if the huge festival would end up being a one-off. But it does look like they've made it work, somehow. Good for them!
Photo by kaitlin.marie via Flickr Creative Commons
It's their biggest issue to date and they're celebrating it with the most raucous party you never thought could be thrown by a literary magazine: The APIARY 4 Launch Party at Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) is an all-night bookish get-down, featuring readings from 45 Philly poets and prose writers, including contributors to the soon-to-be-released APIARY 4. A respected force on the local lit scene, APIARY magazine provides a much-needed platform for writers of all styles and backgrounds, presenting their work in the form of a widely circulated glossy-paged 'zine.
Tomorrow's (Fri., June 1, 7 p.m.-2 a.m., $7-$12) your chance to pick up a copy of APIARY 4 before it hits the rest of the city. Listen to some tunes from a live jazz band and boogie late into the night with DJ Femstar. If you get tired on the dancefloor, take a break and make some art with the Artistic Rebuttal Book Project — a Philly-based collective of artists dedicated to spreading the word that making art is (still) worthwhile. Bringing together lit-heads from all over the city, tonight's launch is APIARY's answer to a bookish First Friday.
Check out a sneak peak video trailer.
Have a lit event you'd like featured in an upcoming Bookish? Email the author at nina@citypaper.net.
With Memorial Day over, so ends the new Barnes Foundation’s 56 straight hours of free opening festivities, readying it for its new life as a titan on the Parkway. I was one of those with a ticket that got me in during the wee hours of the night, 3 a.m. on Monday to be exact. As we approached the Museum, I strolled past Ellsworth Kelly’s Barnes Totem that overlooks a pool and path surrounded by Japanese maples: Not the same as the idyllic suburban location in Merion, but still tranquil enough to usher transformation from busy city into a peaceful park space.
Once inside, I noticed the lower level hosted the usual museum amenities — a coat check, gift shop, classrooms, auditorium and waiting areas. The upper level of the expanded space provided a special exhibition gallery that was dominated by a number of Barnes’ letters and other writings for those who desire a glimpse into the long-deceased curator’s thoughts.
Grand bronze doors greeted the stream of patrons moving into the principal museum area that holds Dr. Albert C. Barnes' impressive collection. One is immediately overwhelmed by the scale of the center gallery, the sheer number of pieces crammed into one room and Barnes’ idiosyncratic layouts. The figures from Matisse’s colorful mural The Dance II invite viewers to avert their eyes upward and then around at equally awe-inspiring pieces by masters like Cezanne, Picasso and Renoir.
Having visited the original location in Merion in 2004, the new space lived up to my memory of what once was. Among the notable changes was Matisse’s Joy of Life being moved from a staircase to a small room upstairs facing the aforementioned mural. While I can appreciate the eccentricity of Barnes’ gallery plans, I often found myself wishing I could look at some of the pieces at eye level. In the current space, general admission is $18, galleries are limited to 250 patrons at a time and there is enough on display to keep casual viewers busy for a couple hours — even if it's at the ass crack of dawn.
A longtime professor of literature at Yeshiva University, Jay Ladin embodied all the characteristics of a good Jewish scholar. Dedicated to his work and faith, he inspired students to live out their full potential in their pursuit of academia. When he returned to school after one transformative summer as Joy Ladin, a woman with beautiful blonde, curly hair, the Orthodox Jewish campus was abuzz with curiosity.
In Through the Door of Life, Ladin reflects on her journey between genders, using faith as both a barrier and navigational tool throughout. She was forced to confront the fact that her religion — the place to which she turned for most major ethical questions — advocates for a strict separation of the genders, further highlighting the gulf between man and woman.
In constant dialogue with God, Ladin recounts the process of becoming a mother to her children and a Ms. Ladin to her students. After more than 40 years of living as a man, Joy's story is proof that identities are multi-faceted and often conflicting, making personal growth a lifelong affair. Learn more at her free discussion at Giovanni's Room (345 S. 12th St.), tomorrow (May 31) at 5:30 p.m.
Following its success at last year's Fringe Fest, the poetry/theater/psychological journey known as Savage/Love and Tongues returns to the New City Stage Company. Written by longtime off-Broadway mastermind Sam Shepard and Open Theatre founder Joseph Chaikin, the show begins with Savage/Love, the dreamy quest of a lonely man searching for love. Local poet/actor Russ Widdall (pictured) is the lonesome star, weaving together poetry and movement in a meditation on yearning for human connection.
As the show progresses, Savage/Love becomes Tongues, the fiery stream-of-consciousness of a dying man performing his last rites. Illustrating the mood is Josh Fox's percussions, adding rhythm and direction to the seemingly free-form narrative that will not only expand your understanding of theater but plunge you deep into the wants and needs of a lonely soul.
The show runs May 26-28 and June 2-3 at the Second Stage at the Adrienne Theater (2030 Sansom St.). Tickets are $10.
After finding out some dark secrets about her hometown, the flying city of Amperstam, heroine Ashe has a decision to make: either put her life at risk by releasing the information to the public, or keep her lips sealed so the city leaders' thugs and assassins will finally leave her alone. In this classic whistleblower's dilemna, Ashe's information might help uncover the mystery of why Amperstam is able to soar high above the world.
Following the success of their Fables of the Flying City Podcast, Philly authors/illustrators Jared Axelrod and Steve Walker present a feature-length graphic novel about the city so many have come to love. With all the raucaus mischief of Tank Girl and the bravery of Mad Max, The Battle of Blood and Ink is the ultimate steampunk fantasy about one girl's dedication to spreading the truth. Catch a free reading of it tomorrow (May 24) at 6 p.m. at Penn Bookstore (3601 Walnut St.).
Each week, Nina Willbach puts together a rundown of book-centric events. This week: Community Scrabble, Toni Morrison and a look at Philly in the next 100 years!
Thursday: As Words With Friends sweeps the nation, it's easy to forget about its analog forbearer Scrabble. The classic board game not only increases vocabulary but has a unique ability to bring together players of many generations, making it a true classic and a staple of any serious game cabinet. Today at the library's Falls of Schuykill branch, they'll be laying all their tiles on the table with two full hours of good, old-fashioned scrabble. Players of all levels are encouraged to stop by for a round or two at the boards. For students on summer break, it's a great way to brush up on your verbal trivia. For English Language learners, scrabble represents the social side of expanding your vocabulary. Get off your smart phoness and pick up your tiles for a fun and nerdy wordy Thursday.
10:30 a.m., free, FLP Falls of Schuykill Branch, 3501 Midvale Ave., freelibrary.org.
D.C. may have us one-upped in terms of free museums, but this Friday we, too, can bask in the glory of high art at no cost. In honor of the International Council of Museums’ International Museum Day (Fri., May 18), the Philadelphia Museum of Art will open its doors to the public, waiving admission fees all day long. Over 200 galleries and special exhibits in the main building and the Perelman building will be on view, and the free admission includes public tours, access to the CraftLAB and Art After 5 with Cuban-born jazz musician Francisco Mela.
Each week, Nina Willbach puts together a rundown of book-centric events. This week: Dead Sea Scrolls come alive, live podcast tapings, and Madeleine Albright at the library!
Thursday, May 10
The Mark of Abel
Lydia Panas photographs people. In twos and threes or sometimes alone, the people of her photographs always seem a little caught off guard. The pictures are neither candid nor fully composed, each face looking a little bewildered to have ended up in the frame. Never smiling, her subjects have a haunting power over viewers, making us painfully aware that we are delving into lives that we may not have full permission to see. A native of Kutztown, PA, Panas has shown her work at galleries across the U.S. and abroad, and her photographs have been published in the New York Times Magazine and fotoMAGAZIN. Her solo show The Mark of Abel is currently on view at the Allentown Art Museum, and the accompanying book will be the subject of tonight's discussion. For anyone interested in the process of photography and the often twisted paths to publishing artwork, Panas is sure to offer some much-needed insight.
6:30p.m., free, The Print Center, 1614 Latimer St., printcenter.org.
Among the more favorable Jewish stereotypes are (1) Jews love their mothers, (2) they're all named either “Gold” or “Berg” (3) they love a good bargain. If any of these describes you, despite your religious or nonreligious background, the National Museum of American Jewish History (101 S. Independence Mall East) is hooking it up this month: free museum admission for all guests on Mothers Day (May 13), and free admission for anyone with the last name “Goldberg” during the week of May 13-18. If, unfortunately, you are a Greenberg or a Smith, Goldberg Week is still worth checking out: The museum will be screening episodes of the legendary show The Goldbergs (May 15, 17, 18, 11:30 a.m., $12), which became television's first domestic sitcom in 1949, as well as a documentary about the show's pioneering star/writer/producer Gertrude Berg, whose inspiration for the show came from her own experience growing up at her family's Catskills hotel.
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