October 28, 2011
Philadelphia has a strong, emerging film industry and one of the largest Asian American populations in the country. (Photo courtesy PAAFF)
Philadelphia loves its film festivals, and the Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF), presented by HBO, is certainly one of them.
Now in its fourth year, PAAFF is the first event of its kind in Philadelphia that celebrates and elevates the Asian American experience by screening culturally relevant films to a broad and diverse audience.
A free and open-to-the-public Launch Night screening and reception will kick off the festival on Wednesday, November 2 at the Asian American Arts Initiative, with a live B-Boy performance and a screening of the exciting break-dance documentary “Among B-Boys,” followed by an Opening Night on November 3 with a screening of the romantic comedy “Wedding Palace” featuring popular actor Brian Tee (who also starred in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift).
The 2011 Festival will showcase a total of 6 narrative feature films, 4 documentaries, 2 short films and a special (and free!) live music and film event titled “Suite Suite Chinatown” featuring a live performance by Philly musician Jason Min, on November 5 at the Ibrahim Theater at the International House.
PAAFF screenings and events will be held at three venues across town: the Ibrahim Theater at the International House, the Asian Arts Initiative and the Prince Music Theater. All films are in English with some being subtitled.
Be sure to check out the interactive festival guide and the full line-up of films and events here.
2011 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival
When: November 2-8
Where: Ibrahim Theater at the International House (3701 Chestnut Street), the Asian Arts Initiative (1219 Vine Street) and the Prince Music Theater (1412 Chestnut Street)
Cost: $8 General Admission; $6 Students or Seniors
More info: www.phillyasianfilmfest.org
October 26, 2011
Who has the power to shape our cities and how does the design of our cities affect our lives?
These questions are at the center of Urbanized, the final documentary in the design trilogy (remember Helvetica?) by acclaimed filmmaker Gary Hustwit. It makes its Philadelphia premiere on Thursday, November 3 at Drexel University.
Two screenings are scheduled, one for 6:30 p.m., and another for 9 p.m., followed by a talkback session with the audience hosted by Hustwit.
Urbanized, which the New York Times calls a “beautifully photographed film,” is a feature-length documentary about the issues and strategies related to urban design. More than half the world’s population now lives in urban areas and 75% will call a city a home by 2050.
By exploring a diverse range of urban design projects in cities around the globe, including Rio de Janerio, New Orleans, Santiago, Cape Town and Beijing, among countless others, Urbanized frames a global discussion on the future of cities, from massive infrastructure initiatives to temporary interventions.
Check out the trailer below.
Urbanized screenings
When: Thursday, November 3, 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Where: Mitchell Auditorium, Bossone Research Center, 3140 Market Street
Cost: $15 general admission, $13 students
More info: www.urbanizedfilm.com
October 26, 2011
The weather may be getting chilly, but Longwood Gardens' Conservatory is bursting with a flowers and plants that will make you feel warm and sunny. (Photo courtesy Longwood)
With autumn in full swing, Longwood Gardens is the perfect place to enjoy nature’s colorful foliage across the gorgeous property.
On October 29, Longwood Gardens opens its annual Chrysanthemum Festival, which will feature 20,000 blooming chrysanthemums grown in extraordinary ways throughout Longwood’s four-acre conservatory.
The highlight of the festival is the nation’s largest chrysanthemum, the Thousand Bloom Mum, with more than 1,000 (!!) blooms and measuring more than 11 feet in diameter.
The idea and method for growing the Thousand Bloom (known in Japan as “Ozukuri”) was introduced in Japan and China more than 200 years ago, and is the most difficult of all the chrysanthemum training styles. The growing technique takes a whopping 15-18 months and involves meticulous care to arrange the blooms in a dome shape.
Check out this video of the making of the famous flower.
Be sure to take a trip out to Kennett Square to check out the Chrysanthemum Festival and Longwoods’ hundreds of acres of glowing reds, brilliant golds and bright oranges of nature’s foliage.
Chrysanthemum Festival at Longwood Gardens
When: October 29-November 20
Where: 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square
Cost: $38, ages 16 and up; $22, ages 15 and under
More info: www.longwoodgardens.org
October 24, 2011
The Penn Museum has sponsored more than 400 worldwide scientific expeditions, which yielded many of the artifacts now on view as part of 'Human Evolution.' (Photo courtesy Penn Museum)
The ongoing story of human evolution, which scientists trace back more than 200 million years, is the subject of the Penn Museum’s latest long-term exhibition, on view now.
Human Evolution: The First 200 Million Years invites visitors to explore the fascinating process of evolution and its profound impact on humans.
The interactive exhibit features multimedia programs, as well as more than 100 touchable casts of fossil bones from primate and human evolutionary records.
Human Evolution invites visitors to explore key fossils archeologists and other scientists have discovered around the world and continue to interpret in an effort to better understand our ancient past and the intricate evolutionary processes in our everyday lives.
Be sure to also check out the awesome interactive website accompanying the exhibition.
And click here to check out our coverage of other events going on at the museum.
Human Evolution: The First 200 Million Years
When: On long-term view now
Where: Penn Museum, 3260 South Street
Cost: $10 adults; $7 senior citizens (65+); $6 students and children; free for children under 6 and PennCard holders
More info: www.penn.museum
October 21, 2011
Highlighting how the experience of “place” saturates the work of 25 artists from six regions across the country, PAFA’s fall exhibition, appropriately named “here.,” seeks to redefine “regionalism” in contemporary art.
On view October 22 through December 31, the exhibition highlights the fact that “place” is not simply the geographical locality where we live, but also the subject matter of lived experience.
This theme runs through the artworks of the featured artists who hail from cities as diverse as Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati and Phoenix. Together, their work opens a broader discussion about what regionalism can mean to American art and society in a global age.
Check out a full list list of featured artists here.
There’s an opening reception featuring light refreshments tonight, Friday, October 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; get advance tickets ($10) here.
here. at PAFA
When: October 22- December 31
Where: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 128 N. Broad Street
Cost: General admission $15, Seniors (60+) and Students $12, Groups of 6 or more $12
More info: www.pafa.org
October 18, 2011
Urban Topiary was unveiled during DesignPhiladelphia 2010 to a tremendous turn-out, and one year later this stunning living sculpture is one-hundred percent complete and growing. (Photo courtesy JDT International)
Conceived as a special partnership as part of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia’s 1% for Art Program, the “Urban Topiary” at The Flats at Girard Pointe in Kensington is celebrating its completion this Saturday, October 22 from 4-6 p.m. with a community festival and fundraiser.
The celebration will offer guests a chance to meet and greet the Urban Topiary designers, participate in the making of an on-site mural and enjoy a variety of fall-themed activities. Cocktails and light bites are included.
Plus, the city’s beloved Mural Arts Program will be announcing a fantastic Urban Roots mural that will complete the design of the Flats at Girard Pointe.
Urban Topiary, a project of JDT International’s philanthropic initiative Urban Roots, was unveiled during last year’s DesignPhiladelphia, and now, exactly one year later, this stunning green sculpture is finally complete.
Designed to engage the community through arts and design, the completed Urban Topiary creates a unique urban oasis in the heart of Old Kensington.
The new housing development at Girarde Pointe is surrounded by more than 100 of the Urban Topiary’s digitally fabricated galvanized steel tubes that unite the public sidewalk and the adjacent private yards of the housing complex.
For more information about this wonderful project, click here.
Urban Topiary Community Celebration & Fundraiser
When: Saturday, October 22, 4-6 p.m.
Where: 1233 N. 3rd Street
Cost: Free
More info: www.designphiladelphia.org
October 14, 2011
Check out dozens of participating re-conceptualized storefront windows throughout Old City and vote for your favorite, as part of DesignPhiladelphia. (Photo by Halley Carmo courtesy Old City Collective)
The Old City Business Collective has brought back Old City Windows, now through October 23 as part of DesignPhiladelphia.
The design-inspired window competition and display celebrates innovative thinking and visual inspiration from local students, artists and professionals in various fields of design.
Visitors can check out dozens of participating, re-conceptualized storefront windows throughout Old City (they’ll be marked with a DesignPhiladelphia sticker for easy recognition) and then cast their vote for Public’s Favorite Window.
For more information and/or to cast your vote online, click here.
Old City Windows 2011
When: Now-October 23
Where: Throughout Old City
Cost: Free
More info: www.oldcitybusinesscollective.org
October 13, 2011
This photo of St. Elizabeth's autopsy theater is one of 22 gripping images of American mental hospitals seen from a fresh angle at Drexel's New Leonard Pearlstein Gallery. (Photo by Christopher Payne courtesy Drexel)
Drexel’s latest exhibition, Asylum: Inside the Closed World of Stated Mental Hospitals, presents a collection of two dozen large-format photographs by New York-based artist Christopher Payne.
Payne’s gripping photos challenge mainstream portrayal of mental hospitals as places of nightmarish squalor and abuse.
Instead, the images document what were once monuments of civic pride, built with noble intentions by leading architects and physicians, who envisioned asylums as places of refuge, therapy and healing.
The exhibit is the culmination of a six-year project in which Payne was granted unprecedented access to a whopping 70 institutions in 30 states. Since many of these sites no longer exist, the captivating photographs serve as the sites’ final, official record.
The exhibition is free and open to the public. Hours are Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is one not to miss.
A few more images to pique your interest, below.
Drexel’s Asylum: Inside the Closed World of Stated Mental Hospitals
When: Now through October 29
Where: The New Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, 3215 Market Street
Cost: Free
More info: www.drexel.edu
October 12, 2011
Environmental education meets local arts, live music, food trucks and more this Sunday, October 16 from noon to 4 p.m. as the 2011 Community Arts Festival (CAFe) comes to the Crane Arts Building in Kensington.
Presented by InLiquid, Crane Arts, Kensington South Neighborhood Advisory Council and ArtsRising, CAFe 2011 promotes environmental consciousness by supporting local artists and environmental organizations.
Funds raised through CAFe will provide art supplies to local youth programs.
A few highlights:
Food
• Caribbean Soul Food by Gigi & Big R
• Sweet treats by Sweet Box Cupcakes
• Trinidadian fare by Mini Trini
• Healthy bites by Urban Nutrition Initiative
Live Entertainment
• Noon: The Really Cooks
• 1 p.m.: The Eco-Man Show
• 2 p.m.: Arab Music presented by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture
• 3 p.m.: North Lawrence Midnight Singers
Family-friendly Programming
• Haiku-writing with First Person Arts
• Puppet-making with Gas & Electric Arts
• Popsicle-stick house-building with Habitat for Humanity
• Bookmark-making with the Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Play with prisms & print your visions with Violette de Mazia
For a full list of participating organizations, click here.
In keeping with the environmental theme, guests are encouraged to take public transportation; however free street parking is also available. The festival is also wheelchair accessible and will be held rain or shine!
CAFe 2011 Festival
When: Sunday, October 16, noon-4 p.m. (Rain or Shine)
Where: Crane Arts Building, 1400 North American Street
Cost: Free
More info: www.inliquid.com
October 6, 2011
Celebrate Latin-American dance, drafts and traditions this month at the gorgeous Magic Gardens. (Photo courtesy Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens)
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens will celebrate all month long in honor of the Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday.
First up is “Family Jams” this Sunday, October 9, noon-4 p.m. Help decorate the ofrenda, a traditional altar set up for the Day of the Dead to honor loved ones who have passed. Bring the whole family to create colorful papel picados and make Day of the Dead paper puppet figurines.
On Saturday, October 15 head over for a Latin-American themed Dance Fiesta. Held in the garden’s expansive sculpture labyrinth, the party kicks off at 7 p.m. with Latin dance lessons by Society Hill Dance, as well as live Cuban music by Conjunto Philadelphia. Bonus: free Sangria. Also on view will be Ana Vizcarra Rankin’s beautiful site-specific installation.
On October 29-30, either 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or 2-4 p.m., create your own paper mache figurine with renowned artist Joel Garcia, who will be traveling from Mexico City to teach this traditional craft to a limited number of students.
Space for events is limited, so be sure to RSVP by calling (215) 733-0390.
Dia De Los Muertos Dance Fiesta
When: October 9-30
Where: Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, 1020 South Street
Cost: $15/Members and Students, $20/Non-Members.
More info: www.phillymagicgardens.org
