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The Kimmel Center will be getting the celebrity chef treatment. (Photo courtesy of the Kimmel Center)

More exciting news.

Just a few days after learning about Stephen Starr’s new restaurant opening this weekend at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, now comes word that Wolfgang Puck — the world-renowned master chef and restaurateur — will be coming to Philadelphia to open a new restaurant at the Kimmel Center.

It’s part of a plan to enliven the city’s central performing arts hub.

While the Kimmel Center’s old restaurant, Cadence, was located off street level on the Kimmel’s balcony level, Wolfgang Puck will develop an entirely new restaurant and it will be located on ground floor on the Spruce Street side of the Kimmel, where the gift shop is currently located.

The new restaurant won’t open until fall 2011, but Wolfgang Puck will begin consulting on the Kimmel’s catering offerings this fall, both in the former Cadence space and in the plaza cafe in the Kimmel’s lobby.

More from The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Puck’s presence comes through an existing partnership with Restaurant Associates, the Kimmel’s current food-service vendor, which continues its relationship with the Kimmel and be a tenant in the Kimmel’s basement kitchen…

[Kimmel president Anne Ewers] said that the new restaurant, as yet unnamed, will be open for lunch and dinner, and open all the time, unlike Cadence, which was open only around Verizon Hall performance days and times.

The Kimmel Center will also be adding a new high-definition, digitally-animated, 7-foot x 7-foot video cube at the northeast corner of the building, at Broad and Spruce Streets.

Click here to read the full report from the Inquirer.

Kimmel Center to liven up its street look [Philadelphia Inquirer]

The beginning of September means two things in my book: back to school (though that hasn’t applied to me in quite some time… I should really update my book) and the Live Arts & Philly Fringe Festivals!

Oh, and no more wearing white. But who really cares about that, anyway? Clearly the exciting point here is that the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival is beginning this weekend.

That means that hoards of artists will take over the city for two weeks to perform upwards of 200 original productions that will run the gamut from theater to dance to music, comedy, puppetry, and even visual art installations. The majority of artists are Philly-based, but many hail from across the country and even around the globe.

The Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe are actually two separate festivals under one big umbrella.

Live Arts is a curated Festival, with high-profile companies specifically chosen to perform their shows. And Philly Fringe is something of a massive free-for-all, in which anyone with a spark of creativity and the passion to produce a show can hop on stage.

Both festivals host groundbreaking, exciting, and often completely unexpected works in venues all around the city.

The official website is a portal to everything you need. Check it out to find great shows — you can search by artist, genre, location, or even use the online matchmaker to find the perfect Live Arts show for you.

You can also get your surprisingly cheap tickets online, which are further discounted for anyone 25 and under (sweet!).

Also, there’s a handy iPhone App.

Oh, and I’d be remiss not to mention the Festival Bar in Northern Liberties, which springs to life on Friday night and will be open for the duration of the festival. This bar is like none other, featuring art installations, cabarets, dance parties, and rock bands along with the DJ’s. (Full Festival Bar schedule here.)

The Festivals comprise some of the most exciting arts events on Philly’s calendar. So get psyched, and stay tuned for some more info about selected shows.

2010 Philadelphia Live Arts and Philly Fringe Festival
September 3rd – 18th
At all times, and all over the city!
www.livearts-fringe.org

Last month, we first made mention of Feastival.

It’s an event in its first year (spearheaded by Stephen Starr, Michael Solomonov and Audrey Claire Taichman), designed to raise money for this city’s beloved Live Arts and Philly Fringe Festival.

Feastival will feature a delectable array of food — all donated by area restaurants — as well as performances by Festival artists and two auctions (live and silent). It’s going to be an amazing event and we want you to attend!

That’s right, we have a pair of tickets — valued at $200 each! — to give away for the Feastival, which is taking place September 15, 2010 from 6-9 p.m. at the Festival Hub at 5th and Fairmount Streets in Northern Liberties.

The contest begins today, August 30, 2010 and ends Friday, September 10, 2010 at 12 noon. Just fill out the form below to enter. The winner will be selected by random drawing and will be notified on September 10. Note: You may submit one entry per day for the duration of the giveaway (but no more than that!).

Official rules may be found here. You must be 21 or older to enter. Just enter your information in the form below.

Feastival [Official Site]

 
Art of the American Soldier brings a never-before-seen collection of soldier artwork, 100 years in the making, to the National Constitution Center this September.

What can art tell us about the experience of being a soldier? Since World War I, both soldier and civilian artists have been commissioned by the U.S. Army to create a visual and historical record of military conflicts around the world. Wielding paintbrushes as powerful as their weapons, these soldier-artists have captured the human dimension of war in a way no newsreel or photograph ever could.

Today, the U.S. Army has collected more than 15,000 paintings and sketches created by over 1,300 American soldiers in the line of duty. With no national museum to display this impressive collection, these works have remained in curatorial storage in Washington, D.C. for decades, seldom made available for public viewing.

Art of the American Soldier at the National Constitution Center brings this previously unseen collection into the spotlight for the first time. The exhibition explores how soldier-artists have portrayed moments of soldier life, duty, and sacrifice in military conflicts spanning the past 100 years.

Through these unforgettable images, visitors to the exhibition will connect with the soldier experience and discover insights into the men and women who have answered the Constitution’s call to “provide for the common defense.”

A painting from the exhibition: Landing Zone - John Wehrle, Vietnam, 1966 (Image courtesy The NCC)

The exhibition has a great new website, complete with an interactive gallery and timeline where you can preview some of the art as it was created over the last century.

Art of the American Soldier
September 24, 2010 through January 10, 2011
National Constitution Center in Philadelphia

Art of the American Soldier [National Constitution Center]

The Kimmel Center, Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC

This is not the place to recount the long and infamous history of Philadelphia sports fans — their passion hitting a level of obsessiveness beyond most.

Now is the time, though, to look forward to the return of The Philly Fan, the one-man hit show starring Barrymore Award winner Tom McCarthy and written by award-winning playwright Bruce Graham that is becoming gospel at the church of Philadelphia fandom.

The limited six-week engagement beginning Sept. 23 – Oct. 31 at the Kimmel Center’s Innovation Studio features a slew of content since it first debuted to much fanfare in 2004 — including updates from a Phillies World Series win and a Donvan McNabb trade.

The one man tour-de-force is hailed as a biting, hilarious journey through a half-century of Philadelphia sports history, including all the requisite ups and downs and with a familiar sense of impending doom and undying love.

Tickets are now available at $35 for Thursday and Friday performances and $47 for Saturday and Sunday performances. For more information, visit the Kimmel Center’s official website.

The Philly Fan
Sept. 23rd – Oct 31st, 2010

The Kimmel Center
260 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 790-5800
www.kimmelcenter.org

Outside the Ryerss Museum, Photo courtesy the Museum

The Fox Chase Reading Series continues this weekend, with another fine selection of local poets reading outdoors, this time at the historic Ryerss Museum & Library.

Participating poets include Diane Sahms-Guarnieri, Carlos Soto Roman, Patrick Lucy, Rodger Lowenthal, Catherine Staples, Jacob Russell, and G Emil Reutter.

The reading is free, and starts at 1pm, wrapping up at 3:30pm. Stop by, listen to some poetry, and enjoy the gorgeous view from the Ryerss’ amazing porch.

Ryerss Museum and Library
7370 Central Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111
(215) 685-0544
www.ryerssmuseum.org

The Amberella Gallery in Northern Liberties is launching a new exhibition this Saturday, August 14th, and they want you to come out for the opening reception.

Entitled Planchette, the exhibit is” a collection of paintings, writings, and miniature altars based around the on-going discourse between [participating artists] J.L. Schnabel and Danielle Vogel.”

The opening reception kicks off at 7pm and wraps up at 11pm. The exhibit runs through September 1st. For more information on the gallery and the artists participating, visit Amberella’s official website.

Amberella Gallery Presents: Planchette
August 14th – September 1st, 2010

Amberella Gallery
1050 N Hancock St, Ste 62, Philadelphia, PA 19123
(610) 283-5669
www.amberellagallery.wordpress.com

 
The Late Renoir exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art runs through September 6th.

Meanwhile, with 181 Renoir works in their permanent holdings, The Barnes Foundation has the largest collection of Renoirs in the world.

Late Renoir: A Master Ages, and Shuns Reality [CBS News]
Late Renoir Exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art [Visit Philly]
The Barnes Foundation [Visit Philly]

Liberate & LaDuna by Shawn Bishop-Leo

The Vincent Michael Gallery, fresh off their successful exhibition of PaperMonster last month, are proud to present another unique exhibit for the month of August.

Entitled fullyLOADED, the exhibit “presents an array of artists who continue to push boundaries in contemporary art” and features Philadelphia’s own Thomas Buildmore and Morgan Thomas of OverKill Studios.

Vincent Michael has a special opening reception planned for Friday, August 6th, during which Morgan Thomas will put together a one-of-a-kind installation  piece specifically for the opening of this exhibit.

This new gallery is doing a lot of fun and exciting things here in Philly’s art community. Check it out. You’ve got until the end of the month.

fullyLOADED
August 6th – August 28th, 2010

Vincent Michael Gallery
1050 N. Hancock St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 399-1580 (X703)
www.vincentmichael.com

Stephen Starr is now running the food operations at the world famous Art Museum. (Photo by E. Savaria for the PCVB)

On Sunday, August 1, Starr Restaurants Catering Group took over the day-to-day food and catering operations at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, including its four main eateries: The Museum Cafe – the main visitor cafeteria at the Museum; the Balcony Cafe – a smaller cafe overlooking the West Entrance Foyer; the Perelman Cafe – the main cafeteria in the Perelman Building Annex; and the Museum Restaurant – the Museum’s fine dining destination.

The Museum’s three cafes are currently open and feature new menus by Starr Catering, while the Museum Restaurant is currently closed for renovations and will re-open at the end of the month with a new design and a new menu from Starr. (Targeted opening date: August 31.)

All four eateries will be tied together by a common theme: the cafes and restaurant as well as their respective menus will all have a distinct French and European influence.

The Museum Cafe is going to become a kind of gourmet market, with subways tiles and chalkboard art to accentuate that feel. The new menu, which is already rolling, plays to that theme.

There is an all day made-to-order omelet station (e.g. The Florentine, with artichokes, spinach, herbs and gruyere); composed salads like tuna nicoise, duck and farro, or a seasonal market chopped salad; and hot and pressed sandwiches like the Baguette Provencal that’s so popular at Parc, a Le Club sandwich with turkey and bacon, or a roast beef with a horseradish aioli and watercress.

Enjoy a en plein air luncheon inspired by Renoir. (Photo by M. McClellan)

There is also a cheese and charcuterie option, where guests can get fresh cut cheeses, just-sliced cured meats with fresh breads, gourmet mustards and pickled vegetables.

Read more about a new dining options including a special Renoir-inspired “en plein air luncheon” below.

(more…)

The Mauckingbird Theatre Company is well known for their gay-themed theatre, producing fantastic, critically acclaimed productions of classical plays and literature.

From their first production of R&J to their recent performances of TRU and The Threshing Floor, this local group always pushes the envelope, delivering some truly unique Philadelphia theatre.

Well, they’re back at it again, this time with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, running for three weeks at the Randall Theatre at Temple University.

This is Mauckingbird’s seventh production, and features the largest cast in the company’s short, but accomplished, history. There’s even an original pop score to this show, created by Barrymore Award-winner Chris Colucci.

The show runs from August 20th to September 12th, and tickets can be purchased online at www.mauckingbirdtheatreco.org. For more information on the production, make sure you visit their official website.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
August 20th – September 12, 2010
www.mauckingbirdtheatreco.org

Randall Theatre at Temple University
2020 N 13th Street (13th and Norris Streets), Philadelphia, PA

The folks at Hudson Beach Glass have teamed up with their neighbors, Triumph Brewing Co., to host a special one-night-only beer and cheese tasting on August 19th. Check out the menu!

* Helles Lager w/ Morbier or Uplands Pleasant Ridge
* Hefeweien w/ Fresh Goat cheese
* Dunkel Lager w/ Aged Gruyere
* C&C Stout w/ Gorgonzola Dolce or Cashel Blue

Okay, I’ll be honest here. I know nothing about cheese. If you’re like me, chances are you’re looking at this menu, utterly confused. But that’s okay! This is a great opportunity to learn a thing or two, all at an affordable price.

The tasting is only $40, and comes with a free hand-made pint glass from Hudson Beach, which happens to be valued at $40. You can order tickets online at Ticketleap.

UPDATE: The Tasting will take place at Hudson Beach Glass studio, not Triumph as originally reported.

Hudson Beach Glass [Official Site]