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Pennsylvania SPCA Gives Something to Bark About at 10th Annual Bark & Whine Gala
Beautiful gala program design befits a decade’s worth of honoring advocacy. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “… Home … and further joy will be surely there: Supper waiting full of the taste of bone. You throw up your nose again, and sniff, and stare For the rapture known Of the quick wild gorge of food and the still lie-down While your people talk above you in the light.” Of candles, and your dreams will merge and drown Into the bed-delicious hours of night.” — From “Dog” by Harold Monro Reading the above excerpt from Harold Monro’s poem brings me closer to understanding a dog’s life. The power of the written…
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Barnes Foundation Art Ball Showcases French Artist Suzanne Valadon
By the light of the silvery moon (and purple-hazy pool reflection), one magical evening at the 2021 Barnes Foundation Art Ball took place. “One of the things that’s quite striking when you look at her self-portraits is her attitude to aging. There’s a refusal of prettiness there … and an attention to the artifice of beautifying yourself, and then this very unflinching representation of her body as it changes.” – Nancy Ireson, deputy director for collections and exhibitions at the Barnes Foundation, speaking about Suzanne Valadon Story, photos by Sharon Kozden It’s been some time since I had reason to slither into a slinky cocktail dress and to slip on…
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Pretty in Pink at Philadelphia’s Morris Arboretum’s Cherry Blossom Festival
“To see the cherry hung with snow.” — Alfred E. Housman No explication necessary. Poet Housman here nailed it with the “hung with snow” phrase. Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough, And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide. – Alfred E. Housman Story, photos by Sharon Kozden Slowly but surely, “I’ve been turning Japanese, turning Japanese, I really think so.” This transmogrification began at least a decade ago, when one day I awoke, surveyed my surroundings and determined that the sheer volume of what my mother calls dust-catchers (read: tchotchkes) had to be jettisoned–stat. I set to divesting myself of…
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Cultivating Leadership: Union League of Philadelpia Hosts The Germination Project’s 2017 Draft Day Gala
“People always say that I have all of these projects, but I really only have one project, and that’s our region.” – Ajay Raju Story, photos by Sharon Kozden The Union League‘s Lincoln Hall was the place to be, where The Germination Project‘s 3rd Annual Draft Day Gala was held. The assemblage included an impressive roster of notable community members as well as an equally diverse lineup of awards, inductions, presentations, performances and more. The gala, chaired by Executive VP and Provost JoAnne Epps of Temple University, introduced (in athletic-draft fashion) the 17 most recent inductees to 2017’s Germination Project’s Fellowship Class as well as the presentation (by Craig Snyder, President and CEO, World Affairs…
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CiderFest Rules Fairmount Park’s Historic Houses in Philadelphia
Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “The older I get, the more I become an apple pie, sparkling cider kind of guy.” – Scott Foley What was Fairmount Park Conservancy thinking on the perfect autumnal afternoon in late September when introducing CiderFest, featuring cider samples from over 20 Pennsylvania cideries, self-guided tours of the six historic houses at Fairmount Park, free house-to-house transportation, live music and pay-as-you-go food trucks? I’d say they had their thinking caps spot-on with the aforementioned perfect confab of fall delights. Proceeds from the event benefitted the “ongoing stewardship, maintenance and promotion of the Historic Houses of Fairmount Park.” That alone was more than enough for this itsy bitsy spider to drink from the…
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Crawlin’ with the Undead in Northern Libertie’s Zombie Invasion
Professional make-up artist Sonja Century complies with Sharon Kozden’s request to be transformed into a “pretty goth.” Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “It’s so hard to be careful, so easy to be led Somewhere beyond the pavement You’ll find the living dead.” – Tom Petty, “Zombie Zoo” What better way to spend a Friday the 13th evening than in the company of creepy and grotesquely incorporeal beings intent on feeding on my brain? Ironing my underwear? Navel-gazing? Nope and nope: I was out to get me some “organs that serve as the center of the nervous system.” I didn’t have to travel far to find them! The Piazza at The Schmidt’s Commons in Northern Libertie’s…
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Ballet X 2017 Premier Party Dances for Donors at Sky Philadelphia
Story by Tiffany C. DuBois, photos by Eric Morales, Brice Goldberg and Kevin Wallace The Philadelphia contemporary ballet company Ballet X held their annual premier party on the 50th floor of Sky Philadelphia, located at 1717 Arch Street. The event was not just a premier party. It was a night to celebrate dance, music and three important people who have supported Ballet X throughout the years. It was a night to honor Damian Wetzel and Janet and Jim Averill. Their strength, support and belief in Ballet X has helped the ballet company grow every year and has helped them become a more recognizable name, not just in the Philadelphia area but nationwide.…
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American Jewish History Museum Debuts Impactful Exhibit ‘1917: How One Year Changed the World’
Story, photos by Tiffany DuBois The National Museum of American Jewish History debuted a special exhibit in mid-March called “1917: How One Year Changed the World”. The exhibition looks back 100 years at how three major events brought about political and social change that reshaped the role that the United States would play in the world. These events were America’s entry into World War 1, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the issuing of the Balfour Declaration. The exhibition tells the story of the year 1917 from the perspective of American Jews and what trials and tribulations they had to endure during this time in history. The exhibit itself is very moving…
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No Libs 8th Annual Street Festival Keeping Philly Cool
Story, photos by Jae Rich The 8th Annual No Libs Street Festival was filled with everything you can imagine a festival could have on Sunday, August 7, 2016. Bass booming musicians, street performances, games, food and curb to curb people aligned 6 blocks of the northern liberty section of Philadelphia. The annual block party celebrated the community and amazing culture in Northern Liberties. The all day free festival included over 150 vendors from restaurants, beer gardens, authors, art galleries, and a variety of local business owners and entrepreneurs. With an eclectic and explosive musical lineup from local favorites the 2nd street festival was truly a party filled with libations, locals,…